Hope America’s Ready

This interview with Nylon showed up today! WOOT! They gave this when they were in the USA last year so we are super happy to see it. It is on the Nylon Site as well as on JustJared! Two places is >>> one place, right?

Enjoy!

Be sure to comment on the sites!
JustJared
Nylon Magazine

Alice in Wonderland Interview

Tokio Hotel did an interview with Trailer Seite.de about Strange, the collaboration with Kerli and how it all came to be that they would have a song on the soundtrack! Thanks so much to bebe8888 for the translation!

Tokio Hotel Interview – „Alice in Wonderland”

Tokio Hotel is the only band, from the German-speaking countries, on the „Almost Alice” album, which realised at the same time as the new movie hit „Alice in Wonderland” from the master director, Tim Burton. In addition, the song „Strange”, which Tokio Hotel recorded with Kerli, „Almost Alice” contains 15 other songs inspired by Lewis Carroll. We made an interview with the guys.

Trailer Seite.de: How did you get the idea to work on „Strange” with Kerli and how was to contribute with a song for a film like „Alice in Wonderland” is to ever come to pass?

BILL: The song’s name is „Strange” and the main line is „Strange, in your perfect world”. This is fits very well to the whole film and it was actually relatively quickly clear that we wanted to do it. Then everything worked perfectly. Above all we needed a female voice. For us, it was not important that however she succesful. We wanted just a special voice. This was the very first time when we let someone else to sing with us. This worked reasonably well and in the studio everything went relatively quickly.

Trailer Seite.de: How did you get inspired you to your song?

BILL: Above all it is about our lives a bit. Of course, our life is very „strange”. In so far, you simply never been properly related, and somehow you feel a little bit different. It would be similar, if a girl would let close to me, she would feel herself exactly „strange”, like me. That’s to say, if you step into through the door, and walk into this Tokio Hotel, in principle, you can’t get out quickly. That was a bit the idea behind it, and that’s fit in that case perfectly to the Wonderland.

Trailer Seite.de: Did you read the book, „Alice in Wonderland”? If yes, when was it?

BILL: We, Tom and me, saw the film!
TOM: Yes, exactly! We saw the cartoon earlier. And I think we also had the books, too. I have to say, somehow I found really scary this. I think that it remained in this film. You can find some characters total sweet – and then there are some others that are really creepy.

Trailer Seite.de: What did you like the most in the film? Which is your favourite character?

TOM: My favourite characters are the Bloodhound and the March Hare – the one with the floppy ears. I liked them!
BILL: Yes, I have to agree with Tom. And of course I think the Red Queen is really great. She is super obsessed. This is a really great actress. Nobody can’t play it better. This is truly incredible. I had fun when we saw them. And Johnny Depp of course great, too. So The Hatter is a total super role.
TOM: How did you find the Red Queen?
GEORG: I think the Dog was the sweetest.
TOM: Me, too. And you?
GUSTAV: The Rabbit.

Trailer Seite.de: What was worth for you in the film? [not sure]

BILL: It is worth to see, because great actresses and actors made it. It is filmed in a very great way. I think it is the mixture of the fantasy world and the reality. This is a film that anyone can find good. Then you can sit inside in any case, since it is well maintained properly and that’s a cute story anyway, everyone have known it yet. Tim Burton is an absolute dream. I think it is a great movie and the soundtrack is also very good. You must have the soundtrack in any case.
TOM: In 3D, of course it is an experience.

Trailer Seite.de Are you fans of Tim Burton?

BILL: He is definitely a really great person. All of his films have a total definite spirit. And of course Johnny Depp, who have played in thousands films, is there. Yes, I think you can notice right away, that it is a Tim Burton film.

Trailer Seite.de: Johnny Depp belongs to Tim Burton’s regular cast, but how do you like him as the Mad Hatter’s role?

BILL: Well, I think, this is the best role. He is a kind of psychopath, whom is really fond of by the other indeed, and also you take to love in the course of the film. In any case, a lovable psychopath. This is a kind of role, that I would have gladly accepted.

source

Optimus Secret Show Press Conference

This was filmed last week. Thank you so much to Stern for the translation. Please credit her when you copy this elsewhere? That will be awesome, thank you! The guys seem so happy and thrilled to be on tour again!

How do you feel like been Portuguese girls that are seeing you for the first time in your new tour?

Bill: It was cool… It was a totally different thing. It was the first time people could watch… it was not a whole show, just a rehearsal because we are still rehearsing for the tour, it was just an extract. But in all case, it was very good. Very intimate, even though it was big. It was a bit strange and something new. The fans were very lovely and were very pleased, which is already very good.

Are you excited for coming back to Portugal in April?

Bill: Absolutely! We already await the tour anxiously. We have many stuff to do and we planned and worked really hard on it during a long time. We await the begining of the tour with many joy and we are happy for being able to be back to Portugal!

Is your relation with the Portuguese fans different from the fans from other countries?

Bill: You can’t say that, in general, it’s different. It is hard to say if we have a different relation with the portuguese fans or the italian fans. I think it all always depends on the night, the concert or the meeting. Above all it always depends on the situation. But in general, we receive an exceptional support from Portugal. We hope for a great joy and energy and the girls that attended today already had a lot of energy. It was almost as it was a big event, even though it was few people.

You’ve been famous for about 5 years. How do you deal with the hysteria, you have fans in here parked in front of this stadium for I think several days, how do you deal with this? The good part, the bad part.

Bill: *laughs* Well, I think that is the good part. When we travel and are in tour and the people already wait for us at the venues… it’s a very good feeling. And we look forward for the concert.

Tom: When we travel we have more positive experiences. As more fan are there, the biggest is the excitment, the best is to travel there. We have more negative experiences when we try to be in private. But it doesn’t happen often. *laughs* So all good.

Can you explain the private part?

Bill: Private life is almost non existant. Only rarely and only when we are at home and we don’t travel with the band. But most of the year we are Tokio Hotel and when we return home for a week and spend time with our family, then that’s private.

Tom: : *interrupts* But, speaking honestly, we travel 320 days a year.

Bill: Right.

What is the feature of this new live show that are more excited about?

Bill: It’s the biggest Tokio Hotel production so far. For the first time we take our own stage. Though we have shown you a little extract, you can already see that it is done in a pompous way. And, as I said before, it’s the first time we take our own stage with a big team. It is really a huge production.

Tom: : We are not on tour just for 2 months, we already work in this for half a year.

Bill: Exactly.

Are you changing, are you more mature in this album? Your fans complain from this evolution? How different is this from your previous albums? Where do you want to go?

Bill: We try to always like what we do. When we go in studio we don’t think of what people demand of us, what they want to hear. We could do it that way, theorically, but we don’t. For us the most important is to be happy with what we do. And so, our new album is a bit different, because for us is right this way. We wanted to try new things and do this album now. And it seems like fans like it. We are very happy with the reactions. Many fans grew up with us and there is some people we meet and that are 5 years more now.

Is it the first time you do an intimate show like this?

Bill: *big smile* Yes! Yes, it’s the first time. We never did such thing and were very curious.

Tom: : We already did some small Showcases, we did an acoustic concert in a club. But now it was the first time in such a big stage with such a few people, in an intimate atmosphere.

Did you notice that they kept running from one side of the stage to the other, following you Bill or you Tom?

Bill: Yes, we notice that, and it was funny because…

Tom: : *interrupts* – because Georg complained backstage that there were few people in his side…

Georg: ohh, Stupid…

Tom: : *continues* …as he always complains in backstage.

What is your favourite new song to play live?

Bill: *thinks*

Tom: : I must say all are great. But I personally prefer the openings of the concert. It’s the most exciting moment, the curtain drops, you are on stage and you are seeing the venue and the fans for the first time. The song is also excellent. I am fan of “Noise”.

Georg: I vote for “Shadow”.

You have conquered all Central Europe even Portugal. You are still missing the UK and the US. Are you going to conquer them all? Conquer the world with your music?

Bill: Of course. We have released in more countries than we expected. And our plan is to be all over the world. We still haven’t been in Tokyo and we want to go there. And this year we want to travel through Asia, in fact. We received the first reactions from fans and they show our videos there.

How many songs are you gong to play acoustic?

Bill: I don’t know if I want to reveal. But in two days the whole world knows – two. The two songs we played today, we will also play them acoustic in concert and we will have also another surprise, not acoustic, but… very intimate.

Tom: : Also very intimate.

What is going to be your next single?

Bill: It is hard to tell at this time. We have two songs to decide on. We have already done two video treatments for those two possible songs.

Tom: : we will probably decide that during the tour, we will see which is the song that has the best reaction live and then we will take that decision.

I read in a French newspaper that you guys were thinking in going into the movies industry.

Band: *total wtf face*

Is that true? I read it was like an erotic movie?

Band: *everyone points at Tom*

Tom: : Yes, I am planing a movie, but I still haven’t discuss it with anyone. But the idea is in my head…

Only you Tom?

Tom: : Yes, just me. The others are too shy…

Georg: Yes.

Tom: : And we don’t find actresses that want to make an erotic movie with them, that is another problem.

Conferência de imprensa Tokio Hotel no Luxemburgo

MyPortugal | MySpace Video

Stern Interview Translation

As always, please give credit to the amazing translators when you share this around. Without them, we would have to rely only on our Humanoid Translator Boyfriend Google, and while he is cute, he does wonky things with his umlauts. Credit to loveth-music.com

Not from this world
He’s loved or hated, nobody stays unaffected by him: Tokio-Hotel-Singer Bill Kaulitz is on the way to become a global superstar. For the first time the matured Musician talks about the burden of Fame, his fears, the longing for true love – and presents himself in a completely new Look.

Mister Kaulitz, You became a star at the age of 15 and since 5 years you’re living permanently under exceptional circumstances. When you look back, what do you feel?
The first years were like a flush. We didn’t have to go to school anymore, because it was besieged all the time. I, of course, thought that this was great. We could do what we wanted. But there was also an other side. I remember, that I wanted to celebrate my 16th birthday, but instead I had to give some interviews. It’s hard to develop this discipline and to accomodate to such things, it was exhausting.

2 years ago you lost your voice during a concert and you had to undergo a surgery. Now you’re on tour with your band Tokio hotel and you’ll play 32 concerts in 19 countries. How big is the fear that this’ll happen again?
I always carry this fear in me, it never leaves me. But I already played some concerts since then. It’ll work out.

Back then, did you think that you won’t be able to sing again in the future?
Sometimes yes. My whole life is based on my voice, that’s why it was such a horrible time. I was sitting alone in my hotel room in Berlin while the Band waited for me to return to Barcelona, to continue the Tour. I couldn’t even talk. I couldn’t even get out, because the whole Hotel had been surrounded by Paparazzi. I felt very helpless. The tour had to be cancelled. I’m glad that this is behind me now.

Tokio hotel was ridiculed as a short-lived teen sensation at the beginning. Meanwhile you’re on the best way to become global superstars. Is it a satisfaction for you, that you could show the critics that they were wrong?
I’m over this now. It was important for me to prove that we’re not one of those one-hit-wonders when our second album has been released. Now we clarified this.

You played in Paris in front of a crowd of 500 000 people, after you got an invitation from the state president. What do you feel in such moments?
I’m really, really nervous before concerts. It constricts my throat, my heart beats fast and my hands are shaking. Then, when I’m on stage, everything happens as if you’re in trance. After the concert I often don’t know what I did on stage. The movements kind of happen automatically.

You’re under permanent observation, also through the Paparazzi. Is this a fulfillment or a impertinence for you?
I can’t live with fame, and I can’t live without it. There are days, where I wish I could walk on the streets without being discovered. But what should I do? Bill Kaulitz as an office worker, sitting in front of the computer – I would become dilapidated. I do the things, that I do best. Standing on a stage and entertaining people. I get anxious when I watch TV and see an award show where Tokio Hotel aren’t present. I want to be on the top. That’s my internal force. It’s what’s holding me together.

Your Band polarizes the mass. One either hates or loves you…
…and that’s how it should be. The most horrible thing that could happen is when people wouldn’t care about me or what I did anymore. Tokio Hotel should arouse strong emotions in a person. Of course I could dress normally in the morning, to not stand out, but that’s simply not who I am.

Is there just an artificial Bill?
It’s not that I’m startled when I look into the mirror in the morning, but the Bill who wears make-up is much closer to me. But I’m also not just an artificial character, like many people still think. The ones who make the effort to look at old pictures of my childhood will see that I always ran around like this.

You grew up in a village with 700 inhabitants near Magdeburg with your twin brother Tom.
My childhood was a long struggle. I knew that by stepping into the school bus in the morning, that one half would laugh about me and the other one would insult me. My brother Tom and I felt like aliens on the wrong planet. Sometimes our step father had to get us from the bus stop with our dog and a baseball bat, so that we wouldn’t get beaten up.

Did you search this provocation?
Of course. I didn’t make life easy for me. I wanted to provoke them. I enjoyed it when I stepped into school in the morning and when one half of our classmates turned around. I know it sounds a little neurotic and sick, but that’s how it was. I could have never lived with the fact that everyone likes me, because I grew up with polarizing people.

Did the hatred towards you surprise you at the beginning of your career?
When I watch our old Performances and Videos I start to wonder. We were so young and innocent and had those baby-faces. And then there was this enormous hatred towards us. It wasn’t just one that people called me a “fag”. Today I find it amusing. I understand that some people had this expression, but that the newspapers still write about this makes me wonder. It has to bore the people to death by now.

Maybe that happens because you never show yourself in company of a women?
Yes, that’s the big gap in my life. I didn’t fall in love since I was fourteen. It’s hard for me to trust people. It may sound clichee, but I’m looking for a girl who’s like a soulmate for me. I’m very romantic and I’m actually waiting for my true love. But I could vomit when girls walk up to me at a party and ask me questions like “Hey, don’t I know you from somewhere. Aren’t you a musician?”. That’s a moment where I tense up – but honestly, I don’t know how you could start talking to me without this happening.

Your twin brother Tom is more loose when it comes to dealing with female fans. Do you envy him for that?
Of course. I envy everyone who can deal with situations like those more loosely. Back then Tom was the one who took a different girl with him after every After-Show-Party, while I was lying in my bed, back at the hotel. Groupie-Sex disgusts me. I hate it so much when girls start pushing around, just to be on a picture which will be printed in one of the newspapers tomorrow. Tom is different when it comes to this. But sometimes, when I like a girl, I request of him to stay in contact with her, to call and to keep writing short messages with her. We know everything about each other.

How big is the fear that a girl will sell your story to one of the tabloids?
We always calculate this possibility. We know what could happen, so we always phrase the short messages that we send to them, in a way, with which we could live when they would sell this story to the tabloids. That’s just how it is.

Is it even possible for you to lead a normal life in Germany?
For us, Germany is kind of like a huge Big-Brother-House. The people are always watching us. You can find an article in one of the newspapers almost everyday since I’m fifteen. We’re always filling up the gossip columns. Abroad, that’s different. We’re getting perceived as musicians there, not as people who you can gossip about.

Why aren’t you moving away from Germany, like other celebrities?
I like Germany. That’s where my family lives, and that’s where my home is. That’s where I live together with my four dogs and Tom, in a beautiful house with a big property. When I close the gate, I can rest. I wouldn’t have the heart to turn my back on Germany.

We have the impression that you’re loved more abroad, than here.
There’s not a single person in Germany who would listen to our music without having prejudices. There once was a survey on TV, where they let pedestrians listen to our music without knowing who it was from. Most of them were thrilled. As soon as they knew that it’s Tokio Hotel they made a face. That says everything!

A few months ago, your Band-Colleague Gustav got hit with a beer bottle on the head. Are you scared of assassinations?
I think that this could happen to me. There were situations at the red carpet where our Bodyguards had to pull people – who had camouflaged themselves as fans – out of the crowd, because they stood there with a knife in their hands. I’m also always tense while walking through the airport. I keep my head down and breathe heavily. Sometimes I watch myself from the outside and think: “Hey, Bill, relax!” But it doesn’t work.

How do you spend your free-time?
In the past I went to Clubs every now and then because I wanted to be among people. I thought that this had to work, but as soon as I stepped into the Club, I had to sit in one of the booths at the corner and let myself get goggled at by people. They held their mobiles over the barriers and took pictures, as if they were in a zoo. I can only relax when I’m away from all of that. Recently I was on the Maledives with Tom, but even there Paparazzi took pictures of us.

Recently you surprised us with your appearance as a Model during the Fashion Week in Milan. How did it come to this?
It was a dream that I fulfilled for myself. Already at the age of seven I bought cheap T-Shirts and Jeans to make my own clothes out of them. When the time comes, I’ll design my own collection, but I want to do this for real and not just as a job beside doing music.

What do you say to the accusation of you apparently being anorexic?
It bores me. If people made an effort to actually investigate, this wouldn’t be a topic anymore. Just take a look at pictures of me from five years ago or look at old pictures from my vacations. I was as thin back then, as I am today. I’ve always been like this.

Your brother Tom says that you two smoked pot and drank alcohol at the age of 13. How abstinent are you today?
Since I’m really afraid of losing control, drugs never had a chance to make me addicted. I tried a lot of things out at an early age, which is why I can let it go now. I could never play a concert, when having taken something before. That’s unimaginable!

With just 20 years of age you met a lot of other celebrities. Who impressed you the most?
Jay-Z surprised us by watching one of our concerts in L.A. Then we went out to dinner with him. That was great. and Karl Lagerfeld also impressed me. Maybe it sounds silly, but I think I could get along with Britney Spears very well. We kind of led similar lives in the past years, so we’d probably be able to tell each other a lot.

Is it true that you’re a fan of Angela Merkel?
Yes, I like Angela Merkel a lot. Lately she got criticized a lot, but I have to say that I still trust her. I believe in her.

Turning Japanese

More media coverage in Singapore for Tokio Hotel! Here is the interview with Bill Kaulitz in 8 Days Magazine, with thanks to SgTHfan for bringing it to our attention! It’s short and good!

Turning Japanese

Despite naming themselves after the Japanese capital, German rock band Tokio Hotel knows zilch about the Japanese culture, so says its androgynous frontman Bill Kaulitz.

8 DAYS: You guys were originally known as Devilish. Why the name change?

BILL KAULITZ: We were really young and just thought Devilish sounded cool and a little bit devil. But it was a stupid name. When we went pro, we wanted a name which makes sense. ‘Hotel’ represents our dreams: to perform around the world, living in hotels. ‘Tokio’ is obviously from ‘Tokyo’, which represents something far away that we’ve never been to, but would like to visit some day. Plus it is a cool city name.

8 DAYS: Are you guys Nippon-philes?

BILL KAULITZ: We don’t really know that much about Japanese culture. All I know is the young people there are kind of crazy when it comes to style and fashion. We recorded our first English single, ‘Monsoon’, in Japanese. It was really hard. I had a coach – a Japanese girl – in the studio, and I didn’t know what I was singing. I just learnt the sounds of the words.

8 DAYS: Bill, with that big hair and make-up, have you ever been mistaken for a girl?

BILL KAULITZ: It’s a normal reaction for people to think that I’m gay or feminine. I’m not bothered at all. I like to play with such rumours. This is my style, my personality. And by the way, I’m straight.

8 DAYS: Are you like this at home?

BILL KAULITZ: I’ve been like this since I was 10 in school. But now our lives have changed completely. In my private time I try to go incognito, so no make-up.

8 DAYS: Are you single because you can’t find a girl prettier than you?

BILL KAULITZ: (Laughs) I believe in true love. I don’t have much free time to spend with someone really important. I’ve been single since I was 15. Maybe I’ll find my big love in 2010.

Fall in Love Automatically

Great new interview with Tokio Hotel was published in Tu Magazine in various South American countries. Thanks so much to Vee for the translation. Always love to hear talk of the Tokio Dogs. heehee.

Fall in love Automatically with Tokio Hotel

Still smiling, the handsome Bill, Tom, Gustav and Georg talked to us exclusively about everything with their new production “Humanoid”, their third album, and personal details.

From a hotel in Mexico City, Tu magazine was the only media with the opportunity to be in private with the coolest rock band of the moment. Check it out.

TU: You are back in Mexico. How are the fans in Latin America treating you?

Bill: Amazing, as soon as we come to these countries we receive tokens of affection. When we had our first performance at a radio festival in Mexico we were already eager to be with the fans.

TU: Tell us about “Humanoid”, your new album…

Bill: It’s the best album of Tokio Hotel thus far, we spent a year to produce it, put all our energy and love in it, in fact, we had no live performances in order to devote all our time on writing and producing this new record. We recorded it in Germany, Miami and Los Angeles. This time it sounds much more electronic than before, do not miss it!

TU: What inspires you to write?

Bill: Definitely the experiences, personal stories, though it’s not always something that has happened to us or we’ve seen, but they are situations that affect us closely or we are going through. Although we take ideas from everywhere, we simply just go through life with our eyes and ears open and very attentive to what happens, that’s what inspires us.

Tom: Topics will never run out, any day I have thousands of ideas, what I need is time to translate them, to convert into reality the songs I have in my head.

TU: Bill, the look you sport is innovative and even as a band you all are, are you advised [to dress that way] or look to create controversy?

Bill: Everyone dresses as they want, not for rebellion, but for fun, we don’t try to comply with a certain image, so I think sometimes we appear strange, for we are perceived differently on stage. Visually we don’t fit and yet we share similar musical taste. Each one is natural and reflect the look that please each one of us.

TU: Are you up to date with the tour?

Bill: Absolutely! We are always fixed on details, from the artwork, photos, design, musical details, and with a tour even more.

“The songs are a result of team work. Like one big family, each one gives ideas.” – Bill

Talented since Birth

The exotic makeup, the perfect features, and voice quality have made Bill the group’s image. According to him, the fame and fortune does not come from nowhere, it took time to be a celebrity. His artistic vein was developed since age seven: “After my parents divorced I started writing songs”. Luckily for him and Tom, the separation led to the music, because his mother married Gordon Trumper, owner of music shop Rock’s Cool. Their stepfather motivated them to play instruments, “Tom liked the guitar, but I was too lazy, so I took a keyboard that with only pushing buttons would play drums and bass”, he confessed.

TU: Are you coming to Latin America with the “Humanoid” tour?

Bill: There are no dates as such but we would love to. All 2010 will be dedicated to the tour, we must first finish with the 32 dates in Europe, but will return to Mexico and other countries to perform live and please the fans.

Tom: We would like to go with the show, but we have to plan it, since we’d have to move the stage, the staff, production, which is complicated, it’s a question of organization.

TU: What does a fan mean to you?

Bill: Without a doubt we’re happy with the followers and really surprised for the success we have in different countries, so we must always seek to give them the best, outdo ourselves, and fulfill their expectations. We love them.

TU: How’s your love life going? Do you have girlfriends?

Georg: The truth is that only I have a formal relationship, the other three are single.

“A fan is the most important thing for us, for they buy the album or a ticket to hear us, they make us.” -Bill

Curious Facts

-Tom is 10 minutes older than Bill.
-The twins’ favorite food is pasta.
-They both speak English, French, and German.
-Tom also sings, in fact he commented that if his brother Bill is the lead singer it’s for safety, he said: “I have a much more sensual voice and with Bill everything is calmer.”
-Bill’s favorite band is Coldplay, Gustav’s is Metallica, Georg’s is Oasis, and Tom’s is Samy Deluxe, a German hip hop band.
-As a group, they recognize that they not always agree, but get over all misunderstandings with the strong friendship that they’ve had for eight years.

Normal Boys

The guys still claim to be ordinary, because they love having fun with simple things, but recognize that their fame leads them to do outrageous things, like renting a theme park to celebrate the birthday of Bill and Tom. “We can not do everyday things. We had to rent it to invite friends and family, so they could have fun without being bothered by photographers and fans”, said Bill.

“I have come to miss simple things like going out on the street. Now to take any step I have to tell the people that are with me, what it is I want to do. … For example, ‘I want to go for ice cream’ and so the outing will be planned”, explained Tom. “I wish to take my dog for a walk, but can’t, because now even our dogs are famous.”

Total Connection

It was in 2001 when the band was fully integrated. Gustav and Georg saw the Kaulitz twins perform at a club and they realized they had no drummer nor bassist, so they decided to join them under the name Devilish, which they changed two years later for Tokio Hotel, by insistence of their first record label Sony: “We determined to go by this name because we like big cities and Tokyo was everyone’s favorite (even though we’ve never been), and the option of Hotel came up because we are always traveling.”

Something more about Love

Except for Georg, the other three group members are seeking the ideal woman and, like typical teenagers, die to meet Megan Fox in person, whom they described as impressive. “I also like Jessica Alba, and the Olsen twins are very beautiful”, said Bill, who describes himself as a young dreamer and cautious in love: “So far I have never taken a girl to my hotel room for a one night stand. It is not ideal for me; I’m really looking for a soul mate,” how cute!

TU: You’ve been together eight years, since before Tokio Hotel and played clubs, how do you manage not getting tired of always being together?

Bill: First we are united by our passion for music and that we do what we like, but there comes a point where it is not easy to interact all the time and play the same songs every day, so we take a break and we press pause from one album to another. This is why we also took time in launching a new production, because we needed to change the dynamics, breathe in new things, so we came back with the batteries recharged and recorded “Humanoid” which is very fresh.

TU: Was it easy to realize your musical dream?

Bill: The important thing is to do what you want, be yourself and forget what others want you to do. You should have fun. Being ourselves has led us to success. We have been very lucky.

TU: You were very young 20 years ago when the Berlin Wall fell, what do you think of the anniversary of this event?

Bill: It was something important for everyone, not just for us but also undoubtedly influenced us musically, the fall of the wall, the projection of freedom, for we would not be here singing our music, dressing like we do, we could not have developed if that step had not been taken. Due to our age we only know this Germany, which is one country, the rest is told by our parents.

TU: They say there is a rivalry between the fans of the Jonas Brothers and Tokio Hotel, is this true?

Bill: Of course not, I don’t believe it! To begin with, the bands have different musical styles, so there is room for everyone.

Tom: I think it’s more of a fan war the media created rather than the fans of both bands themselves.

TU: What message would you send to the readers of TU from around the world?

Bill: Thank you! We are really grateful that they like our work and love the album as much as we do.

Humanoid City Tour Interview

Yay! We get a surprise from the band today! An interview about the new tour! They speak in English so we do not have to wait for subtitles! OMG, Tom is being so silly and funny.

Bill Kaulitz – Tokio Hotel: Own Projects? “Sure!”

Thanks to d!va.licious™ for the translation of this new interview with Bill. This appears in the January 28 issue of Gala Magazine in Germany. No pics accompany it, but it is still a good interview. Maybe a little surprising?

At the fashion week in Milan, Bill Kaulitz surprised the music industry with an appearance as a Model. In the Interview with Gala he revealed what this means for his Band Tokio Hotel.

The apperance lasted only for a few minutes, but he could have changed his life with this persistently: Dressed in tight Nappa including a feathery-sleeve, which the Designer-Twins Dean and Dan Catan tailored on the model like slim body, Bill Kaulitz, 20, opened the Dsquared-Show. A highly acclaimed Performance. And the beginning of a new career?

Did the Tokio Hotel Frontman try to shake-off his image as a Teenie-Band-Idol? Max Dax, Chief Editor of the music magazine “Spex”: Tokio Hotel are one of the few Band, who have the potential to transform and develope themselves. But at the moment all the signs are speaking of a Solo-Career of Bill Kaulitz.” The singer is unique, a shimmering and authentic freak: “He’ll go his way and he could become a figure alike to David Bowie.” “Bravo”-Chief Editor Tom Jungersdorf, who established the Band, also sees potential risks: “Bill feels incredibly attracted to the world of designers. But none of his young fans can identify with him like this.” In an exclusive interview Gala found out what Bill Kaulitz thinks about his future.

You’re developing more and more into an other direction, away from the Tokio-Hotel-Image, with which you’re successful internationally since years. Does the Band stand at crossroads?
I think that we’re currently at a very interesting point of our career. We’re also getting older and develope. Fact is: I always try to do what makes me happy. My look got more extreme withing the years which is, especially for young people, harder to understand than in the days of “Durch den Monsun”.

Is there a strategy with which the Band wants to leap towards a more mature audience?
No, But we know that in peoples minds we’re still a Teenie-Band. It will probably take some time until this will change.

Your Catwalk-Appearance in Milan has been highly acclaimed from the Fashion World. Was this the beginning of your Model career?
Since it was a lot of fun for me, I could imagine to model in the future. But just for fun.

Were you nervous?
I was really nervous. But I’m always nervous, even at all of our concerts.

How did the preperation go? Did you have a runway-Coach?
That would have been nice! Naively I thought that there would be some test runs, where I could get some tipps. But unfortunately this was not the case. No, I was thrown in at the deep end. (laughs)

At Tokio Hotel you’re a member of the Band, but you’re always in the center of attention. Is there a rivalry between your twin brother and the other two musicians?
Quite the contrary! They’re happy that it’s like this. Gustav and Georg couldn’t imagine to stand in the center of attention and they admire me and my brother Tom, that we can stand all of this. And also Tom is glad that I’m the stage hog.

Do you have any plans regarding a musical solo career?
I would never quit Tokio Hotel. Sure, there’ll be times where we’ll take a longer break. I could imagine to get some own projects started in this time. But the end of Tokio Hotel? Never!

Bill Uncut -GQ Interview

Sorry I missed this. I like… completely missed that it was even released! But thanks to Colby21, Kaulitz-fan and Pat, we have it on video with subs and can enjoy it now. It’s never too late, right?

DSquared Interview

As you know, the Kaulitz twins were recently in Milan and Bill Kaulitz opened the show for DSquared. The Caten twins, Dan and Dean were also able to score an interview with Bill and Tom. After you watch, be sure to go directly to youtube to rate and comment?

Link to go rate and comment on Official DSquared Youtube

GQ Interview translation

Hi! Here is the translation of the print interview from GQ. This was translation by sorion so please give her credit when you use this because translating is hard work and we are very very grateful.

When Tokio Hotel start their 32 shows heavy first part of their “Welcome to Humanoid City” tour, their concerts take place in places like the Olympia Stadium in Moscow, in Barcelona, Paris, Madrid, Rome and (for now) only two German dates in Oberhausen and Hamburg (on the 26. and 28. February). One sign that the school friends from Magdeburg with their melancholical-metallic glam rock have long since become world stars.
The 20 year old twins Bill (singer) and Tom Kaulitz (guitarist) tell us after a spectacular GQ photoshoot in Hamburg how Tokio Hotel find their way as style-wise individualistic, as well as creative and ready to fight young artists in a world that has yet to learn to respect them.

Bill and Tom Kaulitz. We’re meeting you without your two band mates Georg Listing and Gustav Schäfer. Are they insulted?

Tom: Not at all. They thank us and pull up a chair.

Bill: If it were up to Gustav and Georg, they’d just play bass and drums in Tokio Hotel and keep out of everything else.

Is the band divided?

Bill: Not at all. That difference has been obvious pretty much from the beginning: they’d rather leave the whole stuff with pictures, interviews and red carpets to us. Six or seven years ago, only small town papers wanted to talk to us, but even then it was mostly Tom and me who represented the band.

Your two colleagues still live in Magdeburg, but you have moved to Hamburg five years ago.

Bill: Gustav and Georg did live, here, too, during our first recording sessions, but they moved back, really quickly. To be honest, I can’t quite understand that. But maybe Tom and I were special cases. Our childhood was really rough. Going to school in a village near Magdeburg felt horrible. We were so glad to get out of there.

A lot of images from those years can be found on the internet. Is an embarrassing childhood not private? How did those pictures get there?

Bill: A lot of those have been published by former class mates. Others we gave to the press ourselves: baby- and childhood pictures of us, as well as impressions of former gigs, when Tokio Hotel was still Devilish.

You don’t need a photo album, anymore – you can just google your memories.

Bill: Recently, we made the resolution to take more pictures. We travel into so many beautiful cities, we get to do and see so many thing, that is something that should be captured… Then we realised: we don’t have to! We always have a camera team with us. We’ve given up on privately taking pictures.

With a lot of other German teenager pop-bands the hype ended after one season. Tokio Hotel on the other hand are a world hit with an MTV award, sold-out concerts in Europe and chart positions in the US. To keep up with the demands: is it necessary to decide to live your life completely in public?

Bill: Tom and I have made that decision, yes. Including all of the negative aspects – but we have learned to live with it. It only gets bad when people get pulled into that who don’t want it: parents, family, friends. We’re doing everything we can to protect them from the public’s curious eye. But it’s become difficult to lead a normal life to whoever carries the name Kaulitz, nowadays.

Being a popstar, even if you have to sacrifice a normal life almost completely – when exactly did you make that decision?

Bill: At 15. That was when our fist single “Durch den Monsun” was released. It was amazing when that went through the roof. Then the first headlines appered…

Tom: … and we got the full program, right away!

Bill: The first stories in the tabloids had been there, before. And when our song was played on the radio and the demands grew, we did ask ourselves: what’s happening, here? What are we getting into? For example, I left a glass lying around somewhere, and you could buy that on ebay the next day. But experiences like that are educational. We started early and started to learn early, accordingly. Tokio Hotel is not a job, it’s our life. Outside of that, there’s hardly anything left, no more than the family. For that one year in which we produced our new album we had planned on not ending up in the press. That hasn’t worked, at all.

Tom: There’s no switch to turn. No end of the day.

Have you ever been in doubt? There are celebs who can switch off more easily, because they keep on the down-low.

Bill: Of course I’ve asked myself: would I do the same things, again? We can see that with old school friends. They go to university or get their first experiences in jobs. Things we don’t know. Luckily, I always get to the point where I realise that what I do is a calling for me. What else should I do? I can’t live with the success, but I can’t live without it, either.

But music also runs in the family. Your step-father plays in a band, too. Is it true that he got you into rock&roll?

Bill: He never talked us into it. He just made music and there were instruments around the house. At some point, the two of us just had a go at them. Once our step-father realised that Tom kept playing around with the guitar, he explained the basic things to him. But it wasn’t like in school. We don’t let anyone teach us. Tom and I have a serious problem with authority.

Was that the reason you moved out so early?

Bill: As I said, we could hardly stand living in the small town. And our studio is in Hamburg.

Tom: At first, we often went home. But for the last four years, we’ve lived here, 100% We share a studio apartment. A boys-only dorm with four dogs. We can’t imagine it any other way. I don’t think that one of us would ever move out.

It still sounds odd for outsiders. Of course, brothers stick together – but that they hardly ever fight and share almost everything…

Bill: (interrupts) … Hold on. I couldn’t imagine that with brothers. You can’t forget that we’re identical twins. That’s something special, that’s the difference.

Tom: That I sit around and think that I could use an hour without Bill, never happens. We’d have enough room in the apartment to keep out of each other’s ways – and yet we hang around in the living room together all day, if we have the time. We only ever go into different rooms to sleep.

You’re both vegetarians. Was that a joint decision, too?

Tom&Bill: (at the exact same moment) Yes! (laugh)

Tom: that wouldn’t work any other way. It would be unbearable for one if the other still ate meat.

Bill: That decision was for the animals. Even though I loved meat, before! I practically lived off burgers. But thankfully, there are a lot of good alternatives.

Tom: Just don’t think we’re on a wellness trip! We still eat pizza, hot dogs, burgers – just without the meat – all day long. It’s still deliciously unhealthy. Just missing the meat.

That much harmony is scary, even with twins. Did you never hate each other?

Bill: Yes, temporarily. At 13, we were at war for a year. We were going through puberty and were testing our boundaries. At the time, we had separate friends, and each spent a lot of time with his girlfriend. We grew apart in that time a bit.

Tom: By now, we even have the same friends.

Did the music bring you back together?

Bill: This common project of ours is pretty much the only thing that remained constant over time. Even when we didn’t get along. We always took the band very seriously. Georg and Gustav were a bit different, at the beginning: they saw music as their hobby. Georg sometimes skipped practice. Tom and I were a lot more serious and determined. And you can’t forget that we only played in front of ten people in the youth centre.

Tom: It’s still like that, today. It can get really taxing, because we want to control everything, no matter how complicate things get because of it. Each picture that is being released has to be given a green light by us. Decisions can take ages, because everyone wants to have a say in it.

Bill: We are hardly ever really satisfied. We are control freaks, complete perfectionists. I did try to be more relaxed, recently. But letting go and giving things into a stranger’s hands – that’s really hard for me when it comes to the band.

Is that the Achilles heel of the Kaulitz brothers?

Tom: We don’t carry around questions that we don’t want to be asked about.

Bill: When we come off the stage when something went wrong, we’re all silent. Nobody talks.

Have there ever been problems that weren’t worth all the drama? That the company got the wrong colour for the cover or something?

Tom: (breathes deeply) Now that would be a catastrophe. I’d blow up.

Bill: If something like that were to happen, I couldn’t sleep properly for a year… But I do remember something: some of our songs from Humanoid had been online, illegally, three months before the album was released. I could hardly believe that somebody would steal the art from us that we put so much time and energy into.

A very widely spread problem, nowadays. How did you react?

Bill: We will not hand over music to companies, beforehand, anymore. It gets into the wrong hands, there, sometimes. We were careful, before, but we learned from that.

Tom: Everything needs to stay in the smallest circle possible. On a business level, there are so many involved in Tokio Hotel: the German label, the French one, Interscope in the States, and and and. There is an uncountable amount of people involved you can’t control.

If music is such an emotional topic, doesn’t the band project endanger the love between brothers?

Tom: You could see it that way. Theoretically. We both have the problem that we tend to focus on the negative aspects of things. If there is one bad message, we forget the 20 good ones we got, before. Bad news make you improve the situation. You can just move on from positive things.

Bill: That’s the typical twin thing. When I’m happy, Tom has 10000 things in his mind. And the other way around. That we can sit next to each other on a couch, all relaxed, happens once a year.

Tom: Actually, I don’t think it happened in the last five years.

It’s almost as if one can hear that in your music. Teenager bands usually sound light, less dark and selling things – the Tokio Hotel songs have always been surprisingly dark, serious and lacking a childlike naiveté. How on earth could you two pig-headed boys agree on one musical style?

Bill: Good question. In private, we only ever fight about music. He only listens to hip hop and I listen to all kinds of things. We can’t understand each other in that respect.

Tom: When we started out, it was really easy. We had no choice! We never sat down and talked: let’s sound like this or that band. We were limited. We just did what we were capable of. It’s interesting how that unique style that came of it lasted until today. There is a thread going through all of our works, a clear line.

When one sees you, today – the glamorous, alien-like Bill and the earthed streetstyler Tom – one would never think that you are twins. When was the point at which you developed in different directions?

Bill: That complicated to explain. We just wanted to get out of the other’s shadow at some point. Out of that annoying, public twin existence. Imagine that. At school, it was always: the twins here and the twins there… On the other hand, I think it’s natural that each would develop his on personality that we do everything together. Or maybe not.

Tom: I’d put it this way: Everything that one complete human being has in itself, we distributed among the two of us. Each of us has chosen his part and specialised in his area of expertise. Bill is more the creative type, I’m more on the business side. If you add that up, we’re one person, one human being. Just a very versatile one.

Does that also mean that you’ve never been rivals, in all those years?

Bill: We never thought about who is the favourite son and who’s the black sheep. We were always a team. Like I said, we moved out at 15, earned our own money. We didn’t have time for childish shenanigans – it all happened very early. Sometimes I feel like mine and Tom’s life has moved twice as fast, because each taught the other what he learned. Identical twins grow up faster, because they share everything. Including experience.

Like a human with four ears.

Tom&Bill: Exactly!

Tom: An only child only lives through everything once, has only one point of view. We always shared everything. Looked at every aspect.

Bill: Our mother always told us that once she had turned off the lights in our room in the evening, it was no question that we would lie awake for at least another hour to tell us things and discuss them. In a way, it’s still like that.

Did you tell your mother: When we’re all grown up, we’ll buy you a Cadillac!

Bill: Not quite, but we always wanted to be independent with our pocket money. We were keeping book that we had enough for clothes, cell phone and the likes. Having responsibility was never something threatening for us. I already felt better at 15, when I knew that I could pay for my own rent and fill my fridge.

Did you ever wish for another brother or sister?

Bill: No, not really.

Tom: That would have been really difficult for the new baby. We always had a very strong connections – outsiders never get in 100%. Not even imaginary siblings.

Bill: Maybe it would have worked with half a year in between, but that’s not really possible, biologically. (laughs)

What would have happened, if only one you had become famous? Could you have remained inseparable twin friends?

Tom: I think so! Maybe it would have developed into different directions, at first. One would have become a musician and the other could have gone to uni. But at the point where one of us would have become really successful, he would have pulled the other in, as well. Bill would have made me his manager. Or had I studied industrial design, I would have hired him.

Bill: No rumours out of this, please. What I’m about to say it merely a game of thoughts. But should I ever sing anywhere else, outside of Tokio Hotel, I could never do that without Tom. Even if I was alone on a picture, I’d need him behind me and support me in words and action. We just don’t work properly on our own.

Kaulitz Twins GQ video – Subs

Here is the video GQ interview with the Kaulitz Twins with English subtitles. It’s so great. What is your favorite part? Here first, to support the band and to show GQ that we want more, please watch the video at their site and then enjoy the subtitles?

The GQ Video Shoot – In German

Phone Interview – January 15

Thank you to Official Tokio Hotel Philippines Fanclub for this news alert! Phone Interview with Tokio Hotel on Monster Radio RX 93.1! Pinoy TH fans! Stay tuned to Monster Radio RX 93.1 this Friday, January 15, 2009 at 6:30PM for the Phone Interview with Tokio Hotel.

Should you wish to listen to the station through the Internet, look for the station on e-Radio Portal under FM stations in Manila. During the interview, you can bombard RX with your greetings to the band through text!

update: Here is the portal.
http://www.eradioportal.com/index.php?p=2&aid=1&sid=19

Won’t be able to listen to the interview on Friday at all? THP will post a recording of the interview here on the website during the weekend as well for the benefit of those who won’t be able to listen real time.

Little islands, big fans!

source

So, I think these are the times we can listen in the USA?

Manila
Fri 6:30 PM

Eastern
Fri 5:30 AM

Central
Fri 4:30 AM

Mountain
Fri 3:30 AM

Pacific
Fri 2:30 AM

Good, Better, Best

Tokio Hotel recently appeared in Hitkrant Magazine from the Netherlands with a revealing interview about their friendship. Yes, behind the rockstars are four regular guys. Are they friends? Is Europe losing Tokio Hotel to the USA? And what about the tour? (Translation and scans by Pat, thank you!)

Good, better, best!

No we did not become better friends.

Hitrant: You love them or you hate them. So one is happy that it is Tokio Hotel month at TMF. The other can’t wait till their concert on February 23 is over. What do the boys think about it themselves?

HK: We have understood that you are not completely ready for the tour, should we start worrying?

Bill: No way! We are spending so much time in the studio right now to practice and to prepare everything. Actually we are doing all that just so we can put on an most awesome as possible show. We do not want to just put on a new show, but we want to go all out (can’t think of the right word) and surprise.

Tom: We often get the question why it is taking so long before Tokio Hotel perfoms live again. Of course that is a compliment but preparing a show takes a lot of time and energy.

Bill: We have been to London for it a lot. There is a lot of movement in the show and especially the stage is going to be awesome.

HK: Okay, that is enough promotion, guys! Have you become a better band in the last few years?

Gustav: Absolutely, I think we all have started playing better because we performed live a lot and the tours we have done. We have learned a lot from it.

Georg: And that while we never take music lessons. But see for yourself, listen to our first album and the last one, which one is better soundwise?

Bill: Okay, we get a lot of criticism. That we can’t speak English, that our level sucks. We don’t mind. We are not musicians or composers. We are 4 normal boys who love making music. That is what we have reached throughout the years with few music lessons. We have taught ourselves everything.

HK: Did you become better friends as well?

Bill: No we have always been good friends. That has not gotten better or worse, it is just a fact!

Tom: You have to be when you are in a band. We spend so much time with each other, you can’t be any other way. In our case that is really the way it is. We have known each other since we started as a school band and have been through everything together. From the first hit to all the big concerts we have played.

HK: You have also been to the USA. We are not losing Tokio Hotel, are we?

Bill: That tour was great, but traveling through Europe gives us more of a home feeling. Don’t misunderstand me: all 4 of us are happy when we jump on a plane to the states. But when we get to go home, that is a really good feeling as well.

HK: You have been though a lot as a band, do you get nervous at all anymore?

Georg: Yes, every time we get critical questions asked by Hitkrant, we never get used to that.

Bill: Not really, The press is always really nice to us. But we do get nervous for a lot of things. Like, for instance, this tour, we do not know what to expect. And if everyone still likes us. You can compare it to the feeling of going back to school after summer vacation.

HK: Will 2010 be the year of Tokio Hotel?

Gustav: If it is up to us Yes!

Tom: We are giving up our entire year to make it a success.

Bill: It is not a question of up or down (do or die), because we plan to go on with Tokio Hotel for a long time. But it will be an important year. We are looking at it as a live year. We will be performing a lot in Europe, after that we will go to South America. We will be back in the summer for festivals and in the meantime we will write songs for a new album. Vacation? What is that again?? No, that won’t happen in 2010. Maybe at christmas time.

Hitkrant: Tickets to their concert: As a real fan you of course already know, but Tokio Hotel is having a concert in Ahoy in Rotterdam on February 23. And of course we have scored some tickets for it. If you want to win 2, enter the contest on hitkrant.nl

Drumheads – Gustav Interview

How cool! An interview with Gustav in Drumheads! What a nice way to celebrate the day after Christmas. And a nice interivew about the actual music. And I know you Gustav fans are all doing the happy dance! Translation by Artax, please credit him when you use it. Thanks.

At the very top – interview with Gustav Schäfer

Because the musicians were still so young, many so-called experts derided Tokio Hotel’s breakthrough. Four years later the band tours world-wide and breaks one record after another. Instead of talking about gossip, Gustav gives us straight talk about drumming with Germany’s supergroup no 1.

Drumheads!!: You’ve been thrown into the cold water of big stages already at a young age. Do you feel yourself whether you’ve become more secure in your drumming by now?
Gustav Schäfer: I think I’ll never become really secure. I’m nervous before a show and sometimes there just is a mistake when performing. But even the big ones like Chad Smith or Danny Carey mess up sometimes, that’s how it is. Who stands in front of 13,000 people, isn’t excited and plays every show perfectly – is in my opinion no real drummer!

D: What’s for you so alluring about drumming and being the musician who always sits at the back?
Gu: I think it’s awesome that I act from the background and that most people don’t even know what weight lays upon a drummer. Of course it’s like that also with the other musicians on the stage, but when the drums give out, then the song is messed up. Someone once told me that the drummer is the band’s clockwork. He alone makes the beat and all have to listen to his “1″.

D: What’s important at a Tokio Hotel concert from a drummer’s view? What do you have to bring to the show?
Gu: First of all, I should of course master the songs, and that I do! Sometimes, I play them differently live than on the record and especially with our new record it’ll be a big change, since we also have many programmed rhythms. Apart from that, it’s like with any other band: The drummer sits in the back and enjoys.

D: What song do like most for the stage?
Gu: That changes constantly for me. I’m a fan of the heavy beats. Right now, I very much like to play “Komm” resp. the english version “Noise” and “Für immer jetzt” oder “Forever now”. These songs are very enjoyable to play, and they have good power in front of the stage.

D: What things at the drums would you still like to get better at, and how do you approach that?
Gu: Regrettably, with all our travelling, there’s not much time for exercises that I’ve been wanting to do for a long time already. One of my shortcomings are fast Fills. I always hammer them and don’t do double-beats. But it sounds better! Oh well, I think I’ll always play them like that. After all, so far, nobody has complained.

D: How much do you practice, when you get the time in between all the interviews and autograph sessions?
Gu: When I get to the studio to practice, then always 4-5 hours with short breaks in between. But then, I’m pretty done for.

D: What has changed for you, recording the new record compared to earlier studio time?
Gu: On Humanoid, I also plays parts with an E-drumset. These things are incredible. It was a completely new experience for me to bring that in. Live I’ll also play a few things on E-pads.

D: What difficulties did you have to overcome at the recording sessions?
Gu: Sometimes one could really go crazy: I always want to put everything in one song. That it’s too much, I then see in the faces of our producers and my band. And then I also realize it when I listen to the take and I sit down at the set with the sentence: “Sometimes less is more, you dork.”

D: Could you imagine to never again touch a drumstick if Tokio Hotel should dissolve one day?
Gu: No! I started to play drums with four, five years. In elementary school then there were other things that interested me, but I never pursued them like drumming. My dad also always had an eye on that, and when we watched a concert of Genesis, and I saw the masses, he said: “Gustav: practice, practice, practice, if you want to get there.” I guess it must have stuck.

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