Verboten Interview

* Taken from "Skinhead magzine" (Spanish edition) #46

A common question to start, when and why did you form the band? Did you start from zero, without musical experience?

The idea to form a band is going back to 2005. We always wanted to do some music. The kind of music we would like to hear for ourselves and is done from skins for skins. And then in the end of 2010, finally after talking for far too long about it, we started with the band. The guitar player and me have been the main forces behind the idea to form a band, then we found a talented drummer, who was playing and still is playing in other bands like white rebel boys as well. Also our bass guitar player is playing in other bands. The 2^nd guitar player was touring through the countryside as a ballad guru. So, the 2 guys who started the idea to form this band are the only newbie’s in music. 

We live in a world where all is clasified, how must we define your musical style? Any concrete influence?

We play melodic modern RAC, with a lot of classic Oi influence and also a bit from old school hardcore bands. Ok, it’s easy to say that about yourself, but I hope it does fit to our band. We absolutely don’t have any influence from any kind of metal. I’m really pissed of by all those new German RAC bands with their wannabe innovative metal influence, every 2^nd new band is imitating Stahlgewitter. We see ourselves more in the tradition of bands like Triebtäter, Mistreat, Faustrecht and Nordic Thunder. Aggressive music to sing-along and move your feet.

What can you tell us about the line up? You can add all details you want.

We are 5 guys, who are all from different towns in the Chemnitz area in Saxony. There is Rommel at the 2^nd guitar, he is a hairy nightmare for every weight watcher programme. Mighty “Grumpy” J is the guitar player, he is a living tattoo model as he is full with ink from head to toe. Prince Reberick is playing the drums, he is our best musician and a sensitive cook with a heart for asparagus(makes his pee smell like hell J). Tiny MC is our bass guitar hero, he is thirsty, big and a real lady-killer, as he is working in a factory for tampons. And then there is me, Mister NNNN, I’m the singer of the band, and I like sports, comedy’s and crisps with cheese flavourJ. We are a 100% Skinhead band, angry, loud and proud.

I know you use internet everyday, what's your personal opinion about pages as facebook, myspace....? Have you thought to create a web for band?

It’s very useful if you are a single man and you need some “contact” hahaha. But you have to be very carefully, as the political enemy and the police is watching every step you take there. A website would be a nice idea to push the band a bit forward, but we are all too lazy to do the work for it. Maybe later after some recordings…

Is ready the band to record a full length CD?

I hope that we could release a CD through this year. Actually we are just waiting for our drummer to come back to our area. He is working till July near the French border (for all those geographical dumbo´s, that’s the other side of GermanyJ), and we wont record anything till he is back. But the songs are done and are just waiting to get recorded. We are counting the minutes till we could enter the studio.

What's the topics you talk in your songs and where does inspiration for your lyrics come from? Are you working in songs in English language?

We have songs in German and English too. The most songs are about the problems of  the white men of today. And we also like to put a finger in open wounds. That’s the reason for our song “Churchill was a queer”, their still some guys in the movement who think he was right, strange or? Some songs are a bit more political then others like “Liebe dein Land(Love your country)” or “Light vs. darkness”, and some are just about things that could happen in the life of a Skinhead, like ”Alcohol caused violence”. So you could say that life and the problems you may get are the biggest inspirations for us.

Your band name means 'forbidden',  are there too much things 'verboten' in your country?

When we are talking about the national resistance in Germany, then nearly everything is Verboten. Don’t try to found a club with your friends, it will be forbidden after 2 weeks. You need a very good and expensive lawyer when you are in band, because your music mind be forbidden. Check the internet for news about memorial march’s every day, because it could be forbidden from one minute to another. Don’t say something positive about the time from 33-45 in public, because it’s forbidden to say that. Don’t whisper the Horst Wessel song, because even the rhythm of the song is forbidden. I could go on for hours…The weird thing about this situation is, that the common German men doesn’t care about the loss of freedom of speeches as long as they have their TV and could go to holiday every year.

So you could say we choose the name because nearly everything, our thoughts, our clothes, our music, is “Verboten”. And beside that, it’s an easy German name to remember hahaha

What's your opinion about the young Skinhead Beat label which have been very active?

I don’t know them, but I think it’s a non political label for non political bands. And I think we would declare ourselves as a political Skinhead band. Victory or Valhalla! I could accept skins who don’t share our views to 100%, but I don’t like those people who seem to accept every scum on this earth on their side just because of a crop. I haven’t become a Skin to be everybody’s darling. And if a black man I has written skinhead with dry poo-poo on his forehead doesn’t mean that he is a Skinhead J.

What's your personal opinion about the metamorphosis which skinhead movement is suffering in last years in different fronts like music or aesthetic (clothes, streetwear,...)?

At first I have to say that I’m a classic skinhead in boots and braces, and I love this way of dressing. I really don’t like this fashion companies like Thor Steinar (now owned by an Arab). Maybe they did things for our movement at the beginning of their company’s history, but then the profit was coming and the cause left. Sometimes you have to dress a bit more casual as our clothes are forbidden at the most demonstrations here in our land. But the most people who say that they can’t dress like a Skinhead anymore just don’t want to dress like a Skin anymore (Byrd’s prefer sneakers etc.). Ok, if I would fly down to your country I would also take some shorts with me as jeans and boots make you sweat like a pig when it’s 30°C outside, but that’s another story J.What I want to say, if you call yourself Skinhead, then you also have to dress like a Skinhead. Music is another story too, I like a lot of different styles, from hardcore to punk, RAC and Metalcore. But the new so called opening to “NS Hip hop” is like a punch in the face for every old school guy like me. There isn’t any space for stuff like that shit in our scene. So at all you could say, that there isn’t the real way to dress or the real Skinhead music, there are a couple of real ways (who are in borders). But of you lose the way out of your sight you have gone too far.

Advise me some new bands from German scene, with records or not.

That’s a really hard question, as there are new German bands out there twice a week, to make it a bit easier I will just talk about bands from my area. A new band from our area (and our drummer is their bass player) is “Overdressed”, a punk influenced RAC band. They have done a demo CD now. “Ohne Worte” is a young skin band from here and I think they are also going to the studio soon. Another new band from one of my friends is from Cottbus(not really my area, but he is a friend hahaha), “Hausmannkost”, classic RAC with a couple of songs on different compilations. “Sachsenblut” (and our Bass player is theirs as well) is a new RAC band from our area as well and they are on different compilations. As your magazine is called “Skinhead Magazine“ I just advised you bands with Skinhead members, and a lot of newer German RAC bands don’t have Skins in their bands line-up. So one of those new bands from here is “Sturmkrieger” with a demo CD out on PC Records.

Concerts, have you played anyone? What was the last concert you went as crowd?

We just played 4 gigs till April 2012, mostly small ones with a party character. All have been in our part of Germany and we played with bands like Last Riot, Old Glory, Punkfront, The Granits, Sturmkrieger, Ostfront and more. One gig was stopped by the police before the gig started. The last gig I have visited as a guest was the Brutal Attack, Mistreat and 4 Aces gig in London in the end of January. I’ve a little baby at home so it’s hard to go out for me these days.

Talking about the last..., tell me the last....

-book you read- The last book I’ve finished with reading was “Mit Westland im Osten”, a book about SS Soldier Fritz Hahl. Right now I’m reading the biography about the Apple Founder Steve Jobs(till now I could say that he was a bloody asshole). It was a gift from my mother, so I’ve to read it hahaha.

 -time you went to police station – Last year, but they have been visiting me last week at home, nice guest…

 -time you visited a museum – Last year as well, I’ve visited the “New masters gallery” in Dresden. A well known art museum.

-time you regreted buying a CD- I don’t know as I’m buying just CD´s of bands from which in know the music. But I could tell you the first CD I regretted, “Die Allierten - Ruhm und Ehre”.

This is your first connection with Spanish skins, any words for them? Thanks a million to ask this short interview. Good luck.

At first we have to thank you for this interview. Good luck with your magazine, I know that a magazine is really hard work, so keep the faith! To all the Spanish skins, every time I’ve meet some of you, you made party like hell, and I like people who could have a laugh and a say. I hope to see you soon at a gig or at a gathering anywhere in Europe. Gracias, Danke, Adios and Auf Wiedersehen J