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Interview with Doro Pesch
April 30th 2009 by Rob Webley |
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Very few bands make it to the 25 years
milestone, of those that do, many find themselves playing fewer gigs
in progressively smaller venues to the handful of people that still
remember them. A very few manage to continue playing to similar
sized audiences that they started out with, but even then, most of
the audience are there waiting to hear the early stuff…
And then there is Doro, celebrating 25 years with a tour that
started in April and will continue until Christmas, playing material
from her brand new album, making appearances at festivals worldwide,
playing to more people on this one tour than Warlock ever did, and
yes there will be old classic songs in the set, but the audience
will be just as happy to hear her more recent material as the songs
they know and love of old. Fitting for a woman who tore up the heavy
metal rule book, merely being female was something of a rarity in
the metal scene when she started out; rarer still was being female
and any good. Doro, of course went one step further, being female
and noticeably better than most of her male contemporaries.
Doro, somehow, despite spending a quarter of a century (so far!) in
the single minded pursuit of her dreams, has never once become the
insufferable control freak or ego centric prima donna that Rock &
Roll so often turns it’s heroes into. Instead she is known
throughout the rock world as one of the nicest people you could ever
wish to meet, genuine, sincere, thoughtful and very humble.
A keen supporter of both animal rights, being the face in Germany of
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (while we have to make
do with the far less photogenic Paul McCartney), and of human rights
too with her support of Terre Des Femmes. I can’t help but notice
too; she’s still as stunningly beautiful as the first time I saw her
staring out from the cover of Triumph And Agony.
So, firstly congratulations on 25 years, how does that feel?
Oh man, it feels great! Time was really flying. It doesn’t feel like
25 years, it feels like maybe 5 years. It’s really great, especially
now, the last couple of years, it reminds me of the early ‘80’s
again, I think metal and rock has grown so big all over the world
again.
Did you think 25 years ago, that you would
still be touring worldwide, with a brand new album, and that your
popularity if anything would still be growing, conquering new
countries and creating new fans everywhere you go?
No, no, no. I remember I had this manager for seventeen years, Alex
was his name, and when I met Alex I said “well I want to do it ‘til
I’m 25, and then I’ll die anyway!” he asked “why is that?” and I
said “well, it’s because I always give so much, like 150% and I will
probably not survive past 25” and he said “Man, I have to change
you.” When he took us on as management, he said “OK you have to give
up smoking; and not much drinking”, and yeah… I’m still alive! He
definitely helped me to pass my 25th birthday.
But it has been a tremendous time, many, many ups, and many downs
too, but I guess when there’s so much light, there’s some kind of
shadow too you know? You have to take the good with the bad, but it
was an amazing time. |
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Speaking of the whole 25 years, you’ve tried to represent the sound
of 25 years on the new album haven’t you?
Yeah, the whole spectrum! From good old school song writing like
Night of The Warlock, with the long intro, to heavy stuff like
Caught In A Battle which is one of our heaviest songs in the last
twenty years, and yeah, I love anthems like Celebrate, which
reminded me of like, True As Steel or All We Are, and some ballads –
I always love ballads, we have Herzblut, and the song Walking With
The Angels which is a duet with Tarja, I think they came out really
nice. I’m really happy, and yes I think that all the 25 years are on
this album.
And the artwork was done by Geoffrey Gillespie who did the Triumph
And Agony album cover, he did many covers for us, and I called him
again. When I start an album I get a feel of if it should have a
photo or a painting, whether it’s more metal, or something
different. This time I knew the album would be more metal, so I
called him up right away! I said “Geoffrey, I want to use your
artwork again” and he said “Can I put The Warlock in the picture?”
and I said “Yes, definitely!” because the second song written for
this album was The Night of The Warlock, plus for the 25th
anniversary show we had a big stage and a big warlock, which took
like a year to build, and I thought OK, we have the big warlock
coming up behind the drum riser, it deserves a song.
His artwork really does match your sound so
perfectly
I think so too, and he always comes up with something that I love,
and that the fans love. He’s English, and he lives in France and I
met him in ’87 and ever since we’ve been great friends and whenever
he does something I’m always so happy.
Sometimes when his artwork comes in the mail, I can’t open it for a
couple of days, because I’m so excited, but so nervous at the same
time, then after a couple of days I have a little peek, and then I’m
like “Oh, it’s nice!” |
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One thing that really comes across is your
absolute love of performing, it’s as if you were born for the stage.
Actually, I must say, I only feel that way when I feel that the fans
love it. If I feel like the audience is not so into it, then I can’t
be as good as when the audience is like totally into it. I think I
can be like ten times better when the audience is loving it. So to
me the audience are the sixth band member, they are so crucial. But
yeah, I like making people happy, and when I see the excitement
levels rising, I love it SO MUCH!
I remember going with a bunch of friends to
see you on the Warrior Soul tour when you played Rock City and they
put you on in the little room downstairs,
Oh yeah! (laughs)
and we were like, there’s no way she’s going
to play this room, we’ll get like 3 songs and they’ll go home.
Oh, no, no, no!
Then you came on and did a setlist that filled
3 A4 sheets and played with all the intensity as if you were doing a
festival. Two and a half years later, we’re still talking about what
a fantastic night that was.
Oh, yeah, I had some roll cases to stand on because the stage was so
small, but it was such fun, I loved it you know? Sometimes the
smallest places can be the best fun, and I loved it.
Tonight our setlist is only 45 minutes, that’s just 9 songs,
(Earthshaker Rock, I Rule The Ruins, You’re My
Family, Burning The Witches, Night of The Warlock, Celebrate, True
As Steel, Breaking The Law, All We Are) which for us… oh it
was hell to choose just 9 songs, but I am so glad to be on this tour
because it brings us to places we haven’t been to before, or that we
haven’t been to in a long time, so it’s great, and being on tour
with Saxon is always wonderful. We did it a few years ago and I
think it’s a great partnership, and I was always a big Saxon fan,
even before Warlock I remember Wheels of Steel and Denim And
Leather, and for us metal heads, that was IT, so it’s fantastic.
You’re going to be playing The Metal Female
Voices Festival again this year
Yeah, in Belgium.
Does it ever strike you that maybe without
your success, making it possible for women to be taken seriously in
metal bands; that festival and half the bands on it might not even
exist?
Oh, man… I don’t know… I think… I just love what I do, and if some
people feel inspired to form a band too, or to pick up an
instrument, or sing, then that’s good. But like when we started
there were a couple of really great female singers already out
there, like Lee Aaron, Wendy O Williams, and Rock Goddess, so I
think there were some great women already out there. But now it’s so
much more, and there’s so many more metal genres, especially in the
gothic metal area, they have many great powerful voices. But yeah,
sometimes, especially in Spain, people say “We saw the All We Are
video and we wanted to form a band” so, if somebody got inspired
this way…
I guess if you have metal in your heart, it doesn’t matter where
you’re from, or if you’re a man or woman, but I suppose I was
influenced by many male singers myself, like Dio, Rob Halford, Biff
and David Coverdale.
But it’s great to have a festival with all the female fronted bands
together, we did one in the States, in Seattle. That was awesome. I
think my guys in the band were like the only guys at the festival!
But the great thing about the festival in Belgium is the guy who is
putting it together, he always does great things, he really cares,
you know.
Your lyrics often seem very personal, like the
words are coming straight from your heart. Does it ever feel weird
exposing your soul to so many people?
No, because I think it’s the greatest thing to connect with people.
I was inspired by great lyrics myself. I know everybody has
different tastes, or different needs. Sometimes when you’re really
down or depressed, you maybe pick out a song to pick you up or give
you good energy. So I think that’s good.
When we first started, the lyrics maybe weren’t as important - as we
couldn’t speak good English, but over time it got more and more
important, and now, the last 10 years, the lyrics are always there
first. The best thing is when the lyric and the melody comes out all
in one. Then you feel Oooh! That’s like a magical feeling!
I love soulful lyrics, honest lyrics, meaningful lyrics, but not on
every song, sometimes a song like Celebrate, it’s just like a big
party! But on other songs, like Walking With The Angels, I wanted to
write a spiritual song, that there is some angel power out there
that you can call on, if you have absolutely nobody to turn to or
talk to, and I experienced it myself, so many times I have thought
I’m going to write a song about it, and then I thought it would be
better to have someone with an angelic voice on it, so I called up
Tarja and sent her the song, and she loved it, and I sang on a song
for her too (The Seer).
Sometimes I think lyrics are really important, for different stages
in life. I had a couple of really close people in my life die, and
it was for me an absolute nightmare, and still is, so I had to write
about that. The song Undying, people write to me and say that the
song has given them hope and helped them through the same thing in
their lives, so I feel it is important to write these things. |
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You
have an incredible work ethic, if you’re not touring, you’re writing
new material, rehearsing, promoting… do you ever have any time for a
holiday, or any hobbies outside of music?
Actually, I have never had a vacation in my life! Usually I am
working like 20 hours a day. It’s so hard; you have to keep at it
all the time. I think I couldn’t take a break and then go back to
touring or the studio. I have to stay in the zone all the time. It’s
better, for me, than taking a real break. I can’t imagine that it
would do any good!
There’s always so much stuff to do when you have a new record coming
out, to even finish the record is a lot of work and very time
consuming. Then when the record is coming out, you want it to do
good, so you have to do all the promotion tours everywhere, and then
when you go on tour, there are so many countries to play. Now even
more so than in the ‘80’s because Russia, China, The Czech Republic,
we can tour there now, and they all make us feel really at home.
But I love to work! I enjoy it the most when the fans are there of
course, meeting them before the show, obviously during the show, and
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the show I
always like to talk to them and see what they feel, what they liked,
what they didn’t like, whatever. I always feel we are deeply
connected, and I feel more connected to my fans than I feel to my
closest friends.
Well, it’s certainly a lifestyle that seems to
suit you, because I have to admit, the first time that I decided to
listen to Warlock, it was because I had seen a photo of you, and
thought “wow, she’s beautiful. What does she sound like?” and now,
twenty odd years later you actually look more beautiful now than you
did then.
Oh, no, that’s not true! It’s always up to how I feel, after a show
I feel so drained and exhausted, or after a tour; I look like 150
years old! And it depends on the stage of the tour too, now we are
just a week or so into it… but in a couple of months it’s like (she
uses her hands to pull her face out of shape) “uurgh!” (laughs)
It does seem like this leg of the tour was designed to tire you out,
Glasgow, Sheffield, Newcastle, Manchester, Bristol then
Wolverhampton – Who on earth planned that?
I’m just happy to be here! Someone says “Time to go” and I’m on the
tour bus again looking forward to whatever comes next.
Sometimes, I guess the venues are not free on certain nights, so you
have to go back and forth. Actually it’s nearly always like that all
over the world.
You surround yourself with people with the
same kind of work ethic as yourself, pretty much everyone in the
band plays in other bands too. Is it difficult to get everybody
together at the same time?
Yes, for the English leg of this tour we have the ex guitarist for
After Forever, Bas Maas. Joe (Taylor - Doro’s usual guitarist since
1993) he has a solo project going and they are opening for Black
Label Society in the States, and the dates clashed, but I said “Joe,
go for it!” and I called Bas, so I always have to see that the
family stays together, but also that everybody has the chance to do
whatever they want to do too, you know, not to hold them back. Times
are tough too, and everybody is trying to get as much work as they
can. You know, if I am on promotion tours for months I don’t want
them sitting home with nothing to do!
It’s not like in the ‘80’s when you could have the band on a
retainer, so I am glad when they do other stuff.
Olly, our keyboard player, is doing stuff for Kamelot, and he did
his own solo record too now, so we have Luca at the minute, but it’s
like all within the family you know?
Is there any one thing in the 25 years so far
that stands out as a particular achievement?
Oh, many things! Many highlights… Definitely playing Monsters of
Rock at Castle Donington, that was definitely a door opener for many
things. The first tour with Judas Priest in ’86, our first real tour
in England with W.A.S.P. was great. My first American tour with
Megadeth was unbelievable. Touring with Dio, and the Wacken
festivals are always fantastic.
Turning up at Wacken with a full orchestra,
that was something special.
Oh, that was great, we had, I think 60 people and I was so nervous!
The adrenaline was so high, and that was the first time we got
Warlock back together too, so there was two shows that day, the
orchestra show and the Warlock show too.
And of course, the 25th anniversary show is a real big highlight. We
played like 3 and a half hours. Many guests were there and it was
one of the greatest shows, we are putting the DVD together now.
That was going to be my next question.
Yes, definitely, but it’s so much work, three and a half hours needs
to get sorted out. It will take time! The record company wanted it
already, but I listened to it, and it’s great, but the other DVDs
have so much extra presentation and other features, I want this to
have the same, so… The other DVDs took like a year to put together,
but it’s definitely in the making.
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Speaking of DVDs, will Anuk be coming out on DVD?
Anuk, the path of the warrior, yeah it’s out in Switzerland and in
Germany and it has subtitles, it was never translated into English
as it was just an independent production and they didn’t have the
money to do other languages. But I think it came out so good, did
you see the video to the song Warrior Soul?
Yes
The whole film looks like that, there was so much heart and soul in
it, everybody worked for free there. We’re doing more stuff
together. Luke Gasser, I have just translated a documentary he made
about American Indians, and we’re working on the voice-overs, so
we’re always working together on some project or another. I love
independent movie makers, they’re so into it. It’s a shame that it
doesn’t always hit the big movie theatres, it’s more underground,
but that’s like metal – we’re kind of like the outlaws!
You’ve recently become involved with Terres
Des Femmes, can you tell me a little about that?
Yeah, it is an organisation that comes to the aid of women and girls
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find
themselves in trouble, or in need of help. Especially if they come
from backgrounds or religions that put them in danger, for example
when the girls get circumcised, horrible stuff, so they help to stop
things like that, and arranged marriages and honour killings, where
families kill their daughters for dating the wrong person.
Everyone thought that things were improving, but no, it’s getting
worse. So I definitely want to do what I can to help, and have
wanted to for years, but never knew which organisation I could trust
that they would take care of the problems, or to be sure that the
money was going where they say it is and that the organisation is
actually effective. But I have met the people there and I am happy
that I can support a really good cause.
At this point in the interview, a roadie came
in and announced it was time for the soundcheck – I realised that my
scheduled 15 minute interview had overrun massively, the time had
just flown past in Doro’s charming company and I thought “Oh no, I’m
in trouble now” It would have been the perfect excuse for getting
rid of me, but no, Doro said “we have to do the soundcheck
now, do you want to see the soundcheck? We can finish this
afterwards.”
I then went into the venue and saw the best and most precise
soundcheck I have ever witnessed, no messing about, no endless
debates over what should be coming out of which monitor, or who
needed to be able to hear what.
They played Night of The Warlock, and by the end of it, by a series
of hand signals to the sound desk, they had achieved the sound they
wanted. It was like watching Michael Schumacher setting one of his
perfect qualifying laps.
We then headed backstage once more, for the one question I had left.
You have played now a few times with Warlock, has all the legal
nonsense finally been sorted out?
Yes, I got the rights back to the name Warlock and now I’m allowed
to use the name again, we’re playing the Metal Wave festival in
Spain. All the Warlock guys have kids and normal professions, and
Nick (Douglas – Doro’s bassist for 20 years) is playing bass as the
original bass player has given up on music completely. So we can’t
get together that often, but we decided it would be great to do it
again, not so often, but maybe once in a while.
I then thanked Doro for a truly wonderful and
memorable experience that I shall treasure for the rest of my life,
and wandered out dazed and still barely able to believe I had
finally met her, after being a fan for so many years.
Meeting your heroes can be a dangerous thing, if they disappoint
you, it can feel truly horrible, if they live up to your
expectations, it is a wonderful thing.
Doro exceeded my expectations and then some. I’m writing this up a
week later, and I’ve still got the biggest smile on my face.
www.doropesch.com
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