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Episode 28: Soul strip with a rock star – contracts, stalking & groupies (with Chris Harms of Lord of the Lost)

(00:00)

Annika: Thoughts at midnight!

(Spooky sounds)

Annika: Stop, stop, stop. It doesn't really get THAT scary. But do you know the feeling when you're lying awake at night and a thousand thoughts a running through your mind? That's what we are chatting about. In my podcast. I am Annika and you are listening to „thoughts at midnight“. An original podcast by Radio Unique. I’m happy that you've tuned in again to „thoughts at midnight“, the podcast that's about exciting people with exciting stories, and about the things that keep me awake at night. I'm looking forward to a very special episode today; you've probably already read it in the title: today we're talking about first times, contracts, groupies; let's see what comes out of it, erm, and I’m really looking forward, because I'm having a very special guest with me today; hello Chris, maybe you'd briefly introduce yourself; who you are actually, what you’re doing…

Chris: Yes, I’m happy to briefly introduce myself; well, as you already said, apparently I'm among the exciting people with exciting stories that/who keep you awake at night (the sentence doesn't clarify whether the stories keep her awake or Chris), ermmm… and I’m the singer of the band Lord of the Lost and the music producer and songwriter for quite a few different things, through the different genres and, err, apart from that… my hobbies are sewing and sports. (laughs)

Annika: (laughs) „My hobbies are…“ I actually thought about it for a long time, „which band could you ask?“ and then you were the first ones that came to my mind, because I've been following you for, I think, almost nine…nine years or something like that by now, have already been to, err, a few concerts, did a few interviews with you and thought to myself, like, „yes, Chris, he's actually a really cool dude, I'll just ask him“ and then you instantly said yes, which, erm, made me very happy anyway. And-

Chris: I believe, since you’re just saying nine years, ermmm, I'm just thinking about it, are it actually already ten, maybe, did- did we- we did- no, was it nine…?

Annika: I think since „Die Tomorrow“.

Chris: We didn’t meet at this- right, we met at this NCN festival…

Annika: Eeerrrr… I was…

Chris: …or something, I believe.

Annika: …actually not there. I was actually a kitchen maid at that day and wasn’t on the festival like that.

Chris: But there was- but there was- but there was a group…

Annika: Yes.

Chris: …group of people that day and you belonged to them in some way. And that was…

Annika: Yes.

Chris: 2012. Yes? 'Kay…

Annika: Yes.

Chris: …I would've said 2011, now.

Annika: I have no idea…

Chris: Okay.

Annika: …when that was, it could also- it was „Die Tomorrow“ time anyway, something, around that.

Chris: Yeah, then- then- then it has to be 2012. Then it's nine years, yes.

Annika: So… something like that, yes. Exactly.

Chris: All right.

Annika: Therefore, err, I have, err, already seen many concerts of you and, err, rather like you very much and thought…

Chris: „Rather“? (The German word „eigentlich“ means „rather“/“actually“, but it's often followed by „but…“ and am opposing statement, giving Chris the opportunity for this remark.)

Annika: Yes. (Laughs)

Chris: (Laughs) That's nice of you to say that.

(Laughter)

Annika: And, ermmm…wanted to […] just a few- I mean, I- I- I'm lying in bed sometimes and thinking „how is it to- to be a part of a band or to experience all of that from the other side? Than I'm experiencing it. I'm standing in front of a stage, doing an interview every now and then, but how is it from your point of view? And that's why I've prepared a couple of questions. Are you ready?

Chris: Yes, I’m very excited; above all…

Annika: Yes.

Chris: …I'm excited as to whether… sensible answers will come to my mind, because the thing is, if one has ones own point of view, it's oftentimes- and because that- many things seem so normal to oneself…

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: …it’s often really hard to imagine what‘ supposed to be strange or- or- ermm… or ha- or f- f- or hard to see for the others; I mean, that's always this self-image-public-image problem. So…

Annika: Yes.

Chris: And which- which can have something good and also something bad about it, that’s why I'm very excited if I'm even able to deliver answers to you that might let you sleep better at night (laughs), if you are just as, err, clueless afterwards.

Annika: Well- well, many things you just can't imagine. If you are the audience…

Chris: Yes.

Annika: …I'll just say. Or you- you ask yourself these things that are also completely random sometimes and you’re thinking like „huh? Okay…“ and I’d just ask you all of this for a bit today.

Chris: Yesss. Please.

Annika: So, if you don't like something somehow, just say „next“ or… I don't know. Erm…

Chris: Next.

(04:03)

Annika: (Laughs) And there I’d probably even start with the category „the first time“, namely: can you still remember, erm, for example the first concert that you had once? And what's the feeling like,…

Chris: Eeerm…

Annika: …when you’re going onstage for the first time?

Chris: Would you like to- is it about Lord of the Lost in particular or…

Annika: Yes

Chris: …in general-

Annika: Actually, yes.

Chris: Exactly. Hmm.

Annika: Because that’s the biggest- you- I mean your „heart’s project“, now apparently.

Chris: Yes… The first concert was…erm… I believe it was on the 20th of January…? Either way in January 2009 in Schwerin. And that was in a restaurant called Zeppelin, which had a small stay in the corner, where I had already performed with other bands that I had had before, where there was just a personal contact to the restaurant owner and, er, yeah, it just suggested itself to do it there…

Annika: Hm.

Chris: ...and when you’re starting, obviously you need something that's really small and not too far away…

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: ...from the hometown or maybe even in the hometown and that was rather about giving it a try at all, if that even works, ermm, and I actually remember it very well, there were like, I don't know, 50 to 70 people, which was a whole lot for a first concert…

Annika: I just wanted to say, for a first concert, exactly…

Chris: ...and then there were already people who actually completely sang along the lyrics of about two, three songs, which was really crazy, because we already had songs released on MySpace, back then, was it.

Annika: Whoa, MySpace. Awesome!

Chris: Exactly.

Annika: Yes. Yes.

Chris: Ermmm… I don't even know anymore if we were already on Facebook, I belie- yes, we were on Facebook right from the start with the band, but the songs were on MySpace, there was a player there. You could upload them there. That means a few songs were already there, in these demo versions, that- we didn't even have our first album out back then.

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: Yes, and then we played there. Erm, like ten centimetres, fifteen centimetres higher than the audience, on this small stage and, erm, for me it was very, very exciting and very, very weird, erm, like in the middle, to be in the center as the singer, because of course I still had another band, err, in parallel, err, UnterArt, electro project, where I also sang, but it was always like that, especially with electro, it’s kinda party music, there you have- is- the people are dancing and you are a bit decoupled as a singer; and in the other hand that I mainly had before, the, erm, Pleasures, was a glam rock band with two singers, there I was only one of two. And was always a bit from- from the second row, in a way. That's why it was very… very, very weird for me, in a way.

Annika: Yes.

Chris: And I still remember, in the afternoon we were- there is- this, err, restaurant was in the ground floor of a cinema, which was above that and we were at the cinema until one and a half hours before the concert; we just snuck into any of the halls there, that took some of the nervousness. And I still remember that my main problem was „what do I even do during the announcements?“ Because, ermmm…

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: ...it was clear for me that it's a band that has a more serious background somehow and you can’t, erm, joke around the whole time like in my glam rock band and I worried unbelievably much about what to say and to think up- ,er, so, thought up stage announcements, song announcements, which I also got away from completely one or two years later and totally didn't give a shit about it and nowadays I can just be how I am, so just now in this situation or also on stage or no matter where and I perceive it totally st- perceive it as totally strange when I see musician colleagues, regardless of whether I know them in person or not, when they put on such a show on stage or in interview situations, that seems…

Annika: Hmmm.

Chris: ...very, very strange to me personally and I'm feeling totally comfortable with, erm, having found a way just to be how I want to, for stage announcements, as well.

Anika: Yes.

Chris: That was still different back then. Completely different.

(08:00)

Annika: Erm… You just mentioned interviews, at some time there comes the- the point where you get the first interview request.

Chris: Yes. Mmm, I had- well, for interviews I also tried to prepare back then; I somehow tried erm…er, so partly actually also asked for the questions, so I could possibly give thought to it and the like, and now that's also- I also just told you at the beginning, before, erm…

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: …so, in the preliminary talk, erm, that I meant, I- you don’t have to prepare me somehow or tell me somehow what is about or the like. Because that's actually really simple: if you never- if you never lie, you never have to think about what to say; you just have to think about, erm, how much do I want to reveal, what kinds of things might get to far somehow or the like…

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: ...erm, dunno, like, whether that’s some…

(Rustling and clattering in the background)

Chris: We’re hearing the cat in the background that's disassembling the flat…

Annika: (chuckles)

Chris: Erm… this, for example, yes? So, personal information, erm, what do you give out, where, how much, because naturally you always make yourself vulnerable with this, too; there is a bunch of, erm, crazy, erm, stalkers; primarily, er, girls…, women…, who always instantly see a- a connection to themselves in every piece of personal information that you give away and feel addressed by it, as if you would send hidden signals to them, in which there are love messages, so- so cryptic somehow… and I don’t know, that’s- that's the moment where I start to consider…

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: ...even in such a moment, where now the cat in the background, that we are fostering here at the moment, it is still young, is rummaging around here and I'm thinking- do I say that it's the cat, now? Or do I not say anything? Or…

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: Well, that is really the only moment where you try to protect it like that, even if you aren't as big as Johnny Depp, but still in some way- erm, I mean, of course, Lord of the Lost is not an unknown band, but we are still underground in some way, like, we are not Rammstein, right? Yet you are reflecting there. Because for some people we just are…. Much more than Rammstein and Johnny Depp together and that is- that- that is actually- actually difficult sometimes.

Annika: Would you say that in the beginning you might have approached this a bit more naively and it developed over time, where you thought to yourself „okay, that- apparently I can't say something like that anymore“ or…?

Chris:  Yes, not only more naively, but also, ermm… yeah, yes, I think naively is the right word. Well… but that- but not only- not only naively in a sense of „oh, I didn't realise right now what I'm doing“, but- but also, erm, that you’ve partially consciously exposed things to the public, that you were especially proud of somehow…

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: ...erm, which afterwards…er, flew back like a slap in your face, like…for example some wedding photos from Las Vegas in 2007… eight, sorry, 2008, where you still somehow posted so proudly on MySpace back then, yes,…

Annika: Mmh.

Chris: ...and stuff, and then later f- f- in f- f- I can’t even tell you anymore why it was unpleasant, but there were unpleasant contexts with these…

Annika: Hmm...

Chris: …er, private photos, where you ponder about, like: „hm. Actually, I find it quite good currently, erm, how- how I am doing that currently, that for for many years I just haven't been talking about my relationship status and also the only reason why, ermmm… I’m holding my child into the camera now and again, by now with his, erm, with h- with his consent, he's old enough, he is ten, is simply that even, er, my son was like three or something, there were people with a camera, who were in the bushes, er…sitting in Hamburg behind the playground somehow and took photos, so, really crazy, like with the big stars, where you think, like „Huh? Wha- what the heck are you doing?“ („hä? Was- was soll  denn das?") And since I showed myself with the little one every now and then, something like that didn't happen anymore, because apparently enough food was there. And you‘re able to filter these things pretty well. But I was in fact approaching it more naively, yes. And I find it very good; well, I… respect for all colleagues who always [share] all these couple photos with „hey“ and also on tour always like: „hey, I miss you, darling“ and so on…

Annika: Mmm.

Chris: Oh,  for me that's so- that would be really, really abhorrent to me (ganz ganz krass doll zuwider gehen), if-

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: ...if I'd do something like that and read in the comments then something like- these sympathies in the comments then, from people who are partly total strangers, then like "heyyyy! Soon you'll have your sweetie back and stuff,…

Annika: Oh God!

Chris: ...because then suddenly…

Annika: You don’t want to hear that in that moment, yes.

Chris: Then you have the feeling as if- as if into an intimate embrace that you have with a person who- who is important to you, suddenly someone from the street would come and squeeze themselves between there and say, like, „heyyy! Kissy, kissy“, like, you know? I mean, that is so-

Annika: Yes.

Chris: That's just how I perceive it,…

Annika: Y- yes.

Chris: ...that’s hard for me. For others, it's totally important and totally proud, this public- they are proud then, this public commitment, and then they are proud of it, of those comments and the like, for me that's weird; for me somehow there's a… yeah,a semi-permeable membrane getting pierced through, and suddenly this private thing isn't private anymore then. And, erm, I know that many people always say „hey, Lord Of The Lost, thats the band, they always show eeeverythiiing and totally private and everything on tour“; yes, we show everything that we WANT to show. So, our TV of the Lost…

Annika: Hmhm. Yes.

Chris: ...or our Instagram stuff or the like, erm, dunno, when I'm taking photos in my house, I don't take them in every room and I pho- I always take the same places, as well, like, and I think, like, „they don't have to see everything. I don't take photos of myself in my bed!“ You, know, like with…

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: …with wide-angle and… you see the whole room and the like, erm, but you’re able to control is pretty well if you think a little about where you have the feeling „now, that’s too much for me“, which everyone else would actually do, as well. This.

(13:34)

Annika: I just wanted to say, because even for me it’s the same, and I am not public, I have a private profile, but even I think long and hard „now, what are you showing“, because- but we’ll get back to that again later, there are people who look closely at the background, „what kinds of windows are these? Okay, he lives somewhere, I don’t know, in Berlin, in the centre, ah, now I’m looking- I’m going through the streets and look what kinds of windows there-“ There are really crazy sick people,…

Chris: Yes, I know, we- we have, er, on- in- in the Russian Facebook, in the Russian network VK, there are these, erm… yeah, Hamburgian… how should I say, er, not c- country maps, city maps, how are they called… maps… Maps, doesn’t matter.

Annika: Yes. Yes. Yes yes.

Chris: You know, here, city maps… going around there with, like, who lives where, based on… so on windows and, so… yes, yes. I know exactly what you mean. And the people are partially shockingly close, where you think to yourself, like „ouh, crazy, ey, you are really nerdy“. Erm… The- the good thing is, no one has bad intents, it is a- rather a form of great appreciation and of course there are always some who- there are black sheep everywhere, you don’t know that, still it feels weird in a way and, erm, I- I-I-I- I have sometimes had the- the experience that sometimes there are some of our… yeah, valued listeners, where we are for- of which we are thankful for every one, who get mad then and say „ey, that is so arrogant that you say something like that, that it is too personal for you, that somehow we […] between- that you feel like we would push ourselves in between there“, I mean what I just said, right,...

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: With such comments, that I- for relationships that I wouldn’t...

Annika: Yes.

Chris: want to have.

Annika: Yes.

Chris: But that is… if you briefly make clear to yourself that, even if many of the people that we have met on concerts and we already took photos together and stuff, who of course still aren’t someone who has space in such an… embrace, I’ll say, to push themselves between that, because the bottom line is that they are usually no close acquaintances, close friends,...

Annika: Yes.

Chris: ...but partly people that you don’t actually know at all, then I hope at least for some form of understanding, because sometimes you also attract grudges without wanting that, even through such things. And that- I don’t want to dis- disrespect anyone with that, yes? By- by doing such things- and that is one of the many things why I just think, you know, certain things you can just keep to yourself, then they aren’t even up for debate. Then… erm, then you don’t even have to discuss it; I’m happy to do it now in your podcast and only people listen to it anyway who- I mean, most of those who are listening here, will be well-disposed to me in some way, they will like me, else they would have already turned off after three minutes,...

Annika: Yes.

Chris: …that’s why I’m saying these things then; everyone has to know it for themselves, but I- I- I deem it a good thing to retreat a bit and there are definitely role models, as well, so when I’m thinking about Die Ärzte („The Doctors“, a German band) for example, yes? Well, they are a band that could hardly be bigger in Germany, but what do you know about them? What do you know about the girlfriend…s, friends or whatever of Farin Urlaub (the singer of the band, his artist name sounds like „Fahr in Urlaub“, meaning „go on vacation“) or… did he show himself on some stupid gala carpet or something? No. Erm, maybe back then at VIVA (German TV channel) for that one album or something and also all such things, I already took part in those a few times, as well, here at the music authors’ awards of the GEMA („Gesellschaft für musikalische Aufführungs- und mechanische Vervielfältigungsrechte“, meaning „Society for musical performing and mechanical reproduction rights“ a German performance rights association) and the like; I find it REALLY terrible, als that- that red carpet shit; when I was there  for the second time, at the music authors’ awards, a year after that, I didn’t even walk along there anymore; I went along behind the pho- photographers, because I find it all shitty. That- I don’t need that, I also don’t need, at any pi- pr- parties, regardless of whether it’s in some club or privately, I don’t need the attention there. I am the singer on stage, yes, there is the spotlight and you often stand in the center, there it’s all cool and I also seem to need it there, else I wouldn’t have chosen that role, I don’t want to act too humble here, but in private life...

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: …I am not the one to surge ahead, be the loudest and who comes into a room and wants to shine very brightly and everybody looks at me at first. I couldn’t care less. I rather prefer not to stand out at all, to be honest.

(17:34)

Annika: Hmm. Okay, let’s get back to first times, namely...

Chris: Yes, sorry, We were drifting off.

Anika: ...to- to- yes that’s okay. Erm, namely festivals. By now, you’ve played lots of big festivals, how- how- how does it feel if you can play on a festival, I mean, either when you are completely new, then you are mostly like getting these small slots somehow and then it’s usually always...

Chris: Hmm.

Annika: …getting a little bit better from year to year, maybe, and then when you’re coming onto a M’era Luna stage and it’s just everything full of people. Well, I know- I can’t imagine it, that has to be- are you just nervous then? Are you thankful? Do you think „oh shit, are there many people, I mustn’t do any mistakes now“?

Chris: Well, the funny thing is, if you’re addressing the M’era Luna, that’s a best example where we were really often, I don’t even know how often, but where you see how it’s growing each year. And...

Annika: Exactly.

Chris: …that’s a bit like a growing process. So, for example, if you are a child now and you are growing, each day a bit, you don’t suddenly stand in front of the mirror one morning, thinking „whoa, am I tall“.

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: This. But you don’t even notice how you are growing. And that’s actually a bit similar. Because, you’re starting, I mean if you experience the natural, organic way of a band growth, like we did, and don’t have an, er, from-naught-to-hundred-Tokio-Hotel-hype. (Tokio Hotel are a German band who suddenly got very popular; most people either loved them or gave them still a lot of (negative) attention.) Then you don’t really notice it, but that’s the first time M’era Luna, then there are four hundred people standing there, which is very few on a space for 25,000, of course four hundred in a small club is a whole lot, and the next time there are 1,500 standing there and you’re already playing half an hour later, and you don’t really notice it. Of course there are moments where you suddenly realise, like „crazy! Suddenly everything is filled here! I- For the first time we are playing at the M’era Luna and I don’t see the floor anymore! I don’t see any part of the airfield anymore, any part of the lawn“, that’s really crazy, erm, thankfulness and emotions often only come later for me, erm, so it’s difficult for me to have such intense emotions on the stage itself, that are somehow reclect- reflecting, because that is reflecting for me, but in that moment I am rather in this film, to possibly get through it, to make everything good, erm, and I don’t notice much at that moment, and the nervousness, yes, of course it’s there, although the nervousness is always a different one for me, because through my role as a sound technician I also know so much about the technical shit, my nervosity is actually always the fear, I know too much about all the weak points in the system, what can go wrong.

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: Yes, all this shit, especially if we are with- playing with the ensemble then at the M’era Luna and everyone with their in ear monitoring systems, everyone has to hear everyone and click and this and that and… Oh, that is- I mean- And then you’re standing there, knowing three more- in three minutes it’s starting and the clock is ticking and- and, er… Uh, that is so- I mean that- that actually tears you apart sometimes. That’s very exhilarating. But if you’d want to ask about the festival which was our first one, honestly speaking, I don’t know. Maybe it was actually a small Wacken stage in 2010.

Annika: Hmm. Either way, one can see-

Chris: I forgot.

Annika: …one can see, also at the M’era Luna, it’s always getting- I mean, if- if you want to get a bit, a BIT, only a bit further… Ey. It’s gotten so cramped (eng). (Laughs) Which is good! Because it is- it shows that the people like to listen to you. And that is good.

Chris: Yes, but the last empty- the last two years it was very empty at the M’era Luna, I mean, there was no one there. (Laughs) [Note: this interwiew took place after two years of lockdown.]

(21:02)

Annika: (Laughs) Erm, I think- I- I could imagine that you’ve already been recognised on the street some time. How- how- do you still know when was the first time and what you have thought in that moment?

Chris: Erm… well, in general that’s happening daily, yes,...

Annika: Well, I mean by fans, anyway,...

Chris: Yes yes yes.

Annika: …not getting recognised by the baker next door or such.

Chris: No that’s what I mean, as well,…

Annika: Okay.

Chris: …that does happen daily, actually.

Annika: Oh crazy, I actually wouldn’t have thought.

Chris: that act- happens- actually happens daily. The first time I actually don’t know anymore, but one thing that is- has to have been one of the first times, which has very much stayed in my memory, was actually at the supermarket around the corner from me, I was just (grocery) shopping and then there was a girl standing there which… I don’t know, she was very young, might have been fifteen or so, she then looked [at me] and said: „Good day, aren’t you Chrisselord Harms?“ (she used the formal word „Sie“ for „you“, instead of the informal „Du“) I mean, „Chrisselord“...

Annika: Yes.

Chris: …also in one word, which then lead to our tour manager Manu also only- only calling me Chrisselord anymore since then. Erm… (laughs) With a double s, yes, and then I said to the girl, like: „You… I’m not that old, you don’t have to call me ‚Sie‘. You can- can gladly call me ‚Du‘“. She’s like: „Okay, I’ll do that. Can I take a photo with you?“ (she used the formal version „Ihnen“, which is the dative case of „Sie“.) (Laughs) There was the calling me „Sie“ again. Then we took a photo. And...then I can remember, that was...

Annika: But don’t you wonder, like „crazy. I am famous now“ or… „The people know me. But I don’t know the people.“ So...

Chris: Hm. No- I don’t know- I ca- I can’t actually […] anymore… because it’s going like that for a while now, I can’t really formulate the first...

Annika: Hmm. Hmm, hmm.

Chris: …the thoughts of the first time anymore. I don’t know anymore.

Annika: Hmm, hmm.

Chris: I- I actually accept it as- as normal like that, I rather notice and ask- and I partially walk- actually walk towards the people. Because then there is this situation that you are standing somewhere, I don’t know, some clothing store or the like… let’s take H&M (clothing store chain) or so, and you’re asking someone something and then you somehow notice two people whispering there or maybe it’s even someone who’s working there, mostly it’s girls, women, and they are looking over like that and are stammering and then- You virtually already know what it’s about.

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: Then I am the one to say something. „Can I do something for you, maybe?“ (Laughs) Like „you- you are looking nervous right now. Do you want- do you want so ask something? May I- may I help you?“

Annika: (Laughs)

Chris: That- that-

Annika: And then at the end she doesn’t know you and just thought like „hey, he has got a cool piercing there!“

Chris: Yes, exactly. No, hey, lu- luckily I was always right until now , so I don’t have that bad of a feeling for people, luckily, and it always gets received very- very gratefully. The bizarre- one of the most bizarre things was probably at a festival, erm, when I was standing in the restroom and peeing, at- at one of those urinals, right, where you just stand next to each other. And then there is just… someone standing next to me, like that, places himself there, looks at me, already pretty plastered as well, wavers around, yeah, that typical- typical glance, and says, like: „Eh! Aren’t you- eh-“, I’m like: „Er- yes… yes?“ (laughs)

Anika: (Chuckles)

Chris: „Eh, do you have an autograph?“ and I’m like: „Ey...“

Annika: Exactly.

Chris: „…Dude. Right now I’m having- we- we both are having our penises in our hand, can we settle this later when we don’t have that anymore?“

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: „Yes.“ (laughs)

Annika: (Laughs) But are there, apart from the toilet, are there, like no-gos, where you say- well „if I’m out and about with my family, then, eer, rather don’t approach me, because then it’s… private for me and...“

Chris: Yeah, so, it- it is- exactly, there are actually things, like- I mean, by now my son is old enough, erm, but sometimes, when he was just very little, or also when you’re sitting there eating, yeah. Sitting there eating, maybe even in a pair, maybe it even looks a bit romantic from the outside or the like, and just as you’re about to- you’re just making- you’re just putting a- a spoonful of, like, soup into your mouth, yeah, then- the spoon is halfway in your mouth,...

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: …and then you’re getting nudged, like, „Ey! Let’s take a photo!“ and you’re hanging there like, (coughs) „What?“; you’re thinking to yourself „ey, dude! Erm.“ (sputters)

Annika: A bit-

Chris: „Dosen’t need to be like that right now.“ („Muss ja jetzt nicht so sein.“)

Annika: A bit of tactfulness.

Chris: Like „Wai- just wait“, erm, there- I- I think you should just ask yourself there: „would I currently [approach] these people who are sitting at the table there, even if it’s not the singer of my favourite band, would I currently approach this people, the way they are currently sitting there?“

Annika: Hmm.

(25:22)

Chris: And I think when you ask yourself that, keyword „empathy“, as so often, you can almost always catch the right situation. That you’re simply asking yourself, like, „these people, doesn’t matter wheter I know them or not, would I currently take them out of whatever they are doing there, with a good conscience?“ And eventually that’s about- about the core, the most, so I’m sometimes receiving, on Facebook or at other social media channels or to our… yeah, management adresses or the like, sometimes there are nice mails incoming like „hey, I’ve seen Chris today, there and there; but he was with his family, I didn’t want to bother“, erm… So, that is totally- that is totally-

Annika: But also that, what- what motivates these people to write these E-Mail? So, what-

Chris:  No, these- these- no, these- these are actually- these are actually very, very nice things then,...

Annika: I see, okay.

Chris: …that they are saying then „I didn’t want to bother you, that’s why I didn’t say anything, but I would totally…“, I don’t know, „wish for an autograph“, er, or- or „where can one...“

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: „…somehow meet you, where it doesn’t bother you“ or the like, so these are really nice questions...

Annika: I see. Well, then,

Chris: …and I find it very sweet. And by the way, I know myself how politely one can receive a no, as well, and- to a photo, namely it was- I think 2018… or 17? 19? I don’t know. Erm, I was in Berlin at a Nine Inch Nails concert then, erm, in the Zitadelle („Citadel“; a fortress in Berlin, that is used as a museum and an open air venue nowadays), and there was this guy with this neck tattoo, where I thought „ey, that’s Nergal from Behemoth“, like.

Annika: Mmh.

Chris: I’m like: „ey that’s him, right?“ and then I, like, googled, I’m like „ey, that is him.“ And then I went there and said „ey, Nergal, you don’t know me, but I- you are totally motivating, totally- well, inspiring guy for me“, I’m no Behemoth fan at all, I can’t listen to more than two songs,...

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: …it’s very impressive what they are doing, totally powerful and loud and the like, but after- after two songs it only sounds like static noise anymore, like, that’s not my kind of music, but the guy is inspiring! The way he- the things he does with motivational training and sport and, er, his art. And then I asked him and then he said, like: „Hey, not today, sorry, I'm on a date, but next time no problem“, so. Wishing you a nice day and stuff, nice concert, thank you very much for approaching me. Thougt: „ey, so politely…“

Annika: Yes.

Chris: „…he said no to me“ and I hadn’t gotten it, that he apparently had a date there, because for me it wasn’t obvious enough, he was standing in the crowd somehow, else I wouldn’t have stupidly chatted him up (blöd angelabert), erm, that means, such things are also possible nicely!

(27:46)

Annika: Yes. Well, then let’s get to the next category, I- I don’t know, „general [questions]“, I’ll just call it. Because I have always wondered, if a band gets a record contract, for example...

Chris: Mm.

Annika: …or gets signed up in general. I don’t actually know if you’re even allowed to say that, but… is it like that, are you getting paid monthly by the record label or...

Chris: (laughs)

Annika: …depending on how many… wait, wait, wait!

Chris: Aaw. (sighs) Err...

Annika: …or does one- do you rather, if you- if you have sold CDs, that everyone gets a small portion or do you only get live pay- how does that work? If one says- because some: „recording contract – Whoa, now- now they are rich“.

Chris: Yes. Okay. Well, erm… well, there are indeed – or WERE, so if you think back to the- to the golden 70s and 80s and the- the big bands,...

Annika: Mmh.

Chris: …you know, those where a record label comes then and says „whoa, in this band we believe, we’ll make them big“ and then, er, I don’t know, half a million dollar was given to the band to begin with, for them to get on for like a year and to produce their album, everyone got their money, an own bank account where they could stock up on clothes for their right image as well and whatever. What you know from these movies. They are in fact, er, moments of glory of rock ‘n’ roll, they existed. Erm, today or from times where I know it, er, these times are long gone, of course. And the thing is, you have to be aware of one thing very- very fundamentally: (ganz- ganz grundsätzlich:) at no point in time does a record label gift you money.

Annika: Mhm.

Chris: That means, assuming the record label would pay everyone from the band a fixed salary now, let’s say, not even a very good one, like a… slightly higher hairdresser’s salary. Let’s say 2,000€ per month. We have five people in the band, 10,000€ per month. So, 120,000€ per year. Erm… and they to that for ten years. They won’t donate that much money to the band if it doesn’t come in.

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: A- a- a record label isn’t a charity association, after all.

Annika: Hm.

Chris: That means the money has to come in. Er, so, what happens- well, many people think that: „you’ve got a record label, they are giving you money, after all.“ As a matter of principle it’s like that: if the record label gives you money, supposing you’re saying not, there is an album now, an album is to be made, here you have a production advance payment, so you can pay for the studio and this and that, and maybe you’ll have to put your jobs, which you still have, on ice… and the record label gives you, I don’t know, a few thousand Euros, 20, 10, 5, 100, doesn’t matter, it depends on the band’s size. Then you are virtually in the red at the record label, that is like a credit.

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: And as soon as the CDs are selling then, you’re paying it off, with your part.

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: So, when there are things coming then, like „Huh, why? The music video got paid by your record label!“, you say „Well, the recor- music- the revord label gave the money, but with what we are earning, it has to- it goes to the record label first, before we’re getting anything. All in all, it’s always the band paying, or at least half of it the band, there is always the question, are things 50% billable, and blah blah blah, all those things. At the end, each contract is individual, but it is definitely not standard that the band simply gets money, monthly, by the record label...

Annika: Mhm.

Chris: …but rather something comes in when you sold something. And in principle, you get a credit, an advance to produce the album, and if you are really phat successful, then you take in the advance again, and of course something on top. And payoffs (Abrechnungen) I know anually,...

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: …that it gets balanced (abgerechnet) accordingly and then you get an- by now an incredibly, few hundred pages long PDF, erm, and on the bottom there is either a minus or a plus then. And if there is a minus, you don’t have to give anything to the record label, then you are just still in the negetive,...

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: …and when you, erm, when there is a plus, something gets transferred to you. And the most contracts are fortunately in a way that if the contract is discontinued at some time and the band is still in the negative, the band doesn’t owe anything to the record label. That means it is their risk that they have taken. Erm, [there] are other things, too! Then that’s rather a- such a headword (so ein Stichpunkt) adhesion contract, right?

Annika: Mm.

Chris: Erm, yes.

Annika: But it’s interesting to hear, definitely. Because, one just can’t really imagine, often.

(31:55)

Chris: No, in principle it is like that: we as a band make money from completely different things. Or as individual musicians, as well.

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: So, there are a few different strands (Stränge). One are the record sales. This includes also downloads and streams now. So, let’s say everything that has to do with sound carriers, sound carrier media, which rather happen to be streams nowadays. The second one are advertising revenues. Like- well, on socials, Facebook by now, but mainly YouTube, the videos that are before it...

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: …er, all these advertisement videos, the generate money, so, at a rough estimate, one can say, one million YouTube streams generate about a thousand Euro of advertisement revenue, which go 50-50 to the record label and band. (The phrase „Pi mal Daumen“ for a rough estimation literally translates to „Pi times thumb“.) So that means, if we as Lord Of The Lost have one million streams, clicks on a YouTube video now, we’re getting- we’re getting a thousand Euro all together, half of which we [get], 500, we are five people in the band, each one a hundred.

Annika: Mm.

Chris: So. So, one doesn’t get rich from that!

Annika: Rich. Yes. Yes.

Chris: So, if you are the YouTuber now, with 50 million clicks, and you are alone, then you can do quite a lot with 50 million clicks. You can quickly calculate for yourself how many thousand Euro that is, right? Erm… that’s the second thing, the third one are live fees, where of course your booking agency also makes money from it, so-called pass- passive shareholding, like „we also earn money from everything you do“, like 360° deals and that- fortunately we don’t have that, something like that- such deals I would never contract (eingehen), and the next one is merch, and we are completely free here, as well; erm, we have all our merch rights, except for a few motives, which per, err, record go to our record label, err, so they are allowed to make a few own merch motives per record, and we are also free to license to everyone, be it EMP or whatnot, and now this was actually our main source of income for the last one and a half years of the pandemic. Merch, so, well. Because- of course, no live concerts and, er, merch really makes more than sound carriers.

Annika: Hmm, yes.

Chris: So, we make twenty times as much [money] with t-shirts and pullovers as we do with music. In the end, we are cotton traders with- that make music.

Annika: (Chuckles)

Chris: And the next thing that adds to it are copyright, err, shares, which always go to the songwriters, though. That means, who in the band has participated in writing songs, gets through the GEMA, internationally through other collecting societies that are linked to the GEMA, regardless of where we sell worldwide, we are getting our songwriter’s revenue. There are also bands that divide everything by five; we always do it like that, because we also work as songwriters, also at other-

Annika: Hm.

Chris: -with other artists, that songwriting shares go to the person, that’s nothing that has to do with the band. So those are the five strands, on which I can earn money in context with Lord of the Lost. And fortunately do so, too.

(34:58)

Annika: Okay! That was very extensive, definitely. Then the next question: earlier we already [talked] about concerts and in ears- there you briefly spoke about the in ears: what...

Chris: Mhm.

Annika: …do you hear when you are on stage and have those in ears in? Do you only hear yourself sing? Or do you also hear-

Chris: Nope.

Annika: Ca- can the light guy also say, like „place yourself further to the center“ or… (laughs) Idon’t know?

Chris: Mmh, yes. Well...erm, in theory even the light guy could say „place yourself further to the center“, like the talkshow host, when Stefan Raab (German comedian) something- like, has the direction button in his ear („so den Regieknopf im Ohr“), right. It is no- no direction button… erm, so basically it’s like that, if we’re sittig down in the living room, with two acoustic guitars and a small drum and an accoustic bass and a voice, and we’re all sitting close enough together, then we need no monitoring. We n- no- no monitor boxes on stage that show us each others instruments and also no- no in-ear monitoring. Because we hear each other loud enough, if we’re sitting close enough to each other in a small- in a small living room. If you’re imagining now, the gigantic stage…

Annika: Mhm.

Chris: ...in a hall. Or let’s say a stadium, yes? Like, Iron Maiden tour-like, those- Football stadium. The musicians are partially standing twelve metres apart. So. And now they have to decently play together, though. And maybe there are some guitar amps standing somewhere, which are roar- roaring somewhere, in the open, I- I think you know how it is if you, I don’t know, are at the beach with friends and one is 50 metres away and you want to communicate, you just don’t hear each other.

Annika: Yes.

Chris: Now, make music together. As soon as I would begin to sing now and maybe even to scream loudly, I would only hear myself anymore, open air on a huge stage, because structure-borne sound is so big, second example: some concert hall, average size, 500 people or so, everything super reverberant, shitty acoustics, as soon as the drummer four metres behind me starts playing, I’m hearing ONLY percussions anymore. That means, if you have these in-ear-things in there, these, erm, headhones, that actually isolate the best, too, then every musician can […] by the monitor technician, that’s why you usually have two sound guys with you, on one hand the sound guy, the so-called front- sorry, the front-of-house, who stands in the hall and makes the sound for the people, where also the light guy is standing… I always say „guy“, right? It can also be girls, we have a light girl. Erm, and then you also have one monitor technician- (he tries to gender the word neutrally here, which isn’t really possible in spoken German language) how- how do I gender that correctly? A- a human for monitor technics who has the mixing desk at the side of the stage. And, erm, everyone hears exactly the things he wants to hear. That means, I need- if I am speaking for myself (von mir ausgehe) there, we all have on our ears (snaps his fingers), because we have a computer running along for additional sounds that our keyboardist Gared just can’t play because he only has got two hands, well, he mainly plays the piano on stage, but not every „kchhh, kchhhhu, kchhh kchhh“- electronic sounds (Elektrogeschnissel) that you hear- Gared mainly plays the piano on stage or also other keyboard sounds, but of course we also have many other things that are… tootling around there, some electro beats ans stuff, that’s virtually our sixth musician in the band, erm, and thus through this, err, computer a metronome click...

Annika: Hmm.

Chris: ...gets played… (snaps his fingers) so that one- that- where we accordingly are able, err… to play all to each other and above all also to the, err, to the machine, that means, I am hearing a metronome click, louder than- a bit louder than everything else, that it’s always noticeable; I’m hearing a bit of Nik’s drums, but not too much, because it just blocks everything pretty quickly, because of „kchhhh“, all those cymbals, I’m hearing the bass relatively loud, because the key- the bass mainly plays the keynotes, that is very important for me for the intonation, so I am singing as much in tune as possible; these are also the moments when I am sometimes singing out of tune and everything is shitty, because then you’re standing on stage and directly under the stage there is a fat subwoofer, and they can partially interfere with each other very nastily, so you’re only hearing mud anymore and aren’t able to discern (laughs)...

Annika: Hmm! Hmm!

Chris: …the keynote anymore, then you’re just singing somewhat… then- sometimes you’re really just guessing anymore, that’s dependant on the concert hall. Whatever. Then I’m also hearing my and Pis guitar, or also Gareds guitar, left and right, slightly panned up in a panorama, erm, panned up in a panorama for the reason that if I’d hear both from the center now, then- and two guitars are getting mashed up in the center, then I don’t hear anymore if I’m playing well myself, right, so wenn I divide them up left and right, then I know exactly who am I and who is Pi, then of course I hear all this computer stuff, these sequencer sounds, and erm… Piano is also relatively clear and also a relatively loud, err, reverb, an echo for the vocals, because the problem is, I have to get a bit nerdy there, when you’re wearing headphones, then you’re hearing all mono signals – that also includes the voice – not in front of yourself, because you’re not sitting in front of boxes, but directly in the middle of the head. And that makes it relatively difficult to intonate, because you don’t have any room response like in nature or in the-

Annika: Hm.

Chris: …our civilisation, in a room. And if vou make a reverb- reverb for yourself that has relatively (snaps his fingers) distinct reflexions, then you’re artificially putting your voice into a room that responds. Minimally delayed, too, imperceptibly delayed, but delayed nonetheless, and gives me the ability to intonate decent- more decently. That’s what I hear. Basically, we all hear this, but with varying weightings; of course I’m hearing my voice much louder than for example Nik needs at the drums, but he’ll want to have my voice rather on the side, so he knows where he is in the song, but then he just needs his stuff louder. Right, so…

(40:40)

Annika: But- but there is no one saying something like „now next song XY“. You’re actually looking onto the setlist here. Or…?

Chris: Haha. That’s a great question, it’s awesome that you’re thinking about that, we’re actually not looking at the setlist anymore by now, because we have...

Annika: Yes.

Chris: …on our sequencer that also plays the click, we also made a second track besides the click track, „ID track“ we’re calling it, at some time I said all of the song names with my sweet voice into it and also something like „Attention, guitar change to A“, so we have two tunings, A and C, and also something like „Attention, announcement“; that means when the one song is ending romantically now and the audience is hearing like- is still hearing the song nicely/beautifully (schön), like, „(sighs) haaah“, you still have some keyboards fading there, then we are hearing- already hearing (in a slightly robotic voice) „Attention, announcement. Afterwards guitar change to C. Black Lolita.“

Annika: (Chuckles) That takes away the magic.

Chris: Alright. And then everyone knows, okay- Yes, yes. That means we actually kind of built in our director, erm, and actually now our monitor technician, for us that’s usually Benji or Bengt at the front-of-house-console,so for the- for the audience, or also our light technician Nasa, they actually could say something via the communication mike along the lines of: „Chris, attention, there is a problem here“, I don’t know, „Right now, err. five drunkards have beaten up someone back here“, (laughs) no clue, what do I know? „do a short break, would you“ or also- could also say something like „ey, dude, erm, you have- you- you can’t play any more songs, you’re already past the time“ or what do I know. So that’s possible. Yes.

(42:13)

Translation: Margit Güttersberger, Jari Witt