Doro Interview
Sweden's Metalshrine web site recently conducted an interview with the German metal queen Doro Pesch. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.
Metalshrine: What's it like celebrating 25 years [as a heavy metal singer]?
Doro Pesch: Oh, man, I tell you... I can't believe it. Time flew by. I still remember when I had my first band and times went so quickly. I definitely have great memories and I never thought it would get this exciting. We just celebrated my 25th anniversary in my home town, in Düsseldorf, Germany and we had many guests and many guests from the past and the '80s. And actually one of the highlights, we did like a little reunion with my old WARLOCK band members and sometimes I turned around and looked at my drummer and remembering that he joined the band when he was like 15 and now he's a grown man and his daughter is now 15. It was so amazing!
Metalshrine: I guess things turned out better than you thought when you started out?
Doro: You know, when we started out we just wanted to do music. Actually, when I had my first band, the word heavy metal wasn't even around. At least we didn't know about it and there weren't any magazines and then a couple of years later came the first fanzines. A couple of fans were always listening when we were rehearsing and some people said, "Are you a heavy metal band?" and we said, "Yeah, sounds cool!" I think we were really lucky to be at the right time and the right place and to me, metal always meant freedom. To do whatever you feel like with full power and energy. I love hardcore stuff and diehard stuff, but I love anthems and very melodic stuff, so it always meant freedom. I always tried to do my best and I didn't think that we would survive that long. After we did the second album, "Hellbound"... it was so difficult to make and it took about a year and it was really painful and I was so exhausted I said I would never ever do a record again in my life and now it's record number 17. I guess what doesn't kill you makes you harder.
Metalshrine: What was it from the beginning that turned you on to metal? Were there any special records you bought or discovered when you were younger? What really got you into the metal scene?
Doro: I remember my first concert was WHITESNAKE in 1980 and it was amazing. David Coverdale was a god. He was so good! Then I thought that every concert would be like that but they weren't. Next band I saw, I was still working and the only one with a car so I always had to pick up everybody and we were running late... I was a big JUDAS PRIEST fan and I had a PRIEST record at home, but back then there weren't any magazines... so we walked into the concert and everybody was freaking out and it was great and the I turned to my guitar player and said, "It's so unbelievable! I'm so blown away!" and he said, "Hey, that's not PRIEST!" I said "Really?", and it was ACCEPT. They were, like, mind-blowing and then came PRIEST and that was unbelievable too, but then I became an ACCEPT fan too. I remember we had the first record out "Burning The Witches" and it had been out for just two or three weeks and some promoter asked us if we wanted to play and it was either Belgium or Holland and I don't remember the club, but I remember the venue and it was pretty nice, maybe a couple of hundred people. He said, "Well, there's another band playing and I think you guys would fit with them. Do you want to play?" We said, "Yeah!" and he said, "The other band is from America and they're brand new." So we did the gig and it was great and there was so much energy and it was crazy and stage-diving going on. After we played, we said, "Let's check out the other band!" Some people said they were from San Francisco and they just had first their record out and it was METALLICA! So I became a total METALLICA fan and the beginning of metal was super exciting. And yeah... we had our first record out and we signed to Mausoleum Records in Belgium, and, to be honest, it was just because they had the coolest logo. That was the way to go. We had no idea and we just wanted to make music. We didn't know anything about the business aspects and we didn't care. We just thought, "Cool, we're doing a record!" Then the record became very successful and we were totally surprised. W had no idea that so many people knew about the band and it was getting more and more exciting and then we got picked up by another label, Polygram, and then some people said that we could play the legendary Monsters Of Rock festival. It was in '86 and a great lineup with OZZY, SCORPIONS, MOTÖRHEAD, DEF LEPPARD, MICHAEL SCHENKER and us. Then we got on the JUDAS PRIEST tour in 86 and it was the first time I came to Sweden. It was like a dream come true and then I quit my job, when we got the PRIEST tour.
Read the entire interview from Metalshrine.
Aerosmith Bassist Update
AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton has issued the following update:
"The big news is that we had our first meeting and strategy session with our producer Brendan O'Brien [VELVET REVOLVER, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN, PEARL JAM, AC/DC, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS]. We've been wanting to work with him for a while. The meeting came on the heels of the band all working together for the first two weeks. Things are moving along and it's now on the fast track. We had a day where we all got to listen to everyone's songs and ideas. In the next few weeks we'll be narrowing down what we've got. We can already see things coming into focus — even as new ideas are popping up right and left. Joe [Perry, guitar] survived his knee operation and has obviously done lots of playing during his recuperation.
"On a personal note — I went to Disney World this past weekend and took a few spins on the Rockin' Rollercoaster. I couldn't stop feeling the irony of the fact that we have a ride and it's been there so long. Still not quite used to it!
"Our guide did a masterful job of moving us around so I could spy on all the people getting ready to go. We went out front and watched everyone in line listening to our music and anticipating the experience. Then we snuck into the area where you see a film of us 'in the studio.' It was dark enough so I could actually stand there and watch it. I haven't looked at that footage for a few years. My hair was a bit on the short side but I was re-satisfied by my choice of the blue satin shirt.
"After that we quickly infiltrated the area where the riders actually get into their seats. It was hilarious seeing people nervously try to get ready for the intensity of the ride. It was awesome hearing the screams of the recently launched competing with 'Back in the Saddle' screaming out of the sound system. Then it was our turn. I've been on the thing many times but not for a while. Just like everyone else my pulse rate leaped. I got the full force of that "uh oh here we go" feeling.
"When it first starts you rush to the beginning of a tunnel and stop...and wait for what feels like an eon. Then out of nowhere, just as your head's about to pop from adrenalin, a massive mechanism flings you down the track like a kid throwing a paper plane. You hit sixty miles an hour in well under four seconds. After that, you're in the hands of physics as you plunge into 4g loops and wickedly exhilarating corkscrews for two solid minutes. At the end of the ride you wind up, where else?... The gift shop. I was still lightly stunned from our second or third turn as I wandered in. That's when the recognition factor kicked in. Pens, paper, t-shirts and snapshot cameras came up out of nowhere for a frantic fifteen minute autograph and picture blast. It was almost as scary and fun as the ride!" |
