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Interview: SPiT LiKE THiS

mit Lord Zion vom 20. September 2013 via Mail
Wozu braucht man heutzutage in der Musik überhaupt noch irgendwelche Genrebezeichnungen? Macht nicht jeder laut eigener Aussage die Mucke, die einem selbst am besten gefällt und die man eigentlich gar nicht kategorisiert sehen möchte? Macht es nicht Sinn, bei all den unterschiedlichen Genre-Mixturen und dem unübersichtlichen Schlachtfeld an musikalischen Einflüssen einfach nur von "Musik" zu reden?
Die einen würden jetzt sagen, dass für sie die Musik eh immer nur Musik war. Egal, ob Rock, Pop, Hip-Hop oder Jazz. Sie hören alles. Andere, die bei ihrer musikalischen Sozialisierung irgendwo im Mittelalter stecken geblieben sind, die wollen alles fein säuberlich getrennt haben. „True Metal“ und „false music“. Ihr wisst, was ich meine. Brendan Perry von Dead Can Dance würde jetzt sicher vor Wut über diese Begrifflichkeiten glatt einen Kopfstand hinlegen.
Eine der Gruppen da draußen, die auch irgendwie in keine Schublade passen und deshalb das Schubladendenken konstruktiv demontieren, sind SPiT LiKE THiS. Sie verbinden Elemente des Goth, Punk, Glam Metal und natürlich des Shock 'n' Roll. Das liest sich doch schon mal ganz gut! Aber auf der anderen Seite, ist es nicht ziemlich gefällig, wenn man die Geschmacksrichtung eines jeden Gaumens anzusprechen vermag? Wo bleiben da die Ecken und Kanten, die das musikalische Hörerlebnis zu einem unvergesslichen Akt machen? Vielleicht es es doch besser, wenn die Musiker sich innerhalb eines Genres bewegen und auch nur diesen einen Kreis an Fans ansprechen?
Bevor wir dumm sterben müssen, haben wir Lord Zion, den Sänger der Truppe, einfach mal gefragt, was er davon hält und wo er den Hund begraben sieht. Außerdem berichtet er von der Veröffentlichung des neuen alten Albums „Normalityville Horror“ in deutschsprachigen Gefilden.
Viel Spaß beim Lesen!

Das Interview:

Alex: Hi Lord Zion! Thanks for taking the time for this interview. How are you doing?
Lord Zion: Hello Alex, good to meet you and thanks for having me. I am doing wonderfully, since you ask!
Alex: Your music is mostly categorized as a mixture between Goth, punk, glam metal and shock 'n' roll. Would you agree on that?
Lord Zion: I think I invented the term “shock n roll”. I am certainly going to claim I did here. And, yes, I think all of those aspects can be found in our music. It is an amalgumation of things that I grew up listening to and love. I find it odd when bands sound just like another band. Why copy? We take influences and inspiration from others, then glue it all together to make the Spit Like This sound.
Alex: How would you personally call your musical style?
Lord Zion: We decided to call it Glam Punk. Our attitude is very punk, very DIY, and our on stage performance has more in common with punk than anything in the rock arena. And we wear cool clothes, a bit of eyeliner, so that makes us a bit glam. I'm not a fan of categories though as then people don't allow you to move out of them and explore.
Alex: Could you explain how your music has developed over the years?
Lord Zion: It has matured and got better. And, as I have gotten older and wiser, the songs are less about partying and sex and now much more about life, oppression, freedom ... things that affect us all. I am trying to cope with life via song.
Alex: And how important is it, to create his own music within a certain genre? I mean you can't change a bands style from album to album without loosing credibility.
Lord Zion: It is not at all important. One of my favourite bands is Queen. They were around in the era where it was fine to experiment and, as a result, we have great songs like "Ogre Battle", "Sheer Heart Attack" then "Bohemian Rhapsody", "The Prophet Song" onto "Hammer To Fall" or "Radio GaGa". Artists aren't allowed that kind of freedom now. Rock music is supposed to be about rebellion but, if you dare stray away from the formula people associate with you, they don't like it. People should embrace change and not be so stuck in their ways.
Alex: Your latest album "Normalityville Horror" is going to be released in Germany in October and Switzerland. What can you tell us about it?
Lord Zion: It is not a concept album, but there is a general theme that runs through it. Life can be a struggle at times and the human spirit has to rally against that. A lot of this album deals with those issues. Nearly every song is a big middle finger up to someone or something that pissed me off. And it sounds GREAT!
Alex: This album has been released in the UK already in 2012. What's the reason for this later release in Germany?
Lord Zion: Germany (Austria/Switzerland) is very dear to us. We love it over there and we think that, given the right exposure, German rock fans could really get into SPiT LiKE THiS. Delaying the release gave us an opportunity to get some more videos done and really concentrate on a solid PR push. It isn't the ideal situation but, these days, when it comes to releasing records, all the rules have changed!
Alex: How has been the working process with producer Chris Tsangarides?
Lord Zion: CT is a legend, and rightly so. He is a joy to work with. The consumate professional but, at not stage did he act like he knew better than us, even though he clearly did. I spent 19 days in the studio with him and there was not one bust up; not one disagreement. I would happily do it over and over again. In fact, we enjoyed it so much, we were the first band to sign to his new label!
Alex: What's the difference to its forerunner "We Won't Hurt You“?
Lord Zion: It is a much more focussed record. The first album, if listened out of order, wouldn't have made much sense. It is a journey album. You need to start at track 1 and finish on track 13. It is a great album, but it is very different to “Normalityville Horror”. The first album was our statement piece. This was us saying “You think you know us? You don't know a thing!”. We wanted to say that we can do what we want, when we want, how we want. And we did. But with “Normalityville Horror”, I wanted to bring it back to how I first envisaged SLT. Very ryhthmic, stacatto underpinnings with some nice vocal melodies and heavy as fuck drums. It is very much a reflection of us live, whereas the first album was more of a studio album, if that makes sense?
Alex: What is the most difficult part of the songwriting process?
Lord Zion: Procrastination. Like with most things, if you just do it, it is easy. Thinking about doing it is the hard part. I tend to find, I won't write a song for ages, but then a few will come at once. I need to have something to say. If I have a story, the song ends up being better.
Alex: Where would you see the intention behind your music? Do you want to transport a message or is it like pure entertainment?
Lord Zion: There is definitely a message. All four of us in the band were the freaks, geeks and losers in society. Looked down upon, despised and ridiculed. So the message is, “don't settle – fight for what you want and never take No for an answer”. As one of our songs says, “If I can do this, so can you”.
Alex: When did the music actually become your life? Was there any key moment?
Lord Zion: Yep, when I was 15 years old, our school did something called a "Pop Mime". I decided to do Def Leppard and I put together a little "band" and I was the “singer”. It was in front of about 1,000 kids and, by the end, I was hooked. It's been downhill ever since ;-)
Alex: So, what makes a musician professional? Is it the fact that they can live from their music or is it more about their skills?
Lord Zion: I don't think it is the skill. There are way better singers out there than me that cannot get anywhere. And there are way worse singers that are on top of the world. I think it is about attitude. If you ACT and BEHAVE like a professional, then you are a professional. If you act like a cock, you aren't. Don't care who you are.
Alex: As a musician you travel a lot. Isn't it sometimes hard to be away from home for such a long time?
Lord Zion: Before you leave, you think it is going to be tough but, when you are on the road, that becomes your life. There is so much going on, you don't really have that much else to focus on. Especially if you are visiting a new country. It is always nice coming back though.
Alex: How long are you at home during a year?
Lord Zion: At the moment, quite a lot. I am busy in many other areas as well as the band. Thankfully, since we got a manager, I haven't had to focus so much on the day-to-day stuff so have been able to explore other opportunities. For instance, I wrote a film called "Meet The Cadavers" that I am also producing (with Vikki) and codirecting. Me and Vikki are also starring in it.
Alex: What do you do to keep yourself in shape for a tour? Are you doing sports?
Lord Zion: I work out all the time. Have done since I was 18. I used to be really fat as a kid so had to do something. So I hit the weights 4 times a week, do cardio every day and watch what I eat constantly. I am the Arnold Schwarzenegger of rock. Just with much, much smaller muscles.
Alex: What do you think about all the Internet Piracy? Do you think it can be useful?
Lord Zion: It is a double edged sword. Without the piracy, maybe a band could actually earn a living in 2013 without sucking Simon Cowell's cock. But, as piracy exists and we are stuck with it, it can mean that people discover you that wouldn't otherwise. If I had my way though, I would hit people with a big stick until the piracy stopped. It is theft and not something I agree with on principle. The more it goes on, the less choice people will have as no-one will have the money – or motivation – to invest in new music.
Alex: Do you think that being successful with a band is something you can actually plan?
Lord Zion: To a degree. You can never plan for lucky breaks, but you can be prepared to spot an opportunity and grab it. The longer you don't stop, the more people will hear about you. Eventually, you might have enough of them around to feed you.
Alex: Did you have any remarkable, special or funny moments with SPiT LiKE THiS that you will never forget and want to share with your fans?
Lord Zion: The oddest was when we found a DVD on the wheel of our car. We put it in the machine and it was a video of a man's wife with a massive dildo who went on to pleasure herself with it until she was all Niagra Falls over the lens. That will haunt me until the day I die!
Alex: Especially in the last decade there seems to have been a wave of reunions. Black Sabbath with Ozzy in 2012, Led Zeppelin in 2007, Judas Priest with Rob Halford in 2004. They are all giants of the rock scene. Where do you think did this reunion wave come from?
Lord Zion: Because they are no longer getting the big royalty cheques from selling zillions of albums. To stay in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed, they have had to swallow their pride, get back together and give the paying public what they want.
Alex: What can you tell us about your future?
Lord Zion: The three M's! Music, Movies and Mayhem.
Alex: That's it! Thanks again for your effort. Is there anything left you would like to tell your fans out there?
Lord Zion: All I would ask is that people check out our various sites and connect with us online. So please visit us on:
http://www.spitlikethis.com
http://www.facebook.com/spitlikethis
Support us by buying some very awesome merch from http://www.smellyourmum.com and check out the movie stuff at: http://www.facebook.com/meetthecadavers
Thank you!
Moderation: Alexander Kipke

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