17.08.05 Interview bei NBC GIGA (with Translation)

Translation
R (Reporter): Hallo, hallo...Great that you are here, you're very successful right now so maybe you don't have much time. I have to ask you a couple of questions in the theme of this show, so; If you could make three wishes come true, what would they be?

B (Bill): Well, I think that the first one is the same for us all; to play in Tokyo once and well...erm, I think I would wish enough food for everybody and erm... that people can make all their money with making music so you won't have to do anything else.

Gu (Gustav): I agree with that, but -

T (Tom): We all actually have the same wish; to make our hobby our profession.

R: Well, you've nearly done that now. One of your wishes would be playing in Tokyo once; your name is Tokio Hotel too. Is that then your absolute dream?

B: Well, we've looked what would symbolise the time and the things we expire now the best, and we thought that Tokyo was very suitable. Because that city is very far away and none of us has been there yet but we would really like to and it would be completely new for us, and everything we experience now is new to us too, so it symbolises it very good.

R: Very good indeed, and you are going to perform a song for us later, aren't you? Which one?

B: Durch den Monsun.

R: Durch den Monsun, of course. Well, Thank's very much for this interview and success. You stay and watch...etc.


Guy: Bill, Tom, Georg and Gustav, good afternoon, at first. Great that you’ve found your way to the studio, I think you’ve had a really stressful time and still have it coming, haven’t you?

Bill: Yes.

Guy: For how many days have you been on the road now, when was the last time you’ve been at home?

Tom: Erm, we had time of last week and we’re gone from home for three or four days now. And we’ve been travelling the whole summer holiday until now.

Guy: Wow, heavy, that means that you’ve had only stress for four or five weeks now, doesn’t it?

Bill: Yes.

Tom: Getting up early…

Guy: But you also enjoy it, don’t you?

Bill: Certainly, extremely.

Guy: And what is the coolest thing?

Bill: The coolest things are that we’re always in big cities, because we live in Magdeburg and that isn’t very big and Tom and I live in a small village there. And you see very much and meet very much people.

Guy: Have you seen the fans that are waiting here in front of the studio?

All: Yes.

Guy: That’s really heavy, I don’t think I have seen so many people here in a long time. We’ll go to the window later and say hi.

Bill/Tom/Gustav: Okay

Guy: What would you prefer; girls or music?

All: Music.

Guy: At the moment?

Gustav: At the moment unfortunately none of us has a girlfriend.

Tom: Oh well, I like them both…

Guy: You said unfortunately. Would you like to have one?

Gustav: Yes, certainly. But it’s a bit hard to get it all in once.

Guy: Wouldn’t it be cool if you’d all have a partner who also could sing as cool as you can?

Tom: Yes, background…

Bill: Sing as cool as we can? Well, the others can’t really sing that cool…

Georg: What’s that supposed to mean? [Kidding]

Guy: Yes, but still, it would fit really great… And yes, what’s that supposed to mean? Can’t you sing?

Gustav: Every human being can sing.

Tom: We can all sing. Great. [Laughs]

Guy: Okay. Have you learned to play guitar, or singing, or the other instruments with a teacher and stuff?

Bill/Gustav/Tom: Well, I –

Bill: You go.

Gustav: No, you go.

Tom: Okay, well, in my case it was my stepfather who got me into playing the guitar, because he plays the electric guitar in a hard rock-band himself. I started when I was about seven. Erm, he also had a music-school, but without notes; just freestyle/freelance (Don’t know the right term) it’s really cool.

Guy: That just stimulates the creativity, doesn’t it?

Tom: Yes, really. We’ve practised a there for a while, but I’ve learned myself a lot too.

Guy: Okay. And about the practising; you always practise to reach something, but even in an artist-dream one can’t even imagine what you’ve experienced the last couple of months.

Bill: Indeed, we’ve had extremely much luck; we were at the right time at the right place; two and a half years ago we met our producers at a performance. And we’ve been working on the album for a long time now. In the summer we’ve already recorded the biggest half of it and we’ve produced it once more this year. And it’s certainly very exiting, that it’s all going so fast suddenly.

Guy: And what about your album?

Bill: The album comes at the end of the year, we hope we’ll make September, but it could also be October.

Guy: What is still missing then? Is it a musical thing, or…

Bill/Tom: It’s all finished, it’s all finished.

Guy: But why the waiting then?

Tom: Yes, well erm… like, erm –

Guy: Oh I see.

Tom: To increase the suspense a bit…

Guy: Oh, to create a bit suspense, okay…

Tom/Bill: Exactly!

Guy: In your lyrics it’s, well I don’t want to say always, but very often, about pain or anger. And at the same time they say you want to carry on, and hope for better. Has something happened in your early youth or something, so you write texts about this now?

Bill: Well, the texts – I always try to convey problems that people of our age have, for example one song of the album is called “Gegen meinen Willen” (Against my Will) and it’s about the parents divorce, which was also a problem for Georg, Tom and me. I simply try to write songs out of every day problems. And many say “That sounds surprisingly adult, how can a fifteen-year-old write ‘Leb die Sekunde’? (Live the Second)”. That’s not about years of experienced or anything, that song just “happened” when I was sitting at home in a weekend when nothing happened. Those are really short moments.

Guy: Yes, of course you’re always developing, because of your age. Five years from now, could you then say “Actually I just don’t like the style of Tokio Hotel anymore, let’s start “Düsseldorf Hotel” and do it totally different”?

Bill: Yes of course, that can always happen.

Tom: But Düsseldorf Hotel doesn’t sound very good.

Guy: No, it doesn’t, maybe you should start Düsseldorf Restaurant then.

Tom: Yes, that’s better.

Georg: But we’ve been making the same music for five years then.

Guy: of course, but you’re not saying now “We just keep doing this and we’ll never change”.

Tom/Bill: No, certainly not.

Guy: Okay, let’s continue now. We’ll go to that table there later, we’ll have to answer some questions. We’ve received such a pile of questions… You also can also ask Tokio Hotel a question at www.giga.de. So stay watching and as I said the website is…

All: [silence]

Tom: Tokio Hotel…?

Guy: No, giga.de!

[All laugh]



Guy: Yes, I can hear them screaming, do you also hear them?

Bill: No

Guy: No, you don’t hear them? With a bit of intuition you can hear our fans scream – well, your fans of course. I can hear them very very loud. Well, we have 89 comments in here, and I’ve promised to just work through them all rigorously. Maybe I’ll think of an intelligent question in between, of course I’ll ask that too.

Let’s start with number 83; What does Bill think about the fact that so many girls think he’s cute?

Bill: Well, it’s certainly cool, isn’t it?

Guy: You can see the little grin…

Bill: Well, who wouldn’t?

Guy: Do you have a favourite fan who your really like?

Bill: Well, erm…

Gustav: Say yes.

Bill: There are a couple, erm…

Guy: I don’t need to know their names.

Bill: No, I don’t know them to be honest. But sometimes people send us photographs and it’s very funny to watch them. There are some who travel after us, who are at every concert.

Guy: Wasn’t it a bit frightening in the beginning?

Bill: Frightening?

Guy: Well, maybe not frightening, but at least surprising, it’s become a complete hype.

Bill: Well, some are standing in front of our garden.

Guy: Really? But can you still show yourself in public places then?

Bill: Not in Magdeburg anymore, that’s a bit hard.

Gustav: Well, only when I’m travelling with them.

Guy: Maybe with your cap pulled down low over your eyes?

Gustav: Yes, I’ve already pulled it a but lower…

Guy: Okay. Second question: do you write your songs yourself?

Bill: Yes. Well, I write – together with the producers – the texts, and the music and stuff is also done in the studio with the producers.

Guy: Okay, so you at least really work on it, it’s not like someone gives you a piece of paper and says, “Okay, sing it”.

Bill: No, indeed.

Guy: Third question: What do you think about the bands “Wir sind Helden” and “Silbermoon”?

Bill: They’re certainly good, it’s always nice too hear that things in German language get known like that and they’re certainly doing their things very very well.

Guy: Have you already heard any reaction from other countries?

Bill/Gustav: Yes.

Bill: Yes, they also come from Austria…

Gustav: Yes, Austria, and there’s a fanpage in Luxembourg, in Polen, Czechia…

Guy: It’s so funny to google your own name, you’ll certainly find some pages you’ve never seen before.

Bill: Yes, that’s fun.

Guy: It’s really funny to google your own name, you’ll certainly find some pages you’ve never seen before.

Bill: Yes, that’s fun.

Guy: Cool. Well, okay, let’s look what other question there are… Here; Ive read somewhere that your newest album will be coming out on the 19th of September, is that true?

Bill: Well, that’s the planning, but it’s not fixed yet and how it’s going to be called is also not known yet. So that’s all stil…

Gustav: The first thing on our to-do list

Bill: The first thing.

Guy: Just post some suggestions (the watchers), for the name of the album, that’d be nice. Okay… next question: can people hire you to play at birthdays? [Laughs]

Bill: No, never done it before…

Guy: No? Why not?

Gustav: Hm, We just haven’t done it yet

Bill: That’s why no one ever asked us before.

Guy: Well, people, this is your chance!

Bill: Yes, just ask… No I’m afraid we can’t do that. But you can celebrate your birthday on one of our concerts! We’re okay with that.

Guy: Oh well that’s an idea! The dates of the concerts you can certainly find at www.tokiohotel.de, and we’ll look here to see what other questions have appeared – Something else, just a little thing; I’ve received an e-mail from Vienna. on Monday there has been a concert annulated, can you comment on that?

Bill: Well, you could say half of the Donau had flooded… The problem was that it had rained very much in Vienna and everything was flooded –

Guy: Not only in Vienna [Laughs]

Bill: No, alright but… well, especially in Vienna it was very very wet, and the whole stage was under water so we couldn’t play and it got annulated.

Guy: Okay, but you’re still going to do that concert?

Gustav/Bill: Yes, definitely

Bill: We’ll certainly go back to Vienna again. The annulated concert was together with Christine Stürmer. If the next one will be with Christina or alone we don’t know, but it’ll certainly come.

Guy: Vienna; Tokio Hotel comes! Beware! You can find the dates of the concerts and the tour again on tokiohotel.de and you can also get the newsletter there. Then there is one more questio – oh damn, no more questions.

Bill: No more questions?

Guy: Oh, no I can still ask one question! A nice man is talking in my earphones telling me if I can still ask questions or not, hi Florian! Okay, I can ask one more question; you now exist for five, almost six years don’t you?

Gustav/Bill: Five years.

Guy: Now I was wondering; who is the youngest in your team?

Bill: I am the youngest. I’m ten minutes younger than my twin brother, we’re fifteen but we’re sixteen at the first of September.

Guy: Did you already have problems with your voice breaking?

Bill: Yes certainly, I’m in the middle of it. It’s getting lower of course but that isn’t really a problem live, we just play it differently.

Guy: But it’s a cool development, isn’t it? At this moment of all.

Bill: Yes, that’s right, there isn’t a single band that also has that.

Guy: Exactly, you actually can still form your voice now.

Bill: Right.

Guy: And we’ll see how your voice sounds now; Tokio Hotel performing Durch den Monsun!



Guy: We’ve played “journey to Jerusalem” a bit (don’t get that, maybe a German saying?); we’ve lost the other half of Tokio Hotel, but we’ve got this half back in stead. Good that you’ve found us. Shall we go through the questions?

Tom: Okay.

Guy: Okay, let’s go. Does anyone of you smoke?

Tom: No

Georg: Not anymore

Guy: Not anymore? Have you smoked?

Georg: I’ve smokes, unfortunately.

Guy: Auch! Bad, bad boy…

Tom: Well, he is 18.

Georg: It’s bad, I know.

Guy: Oh, I think you’re getting a new microphone, yours has just stopped working…

Tom: Okay.

Guy: Now the fans can hear everything too

Tom: Super.

Guy: You’re all single aren’t you?

Tom: Yes, we’re single

Georg: Yes, we’re all, unfortunately

Guy: here someone wants to know where Bill got the idea for his hair. I suppose he just went to the hairdresser and said “I want a crazy haircut” and he did this?

Tom: No, not exactly actually. At carnival he was dressed as a vampire.

Guy: Really?

Tom: Yes, that’s also from where the make-up comes. And then he made up the haircut and he kept it that way.

Georg: So it came a bit gradually.

Tom: Indeed. Then he started to dye – no, actually he has always dyed his hair black, also before the carnival.

Georg: Yes.

Guy: His hair is dyed black?

Tom: Yes.

Guy: And you have got dreadlocks.

Tom: Yes.

Guy: How old are they now?

Tom: I’ve got them for three years now.

Guy: Oh my! So your hair was very long before that, wasn’t it?

Tom: No, they grew this way, I still always have to wind them in again. (Not sure that’s correct).

Guy: Cool, can I touch them?

Tom: Sure

Guy: That feels totally cool [Laughs] It feels like you’re touching a snake or something… Now we’re talking about style; have you developed your own style? Concerning clothes and stuff, I mean. Or are you a bit guided somehow?

Georg: certainly not, we met the producer as a complete, finished band.

Tom: yes, they saw us performing for the first time dressed like this, so…

Georg: That’s true, people can’t change us.

Guy: okay. And you clothing, baggy pants and stuff, that was also like this before the band?

Tom: That has always been like that, as long as I can remember. I already pulled my trousers down in kindergarten, then they were still … trousers, but I always have done that. And I can’t do that anymore; pull my trousers up, not at all. Pretty funny.

Guy: And how many people can say that they’ve already pulled their trousers down in kindergarten, hm?

Tom: That’s what I mean [Laughs]

Guy: okay, let’s see what questions we still have… here’s one from Whizzkid: have you got a pc or a game computer?

Tom: yes, at least, Georg has a Playstation; we really like to play on the Playstation.

Georg: Certainly

Guy: favourite game?

Tom: Favourite game is…

Tom/Georg: GTA San Andreas.

Tom: That’s definitely very cool, and I also bought Bulletproof, the game from 50 cent, that’ll be cool too.

Guy: Good, here someone asks the standard question; if there ever has happened something embarrassing on stage. Of course something embarrassing has happened on stage once, but we won’t tell you.

Tom: Indeed. [Laughs]

Guy: Then you’ll have to come to the concerts, then you’ll see some cool stuff.

Tom: Exactly

Georg: Definitely.

Guy: Do you know the date of your next concert?

Tom: No idea, I only know –

Georg: We’ll play at Stars for Free in Berlin and Magdeburg

Tom: Indeed

Guy: A home game.

Tom: Exactly. So at we’ll be playing at stars for free in Magdeburg and…then at the Dome, and then at Top of the Pops, that’s be broadcasted next Saturday.

Guy: So; that’s a whole lot of appointments.

Tom: Certainly.

Georg: Endlessly…

Guy: But doesn’t that get in the way a bit with your private lives? What about school?

Georg/Tom: it isn’t that bad.

Tom: We just have our private lives in the bus.

Guy: All together

Tom: All together [Laughs]

Guy: And what about school? Have you got time off or something?

Georg: Well, now we have summer-holidays.

Guy: And you’re spending this time working, aren’t you?

Tom: yes, we’ll certainly carry on with it.

Guy: it seems pretty hard to me. I mean, after this you’ll start with school again immediately; right from the working-life into school.

Georg: Of course, school is working just as hard.

Tom: Yes, it’ll certainly get hard; I’m really not looking forward to it.

Guy: And what do your schoolmates think about all this?

Tom: We haven’t seen them at all since…

Guy: Really?

Tom: Yes, we’ve done the entire recording and stuff in the holiday and I’ve told some people before the holiday that we would have a single, but they didn’t believe me.

Guy: Really not, that must be so cool now, to come back to school after the holidays and just to walk into the classroom with an enormous grin! That has to great.

Tom: Yes.

Guy: We’ re going to watch a little video now, I got to say thank you very much for coming and the video we’re going to see now is very cool, almost as cool as yours, namely (…) with Packeis.