[Scans/Japon/Août 2011] - InRock Vol.333

Interview with Tokio Hotel in Japan

Now, this is the first time that I have my life, not being Tokio Hotel. (Bill)

Having mini live at Audi Forum Tokyo. From left to right: Georg Listing, Tom Kaulitz, Bill Kaulitz, Gustav Schäfer.

Tokio Hotel visit Japan for MTV's VIDEO AID JAPAN (hereafter referred to VMAJ). In our last issue, we published our close coverage and photos of Tokio Hotel, this time, we will publish their interview. We haven't met Kaulitz brothers for three months, they are still handsome, but Tom has wear a thin beard. Though they are twins, you can distinguish them from their image. Bill has shown up with beard in an award, it seems that fans are shocked. And, this time, apart from VMAJ, Tokio Hotel has also done mini live in Audi's Showroom. There're a lot of fans saying that they can't wait to enjoy a normal concert. "It doesn't matter how much money you can spend, only those, who have won the tickets, can attend this live. It's hard." said the fans. According to Germany's staff, Japan's promoter has contacted them for a few times, the band's also full of drive. It may not be a long way to fulfill fans' wish...?

Japan's summer is humid, right?
Bill: Yap, it's really hard that you have to work under such weather. I don't care if we are in vacation, and relax for the whole day.
Tom: But it's better than cold!
Bill: Surely, it's better than winter.

By the way, Tom, what's happening to your beard? Fans are talking about it!
Tom: You don't like it? *laugh*

Small photos:
left: Q&A section after live. "Do you like Japanese girl?" such normal question was asked. Though fans all know the boys' answer, still they want to ask.
right: In Q&A section after live, the boys were asked about their plan for coming to Japan in the future. They answered that it was in progress, however, due to the popularity gap between different countries, it's very difficult carry out the plan... Though the boys are full of drive.
P45 (Bill): In the party, people were speechless with Bill's mystic beauty, no matter boys or girls.

...well, what can I say... *grin*
Bill & Tom: *laugh*
Tom: I'm as beautiful as usual, right *grin*? Well...I think that beard can hide my rough skin. Should I continue to expose my rough skin, as Bill does so, or should I grow a beard to cover it? I chose the later one.
Gustav: Even you do so, you are as beautiful as usual! *grin*
Tom: Right? *grins*
Bill: But, for Tom and I, it's not a big deal. I'm a bit lazy in the morning, I also grow beard, the same as everyone. If it is okay for me not to shave off my beard, of course, this way is always easier.
Tom: Gustav got sternal seta! *laugh*
Bill: Yeah, sternalia! *laugh*

In the morning, when I saw Bill's face with beard, I was shocked, even I am the twin brother... (Tom)

*laugh* Right. But the look of you guys is part of the image of Tokio Hotel, to fans, it's a great deal.
Bill: You're right. For us, it's completely normal, but for fans, it's big problem, it's strange.

Don't say something like that, don't you care about your look and styling all the time?
Bill: You're right, but I'm also human being, the same as everyone! *grin*

Okay, but I just can't imagine that Bill has such side.
Bill: *laugh* No, no, I am the same as everyone, I grow beard.
Tom: Even I am the twin brother, I am shocked! In the morning, when I saw this guy's face, I was just like "What's happening to this face!? This is not Bill!". I'm really openmouthed. *laugh*
Bill: *laugh* But the worst thing is that I'm bored by myself, so I always change my look.
Tom: Just go out with your natural beauty. *grin* Hey, do I look old?
Bill: You are just 21, so it's okay, isn't it?
Tom: Yes, it's okay. If I wear a beard, I look like 21, right? I'm no longer 16, 17 years old.

*laugh* Let's back to our subject. First, I would like to thank you guys for supporting victims in Tohoku and Fukushima. You guys have done a lot of work in helping them?
Bill: Yes. When we heard of the earthquake, we were really shocked, since we just came back from Japan a few weeks before the earthquake.

It's graceful that you guys could go back safely.
Bill: Yes, of course, but we really love this country, we like Tokyo the best, so we treat Tokyo's matter as our matter. As the earthquake is really shocking, we think that, we will do anything if they need us, we want to show our support to Japan! So we are really happy that we can raise money for Japanese Red Cross Society with MTV.

Your fans have also done something, right?
Bill: Yes, in order to raise money for Japanese Red Cross Society, we have designed some buttons, and many fans bought these buttons. I'm really happy to see fans helping us.

Also, you guys will have a collaboration with Germany's football team player Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund's MF Shinji Kagawa), right?
Bill: Yes, we met him a lot recently. Although he says "I'm not that familiar with football...", he's really a nice guy.

What will you guys do?
Bill: If there's any chance, we will grasp it with joy. For this time's MTV, there're really a lot of artists gathered together to show their support. I think that's really great. The scene of many people holding together for the same purpose is nice.

After the earthquake disaster, many Japanese start thinking about their lives and destinies. Do you have anything that you think that you must do in your life? What's in your mind when disaster comes?
Tom: Yes, I think that when something like that happens, a great impact will be made on everyone, all over the world. It happens so quickly, just in an instant, you can actually feel the terror of Nature.
Bill: Life is really fragile... I'm really scared.
Tom: The earthquake has changed the life of people all over the world. We all reflect on our life. There're so many people being killed, people all feel heartbreaking, so people is affected, for no reason.

You guys are stars, there are many people admire your music and existence, right? Do you guys think that it's destiny.
Bill: Yeah, it can only be destiny. We have talked about this in many interview, that we are saved by music, in many ways. We, not only immerse ourselves in our music, but also in many other music. When we are sad, we will go to party, we listen to different music according to the atmosphere. Also, we create our own music, we are inspired by a lot of stories, and write our songs, this is the way which can solve our problem best. Everything around us is our inspiration. For us, music is a therapy, it works in different way. We will be happy if we can play such role. Though we are amazed that fans value us, we are really happy that they need our band.

I see. So, you guys are working on your new album?
Bill & Tom: Yes!

Where do you guys get inspiration from for your songs recently?
Bill: Tom and I get all the inspiration from our life. Now, this is the first time that I have my life, not being Tokio Hotel. We are always touring, and grew up in the eye of public, it might be the first time that we can live and keep our privacy. So we try to challenge everything that we couldn't do in the past, this way of life is new to us, not touring. So, now, we get our inspiration from whom we met and our life. And movie. We like watching movie.
Tom: Also, time is important. Having enough time inspires us a lot. We live with our own lifestyle, have few weeks doing nothing. I think is really great. Songs that we bring to our fans is certainly great.
Bill: The most important thing is that we don't have pressure. The date of release of our next album is not decided, to us, this is important. We are not a band that will release an album annually. We are kind of free. As we think that ideas come to our mind spontaneously, we may have to spend 2, 3 or 4 years for an album, so we don't know when will our new album be finished. We will spend as much time as we like on it, this is important.

If we are not 100% satisfied with our work, we will absolutely not make it public. (Tom)

You're right. So far, how many songs have you guys written?
Tom: If you are talking about the number of songs, the number is enough for us to go to the studio. But we don't want this. We will keep on writing songs and write down our ideas, production keeps on...
Bill: We can't tell you exactly how many songs we have written. In our laptop, there are a lot of songs we wrote since 2000. We have taken some songs from there and made some modifications. It's difficult to say exactly how many songs we have written. Anyway, we have written many songs, a mountain of songs.
Tom: One day, inside this mountain, we will think that "Ok, we are ready!". At that time, there're songs that can be combined into an album.
Bill: There are some songs that I don't like after recording.

Could you guys upload the first 20 seconds of one of the song on Internet?
Tom: *grin* There are too many songs for free nowadays.

Okay...*grin*
Bill: But if we are 100% satisfied with our work, we will share with our fans.
Tom: Yap, conversely, if we are not 100% satisfied with our work, we will absolutely not make it public.

You guys are all perfectionists. *grin*
Bill: Yap, as we are perfectionists, we want to write music with high quality. In the recent music industry, there are many people treat quality as minor, we want some bands creating music of high quality.

I see. By the way, your ring is really marvelous! Can you introduce to us? (there are a few rings, they nearly hide Bill's finger. It seems that the rings have gimmicks)
Bill: This one? I brought this from Los Angeles' secondhand clotheses store, it seems that it was originally an old watch.

From Melrose Avenue, right? (editor: Los Angeles' most fashionable street, with lots of secondhand clotheses store and characteristic fashion stores.)
Bill: Yes, from Melrose Avenue! You know it.

Cause we had asked from Tom that you bought lots of things there. *grin* (6: From InRock #326)
Bill: Yap, that's my favourite place in Los Angeles.

But, isn't it inconvenient to carry such big ring?
Bill: No, I love accessories. I have lots of accessories, a crazy number of accessories. There are chains, rings and other accessories. I have lots of accessories in my closet, a few thousands of them.

*grin* By the way, your next single for radio is the great hit song "Monsoon". It's a new song here, in Japan. Can you tell us some stories about this song?
Bill: Yes. This is one of our first recording song by Tokio Hotel. It's in our first album, our first single in Germany, and the start of everything, so it's an important song, full of our memories. It fulfill our dreams, fans love this song. And "Monsoon" is also the most viewed video... We have brought this song to many countries. We have lots of memories in this song. We have also made a really beautiful video! Of course, it's an old song now...

You guys has shot another video?
Bill: Yeah, shot in Cape Town that one. Don't watch the German version, I really don't like it!

Really?
Bill: Yes, though it's part of our history, I don't think we had made a good video, so I'm not that like it. But it's our starting point.

You were so cute in that video! I have watched it for a few times.
Tom: *laugh* You have watched the whole?
Bill: Yap, we had his video, then a few years later, we shot the English version in Cape Town. It's a love song!
Tom: We were on an helicopter in the English version, after the shoot of the video, the helicopter was broken down.
Bill: It seems that it can no longer be manned.
Tom: We didn't know this, and we got on it. The shot goes well, but it's broken down a few days later.
Bill: It's too old, that there's even no license saying that it can be manned.

It's great that you guys are safe!!
Bill & Tom: Yeah..*laugh* There's such story.

And, there's one more important thing. A few months ago, you guys had beaten of a lot of big artists and win the MTV O Music Award? It's great, can you talk about this?
Tom: Yes. Now, we're about to compose our mind and stay in the studio, we were not interviewed often, we are surprised! Even in such period, fans vote for us.
Bill: We didn't expect to it!
Tom: We even didn't know that we were nominated, after knowing that, we just thought that "it's great, but this is O Award, we won't win it".
Bill: It's really unexpected. In the past, when we won Headliner (6: EMA in 2008), and many other awards, we didn't feel the sense of reality... These all are achieved by our fans, for us. We are really proud of our fans, they support us greatly. Now, we don't have tour, just have our production in the studio, but still we won the award, we are really happy! It's really cool!

It's an award for fans, right? It means that your fans are the best?
Bill & Tom: Yes!
Bill: It's an award for fans! Our fans are from foreign countries (Outside America), still we won the award, it's cool!!

It's really marvelous!

Small photos:
In German chain of electronics stores, Saturn's commercial, Bill acted together with Alice Cooper.

Translation by 619 @ THCN