we are no puppets

«We are not puppets!»

For those who don’t know you again, how have you four met?
Tom: Bill and I, we started making music when we were 7. We have always prefer that to video games! We have devote it all our free time, the evenings, the weekends. Bill played the keyboard, because we didn’t have anyone else to be in charge of the drum and bass. I’ve met Gustav when we were at the Academy, we’ve become friends then.
Gustav: And then, one day, I attended one of their performances. When I saw Bill on stage playing the keyboard, I said to myself that we should really change that. (laughs.) We have therefore began to discuss it and I have propose them to play with them. It was at this time that we became a band.

What would you want to reply to the people that say that you are a marketing product?
Bill: Oh my God! To say such nonsense, they must be frustated people! Still, it’s the classic bullshit that we hear in the music business. Specially in Germany, because these last years, as in England in the 90’s, there are many castings to form a boys bands and a girls bands. There are even TV shows whose aim is to find THE next band. Suddenly, it’s very difficult for a real formation that didn’t pass by the reality-tv circuit to impose themselves and to make a break out. Nowadays it’s very difficult to convince people that we are a real band, that nobody told us to be friends with Gustav or Georg. In any case people don’t believe us. Consequently, we do our thing without worrying with these rumours. Music, it’s an emotion; if you’re just a puppet, how can you put your soul in what you do? For my part, I believe that I put my soul to it, so I get angry when people think that what I do is plastic. But at one point you have to put some distance between those rumours and you otherwise you are “eaten”.

What relation do you have with your fans?
Tom: If we can, we talk to them, sign autographs...it’s the least we can do, because where you go, they are there! Sometimes they wait for hours or they even spend the night there, on the street. Whether it’s cold, raining, snowing, they are there. And then, they offer us gifts that they made with their hearts and souls. So, give them a little of our time, it’s the least we can do to show them how what they do counts to our eyes. We’d like to measure up to their love.

What’s the most remarkable gift that a fan has offered you?
Bill: It’s a difficult question, because we receive tons and tons of gifts. We are very touched by the letters of our fans. Some are very long. There is one that has 14 Km! It’s almost a book of 1000 A4 sheets.
Georg: If not, we’ve received a car, a Mini Cooper equiped with our photos and names. But it’s really impossible to choose a particular gift, because they all mean something to us.

Do you take the time to go to forums or your MySpace?
Bill: You have to be careful because in the forums, there are many people that pretend to be us, that chat with our fans and foul them. If we are on the Internet, is always as a group and is announced officially. Apart from that, we spend many time on the blogs dedicated to us or in our MySpace, because their opinions matters a lot to us.

The girls are crazy for you, but, you, what’s your type of girl?
Tom: It’s a difficult question, because I don’t have a certain type of girl in mind. It must just be a good feeling from the start, a connection that starts the relation naturally. She can be blond, brunette, red-haired, it doesn’t matter. But with the life we have, we don’t have the time for a love relationship. At least, I mean a real love relationship. At the same time, that doesn’t interess me to be faithful, commit myself...I mainly want to enjoy myself. I was mad for a lot of girls. Too many girls. (laughs). I really think we can fall in love several times in a lifetime and that, luckily, several people are made for us.
Georg: As far as I’m concerned, I’d love to find a girl that looks like Angelina Jolie, the Olsen twins and Eva Langoria.
Gustav: So, we will fight for the same girl Georg. (laughs)
Bill: I love that the girl has a great look, nice nails and a beautiful skin. And then, especially, that they are positive and playful. I don’t like one night stands. I truly believe in true love, a love that you only find once in a lifetime...if you have the chance. Because I think that many people never find it, which is very sad... I’ve already met girls, I’ve already fall in love. I know what it is to have a flash for someone and the butterflies on your belly, but I still haven’t found love with a big L.

Bill you have a unique look. Did you always like to wear make up, do you do your nails?
Bill: I do that since a long time ago. Gustav and Georg didn’t even ever known me with a different look. I started to like to wear make up when I participated in a Halloween evening some years ago. I’ve disguise myself as a vampire. And then I kept that look. It’s part of my personality.

How many time in the morning do you spend to make you beautiful?
Bill: Not much. About forty minutes.

Do you have any ritual before going on stage?
Bill: It’s not really a ritual. Gustav likes to stay alone, concentrate himself, listen to music. As for Georg, Tom and I we like to meet together backstage before the show starts and stress the three.(laughs) We close ourselves in the green room for half an hour and nobody can came in. Even our manager! We imagine the worst things that can happen, we laugh about it and that relaxes us.

And when you are not on stage how do you spend your free time?
Georg: We play ping-pong and kicker!
Tom: And when we are not on tour, we like to sleep very late! Expect Gustav, who is an early bird. But Bill, Georg and I we like to eat, watch tv and sleep. And when we can really make a break, we like to go on vacations.

And what’s your favourite destination?
Tom: All I can tell you is that we love the little isolated islands very, very, very far from here.(laughs)

By force of circumstance, you spend many time together. Do you keep friendships outside the band?
Tom: Yes, of course! Because it’s important for us to be able to talk about other things besides Tokio Hotel. But because we share the same friends, we are always the four. And then, we go on vacations together.(laughs) Thus, yes, Tokio Hotel, is our most beautiful friendship story.

And you never fight?
Tom: Oh, we’d want to sometimes. Especially when Georg decides to remove his shoes. (laughs) But our friendship is stronger than the disputes!

Even if you are loved by your fans, is there always something about yourselves that you don’t like?
Bill: (laughs) We didn’t change, we are the same. We have the same flaws than before. And we have the same relation with each other than before we’ve known success. So, even if it’s crazy to be 18 years old and see so many girls mad about you, there are always things I don’t like about myself. I don’t walk in the streets telling myself that I’m the greatest guy in the world. Tom does, always.(laughs)
Tom: There’s always something that we don’t like about ourselves. But it’s normal; we are 18, we seek. And for our age, we have a strong confidance in ourselves. When I say I’m the best, I don’t take the lead.

What souvenirs do you keep from your childhood? How you describe yourselves at that time?
Bill: We always had confidence in ourselves and in our future. We had a lot of character. We have started very early making music, because we have since young known what was good for us. That wasn’t always easy to live. At school, we didn’t want to fit in a mold, that’s what created clashes between us and the teachers and the other students. But apart from the fact of hating highschool, we had truly great fun.
Tom: Me, I’m always crazy. I’ve always in me the child I was. Fourtunely, he isn’t in the people.(laughs) He guides me everyday.
Bill: But contrary to what our fans may think, we are far from being perfect. We recognize the success that we have, but we don’t want to be an example to people!