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Ann:
How long have the band been together as Unheilig?
Der Graf: I began in
1999. Yes! Before I made a lot of music in the same way but I didn't know
what will be in a few years before this time. I began with Unheilig in
1999, yes! The first single was "Sage ja" and it was 1999.
Ann: Where did you all meet? When did all the band meet? Have you known
each other for ages or..
Der Graf: I began with other musicians and in the
last year, the musicians changed and I am the only one who is er…
Ann: Still left?
Der Graf: Still left, yeah! Now I know the
keyboardist from the band and went and told my management and I met him in
the same town. He's a friend of my managers. We asked him if he wanted to
play with Unheilig and he said yes!, Ok! Graham Stevens was the first,
he's an Austrailian guy who began with Unheilig.Yes, the musicians changed
in the last five years.
Ann: Where do you get your inspiration from for your songs?
Der Graf: Ok, erm.. It's a good question. I think
the inspiration can come in every minute and every second, on every place,
I don't know.
Ann: It's like something that you think about at that time, sort of
thing?
Der Graf: Yes! In anything, in any time. You can
sleep and you will awake and you know, oh, that's a great idea, it's a
great verse or it's a great melody. I hear in my head and then I go to the
studio and I play this melody or I produce this song and inspiration.
I think, I don't search them because they speak to me. Yes! They find me!
Ann: Where did the name Unheilig come from?
Der Graf: Ok. In the beginning, I wanted to have a
name, oh! and yes, now the word in English. I wanted to have a
confrontation to the audience, which they will see this name and I want
them to think about this name. What can it be? What can it mean? And
Unheilig described my religion. I am not in any religion. I have my own,
my, my…
Ann: Own beliefs?
Der Graf: Yeah! I Have my own beliefs and in any
other religion, I am in their eyes Unheilig, unholy. That's the same
really.
Ann: So it actually means unholy!
Der Graf: Yes, really, really, unholy yeah!
Ann: Who are your favourite bands?
Der Graf: Ok! Bands, Yeah, yeah. I don't think I
have a favourite band, there are a lot of bands which I like. I don't have
a favourite band beacause, erm… a favourite musician or a favourite
artist. I like every…
Ann: A bit of everything?
Der Graf: Yes! Yes! I like David Bowie. He is an
artist for me because he makes music for twenty/thirty years and erm…
such people in my eyes are really artists not the people who are now in
the charts
Ann: Oh yeah!
Der Graf: Yes, because it's not…
Ann: Rubbish really isn't it?
Der Graf: Yes, yes. Artists are for me Phil Collins,
David Bowie and such. These people are really artists because they write
their own music, they write their own songs and they don't write the songs
or the lyrics from other people. They write their own and it's very
important for me because these people are then artists for me.
Ann: In the first song Filmrolle, on Zelluloid, you say, "Willkommen
im meinen leben!"
Der Graf: Yeah!
Ann: Is this an album about parts of your life?
Der Graf: Yes!
Ann: Or someone close to you?
Der Graf: Yeah, yeah! All the songs describe my life
in a lot of stations/stages.
Ann: From like being young?
Der Graf: Yes!
Ann: And teenager to now?
Der Graf: Yeah, yes! Every song describes a moment
in my life which is very important for me and if I thought back about my
life, It looks like if you are dying, you can see your life like a film.
Ann: You said that earlier didn't you , Dalia?
Der Graf: I describe this moment for me and I say
welcome to the people who hear these songs because they can look at my
life, if you have a lot of fantasy or you can … I hope the people who
have heard these songs can identify with my music to their own lives.
Dalia: What is more attractive for you…pain
or proud?
Der Graf: Proud! Proud is a very important
word for me because I am er… proud about my grandfather, my mom, my dad
and I don't forget and these people are in every moment by my side ok! And
I say thank you to these people because.. I have to say thank you to them
and proud is very important but pain! (Everyone laughs) Uh! Ok! Proud,
then second pain yeah! It's really important too, yeah, but not in every
moment.
Ann: Depends on the situation! Hehe
Dalia: Not in every moment!
Der Graf: Not in every moment, but in a few moments.
It is important.
Dalia: Why do you call yourself The Graf?
Der Graf: Ok… Nobody knows my real name! Really..
At the beginning I wanted to have erm… a name like magic. If you tell
stories in your songs. I want to be a person that is untouchable. I want
to have the magic. If you see me, if you heard the songs, then you think,
how is this name? And nobody knows it, it's a little bit magic.
Ann: There's definetly magic in those songs. I bought your album a
couple of weeks ago and I've been playing it to death. Laughs
Der Graf: Yeah! Really!
Ann: I know a lot of the words now in German!
Dalia: I am fascinated from your music, your way of singing
Der Graf: Yeah!
Dalia: Because it reminds me of the German roots of the past century,
the period between the two big wars, the republic of Weimar and so on.
Der Graf: Mmmm!
Dalia: Do you agree with this feeling, do you think
your music goes back somehow to those roots of the German culture of the
past century?
Der Graf: Mmm… What is the past century? What is
the past century?
Dalia: The twenty's, the thirtys...
Der Graf: Yeah, yeah, that's ok, but only the good
times, yeah, only the good times. In those times there were a lot of bad
German people I say but the words, the lyrics and the good times, erm..
yes, identify like a little bit of nostalalgia, that's ok, that's good!
Identify this album with a film as though like these old films with er…
Yes, yes, really good. You're the first who knows this (Everyone
laughs) and you're the first who's asked me, yeah!
Dalia: Yeah! (Looking shocked, meanwhile dramatic Gothic music is
playing in the background) Lol It was!
Der Graf: Nobody or anybody has asked me that, yes,
yes, that's really good. Thank you! The first films
Ann: Film rolle- Black and white films
Der Graf: Yeah, very good. After eight months, you're the first who knows
this. Thank you!
Ann: She's very perceptive Dalia! Laughs.
Der Graf: That's ok, that's really good!
Ann: (Buggers the interview up at this stage) Going back to your
Zelluloid album, does it follow a theme all the way through. I think I
have already asked you that haven't I? It follows a theme all way through
like a story. I think I've asked you that, sorry about that (laughs
embarrassed) I'm a bit tired! (That was an understatement)
Der Graf: It's like a story about my life, the first
song is the end of the last song, because it's part of the last song, you
begin with the same melody like the end.
It's the same melody and it's a beginning and end of my life, but only on
cd.
Ann: Up to now, only on cd (Laughs)
Der Graf: Up to now. I hope in a few years, I can
make a lot of albums like the life after this, yeah, I hope so!
Ann: Who were Unheiligs influences? Early influences of Unheilig?
Der Graf: Yeah, ok! They are bands of the
eighties but erm… but more is my influence is the soundtrack a few
films, which were Ennio Morricone makes the soundtrack. Do you know Ennio
Morricone?
Ann: Not sure!
Der Graf: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Dalia: It's a western!
Ann: Ah yeah I know.
Der Graf: It's a western and from other films. I
heard them when I was a child. I heard this music because my parents were
listening to them every time, ok and then I am a little boy and I thought,
what great music.
Ann: Would you like to eventually go to England and tour?
Der Graf: Yes, yes, really. I hope so! I hope so!
Ann: I hope so too!
Der Graf: Yes, I hope so but don't know when. I get
lots of e-mails from England and New Zealand erm….
Ann: So it's looking promising!
Der Graf: Yeah, yeah!
Ann: A message to your fans….
Der Graf: Ok. In German it's no problem to say.
Ann: You can say it in German as well if you like!
Der Graf: Respektiere den, der nicht so ist wie du,
damit du weisst wer du bist.
Stefan
translates it for me (kind lad)
Stefan: That's cool!
Respect who is not like you, in order to know who you are!
Der Graf: That's very, very important.
Ann: Have you got a favourite motto or saying that
you use a lot?
Der Graf: Erm… Only one word… Freiheit!…Freedom!
Yes, it's a very important word. Because one word is everything included
to life, death, everything.
Ann: It can mean different things.
Der Graf: Yes! Only the word Freedom!
You must fight for Freedom! Yeah!
Ann: What are your plans for 2005?
Der Graf: Oh yeah! A new live album comes in
January. Live album in january and I hope in the middle of the year comes
a DVD, yes, I hope so! And at the end of the year, I hope I will have some
new songs for the new album. I don't know! I am writing now for this.
Dalia: Ah yeah!
Der Graf: I don't know how much time it needs, Ok.
Ann: I think I have covered everything, have you got anything else to
say Dalia?
Dalia: We have an interview in common between our two media, so from my
side, i would like to make the last question. This is our last typical
Gryphonmetal question, we are always proposing to bands we interview for
the first time.
Der Graf: Mmm
Dalia: It's a game - The game of the tower! (Laughs) There
is a very high tower.
Der Graf: Yeah!
Dalia: And at the top of this tower, three bands
are waiting for you and you have to kick down two of them.
Der Graf: Oh no! Oh no! (Everyone
laughs) I don't like this kind of games. I hate
them. Ok, I must kick down one band or two bands?
Dalia: Two bands and you keep only one. You save only one.
Der Graf: Oh no!
Dalia: You have to choose one, kick the other two down.
Der Graf: It's an hard game!
Der Graf: And now you tell me the bands Ok!
Dalia: L' Âme Immortelle
Der Graf: Ok
Dalia: Wolfsheim
Der Graf: Ok
Dalia: Within Temptation
Der Graf: Ok, Within Temptation you can kick and
please let me keep L'ame Immortelle and Wolfsheim. I get rid of Within
Temptation.
Der Graf: I like L'Âme Immortelle because a few
years ago I did my first tour with them.
And Wolfsheim was one of my favourites as
a singer and I met him a few years ago and he is a very great person and I
shouldn't kick him. Oh no! Within Temptation Ok, that's ok.
(Everyone laughs)
Ann: Thanks very much for giving us an interview.
Der Graf: No problem!
Ann: Very much appreciated.
Dalia: Thank you!
Der Graf: Thankyou!
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23.11.2004 
UNHEILIG : interview with "der
Graf"
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