Tokio Hotel were recently in the UK promoting their debut UK single - Ready, Set, Go! I was lucky enough to be granted some interview time with them. Things are often last minute when it comes to such a big band, but despite only receiving confirmation the day before, I was able to come up with a different way of conducting the interview. After all, my interview was at the end of the day and I knew they'd be tired and bored by then if I used the same format as every other interviewer they'd seen that week.
I decided to use Tokio Hotel inspired Tarot Cards, which were made with loving help from some of the street team, on the back were the questions and on the front were pictures that represent what we love about the band, and what is constantly picked up on in communities and forums around the internet. These were to be laid out in front of them, and they'd get to choose which questions to answer.
In the end, despite being offered 15 mins interview time, I spent 45 minutes with them, 35 minutes of which they spent answering quesitons.
Knowing that the band feel stressed and pressurised with their English when they are here, I had the interview questions translated into German in advance (many thank yous to Sara for translating at short notice!). This allowed me to circumvent the language problem if needed. I hadn't decided how to approach the interview in advance and thought I'd play it by ear when I got there on whether I would ask the questions in English and just pass the German over if they didn't understand, but Bill took over and made the decision for me! He picked out the first card straight away and read out the question to the rest of the guys in German, allowing me to sit back and observe the entire interview as they played with the cards, took turns in asking the questions and jostled each other throughout.
So now, onto the interview.
Below you can see the tarot card that was picked. Following that is the full translation of the question and answer by the lovely Annie on the Street Team. After that you can listen to the audio of the interview in full. It's worth listening to the audio - it may be long, but the boys laugh A LOT during the interview and it's really fun!
Question 1 - 'Boxers or briefs'Bill: Well, I am wearing something like Boxers but they are tight fitting and I absolutely don`t like if things are dangling about.
Georg: Yeah me neither.
Tom: Oh I love it if it`s dangling.
Bill: Ok, so Georg and me, we don`t like it.
Tom interrrupts...Tom: Oh, and trust me, there`s a lot dangling about...
Georg: Well it just can`t dangle, because for us, it needs to be tucked up.
Tom: Yeah but there is nothing to tuck up for you.
Bill: Well enough of that. I wear tight boxers.
Gustav: Boxers.
Georg: Tight boxers.
Tom: Boxers.
Question 2 - What's your idea of a perfect first date?Bill (reads out the quetion): What do you expect from a perfect date?
Tom: That`s my question.
Bill: Hang on, hang on, where`s the one that I just had, the one with the star?
Tom: It`s just there.
Bill: Oh, ok I just have to put it to the side for the moment.
Tom: What was the question?
Gustav: What do you expect from a perfect date?
Georg/Tom: With a happy ending.
Bill: Well... I don`t really know...errrrm...because I never really had a proper date. It was always like meeting up with friends and there was this girl too and it could`ve just happened that you and that girl started kissing. But having a date with dinner and candlelights and that you sit across each other... I`ve never had that, but I would love to. I think that`s really nice because I`m quite a romantic but it hasn`t happened to me so far."
While the translator does the translation you can hear Bill saying: Just do it one after the other. Don`t put it back (obviously referring to the cards)
Bill: Ok go on (to the boys) Toooom!!!!! (like saying to him... go on then).
Tom: OK I don`t have to answer to this one.
Question 3 - What's your best chat-up line?Tom: What`s the best chat up line?
Bill: I never use chat up lines to talk to a girl, that`s too old fashioned.
Tom: The cool thing is to chat up a girl without having to use one. That does work for me but not for the others.
Bill: Well you just don`t walk up to a girl and say 'hey sweetie, how are you' That`s daft! You just start talking. But a chat up line is always very poor no matter what you say.
Question 4 - Bill, you're a style icon - ever thought about designing clothes?Bill: OK, hang on I pick this one.
Bill (reads out question): Meanwhile you`re a style icon, did you ever think about having your own design line?
(he can`t finish the sentence because the others start laughing and say: "yeah, right")I knew why I picked this one. That`s because of my stripey trousers. (defending himself)
Yes I have. I used to design my own clothes.
Tom (to the translator): I think we have to translate the question too.
The translator says that she will do it afterwards.Bill: Yeah I used to change the design of T-Shirts and I still do sometimes. Just changing the design of things that I buy. And I really enjoy that and could imagine to do that at some point. To design some fashion items, I would really enjoy doing that. And one thing that`s really annoying and makes me angry, that there are more clothes for women than for men. And you could expect that the first thing that I would design, is a collection for men. Because it`s just shit that men can never find anything. If you go into a departement store, I swear that you always have two floors of womens and girls clothes and then there`s just one corner for men, with three T-Shirts. So yeah, I could imagine doing that.
The translator starts translating... Bill interrupts: Oh you forgot to mention the style icon bit... (they laugh)!
Question 5 - Georg, you have a very wicked smile; does it ever get you into trouble?Georg: Georg, you have a very cheeky grin. Does that get you into trouble sometimes?
Tom: That`s pure trouble. If he grins at a girl like that, you can be sure he`ll get a slap.
Bill: Yeah, he`s got such a cheeky face that you just want to punch sometimes. I noticed that too. So great that this question came up.
Question 6 - Tom, do you ever take your cap off, or do you wear it even in bed?Tom (reads out the question): Do you ever take your cap off, or do you still wear it in bed?
Well the first thing I do in the morning, is to make a ponytail and then put the cap on. But I definitely sleep without, because I don`t think you would be able to sleep like this. Hmmmmm? ( he goes ) I thought this question was about how many caps I own, but well. ( Bill laughs )
Question 7 - Any plans on releasing in the USA?Bill: The next question is... Do you want to publish your music in the states?
Well, we just do it step by step at the moment. But we can definitely imagine doing so. And we`ve just been to America recently, but that was just private, just to see what it`s like. And we really liked it a lot. But at the moment we can`t really imagine doing that, because it`s just amazing that we can be here in England and have the chance to play our music here. That's why we just concentrate on Europe including England and try to give our best in these places. But we would love to play in the states. But there are no plans as yet.
Question 8 - What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you on stage?Tom (reads out question): What`s the most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you on stage?
Well the most embarrassing thing on stage is, that Georg is there with us.
(Laughter)Georg: Yeah I knew that this would come.
Tom: You knew that it would be something about you, but you didn`t know the joke.
Question 9 - The pointing in photographs - inspired by the Spice Girls?Georg (reads out the question): On how many of your pictures do you point at the camera? Is that inspired by the spice girls?
Hysterical laughter!!!!!!!!Bill: Well I must say that I was the one who set the trend. I just started doing it at some point because I must say that photographers are quite rude on the red carpet
(Tom agrees and says "Very rude").You can`t always see it, but they say really rude things to you sometimes. And I found out, very quickly, that they are really easy to please. They used to shout 'Do something, do something' and I mean what can you actually do on a photo? So I found out that it`s enough just to lift your arm and everyone is pleased and they think they have the picture. That worked out for about two years now.
Tom: Yeah, now we just quickly lift our arm and the picture`s done and we can leave.
Question 10 - Georg, how often do you work out?Bill (reads out the question): Georg, how often do you work out?
I just love this question.
Tom: Me too.
Bill: As you can see, he`s not working out at all. (joking)
Georg: Not really on a regular basis. I would love to more often. But I don`t have the time to.
Tom: Well one thing that he definitely doesn`t work out enough is his penis. You can really say that!
Laughter!!!!!They are choosing the next card. Bill says: That`s not for me.
Question 11 - Who really gets all the girls?Bill (reads out the question): Who`s really getting all the girls?
Georg: Well that`s easy, with that picture on top. (The card has Georg`s picture on the top.)
Bill: I won`t say that it`s Tom having the most, but it`s definitely not Georg. ( Laughter )
Question 12 - Bill, we know you paint your fingernails, but do you paint your toenails as well? [This question had been asked the day before by Katie Spain for her radio show - ensure you tune in tomorrow to find out how he responds to her!]Bill: Strange, I had that question yesterday, but nobody has ever asked that questin before. Well, no. And one thing that just doesn`t do it either, is men in sandals. So, no I don`t.
Question 13 - Bill, when you're singing on stage in English, do you ever find yourself reverting to German accidentally?Bill (reads out the question): Whenever you sing a song in English, does it ever happen that you switch to German by accident?
No, first of all it`s really easy for me to memorise things and it`s always, that if I`ve sung a song once, I can remember it quite well. That means, I just read the lyrics and I can sing it. Although I must admit, that it was tougher with the English lyrics, because you have two versions of that song on your mind. And we`ve only done the complete set in English once. So, we haven`t done it so often and therefore it hasn`t happened. But I can imagine in the future, if we do have a show in Germany and the next day in England, that it might happen by accident, that I might sing in German because I can`t remember the English lyrics. That might happen.
Question 14 - Tom, if you get the chance and aren't practicing TH songs, what do you like to play on the guitar?Tom (reads out the question): Tom, if you don`t play any TH songs, what do you like to play apart from that.
Well if you just play for yourself... to be honest, we`re not rehearsing too much. But if you have the time just to play for yourself, than you just play randomly. You just make things up as they come and that`s how some new ideas for songs come up. I don`t play songs from other artists, just my own stuff.
Question 15 - What made you smile today?Bill (reads out the question): What made you smile today?
Today? Georg! Always Georg.
Georg: Not just one thing.
Tom: Georg. It`s always Georg. Mostly me, teasing Georg and making jokes about him. But you can say that Georg`s really clumsy. He`s always bumping into walls if he doesn`t watch out and that just makes you laugh.
Question 16 - Who is the most argumentative in the band?Bill (reads out the question): Who`s the one that has the most discussions?
Bill: I would say Tom and myself.
Georg: But you are more ahead of it.
Bill: Yeah, I do discuss a lot but generally, we all discuss a lot, but if you would have to name a front runner, that would be me.
Georg to the others: Take that book here. (pointing at one of the cards, which has a book on the top)
Naslov sporočila: UK Street Team Interview with TH-Part one 
Sob Okt 27, 2007 2:53 pm
