Bill: Last Sunset
Goodbye sun....see you in 2013
12.31.2012
Happy New Year! 2013 -THNOISE
Ich wünsch euch allen ein frohes neues Jahr!
Mögen all eure Wünsche und Träume in Erfüllung gehen!
I wish you all a Happy New Year!
あけましておめでとうございます。
あなたの夢が全部かなうことを祈ってます。
Les deseo a todos un feliz año nuevo!
May all your wishes and dreams come true!
あけましておめでとうございます。
Que todos sus deseos y sueños se cumplan
MTV Buzzworthy - 20 Things That Need to Happen In Music In 2013: New Paramore, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Tokio Hotel Albums + Kimye's Royal Wedding, Plz!
20 Things That Need to Happen In Music In 2013: New Paramore, Thirty Seconds To Mars, Tokio Hotel Albums + Kimye's Royal Wedding, Plz!
Shopping for Christmas or Hanukkah presents for friends and family can
be hard, but figuring out what we'd like to give to our readers was
pretty easy this year. And since it's almost New Year's Eve too, we
thought we'd combine a holiday wish list of things we know you want to
see happen (like yesterday) with a set of resolutions for your favorite
artists to try to commit to this year. Like new albums. We're looking at
YOU, Jonas Brothers. And you, Paramore. And DEFINITELY you, Tokio
Hotel. Just like with resolutions, some will happen, and a lot of them
might not. But it's the trying that counts, right?
2.) A New Tokio Hotel Album: Speaking of taking your time, the architecturally coiffed German rockers Tokio Hotel have been been out of the action for almost as long. It's not like excitement from fans is dying down either, based on our Musical March Madness tournament, and the O Music Awards,
but there hasn't been any **official** word on new releases since their
best-of and live albums in 2010. Are they afraid of causing some sort
of international panic incident when millions of fans around the world
faint with glee simultaneously when it finally comes out? That's
probably it.
SOURCE
[Comment! ;)]
[Comment! ;)]
12.30.2012
Bild.de - Die 100 wichtigsten Deutschen 2013
Die 100 wichtigsten Deutschen 2013
Bill und Tom Kaulitz (23), Musiker. Mit „Tokio Hotel“ gehen die
Zwillinge 2013 nach ihrer langen Pause endlich wieder ins Studio – und
außer dem sitzen sie in der Jury von „DSDS“!
_____________________________________________
Translation by Tokio Hotel Aliens Spain
The 100 most important Germans 2013
The 100 most important Germans 2013
Bill and Tom Kaulitz (23), musician. The twins of Tokio hotel are back in the studio after a long break - and they make a exception in 2013 to sit on the jury of "DSDS"!
they are @#81
12.29.2012
Bravo.de - DSDS: Die neue Staffel beginnt
DSDS: Die neue Staffel beginnt
Am 5. Januar ist es endlich soweit: Dann startet endlich wieder "DSDS" mit neuer Jury und neuen Talenten. Check hier, was Dich erwartet.
Der Countdown läuft! Nur noch wenige Tage dann geht "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" in die nächste Runde. Zum zehnten Mal wird in der beliebten Castingshow nun schon ein Solokünstler gesucht.
In der Jubiläumsstaffel von "DSDS" gibt es ein Wiedersehen mit alten Gesichtern: So waren unter anderen die Ex-Kandidaten Luca Hänni, Daniele Negroni, Pietro Lombardi, Sarah Engels, Daniel Schuhmacher, Linda Teodosiu und der Checker bei den Castings vor Ort, um die meist etwas nervösen Bewerber zu unterstützen und ihnen Tipps zu geben.
Für die neue Staffel stellten sich insgesamt 32.078 Kandidaten dem Urteil der Jury - bestehend aus Pop-Titan Dieter Bohlen und den Neuzugängen Bill und Tom Kaulitz von Tokio Hotel sowie Mateo a.k.a Itchy von Culcha Candela. Wie viele wahre Talente unter den "DSDS"-Anwärtern sind, erfährst Du ab dem 5. Januar 2013. Dann sind die Highlights der Castings in insgesamt sieben Folgen jeweils mittwochs und samstags um 20:15 Uhr bei RTL zu sehen.
Wir zählen schon die Tage und sind total gespannt, ob Tom und Bill von Tokio Hotel die Kandidaten streng bewerten oder auf das Urteil von Dieter Bohlen setzen. Was ist mit Dir? Wirst Du Dir die neue Staffel anschauen oder bleibt Dein Fernseher diesmal aus? Verrate es uns im Voting und in den Kommentaren!
In der Jubiläumsstaffel von "DSDS" gibt es ein Wiedersehen mit alten Gesichtern: So waren unter anderen die Ex-Kandidaten Luca Hänni, Daniele Negroni, Pietro Lombardi, Sarah Engels, Daniel Schuhmacher, Linda Teodosiu und der Checker bei den Castings vor Ort, um die meist etwas nervösen Bewerber zu unterstützen und ihnen Tipps zu geben.
Für die neue Staffel stellten sich insgesamt 32.078 Kandidaten dem Urteil der Jury - bestehend aus Pop-Titan Dieter Bohlen und den Neuzugängen Bill und Tom Kaulitz von Tokio Hotel sowie Mateo a.k.a Itchy von Culcha Candela. Wie viele wahre Talente unter den "DSDS"-Anwärtern sind, erfährst Du ab dem 5. Januar 2013. Dann sind die Highlights der Castings in insgesamt sieben Folgen jeweils mittwochs und samstags um 20:15 Uhr bei RTL zu sehen.
Wir zählen schon die Tage und sind total gespannt, ob Tom und Bill von Tokio Hotel die Kandidaten streng bewerten oder auf das Urteil von Dieter Bohlen setzen. Was ist mit Dir? Wirst Du Dir die neue Staffel anschauen oder bleibt Dein Fernseher diesmal aus? Verrate es uns im Voting und in den Kommentaren!
_________________________________________________________
Translation by Connection Tokio Hotel
DSDS: Starts new season
On January 5 DSDS will finally be released with new judges and new talent. Check it out here what awaits.
Start the countdown! Just a few days for “DSDS” in its next round! For the tenth time the popular talent show seeks for a solo artist.
The birthday season of “DSDS” is a reunion with old faces: The
ex-candidates Hanni Luca, Daniele Negroni, Pietro Lombardi, Sarah
Engels, Daniel Schuhmacher, Linda Teodosiu, among others to assist the
applicants usually nervous in auditions and give them advice.
For the new season with a total of 32,078 candidates presented tot he
jury – composed by the pop star Dieter Bohlen, new additions Bill and
Tom Kaulitz from Tokio Hotel and Mateo from Culcha Candela. How many
true talents in the DSDS there, you can find out on January 5, 2013. The
contination of the highlights of the auditions can be seen in a total
of seven episodes on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 20:15 pm (German time) –
RTL.
We are counting the days and we are totally happy that Tom and Bill
from Tokio Hotel rigorously evaluate candidates and rely on the
judgement of Dieter Bohlen. And you? Will you watch the new season of
DSDS? Tell us in the poll and in the comments!
Will you watch “Deutschland sucht den Superstar”?
✓ Yes, definitely!
• Do not know yet…
• No, I will not watch.
• Do not know yet…
• No, I will not watch.
KlatschTratsch - Bill Kaulitz: “Manchmal hätte ich Lust, Modedesign zu studieren”
Mit Bill und Tom Kaulitz (beide 23) kehrt die Hälfte der Band Tokio Hotel ab 5. Januar 20.15 Uhr in die Öffentlichkeit zurück. Dann sitzen die berühmtesten Zwillinge Deutschlands in der Jury von ‘Deutschland sucht den Superstar‘. Die beiden kehren nach fast zwei Jahren Medienpause in die Öffentlichkeit und vor allem nach Deutschland zurück. Das letzte Album ‘Humanoid’ erschien 2009.
Jetzt sprachen Bill und sein Bruder mit der ‘Süddeutschen Zeitung’ auch über die Castingshow und ihre musikalischen Pläne
Der modebewusste Sänger hatte vor zehn Jahren selbst bei der Castingshow ‘Star Search’ auf SAT.1 vorgesungen. Doch Bill sieht einen Unterschied zu den Kandidaten, die sich heute bei DSDS seinem Urteil stellen: “Wir haben mit sieben Jahren angefangen Musik zu machen. Das war harte Arbeit. Hier sehe ich viele Leute, die einfach nur ins Fernsehen wollen, unabhängig von ihrem Talent.”
Über das vierte Album von ‘Tokio Hotel’, das lange auf sich warten läßt, verriet Bill, dass man entspannt bei der Produktion sei: “Wir sind auf jeden Fall viel in den USA, weil wir dort seit zwei Jahren das neue Album produzieren und uns dort zurückziehen können. Wir haben aber auch Wohnsitze in Deutschland und recorden auch teilweise hier.”
Definitiv kein Problem habe er damit, dass die Fans von damals, als Tokio Hotel noch eine Teenie-Band waren, womöglich nicht mehr die Fans von heute sind. Dazu sagte der Frontmann dem Blatt: “Da kannst du nichts gegen machen. Wir sind nicht im Studio und denken: Ach, wen müssen wir denn jetzt bedienen?”
Einen Traum verriet Bill Kaulitz: “Manchmal hätte ich Lust, Modedesign zu studieren. Nur so zum Spaß.”
__________________________________________________
Translation by Tokio Hotel Aliens Spain
"Sometimes I've been interested in studying fashion design"
With Bill and Tom Kaulitz (both 23) returns half of the band Tokio Hotel from 5th January at 20.15pm. Then the most famous twins in Germany will be sit on the jury of 'Deutschland sucht den Superstar'. The two return after nearly two years of media break and especially of Germany. The last album 'Humanoid' was released in 2009.
Now Bill and his brother talked with the 'Süddeutsche Zeitung' also about the talent show and their musical plans.
Even the fashion-conscious singer had ten years ago his chance singing in the talent show 'Star Search' on SAT.1. But Bill sees a difference among the candidates, who today make his ruling in DSDS: "We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work. Here I see a lot of people who just want to be on television, regardless of their talent."
About the fourth album from 'Tokio Hotel', which is coming for a long time, Bill told that he was relaxed in the production: "We are definitely a lot in the U.S., because we produce there for two years and for the new album we moved there. But we also have residences in Germany and also partly record here."
Definitely he had not problems with the fact that the fans of the time when Tokio Hotel was still a teen band, may no longer be the fans today. As the frontman, he says: "Since you can not do anything against. We are not in the studio and think, oh, who do we have to like now?"
A dream betrayed of Bill Kaulitz: "Sometimes I've been interested in studying fashion design. Just for fun."
12.28.2012
klatsch-tratsch.de -Bill Kaulitz: “Ich bin manchmal schon ein bisschen paranoid”
Bill Kaulitz: “Ich bin manchmal schon ein bisschen paranoid”
Laut Bill Kaulitz ist die neue Jury von ‘Deutschland sucht den Superstar’ ständig am Diskutieren.
Der Tokio Hotel-Sänger sitzt in der zehnten Staffel gemeinsam mit seinem Zwillingsbruder Tom und Culca Candela-Sänger Mateo erstmals neben Dieter Bohlen in der Jury und verrät, dass es dabei oftmals zu unterschiedlichen Meinungen kommt.
Ich glaube, es ist zum ersten Mal so, dass da auch verschiedene Meinungen aufeinander prallen. Das ist ganz klar. Wir diskutieren wie verrückt”, gibt der Teenie-Star gegenüber RTL preis. Oberjuror Dieter Bohlen findet die neue Besetzung derweil interessant. “Ich finde die Jury ist diesmal ganz interessant. Die sind ja ein bisschen jünger als ich und deshalb ist es interessant für mich zu sehen, wie sie alles sehen.”
Bill Kaulitz sprach gerade auch über die negativen Seiten des Star-Rummels.
Der ‘Süddeutschen Zeitung’ sagte er in einem Interview: “Die Freiheit, jetzt da rauszugehen und im Park herumzuspazieren, hab´ ich tatsächlich nicht. Aber künstlerisch kann ich machen, was ich will. Das ist das Allerwichtigste für mich und das, wofür ich am dankbarsten bin. Wir haben schon mit 15 versucht, uns da die nötige Freiheit zu schaffen, auch mit Ellenbogen. Heute bin ich der Chef meines Lebens, ich. Selbst die Plattenfirma hat nicht viel zu sagen bei uns. Aber natürlich gibt´s hier in diesem Leben auch Sachen, die einen fertigmachen und wahrscheinlich hat man einen kleinen Schaden weg. Ich bin manchmal schon ein bisschen paranoid.”
An das Leben mit Schlagzeilen haben sich die beiden Tokio-Hotel-Brüdeer gewöhnt, wie Bill erzählt:” Was soll denn noch kommen, war ja alles da, von Drogen über Magersucht bis hin zur Depression. Mittlerweile glaube ich eh, dass die Leute sich schon denken können, dass das alles Quatsch sein muss.”
Tom fügte hinzu: Mir tut´s nur leid um meine Oma. Weil die mich immer noch fragt, ob das nun wahr oder falsch ist.
Am 5. Januar zeigt RTL die erste ‘DSDS’-Folge der Jubiläumsstaffel, bei der nicht nur die Jury, sondern auch die Moderation neu besetzt wurde. Während in den vergangenen Jahren Marco Schreyl durch die Sendung führte, übernehmen diesen Part diesmal Nazan Eckes und Raúl Richter. Die besten 71 Kandidaten müssen im ersten Durchgang im Glass Cube in Bad Driburg ihr Können in Gruppenformationen unter Beweis stellen – wachsam und kritisch beobachtet von der Jury aus Dieter Bohlen und Bill und Tom Kaulitz.
__________________________________________________________
English Translation by Bill Kaulitz Accessories
Bill Kaulitz: "I'm sometimes a bit paranoid"
According to Bill Kaulitz, the new jury of 'Deutschland sucht den Superstar' is constantly arguing.
The singer of Tokio Hotel is in the tenth season along with his twin brother Tom and Mateo, singer from Culcha Candela and with Dieter Bohlen on the jury, and reveals that they often have different opinions.
"I think it's the first time, and also the different views collide. That is very clear. We argue like crazy," the teen star revealed to RTL.
While Dieter Bohlen thinks it's interesting the new cast. "I think the jury this time is very interesting.'They're a little younger than me, so it's interesting for me to see how they are going to take everything."
Bill Kaulitz also spoke about the negative aspects of a superstar.
He said in an interview to 'Süddeutsche Zeitung': Bill: ".. I have not really free to just go out and walk in the park. But artistically speaking, I can do whatever I want. That's the most important to me, so I am most grateful. Even at 15 I had already started to fight for it and now, I'm my own boss. Even the record can not tell us much. But of course there are things in life that drag you down and each of us is broken, possibly, somehow. I'm sometimes a little bit paranoid. "
Tokio Hotel's brothers have come to life with headlines such as Bill says: "We are very happy now that I have covered everything, drugs, anorexia, depression. By now I'm pretty sure most people will know by themselves, which everything is mostly crap. "
Tom added: "I'm just sorry for my grandmother. Sometimes she still asks whether something is true or not."
On January 5 will be on air the first episode of "DSDS" - RTL anniversary season, in which not only the judges will be out, but also the moderators. While in recent years the emission was directed by Marco Schreyl now take over Nazan Eckes and Raul Richter.
SOURCE
12.27.2012
Süddeutsche Zeitung #298/2013 [Germany]
Scan by TokioHotel-Info
Translation by BTKTwinsArchive
IT'S BEEN HARD WORK
Whether you want them to or not: Tokio Hotel are back - and they're here to stay. Identical twins Tom and Bill Kaulitz talk about their "Realschulabschluss", casting shows, drugs and AC/DC.
It's been quiet around Tokio Hotel for a long time. It's been more than seven years since their single "Monsoon" filled pre- and hard pubescing teenage girls with unprecedented ecstasy while forcing columnists to make marvelling analysis. Bill Kaulitz, androgynous and crazy-haired and his ten minute older identical twin Tom became the posterboys of German children's rooms at age 15 and sold millions of records. In recent years though, it's been quiet around the Kaulitz twins, who moved to Los Angeles. Now, at age 23, the twins return as jurors in RTL's "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (DSDS) show. Shooting happens in Bad Driburg, located in the westphalian wastelands, inside an upper class hotel with a multi-storey car park. In front of the conference room's windows, a few got long in the tooth fans stand around, at least 17 or 18 years old. Insider, the old teen star dilemma joins us at the table: The boys are too old to be cuddled, too young to command respect. You neither want to pull their leg nor put them on your lap.
SZ: It's been a long time since we last heard from Tokio Hotel
Bill: I think the break felt even longer for the German public than it really was. After our last album we went on a big tour of South America and Japan, after that we just wanted to live a little.
SZ: What does "just living a little" entail for somebody who's been living in a state of emergency since the age of 15?
Bill: We spent a lot of time with our family. And with our four dogs.
Tom: It was a big change for us. Being on tour with the band, we've got a huge team and I can call on them for everything I need at any given moment. Now I have to take care of things myself and that includes stuff I've never had to deal with by myself before. I've had some overwhelming situations, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
SZ: For example?
Tom: I don't know, for example I went to apply for my california driver's licence in Los Angeles. I thought to myself: Huh, you've got to wait in some shitty line for such a long time? You just stand around for a whole day to give them your photo?
SZ: Los Angeles is now your permanent residence?
Bill: We spend a lot of time in the U.S., because we've been working a lot on our new record the past 2 years and also can get some privacy. But we also got a residence in Germany and some of our recording sessions also take place here. The two other boys still live in Germany.
Besides Bill and Tom Tokio Hotel consists of two other - publicly neglected - members who fit with them like leafs around flowers and whose names and instruments (bass player Georg and drummer Gustav) are mostly put in brackets when Tokio Hotel is covered in the press. While the twins were in the U.S. those two had to put down the rumours about the band's demise.
SZ: After the long break, do you feel the pressure even more than before?
Bill: Our second album probably was the worst. We started out with a No.#1 single, followed by a No.#1 album. When that was over, we were used to permanent success. Everything after had to be worse. The press was only waiting for us to fail at being No.#1 immediately again. And to start writing that now, everything's over.
SZ: Most of your early fans are now grown up and listen to different music. Isn't that a problem?
Bill: There's nothing we can do about that. But we don't sit around in the studio thinking that there's noone left to please. Is this supposed to be enjoyed by 15 year old girls or a 46 year old woman?
Tom: I watched an AC/DC Show on TV yesterday. Look at the crowd there, it's totally mixed up. There are the ones that already were fans when Bon Scott was still singing and right next to them is someone who just discovered them by listening to the "Iron Man" soundtrack. That's how i would like it to be.
SZ: But you're not AC/DC. They worked for several decades to get to the top, you got there over night.
Tom: Of course, but that happened to other bands that managed to stay successful too. Depeche Mode were called a boyband in the beginning, totally uncool for boys to listen to. Today almost nobody even remembers that.
During their prime between 2005 and 2010 Tokio Hotel were as loved and adored by their fans as they were ridiculed and hated by the rest of the country. Bill Kaulitz got the No.#1 Spot in Pro7's "100 most annoying Germans" show and FHM repeatedly listed him in their "Unsexiest Women" ranking. At the same time the singer had photo sessions with Karl Lagerfeld and the band got stalked by obsessive fans. Nobody could escape the band and every German had a knee-jerk reaction when their name was mentioned that could be anything, but never indifferent. In hindsight, this might have been their most lasting success: Pop to polarise the public.
SZ: How do you feel about Tokio Hotel being more recognised as a demarcation line of tastes than as a serious band?
Bill: You know, you really can't control things like that. They did a survey about our last album. Some guys from TV ran around the city with earphones and played our songs to pedestrians. Some said "That's pretty cool" at first, but when told they had listened to Tokio Hotel changed their opinion immediately and said they didn't like it at all.
SZ: You have always been polarising since your first success, since your youth. Do you sometimes wish you had already been grown up before experiencing all of this?
Bill: On the one hand I think, if I could rewind my life, I would do it differently and maybe wait a few more years. On the other hand, no matter how shitty my day was, no matter that there's another guy with a camera, no matter there's some private stuff in the newspaper again: I'm thankful, that I'm able to do everything I do. It would have been terrifying to do something else. I was born for this.
I believe him. Both of them appear to be more open and carefree than you would expect considering their love/hate relationship with the public. They also appear less childish than their slang would suggest. Tom, with his dreadlocks still looks like a boy. With Bill of course, it's different: Rings, three-day beard on a porcelain face, a tower of white hair above his undercut and on his left hand a skeletal style tattoo. Come next year, he'll be the eccentric but style conscious or even style-forming superstar from the future; or he'll be the tattooed, pierced and unhealty freak from yesterday. How he will be seen will only be decided by the success of their fourth album, which is scheduled for release in 2013. But be assured, these are the only options, there will be no inbetween.
SZ: Assuming your comeback fails, what's Plan B?
Tom: In any case I can't imagine being told by anyone what to do and who for. Retiring for a few years, writing songs for other artists, working in the background; I could imagine that, but almost nothing else.
Bill: You're right, I too wouldn't survive just working anywhere. I always had a problem with superiors and authority, I always hated that.
SZ: Are you still in contact with people from your past?
Bill: We still know some old friends, one of them even is our best friend.
Tom: We have talked about maybe showing up at a school reunion. I would probably go.
Bill: I don't know. Those guys never really had big dreams. They were more about taking on their parents companies or becoming a vet or a farmer.
SZ: If you can't even imagine leading a "normal" life, why did you finish your "Realschulabschluss" 3 years ago?
Tom: Sometimes I askmyself the very same thing.
Bill: We did it for our mother's sake. We were in the 10th grade of "Gymnasium" when we quit school for the band, so we really had already learned everything we needed for the "Realschulabschluss". We just did it to be done with it. You really can't do anything with it anyway. You would need "Abitur" for that.
SZ: For what exactly?
Bill: Sometimes I play with the idea to take classes in fashion design. Just for fun.
SZ: Being a celebrity on campus. Are you scared about the fact that normal college life would be impossible for you?
Bill: It's true, I really don't have the freedom to just go out and stroll around in the park. But artisticly speaking, I can do what I want. That's the most important fact for me, the which I'm most thankful for. Even at 15 we had already started to fight for that and vigouresly. Today, I'm my own boss. Even the record label can't tell us that much. But of course there are things in life that drag you down and everyone of us is possibly broken somehow. Me, I'm a little paranoid sometimes.
SZ: Paranoid?
Tom: When we started out, we had no idea that everything we say can be used against us by the rainbow press in such a brutal way. We were really shocked after reading the first headlines when we were 15.
More than anybody else, German newspaper "BILD-Zeitung" accompanied the band's career intensively. Even during the last 2 more quiet years, the Kaulitz Brothers made the headline with some regularity, for example considering their "heavy party style": "Hard Drugs: unknown! Alcohol: Always!"; considering their financial independence: "Tokio Hotel supposed to be Jurors for "The Voice of Germany" for a salary of 1.2 million € - Turned down the offer"; considering the twins' father, who whined about "Fame and Money" that the tore the family apart. They don't like talking about him.
SZ: Did you get used to those headlines?
Bill: We're quite comfortable now. They have covered everything already, drugs, anorexia, depression. By now I'm quite certain that most people will know by themselves, that it's mostly bullshit.
Tom: I'm just sorry for my grandma. She sometimes still asks me whether one thing is true or not.
SZ: Your new job as juror won't reduce the press coverage though.
Bill: At some point you have to accept that. We don't even comment most headlines anymore, because we don't want deal with them. It wouldn't change anything anyway.
SZ: But you couldn't do without the headlines, could you?
Tom: That's the outside view, isn't it: Now they need promo for their new album. But we don't sell one more record just because somebody wrote that Bill was anorexic. Some french magazine even wrote that you had killed yourself.
Bill: You're right, I remember that.
Tom: For two days straight people from France called, because they thought you had jumped out of a window.
They just wouldn't talk to the rainbow press anymore, Bill told me during our talk. But still, while the DSDS shooting continues, several interviews, stories and photo sessions will be published by BILD, Bunte and others. When I asked their management for a statement later, they replied: "Because the rainbow press will cover DSDS and Bill & Tom's involvement with or without our cooperation, we supply some chosen magazines with statements from time to time. This way the brothers are trying to strike a balance and to add some solid grounding to the stories about them." Plainly spoken: If we have to deal with bullshit, we at least want to control it. The things you do for grandma.
SZ: You were candidates for a casting show once.
Bill: Just me, ten years ago. The difference between us and other candidates of casting shows is that we started making music when we were seven years old. It was all hard work. Now, I see a lot of people who just want to be on TV, regardless of their talent.
Tom: Especially in the U.S. almost every difference between being famous because of what you can do and being famous for being stupid is gone.
SZ: Do you think it's different here?
Tom: Fortunately we have always been able to make a living by making music. As long as we can do that, I can live with the rainbow press bullshit.
IT'S BEEN HARD WORK
Whether you want them to or not: Tokio Hotel are back - and they're here to stay. Identical twins Tom and Bill Kaulitz talk about their "Realschulabschluss", casting shows, drugs and AC/DC.
It's been quiet around Tokio Hotel for a long time. It's been more than seven years since their single "Monsoon" filled pre- and hard pubescing teenage girls with unprecedented ecstasy while forcing columnists to make marvelling analysis. Bill Kaulitz, androgynous and crazy-haired and his ten minute older identical twin Tom became the posterboys of German children's rooms at age 15 and sold millions of records. In recent years though, it's been quiet around the Kaulitz twins, who moved to Los Angeles. Now, at age 23, the twins return as jurors in RTL's "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (DSDS) show. Shooting happens in Bad Driburg, located in the westphalian wastelands, inside an upper class hotel with a multi-storey car park. In front of the conference room's windows, a few got long in the tooth fans stand around, at least 17 or 18 years old. Insider, the old teen star dilemma joins us at the table: The boys are too old to be cuddled, too young to command respect. You neither want to pull their leg nor put them on your lap.
SZ: It's been a long time since we last heard from Tokio Hotel
Bill: I think the break felt even longer for the German public than it really was. After our last album we went on a big tour of South America and Japan, after that we just wanted to live a little.
SZ: What does "just living a little" entail for somebody who's been living in a state of emergency since the age of 15?
Bill: We spent a lot of time with our family. And with our four dogs.
Tom: It was a big change for us. Being on tour with the band, we've got a huge team and I can call on them for everything I need at any given moment. Now I have to take care of things myself and that includes stuff I've never had to deal with by myself before. I've had some overwhelming situations, but I wouldn't have wanted it any other way.
SZ: For example?
Tom: I don't know, for example I went to apply for my california driver's licence in Los Angeles. I thought to myself: Huh, you've got to wait in some shitty line for such a long time? You just stand around for a whole day to give them your photo?
SZ: Los Angeles is now your permanent residence?
Bill: We spend a lot of time in the U.S., because we've been working a lot on our new record the past 2 years and also can get some privacy. But we also got a residence in Germany and some of our recording sessions also take place here. The two other boys still live in Germany.
Besides Bill and Tom Tokio Hotel consists of two other - publicly neglected - members who fit with them like leafs around flowers and whose names and instruments (bass player Georg and drummer Gustav) are mostly put in brackets when Tokio Hotel is covered in the press. While the twins were in the U.S. those two had to put down the rumours about the band's demise.
SZ: After the long break, do you feel the pressure even more than before?
Bill: Our second album probably was the worst. We started out with a No.#1 single, followed by a No.#1 album. When that was over, we were used to permanent success. Everything after had to be worse. The press was only waiting for us to fail at being No.#1 immediately again. And to start writing that now, everything's over.
SZ: Most of your early fans are now grown up and listen to different music. Isn't that a problem?
Bill: There's nothing we can do about that. But we don't sit around in the studio thinking that there's noone left to please. Is this supposed to be enjoyed by 15 year old girls or a 46 year old woman?
Tom: I watched an AC/DC Show on TV yesterday. Look at the crowd there, it's totally mixed up. There are the ones that already were fans when Bon Scott was still singing and right next to them is someone who just discovered them by listening to the "Iron Man" soundtrack. That's how i would like it to be.
SZ: But you're not AC/DC. They worked for several decades to get to the top, you got there over night.
Tom: Of course, but that happened to other bands that managed to stay successful too. Depeche Mode were called a boyband in the beginning, totally uncool for boys to listen to. Today almost nobody even remembers that.
During their prime between 2005 and 2010 Tokio Hotel were as loved and adored by their fans as they were ridiculed and hated by the rest of the country. Bill Kaulitz got the No.#1 Spot in Pro7's "100 most annoying Germans" show and FHM repeatedly listed him in their "Unsexiest Women" ranking. At the same time the singer had photo sessions with Karl Lagerfeld and the band got stalked by obsessive fans. Nobody could escape the band and every German had a knee-jerk reaction when their name was mentioned that could be anything, but never indifferent. In hindsight, this might have been their most lasting success: Pop to polarise the public.
SZ: How do you feel about Tokio Hotel being more recognised as a demarcation line of tastes than as a serious band?
Bill: You know, you really can't control things like that. They did a survey about our last album. Some guys from TV ran around the city with earphones and played our songs to pedestrians. Some said "That's pretty cool" at first, but when told they had listened to Tokio Hotel changed their opinion immediately and said they didn't like it at all.
SZ: You have always been polarising since your first success, since your youth. Do you sometimes wish you had already been grown up before experiencing all of this?
Bill: On the one hand I think, if I could rewind my life, I would do it differently and maybe wait a few more years. On the other hand, no matter how shitty my day was, no matter that there's another guy with a camera, no matter there's some private stuff in the newspaper again: I'm thankful, that I'm able to do everything I do. It would have been terrifying to do something else. I was born for this.
I believe him. Both of them appear to be more open and carefree than you would expect considering their love/hate relationship with the public. They also appear less childish than their slang would suggest. Tom, with his dreadlocks still looks like a boy. With Bill of course, it's different: Rings, three-day beard on a porcelain face, a tower of white hair above his undercut and on his left hand a skeletal style tattoo. Come next year, he'll be the eccentric but style conscious or even style-forming superstar from the future; or he'll be the tattooed, pierced and unhealty freak from yesterday. How he will be seen will only be decided by the success of their fourth album, which is scheduled for release in 2013. But be assured, these are the only options, there will be no inbetween.
SZ: Assuming your comeback fails, what's Plan B?
Tom: In any case I can't imagine being told by anyone what to do and who for. Retiring for a few years, writing songs for other artists, working in the background; I could imagine that, but almost nothing else.
Bill: You're right, I too wouldn't survive just working anywhere. I always had a problem with superiors and authority, I always hated that.
SZ: Are you still in contact with people from your past?
Bill: We still know some old friends, one of them even is our best friend.
Tom: We have talked about maybe showing up at a school reunion. I would probably go.
Bill: I don't know. Those guys never really had big dreams. They were more about taking on their parents companies or becoming a vet or a farmer.
SZ: If you can't even imagine leading a "normal" life, why did you finish your "Realschulabschluss" 3 years ago?
Tom: Sometimes I askmyself the very same thing.
Bill: We did it for our mother's sake. We were in the 10th grade of "Gymnasium" when we quit school for the band, so we really had already learned everything we needed for the "Realschulabschluss". We just did it to be done with it. You really can't do anything with it anyway. You would need "Abitur" for that.
SZ: For what exactly?
Bill: Sometimes I play with the idea to take classes in fashion design. Just for fun.
SZ: Being a celebrity on campus. Are you scared about the fact that normal college life would be impossible for you?
Bill: It's true, I really don't have the freedom to just go out and stroll around in the park. But artisticly speaking, I can do what I want. That's the most important fact for me, the which I'm most thankful for. Even at 15 we had already started to fight for that and vigouresly. Today, I'm my own boss. Even the record label can't tell us that much. But of course there are things in life that drag you down and everyone of us is possibly broken somehow. Me, I'm a little paranoid sometimes.
SZ: Paranoid?
Tom: When we started out, we had no idea that everything we say can be used against us by the rainbow press in such a brutal way. We were really shocked after reading the first headlines when we were 15.
More than anybody else, German newspaper "BILD-Zeitung" accompanied the band's career intensively. Even during the last 2 more quiet years, the Kaulitz Brothers made the headline with some regularity, for example considering their "heavy party style": "Hard Drugs: unknown! Alcohol: Always!"; considering their financial independence: "Tokio Hotel supposed to be Jurors for "The Voice of Germany" for a salary of 1.2 million € - Turned down the offer"; considering the twins' father, who whined about "Fame and Money" that the tore the family apart. They don't like talking about him.
SZ: Did you get used to those headlines?
Bill: We're quite comfortable now. They have covered everything already, drugs, anorexia, depression. By now I'm quite certain that most people will know by themselves, that it's mostly bullshit.
Tom: I'm just sorry for my grandma. She sometimes still asks me whether one thing is true or not.
SZ: Your new job as juror won't reduce the press coverage though.
Bill: At some point you have to accept that. We don't even comment most headlines anymore, because we don't want deal with them. It wouldn't change anything anyway.
SZ: But you couldn't do without the headlines, could you?
Tom: That's the outside view, isn't it: Now they need promo for their new album. But we don't sell one more record just because somebody wrote that Bill was anorexic. Some french magazine even wrote that you had killed yourself.
Bill: You're right, I remember that.
Tom: For two days straight people from France called, because they thought you had jumped out of a window.
They just wouldn't talk to the rainbow press anymore, Bill told me during our talk. But still, while the DSDS shooting continues, several interviews, stories and photo sessions will be published by BILD, Bunte and others. When I asked their management for a statement later, they replied: "Because the rainbow press will cover DSDS and Bill & Tom's involvement with or without our cooperation, we supply some chosen magazines with statements from time to time. This way the brothers are trying to strike a balance and to add some solid grounding to the stories about them." Plainly spoken: If we have to deal with bullshit, we at least want to control it. The things you do for grandma.
SZ: You were candidates for a casting show once.
Bill: Just me, ten years ago. The difference between us and other candidates of casting shows is that we started making music when we were seven years old. It was all hard work. Now, I see a lot of people who just want to be on TV, regardless of their talent.
Tom: Especially in the U.S. almost every difference between being famous because of what you can do and being famous for being stupid is gone.
SZ: Do you think it's different here?
Tom: Fortunately we have always been able to make a living by making music. As long as we can do that, I can live with the rainbow press bullshit.
12.26.2012
12.25.2012
TVdirekt.de - "Unsere Story ist eine Cinderella-Story"
Bill und Tom Kaulitz sind dieses Jahr neu in der Jury der Castingshow "Deutschland sucht den Superstar", die am 5. Januar um 20.15 Uhr bei RTL startet. Bekannt und berühmt wurden die Zwillinge mit ihrer Band "Tokio Hotel", mit der sie unzählige Platten verkauft haben und durch alle Herren Länder getourt sind. Trifft man die "Superstars" Bill und Tom, so ist man sofort angenehm überrascht: die beiden sind höflich, zuvorkommend, größer als man denken würde und unterscheiden sich doch klar von einander. Doch bei einem sind sie sich einig – die Show ist ein Riesenspaß für sie – und soll es auch für die Zuschauer und ihre Fans werden…
TVdirekt: Wieso habt Ihr Euch dazu entschieden in die DSDS-Jury zu gehen?
Bill Kaulitz: Wir haben uns für diese Show entschieden, weil sie die erfolgreichste Castingshow ist. Der Gewinner kriegt darüber hinaus den perfekten Einstieg ins Musikbusiness. Er hat einen Nummer-Eins-Hit und ein Erfolgsalbum quasi garantiert und bekommt eine halbe Million Euro. Das ist unfassbar viel Geld, damit kann man danach auch noch sehr viel als Musiker machen.
Tom Kaulitz: Es hat uns auch zeitlich gut gepasst, hätten wir es jetzt nicht gemacht, hätten wir es nie machen können.
Bill Kaulitz: DSDS ist die Show, an die wir am meisten glauben. Ein klassisches Casting mit einer großen Plattform für den Gewinner.
TVdirekt: Hättet Ihr Euch so einen Einstieg auch für Tokio Hotel gewünscht?
Tom Kaulitz: Wir hatten wahnsinnig viel Glück!
Bill Kaulitz: Ja, unsere Story ist eine Cinderella-Story, die es im Musikgeschäft kaum mehr gibt. Wir wurden klassisch im Live-Club in unserer Heimatstadt entdeckt.Wenn ich zurückblicke, erscheint es mir unglaublich, wie es geklappt hat, dass uns jemand in unserem Stadtclub entdeckte.
Tom Kaulitz: Wir waren absolute Newcomer, bekamen unseren ersten Plattenvertrag mit echt kleinem Budget für Video und Marketing. Dass das so durch die Decke fliegt ohne eine Plattform wie DSDS, ist unglaubliches Glück.
Bill Kaulitz: Gerade heutzutage geben Plattenfirmen nichts mehr aus. Es gibt kaum Talentscouts mehr wie vor zehn Jahren, die Bands suchen und in sie investieren. Als junger Musiker, gerade wenn du aus der Provinz kommst, hast du keine Möglichkeit mehr, dein Talent zu zeigen. Wie willst du es vom Dorf, aus einer kleinen Stadt mit deinem Talent irgendwo hin schaffen? Auch wir wussten damals nicht, wie wir es anstellen sollten, ob und wie wir ein Demo an eine Plattenfirma schicken sollten. Die Show bietet den sehr guten Einstieg ins Geschäft und wenn man erst Mal drin ist, liegt es an jedem selbst, was man daraus macht.
Tom Kaulitz: Ich glaube, dass genau das den Leuten immer bewusster wird! Dadurch bekommen Castings nach und nach einen anderen Ruf, als sie früher mal hatten. Früher sagten die Leute, Casting, muss das sein? Inzwischen wird Casting immer akzeptierter und respektierter. Das Musikbusiness hat sich so extrem verändert, dass es mit die einzige Möglichkeit ist, einen geilen Erfolg hinzukriegen. Wir waren in Deutschland eine der wenigen letzten Bands, die das auf dem natürlichen Weg schaffen konnten. Heute ist das anders...In Amerika sitzen schon länger große Künstler in den Castingshows als Juroren, um den nötigen Input zu geben.
Bill Kaulitz: Mariah Carrey und Nicki Minaj machen den American Idol. Darüber hinaus sitzen Rocklegende Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears in den Casting-Jurys und sehen sich Leute an, weil das ein guter Weg ist, neue Talente zu finden.
Tom Kaulitz: Wir wollen den Leuten hinter den Kulissen Tipps für eine Karriere geben, ihnen helfen und sie bei ihrem Start ins Musikgeschäft begleiten.
TVdirekt: Wie lief es bei den Castings, habt Ihr echte Talente entdeckt?
Bill Kaulitz: Wir sind guter Hoffnung. Zuerst haben wir neun Tage in Berlin gecastet und hunderte Leute gesehen. Das war anstrengend, muss ich zugeben, hat aber auch Spaß gemacht. Im Recall hatten wir die Auslese aus 71 Talente da. Wie wir später erfahren haben, sind es normalerweise 120. Wir waren also sehr streng.
Tom Kaulitz: Aber nett streng!
Bill Kaulitz: Wir haben tolle Kandidaten weitergelassen und im Recall 36 ausgesucht, die mit uns weitergehen. Wir sind happy, haben gute Sänger und Persönlichkeiten dabei.
Tom Kaulitz: Beim Recall waren einige, von denen man sich viel aus dem Casting erhofft hat, die aber plötzlich völlig verkackt haben. Bei dieser ersten richtigen Probe sieht man eben, wer dem Druck gewachsen ist und wer nicht. Wir hatten eine Superlocation, die Coaches waren schon am Werk und die Kandidaten hatten nur 24 Stunden Zeit, den Song einzuüben. Ein paar Leute haben enttäuscht und ein paar überrascht.
TVdirekt: Wir reagieren die Kandidaten auf Euch?
Bill Kaulitz: Wir kriegen ja nicht mit, was hinter der Kamera passiert, aber es gibt sicher den ein oder anderen, der den Raum verlässt und total loslegt und sich darüber aufregt, was wir gesagt haben. Wir hatten da ein, zwei Kandidaten…
Tom Kaulitz: Es gab eine, der wir mitteilen mussten, dass es nicht gereicht hat. Und da kriegte man Blicke, bei denen man das Gefühl hat, sich erst mal spirituell reinigen zu müssen.
Bill Kaulitz: Einer war da, der echt losgelegt hat. Das war ein Moment in dem ich nur dachte "wow"! Das hätte ich so nicht erwartet. Der wurde echt ungerecht, hat angefangen zu diskutieren und eine Riesenszene gemacht. Er meinte, er fände es scheiße von uns, dass wir ihn vorführen und lächerlich machen würden. Ich habe ihn gestoppt und ihm erklärt, dass das nicht in unserem Interesse liegt. Jeder bekommt seine faire Chance und wir wollen tolle Sänger haben. Manche können dem Casting nicht Stand halten und fliegen dann raus. Aber das weiß man doch vorher!
Tom Kaulitz: Mal gucken, was die dann Backstage in die Kamera gesagt haben. Das sehen auch wir erst in der Sendung.
TVdirekt: Wie schwer ist es, ein Superstar zu sein?
Bill Kaulitz: Viele Leute sind sich nicht bewusst, was es heißt, dieses Leben zu führen. Es geht bei unserer Auswahl also nicht nur um gute Stimmen und tolle Sänger. Es geht auch darum, wer das ganze Drumherum handeln kann. Dafür ist die Show ein guter Einstieg, denn die Kandidaten bekommen sofort einen Crashkurs. Sie sind im TV am Start und ständig von Kameras umgeben. Sie müssen von Anfang an Interviews geben, in den Liveshows lastet enormer Mediendruck auf ihnen. Wenn du das schaffst, schaffst du auch alles, was danach kommt. Bei den Castings ist es wichtig zu gucken, wer das Zeug dazu hat, so einem Leben Stand zu halten. Wir mussten Kandidaten sagen, dass sie zu jung und zerbrechlich sind, um im Business zu überleben. Dass sie nie so ein Leben führen, es stemmen können, dass es das falsche für sie wäre.
TVdirekt: Ist das Eure Stärke in der Jury? Die Leute diesbezüglich einschätzen zu können?
Tom Kaulitz: Ich würde es jetzt nicht als einzige Stärke bezeichnen…(lacht) Aber unsere Erfahrung ist natürlich von Vorteil. Wir mussten gerade zu Anfang unserer Karriere mit einem großen medialen Druck umgehen, sodass wir gut nachvollziehen können, welche Phase die Leute gerade durchmachen.
TVdirekt: Inzwischen lebt ihr vor allem in Los Angeles. Trifft man da auf der Straße Stars und geht auf einen Kaffee?
Tom Kaulitz: Klar haben wir in L. A. mit anderen Künstlern zu tun. Aber es ist nicht die Regel, dass man Stars auf der Straße trifft, eher ein Mythos glaube ich. Aber da fragst du echt die Falschen...(lacht)
_______________________________________________________________________
Translation by Icey @ LoveTH-Music.com
"Our story is a Cinderella story"
Bill and Tom Kaulitz are the new members of this years Jury at the casting show "Deutschland such den Superstar", which will start airing on RTL on January 5th at 8.15 p.m. The twins got famous and known with their band "Tokio Hotel", with which they've sold countless records and toured all over the world with. When meeting the "Superstars" Bill and Tom you'll be pleasently surprised: both are polite, courteous, taller than you'd think but they still clearly differ from one another. But they agree on one point - the show is a lot of fun, and they want it to be fun for the viewers and their fans as well...
TVdirekt: Why did you decide to join the DSDS-Jury?
Bill Kaulitz: We decided to join this show, because it's the most successful casting show. In addition to that the winner is going to have the perfect start into the music business. A #1-single and a successful first album are almost guaranteed, plus the winner will also get 500,000 €. That's a lot of money, which you can still work with as a musician after DSDS.
Tom Kaulitz: It was also very well timed - if we didn't do it now, we would have never done it.
Bill Kaulitz: DSDS is the show we believe in most. A casting show with a great foundation for the winner.
TVdirekt: Would you have wanted such an entry into the music business for Tokio Hotel?
Tom Kaulitz: We had an incredible amount of luck!
Bill Kaulitz: Yes, our story is a Cinderella story which barely happens in the music business nowadays. We were discovered in a live-club in our hometown. When I look back it seems impossible to me, how it all worked out, that someone actually discovered us in our hometown.
Tom Kaulitz: We were newcomers, got our first record deal with a really small budget for a music video and marketing. We were just incredibly lucky that it worked out so well without such a platform like DSDS.
Bill Kaulitz: Nowadays, the record labels don't want to spend money on anything. There aren't a lot of talent scouts left who look for bands and invest in them, as there were ten years ago. As a young musician, especially when you're from the countryside, you have no opportunity to show that you've got talent. How do you want to make it to a big city from a little village with only your talent? Back then we also didn't know how we should do it and if we should send a Demo to a record label. The show gives the winner a good start into the business and when they're in, it's their responsibilty to make something out of themselves.
Tom Kaulitz: I think this is exactly what the people are becoming more aware of! Through that, casting shows little by little get a whole other kind of reputation, than they had in the past. Back then the people said, casting - is this really neccessary? Meanwhile casting shows are more accepted and respected. The music business changed so drastically, that this is the only way to have some kind of success. We were one of the last bands in Germany, that were able to do it "the natural way". Today it's different...in the US some of the greatest artists have been sitting in the Jury of the casting shows for a long time, to give aspiring artists some type of input.
Bill Kaulitz: Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj are on American Idol. Furthermore rock legend Steven Tyler, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears also make up Jurys and look at people, because it's a great way to find new talent.
Tom Kaulitz: We want to give the people tips for a career behind the scenes and help and support them with their start into the music business.
TVdirekt: How did the castings go? Did you discover any new talents?
Bill Kaulitz: We have a lot of hope. We started casting in Berlin for nine days and saw hundreds of people. That was really strenuous, I have to admit - but it was also fun. 71 of those talents made it to the recall. Later we learned that normally about 120 people make it to the recall, so we were really strict.
Tom Kaulitz: But we were a nice kind of strict!
Bill Kaulitz: We sent some great candidates into the next round and chose 36 people in the Recall who will go on the rest of the journey with us. We're happy and have some good singers and personalities in there.
Tom Kaulitz: At the recall there were some people, where you expected a lot from them based on the impression they left at their casting, but then they suddenly completely screwed up. This is really the first test, where you can find out who will be able to handle the pressure and who just isn't cut out for it. We had a great location, the coaches where already doing their work and the candidates had 24 hours to rehearse and learn the song. Some people disappointed and some people surprised us.
TVdirekt: How do the candidates react to you?
Bill Kaulitz: We don't know what happens behind the camera, but there are certainly people who leave the room and vent about what we told them. We had one or two candidates of this sort.
Tom Kaulitz: There was one girl, we had to tell her that it just wasn't enough and she looked at us in such a way that you got the feeling that you have to spiritually cleanse yourself.
Bill Kaulitz: There was one guy that stepped into the room, and just really blew me away. There was a moment where I just thought "wow"! I really didn't expect that. After he sang he started getting really unfair and made a huge scene. He said that he thinks it's a shitty move from our us that we're parading him around and making a fool out of him. I stopped him in his tirade and explained that this was not in our interest. Everyone gets their fair chance and we want to have great singers. Some just aren't good enough during the casting, but they know this beforehand!
Tom Kaulitz: We'll see what they said backstage when the show airs.
TVdirekt: How hard is being a "Superstar" (winer of the show)?
Bill Kaulitz: A lot of people aren't aware of what it means to lead this kind of life. During our decision making process it's not just about good voices and awesome singers. It's also about who can handle everything that comes with it. For this, the show is a good start, because the candidates get a kind of "crash course". They're on TV and around cameras 24/7. They have to give interviews from the start and with the live shows also comes a lot of pressure from the media. If you make it, you'll also be able to handle everything that comes afterwards. During the casting it's important to watch who will be able to handle such a life. We had to tell some candidates that they're too young and fragile to survive in this business - that they're never gonna lead such a life, that it would be the wrong thing for them.
TVdirekt: Is this your strength in the jury? To estimate the people regarding that?
Tom Kaulitz: I wouldn't say that it's our only strength...(laughs) But the experience we have is, of course, a huge advantage. We had to handle a lot of pressure from the media at the beginning of our career, so we can comprehend what kind of phases those people are going through.
TVdirekt: You are now mainly living in Los Angeles. Do you just meet celebrities on the street and go and grab a coffee with them?
Tom Kaulitz: Of course we meet other artists in L.A., but its not the rule that you meet celebrities on the street - I think that's more of a myth. But I think you're asking that the wrong people...(laughs)
12.24.2012
BTK [Bill & Tom: Merry Christmas]
Bill&Tom: Merry Christmas
Have a wonderful Christmas everyone! We love you guys!
12.23.2012
Frohe Weihnachten!!! - THNOISE
I hope you guys have a beautiful time with your loved ones and a beautiful Christmas!
Frohe Weihnachten! メリー・クリスマス! Merry Christmas!
Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Noël!
Wesolych Swiat!Craciun Fericit! Maligayang Pasko!
Buon Natale! Boldog Karácsonyt!
Καλά Χριστούγεννα!
-TNOISE
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