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Scared to Death of Love

Screamworks will be published on Feb 12th ... massive sound ... is about love, death and obsessions. And Olaf Neumann talked to VV (if anybody wanted to know that lol)

What was your vision of the new album?
I wanted to mix Depeche Mode with Guns N’Roses, A-Ha with The Cult. Big american rockdrumming and Foo-Fighter’s-Guitars instead of Heavy-Metal-Attitude. In addition with electronik ala Kraftwerk. I think we did a loud album with melodies you can hum along to. I’ve never been happier about an album. One of the reasons might be that I wasn’t constantly drunk this time.

How does abstinence influence your creativity?
Being sober hasn’t changed anything except that I spend less time in bars and more time in the studio now. I’ve always written my music sober. Not until the tour did hell break out of me.

Are you a perfectionist in the studio?
This album is perfect without sounding perfectionist. I don’t like the sound to be too polished. I’d prefer it to be a bit unpolished every now and then. That’s a fine line.

You’ve had a big hit in 2007 with “Summerwine”. Wasn’t there any room for another duett?
No, this time I restricted myself to the band. We wanted to keep it as simple as possible. Everybody should just play his own main instrument. Once you get started asking other people the list gets endless. We are friends with a lot of singers.

*names song titles* Where does your preoccupation with death come from?
I don’t flirt with death, I just do verbal acrobatics. Sabbath called one of their songs “Electric Funeral”. I refer to that. Und the melancholy “Dying Song” is a metaphor for life itself which vanishes bit by bit. We humans aren’t made for eternity. So we should enjoy every day. “Scared to Death” describes situations everybody knows. You are scared to death of falling in love because you’ve had some bad experiences with that.

Are your songs about your own personal experiences?
Of course I write about personal experiences. I wouldn’t say love hurts but it definitly is complicated. Nontheless relationships have always been an important part of my life. When I started the record I had just met somebody. So I wrote songs about my fears. I was afraid of repeating the same mistakes again.

What mistakes?
I don’t want to go into detail. Everybody does their own mistakes and sometimes behaves like an ass in a relationship. I think that couples are too willing to compromise. Like: “We are old. We won’t find anything better anymore. So let’s rather stay together.“

Do you think that as well?
That wouldn’t be my cup of tea. I’m a convinced romantic. Meeting somebody you wanna share your life changes everything. I want intensity.

Are life as a traveling musician and a steady relationship compatible?
Except for me everybody in the band is married or in a steady relationship. Some even have kids. So it is manageable. But the others don’t write songs. They aren’t there when the record is being mixed, they don’t have to do interviews. They record their parts and then they go back home. That’s okay, that’s how it’s been for years. For me personally it’s increadibly hard to start my own family.

How romantic is life with Rock’n’Roll?
The image is that you are on the road every night and shag everything that moves. But reality is different. Most of the time you sit in a bus or a plane thousands of kilometers away from home. But I haven’t given up on love yet.

Would you change your life for somebody?
No. I think, music is what makes me who I am. If a woman were really interested in me she wouldn’t care what I do professionally. I would be heartbroken without music. And anyway I’m married to the new record at the moment.


(credit to shining_rose at valo_daily)