This interview was done last November in Stockholm just before band was
doing their performance in Swedenrock warm up party. Some of the stories
here are a little bit out of date but surely there is enough interesting
stuff to read. Enjoy!
You are
doing your twentieth anniversary tour at the moment. How does that feel I
have to ask?
It's amazing how time flew by. All things have happened very quick
and... now it's really twenty years later. It's hard to believe that.
Actually we have a special twentieth anniversary show and the real date
that is 14.12. It will be in Phillipshall in Dusseldorf. That's my
hometown. Phillipshall is a beautiful venue. The sound is not good there,
but place is otherwise really great. Well it's still hard to believe all
these things…
We invited many people there like the guys from my first band before it
was called Warlock and there are also a couple of other guys who are
familiar with my career and some other bands also. It's going to really
strange to see everybody there in a same place. I'm really looking forward
for that night. It's been twenty amazing years.
Lot's of ups and downs … but it was always worth of it.
Do you actually know who of your old mates will be there?
I think that all of them are coming.
Even Bobby Rondinelli?
No he's probably not coming. But most of the Warlock band members
are coming. Some of them totally gave up music a long time a go so it's going to be interesting. I don't know if the bass player can even
play anymore, because he hasn't touched his bass in fifteen, eighteen
years so… we don't' know. We should rehearse a lot. Still
I'm not sure how it will work out. Last week we tried to do that but they
couldn't make it. So it will be interesting. We will definitely do at
least something together. We'll see then what? (laughs) We have some other
special guests also. Lemmy is coming. We will probably do something
together and then with Udo Dirkschneider we will do something. Udo and his
band U.D.O. just toured in Russia so I think we will do a song "East
Meets West" together. Blaze Bailey is also coming, the ex-singer of
Maiden and Jon Oliva (Savatage) might come. There was some problems in his
family so it is not sure if can do it. At first he said he wanted to definitely come but I don't know if everything is fine now? And of course
there are lot's of German guests coming. All the German metal bands …So I think it will a good party!?
Do you have any plans to tape these shows and maybe release it
as a DVD or something??
Yes we will definitely record all that stuff. And as soon as ...
You know?
We are just releasing a new DVD which is coming out 8'th of December. I
don't know if it's too short of a period if you film two DVDs within one year
but we'll
see. We will record it and see how and when we wanna put it out. Maybe a new
studio album first and then put this thing out? I don't know yet.
Well it might depends how well your old band members are playing?!
That's a good point (laughs)..
After the show you will know if you want to release it at all ..
(laughs)
True… But on that night we are playing at least three hours or
something. So I'm sure we can sort things out. Cut off the breaks between
the songs and so on (laughs).
That's the way which way most of the DVD's are done these days.
If you check KISS Alive 4 DVD … There are no mistakes at all. Are you
satisfied with your DVD which is already made and which is
coming out 8'th of December?
Well actually I haven't seen the final product yet. There was
still something unfinished stuff when I saw it last time. At the moment I
just wish that they are getting everything ready before release date. In
Germany it should come out 1'st day…so I'm a little exited here. But
what I have seen…I think it came out very good and there are lot's of
good stuff. Along with the concert, there will be a full band history,
backstage things, bootleg things ... lot's of stuff.
How about putting out your promotional video clips?
Yes they are all there. All videos like "All We Are",
"Fur Immer", they all are there. Some of that stuff hasn't been
anywhere to be seen in years!
That sounds cool. Can't wait to see again some of the
"early" tapes…
You will find some on this DVD (laughs..) The package is going to
be really cool. It's a double package. One DVD is the concert and the
videos and on another one, there is a documentary we made just for this
release and then we have some bootleg stuff and even some more. There are
some really "insiders" stuff. It shows up on sleeping and living
and eating … What ever you wanted to see ... (laughs).
You released album "Fight" last year and since then
you have been constantly on tour. Do you already have plans for the next
studio album?
Actually there are some plans. Next year we want to start writing and actually we might put out two albums really soon. Last year we did
a couple of concerts in Germany with a symphony orchestra and there was
like four concerts or something. Shows were recorded and it will come
out someway. Is it a record or DVD, I don't know yet? That's one of the
plans and regular record will also come out so we are making two new
records next year.
Have you already written any songs for the new studio album?
Well we just have a couple of ideas but not any finished stuff
yet.
Do you think that studio album will come out before the end of
year 2004?
More likely it will be out in the beginning of 2005, but we'll
see how things go further. Usually making a record takes us a much longer
than is planned so … Don't except it before 2005 (laughs).
How about your touring plans in the near future? Is there any
change to see you in Finland finally? Last time was back in 1986 when you
toured as a Warlock together with Judas Priest?
Actually on third day of January or something …what is that club called in Helsinki?
Do you mean Tavastia or Nosturi?
Uhmmm … I just met a couple of weeks ago with that HIM guy
(Ville Valo) and he said that they play there every New Years Eve on every
year…
Then it's Tavastia.
Yes. We actually have plans to play there on 3'rd of January next
year.
So we have some hope...
Jawohl! (laughs) So I don't know what our promoter has been
doing, but there has been a talk about that. I have to ask from our tour
manager Dirk about that when I see him. I don't know If it's confirmed or
not but the date for that was 3'rd of January.
Great! There are fans in Finland who have been waiting a LONG
time to see you again …
That's great. Hope we can do it this time.
Actually of the guys who is with us here in Sweden saw you live
back in 1986 then …
That's cool with these people. I really appreciate that! I guess
that it's only in metal music where things like that is possible. That's
super!
Last time we met was in Swedenrock festival two years ago. Your
line up ins now a little different than there?
Well … did I tell you last time that our second guitar player
died. Well it was year 2000, the Dio tour, then we had like a same kind of
line up as now but on the second guitar we had this guy called Mario. He was really great and he was 33 years old and in the end
of that Dio tour he started to feel weakness he was really sick. At first
we thought he has just a bad flu or something and we send him home. It
started to go very bad and he was really weak, so he went to hospital. After some operations doctors find out that he had some strange way of
cancer and he died a couple of moths later. Which nobody couldn't except…
And he was just 33 year old?
Yes. He was sweet, he was nice. He was amazing player like ...
Very different from Joe. He could play a slide guitar so
beautifully, he was really soulful. He played on many of our records
like when we did a song "Egypt" for Dio tribute album, I don't
know if you've heard it?
Yes I have heard it.
There is this beautiful emotional feeling is on that song. That
was Mario. We couldn't believe that he died and when we had to get
someone new in the band. Guys name is Olivier Palotai and he's a
keyboarder within a guitar player, all in one. He's a young guy. He is a
half of Hungarian and half of German and he suits in the band really good.
But you did had a short period when you had only guitarist (Joe)
on stage?
Actually we always have had, even in 1993 we had this guy Jimmy DeLeilla and
he's on the live record. He
played keyboards and rhythm guitar and that was really good when somebody
could do both instruments and then on the Dio tour we had Mario. Then he had to leave from tour. We had some serious discussion then within
the band what shall we do and we decided to carry on just with one
guitar because we were a just a support band for Dio, playing 45 minute
set before them. But then we did our headliner tour and we needed a
keyboarder again…
And now you have Oliver is he a permanent member of a band?
Yes we have Oliver Palotai now and he is a permanent member. And you will see… Are you are staying for the concert tonight?
Definitely I'll be there!
Then you'll see him. He fits really well in a band. He's really young.
He's good both on keys and on rhythm guitar.
Your drummer Johnny Dee is also a member of band Britny Fox.
Have you heard their recently released new album called "Springhead
Motorshark"?
That's new I haven't heard it yet. I think it's like…I don't know.
He didn't give it for me yet so maybe... It's always a strange because you know…sometimes he is so involved with that stuff and we
are hoping that he's not leaving our band and sometimes… One time we
had a tour together with Britny Fox and Johnny then played on both gigs
and I tell you that was a weird feeling for me. Sometimes we opened up for
them sometimes they opened for us. We mixed the running order all time.
Sometimes when I saw our drummer playing with them I had this bad feeling
"Oh no he's ours!" you know? And the Britny guys said the same
for me when Johnny played with us so it's sometimes strange. And always I
hope he's not leaving one day when they get big tour or something you
know. A couple of years ago it was like, especially in America, all those 80's
metal bands made a big revival and there were a numerous re unions and
stuff like that. And I think he had a couple of good offers to make some big tours again, so I was a little
worried then, you know? But he's still here with us and really happy for
that.
So you really want to keep this current band together?
Totally yes. One time he couldn't do the tour in 1995 and we had
to find a replacement for him. Oh god it was hard. We finally did find
someone but it didn't work the same way as it always does with Johnny. We
really missed him and his stuff. So certainly I want to keep all these
guys. Of course I understand if someone in the band wants to do
something else, that's what I've always told them. I will support them
even then. But it would be nice to stay together with these guys for
another ten years. You know, Nick has been in a band thirteen years now.
So it's really kind of family thing, you know?
How long Joe has been in a band?
Well Joe has been for ten years as well.
He joined your band after being years in Lita Ford band?
Yeah he did. He's always cool guy to tour with. Joe is such a
great guitar player I think. He's like a … you know what is that word in
English … He's like a little diva when playing his guitar and he's like
a strangest person in the band same time. But he's really great both as a
person and as a player.
Well you have had this band together so long but still besides
'93 live album, "Fight" was your first album recorded together
with this band?
Yes.
Will they also play on the next album?
I think we will be playing and writing together again on the next
record. On the last album we also had a couple of guests as well and I
think that combination worked out quite well. Having the guys and just
some guests felt good solution for us.
You have had a lot's guests playing on your older albums. Eric
Singer did some drums for you on "Calling The Wild" album ..
Yes he did. He was phenomenal ..
And you also had Bob Kulick?
Yeah. They did together "Love Me Forever" and
"Alone Again" with Lemmy singing on both tracks.
Have you ever asked Gene Simmons to be a guest on your album?
I never have asked that. Because I think ... To be honest I
haven't dared to ask him to do that. It's like ... you know?
Maybe your should do that someday??
You are right (laughs) … You really are right ... But I just
haven't done it ... Yet (laughs).
It would be a nice add in the CD cover: "Featuring Gene
Simmons of KISS".. (laughs)
Yes ... Actually years and years ago ... We asked him. If we
should do something together but he had a tour to do and he was busy in a
studio and all other stuff … so he is always so busy and I just don't
want to bother him. The record he did with us back in 1990, it was so great. I knew back then
that it was going to be just this one album. He would never have more
time for us you know? But once he came to the concert. He came to the last
concert that our late guitarist Mario played. Mario felt so bad then… I said "Hey Mario!" .., because I had called Gene
and asked if
he wanted come, well actually our tour manager called to Gene and then he
called back and said "Yeah I will come"," you had to come
and play this gig, Gene Simmons is coming!" Actually suddenly he
managed to find all energy he still had left in his body and he laid down
that gig really well. That was the last time I saw Mario. That was
a big day.
After that maybe you should ask him again ..
Yeah I should. Like: "Let's try to write some stuff
"or "Let's try to write some nice lyrics together" (laughs)
… It was a absolute joy to record "Legend's Never Die" for
"Fight" album I've always loved that song and now it's included
on our record.
Yes that version you did is great. Have you heard that he's
going to release a solo album soon? And there will also be a lot's of
guest on that album? There is a rumour that even Axl Rose is going to
sing on one song?
That sounds interesting. That would be ideal thing for me to do …
(laughs) to sing on Gene Simmons solo album (laughs..)
Yeah (laughs) And of course he will sell some more records when
he has a big list of other famous names on the cover of the CD … He's a
wise man you know?
He totally is ... (laughs) and has always been.
And there might be a new solo albums from Paul Stanley and Peter
Criss too ..
Wow. I also have heard some rumours but you never know which are
true and which are not when it's about KISS.
I wasn't too pleased hearing about this, but rumours said that
Paul has written some of his solo stuff together with Max Martin (producer
of Britney Spears & co.) In the eighties there was a guy called
Desmond Child who wrote songs for everyone and he actually spoiled many
great bands in my opinion…
Yes he did (laughs).
So Martin is a kind of that guy in this century … (laughs)
Oh shit man. I knew many people from a record company who always
said "You gotta do something with this Desmond Child. He's going to
make you a really big star!" I said: "No, no, I just can't do
that". I do know those "dark" sides of music business. I
just don't like that stuff. When your music sounds too commercial it's not
good anymore.
Of course it's not a bad thing for the artist to sell 5 millions
records but …
But then you are also selling your soul for someone you don't
know. Many people like… Sometimes when I go to concerts and stuff like
that … I often go to see bands like who are really huge, like Bon Jovi.
Last time I saw them, it was 15,000 crowd and many people said to me
"Why don't you try to find some new challenges? Why don't you write a
hit songs like they have? Why don't you write pop songs like they do?...all that kind of stuff. I said "You know what? I'm not
changing,
I'm not going to write pop songs, because that's their thing and they've
always been more pop oriented than me and they loved it and I'm happy when
I'm playing in the front of 1000 or 2000 people when I have a feel that
I'm not a sell out.
You've also done some different more commercial sounded albums
also like "Love Me In Black"..
But that album .. It really came from inside of me. It was not in
a spirit written you know like with a songwriter or with a commercial
thing. It was really coming from my heart. We started to work that album in '96. There was
a problem with
our old record company. They refused to put out our records anymore and
soon we got dropped from the company. It was a difficult time then. So we
just continued to finish this next album. It was really an exciting
experiment and for that reason I stand strongly behind that record. And so
does the guys in the band. When you asked them "What's your favourite
Doro album" they will answer "Love Me In Black". I really
like the sound of that record. That guy Jimmy Harry who did most of the
guitars was amazing. It was a true trip to work with him he's a total
professional guy. You know he's not a big songwriter, even I think he
should be. Surely he is really intelligent and edge on what he's doing ...
So I really enjoyed working with him.
One thing which came in mind. There is a guy called Greg Smith
who plays on your "Machine II Machine" album. Is he that same
guy who has played with Alice Cooper, Rainbow etc bands?
Well this Greg is a black dude. (laughs) He is a black guy
and he has no hair and he is using baseball cap all the time.
So then he's not that guy who I meant... (laughs) … I just recently met a guy called Earl Slick (David Bowie, ex-King
Kobra, ex-Dirty White Boy) He seemed to be quite confused when I asked an
autograph for your "Machine II Machine" … "Did I really
play on this album?" he asked (laughs) …
Well he was a really strange but funny guy to work with (laughs)
I've always loved that stuff he did with David Bowie. That was so great
… and he still plays great and we wrote that song "In Freiheit
Stirbt Mein Herz" together. He was really cool and nice guy.
Well about today's gig in Stockholm. What we can except from
you?
We are free to have fun tonight. We are going to play different
songs from what we used to play on the couple of last tours. We just
rehearsed stuff for our three hour anniversary show, so we have all kinds
of songs in our set list. There will be a couple of different songs...
Are you going to play "Unholy Love" this time?
You want us to play that song ?
Yes!
Ok. Then I tell the guys we have to (laughs)
That song would be nice to hear!
Ok. Good. Tonight we only have one hour and fifteen minutes so we have to anyway cut
some stuff. But I hope we can do that one
for you if you love it. It is a song we haven't rehearsed at all. We did a quite lot but not that
one. I try to ask the guys to play that for you. Actually I'm going to
make a set list for tonight when I go back in my room….
Thanks for that Doro! Of course you are going to play a lot of
stuff from your last two albums and even more from the Warlock days. How
about doing something from "Love In Black" for example?
Yeah we have a medley from "Love Me In Black" album.
It's a dedication for that album and it's really cool but I'm not sure if we
are going to play that tonight? I think it wasn't on list yet ... But
maybe? Most of the people don't know that stuff and I don't want them
to get bored if they have to listen stuff they don't know. When a band you do like are playing songs you don't know
it's like…you know? I would like to play it but… That's a favourite
album of the band and they always keep pushing on it and when I did a
set list for twentieth anniversary concert and it wasn't there they just
demanded me to add that thing. So I did that (laughs).
You certainly have some songs you "have to play" every
night. Do you ever get bored playing on them?
No. I never get bored to play those songs because people always
seemed to have so much fun and great time when we are playing those
songs. When we play those everybody are in a great mood and it's a
pleasure for us. People are singing along and I always feel cold chills when I see that happen.
Well I asked that same thing from Ian Gillan once. "Do you
ever get bored to play "Smoke On The Water" night after
night" ? "No" he said. "Are you honest with me now?
"Well … sometimes I do"
(laughs..) I'm always happy when I'm on stage and see that there is
only two songs more and then we do "All We Are" (laughs) ..
That's why I'm here for, to make the fans happy. What ever makes them
happy makes me happy. It's like I never get tired of it. There's a
song called "Fur Immer", which means so much to so many people.
I have been singing that song on many weddings and once I sang that in at
a big motorcycle wedding. When someone has died they play that song, it's
amazing. It really means something. I appreciated that a lot.
You seem to be on tour and going on all the time. Are you still
living in Germany?
Well actually I have two places at the same time. One is in
Germany and another place is in New Jersey. It's like a wherever I
have to be you know? My real home is in a tour bus most of the time. When
I sometimes have time enough to visit in my place in Germany…it's a
total mess there (laughs). There are just tons of suitcases and clothes
lying around the room.
You've been doing this for twenty years now. How long you thing you still
will carry on doing Metal and traveling constantly around the world?
I would love to go on till the rest of my life but… Probably
I'll finish when I can't go on stage anymore (laughs)….
Well Lee Kerslake from Uriah Heep said that Heep continues
until they are dead so you will not be alone (laughs)
Yeah. Sometimes this is very hard thing to do but what you get in
front of all those people it's like… it's so great and I could not
imagine my life without music. A couple of years ago I had to decide between music and family thing...
No family musically The band and the fans, that what feels family and so
that's what I want to do forever. If my body and physique can do another
ten or twenty years of course I'll do that (laughs). And if not, I will
start doing something behind the scenes. Maybe I'll start writing some
nice music for others. I would write music for underground movies and
stuff like that. But I'll always do something in music as long as I can
breath (laughs).
Well our time seems to have run out now. Thank you very much DORO and
see you on the gig !
Thank you Marko!!
A lucky Marko with Doro...
Another Doro interview by
Marko done in 2002
Older interview with Doro by EvilG
Band Website: www.doropesch.com
Official Doro Fanclub: www.doro.de