“You don't have to listen to all these lies - just switch off the fucking TV!”

"Mastercutor" - the eleventh full-length studio album by the German heavy metal quintet U.D.O. - saw the light of day on May 18, 2007 via AFM Records. This was the reason for our conversation with the band's face and throat - former Accept icon HerrВ Udo Dirkschneider.

Vassil Varbanov: Hello Udo, how are you?

Udo Dirkschneider: Fine, thank you very much!

V. V.: Let's start with this one: Who's talking on the "Mastercutor" introduction?

Udo: He's a guy from England. His name is Frank Knight, and he's been working with us for nearly ten years now - he takes a look at our lyrics that we do them in correct English.

V. V.: He sounds like a cabaret presenter.

Udo: Yeah, but... In a way, he is the Mastercutor, introducing the whole... soul, you know. This title track is about all the perverse game shows that we have on TV, like "Big Brother", "Running Man", "Rollercoaster" and stuff like that, where sometimes you have to kill your best friend to get some points. He is the show master, presenting the whole album.

V. V.: To what extent have these TV programs and reality shows become disgusting for you?

Udo: It's horrible to see this on TV. I knowВ many people watch it, but this is completely stupid. The situation is like this all around the world, especially in Japan. The last time I was there, when you switch the TV on you see things you can't believe... The Japanese people are completely crazy about such stuff.

V. V.: The second song on the album is "The Wrong Side of Midnight", which starts like playing an old vinyl. Was this intentionally?

Udo: The whole story of this song is that sometimes, if you open some books and read some pages, you know that bad things are coming up, like the devil... Or when you go to the pyramids in Egypt and see some signs... You know what I mean? Like in some old movies, too - if you open up something, you might see the wrong side of this world, and maybe you're in trouble.

V. V.: Can we say there is a concept story uniting all the 12 songs on "Mastercutor"?

Udo: They're independent in a way, although the Mastercutor directs you through all the tracks. For example, "The Instigator" is about all the dictators we had and still have in this rude world. Then we have "Walker in the Dark", which is about all the perverse sexual things you can imagine. "Master of Disaster" is about how all politicians lie to us, like Bush with the war in Iraq... "The Devil Walks Alone" is about the drug devil - you know, stuff like drugs and alcohol and sex and whatever happens in the rock business... And in the end of the album, after the last song, "Crash Bang Crash", the Mastercutor says, "Thank you very much for listening! See you next time!"

V. V.: It's a dark record, isn't it?

Udo: I wouldn't say it's dark. Aggressive, melodic, modern - yes, but not dark.

V. V.: Yeah, but the things you sing about, like sexual perverts...

Udo: This is not dark, ha-ha-ha!

V. V.: But politicians are in a way...

Udo: Well, you can say this is the dark side of the world.

V. V.: Then what is the light side of the world - dances and tequila?

Udo: He-he! Dancing? Yes, sometimes... The light side is to enjoy this world - I think that's important. We don't have to listen to all lies told by politicians, dictators and all these fucking game shows. We can do different things, you know - just switch off the TV and read a book, for example.

V. V.: To finish with, I've got a special question for you. You're not very tall, aren't you?

Udo: No...?

V. V.: There's this kind of a clichГ© sentence for you and Ronnie James Dio - the short men with the big voices. Who is taller?

Udo: Me!

V. V.: Are you sure?

Udo: Yeah, I'm a little bit taller.

Copyright: Tangra Mega Rock