Fools Garden Blog

Interview with Peter and Volker for the promotion of "25 Miles To Kissimmee" in Russia
(Thanks to Polina Kordic)

English version - Original German Version - Versione italiana

Have you ever performed in the Ex-Sovietic republics Latvia and Belorussia? Have you been impressioned by the audience and is it different from the one in Western Europe?

Volker: Yes, we already performed in latvia, and also in Belorussia, in Minsk. We played at the Independence Day Festival, in the Independence Square – unfortunateli it was interrupted after 3 songs because of the bad weather. It was really a pity, because so many people were there and it would surely have been an amazing concert. Also Latvia and Lithuania have always been very nice for us.

What’s different from Western Europe?

Volker: Women are more beautiful.

What concerts do you want to give in Russia and what do you promise to this country, where would you particularly like to play?

Peter: sings „I have a dream…” I guess, it’s true for us, too, what it’s true for every German or European musician. We’d really like to give a concert in the Red Square. But I would be also very interested by the club scenary, how clubs are in that country. We already talked a lot about it, encouraged by other bands, who are friends of us, and yes, we hope to make it this year.

What did bring to you the enormous success you had some years ago? Do you think it has to be repeated or you simply are used to your current “niche”?

Peter: Ah, I think that anybody, who reached success, would like to repeat it. But I would rather say that now we don’t feel such a need to show everybody that, if we want, we can get it. We already prepared a niche; we have the chance of simply making music, of waking up at morning, of saying: I’m gonna write a song or go out in the garden – it’s the same. We have this big luxus that we can say that we are professional musicians – which a lot of other musicians just dreams…

Volker: Success brought a lot of money with it and we would really like to repeat it... they laugh

What determined your affirmation was without any doubt “Lemon Tree” – even Blur, for instance, don’t stop to bring to the stage – Also for you, is it “Lemon Tree” your best number? Aren’t you afraid to become a one hit band?

Peter: So, first of all, I’d like to say that it’s better to be a one hit band than a no hit band. And we are not afraid. We know what we are able to do, we write our songs since the beginning and so on and we like to play “Lemon Tree” either before or after them. Sincer there was a time, in which we had the impression that, oh God, everybody reduces us to this only song, ma this is an 8-years-old story and there have been other hits int he meanwhile, which contributed to make people – at least here in Western Europe, and, as we know, also in Eastern Europe – know that there’s not only “Lemon Tree” now

Who does usually decide the songs for a single? Is there perhaps a “B-sides and variety” of yours?

Volker: In the past the record company usually did it... so, it was a very difficult theme, when an album was ended, 12 songs were ready – which one should we release as single? Very, very difficult. And we probably were embarassed and may we made the wrong choice. I have no idea, anyway the record company mostly decided it. Sometimes it was ok… sometimes not… We have a label of our own now; we decided everything on our own and if we like a song and think it would be a good single, so we release it as single.

In the album „Go and ask Peggy for the principal thing“ you made a version of “Martha my dear” by The Beatles. How did you come to that and do you play some covers live, and if yes, which ones?

Peter: Very good question... laughs So concerning this cover of „Martha my dear“ it came up because at the end of ’96 we were requested for a sampler of The Beatles, at which many other bands partecipated – like “Blur” for instance and “Oasis”. It was allowed to us to make a cover and we were quite proud of finding ourselves in such a team of famous bands and musicians. And since the song came up very well, we just said to ourselves, let’s put it into the album. „Go and ask Peggy for the principal thing” was such a concept album, that the song was really perfect inside it and so we put it into it.

Which other covers we can find in a concert of „Fool’s Garden“?

Peter: Ah, this changes continuously. At the moment from The Beatles we play...

Volker: „Ticket to ride“… they laugh

But they change from time to time. We don’t play many covers, but from time to time as encore and also our drummer sings one of them... but we don’t reveal it to you.

A question about the current album: what’s new on it? How was the atmosphere in the studio? Is there already a favourite song of this album and if so, why?

Volker: The atmosphere in studio was really very calm, vry relaxed. We gave ourselves really a lot of time – you can hear it also in the album. It was played in pieces, with a little more calmness of the previous one. There’s also a favourite song, which changes from time to time. At the moment my favourite song „Glory“, but one of my favs is also „Closer” and, of course, “Dreaming”.

Among all lyrics, my favourite one is „25 miles to Kissimmee“ (enthusiasm in background) How did you come to this lyrics, is it a true story? But, most of all, the question: how do songs come up – music follows the lyrics or viceversa, is there the lyrics and then the music?

Peter: First, I’m really glad that you particularly like this song, which I like so much as well. What’s at the beginning tells us what it contains – inspired by sweet little daydream – and I think that anybody who has been in Miami Beach and has seated on the beach or in a cafè has thought about what I say on it. I’m a family father, I have 3 little children and so it happens to dream a little and so this lyrics came up. So it hasn’t got absolutely no reference to something real – or at least of other kind of way... and what was the next question?

The question would be for instance: do the lyrics come up only in holiday?

Peter: No, ah, they always come up by chance. Many of them come up in my mind while driving my car. When I seat in my car and leave and I have a melody in my head, so I have the time to think about it and yes, so they come up also when you are close to have an accident, so for a lyrics like „25 miles to Kissimmee“ – if you know what I mean…

Which kind of music do you listen to lately? By whom do you are influenced in your work?

Volker: So, I’m often listening to „Coldplay“ lately. I’ve found the album of the last year very nice, a very good one. If something can influence me? It can happen, that is I think so, that the music, that you listen to, influences us in the composing or in the production. Probably everything can influence us. But as I said: I like to listen to „Coldplay“, „U2“ and also The Beatles, „Travis“

Peter: I’m listening again to… hm…

Volker: James Taylor

Aaah...

Peter: James Taylor, and what I like particularly is the new album of Norah Jones, which I like very much to listen to.

„Sunrise, sunrise...“

From the old band „Fool’s Garden“ only you two are still here, Peter e Volker. Tell me something about the new members!

Peter: This is generally a very good question, because it is always asked us “Why did you divide?” It’s really better to say something about the new members now. We have with us an extraordinary bass player from Stuttgart, who originally comes from ska, but who plays also a lot of classic music and a lot of jazz, and who’s very good even from a human point of view. It’s a real stage animal, who “throws” himself to the audience and it’s the same for the other two musicians, Gabriel Holz, our second guitarist, who we’ve taken instead of a keyboarder. We have very much action on the stage and that’s good. If you compare now the band with the situation we had in the past, when everything was really a little static on the stage, we like very much the current situation, because we don’t have always the impression, that we had to do something for getting more action. Yes, and they complete the band in a very good way. They are also people who stay up till early morning, seat at the hotel bar and know our to celebrate.

Concerning bands like „Scorpions“ or „Guano Apes“ nobody knows that they come from Germany. How is it for you: would you like to be identify as a German band?

Volker: Absolutely not. Well if someone knows that we come from Germany, it’s ok. It happens very often that people talk to us in English, because many think that we come from England – we were taken as English or Scottish even in England, because we have such a funny dialect... maybe it depends on that. Or Holland is also a country where they really think we are an English band – we correct them and say “No, we come from Germany” – anyway it’s the same.]

Is there people who say that bands from Germany should make music in German. What do you think about it?

Volker: Yes, some can do it and many do it. And, for instance, we have many bands in German language like Grönemeyer or Pur etc…, but… I think that English pop music or all pop music is in English for me – it doesn’t matter from which country it comes. Yes, not even Italian pop is so good as English one.

Peter: There are languages and sounds which are better for certain style rules. That’s why English is just the best alternative to German, Dutch, Italian or Spanish.

What do you think about the position of Germany in the music world? Do you think that „Rammstein“ really deserves the great popularity they have in the whole world?

Peter: Yes, I think that what concerns „Rammstein“ has not only to do with music now, but also with the show, with this entertainment, that you have on the stage. If they deserve that? I have no idea, in my opinion this is not completely „Rammstein“, but…

Volker: I say that, if in America Germany is only bound to „Rammstein“, so it’s surely a pity. So the Americans should learn, that there are also other German bands and not only bands of that kind.

Do „Rammstein“ bring abroad a good image of Germany?

Volker: I don’t think so… but I think that many americans or probably others haven’t got a good image of Germany and so maybe that brings some negative effects – I don’t know. If this is the only image of Germany which remains abroad, so I think that’s a pity.