"I really liked Michael Jackson"

He has been among the most famous drummers in heavy metal even before joining SratovariusВ in 1996. JOERG was a vital part of the likse of Running Wild, Rage, Axel Rudi Pell, Mekong Delta, Grave Digger, Headhunter etc.

STRATOVARIUS are now going to play for the first time in Sofia - Bulgaria on 24 January 2010.

an interview conducted by Vassil Varbanov

PLEASE TELL US, WHAT ARE YOU GUYS UP TO?
Right now, we all actually went home. I just returned home yesterday. We played a couple more shows in Finland. We were on the road since May or something. So everybody feels good and now we are looking for a safe Christmas break before we all go on the road again in the beginning of January. Everything is happy and everything is exhausted, so it’s nice to have a little break, but it’s also nice to continue the tour!

YOU PERSOANLY, BEING THE DRUMMER – THE MOST ATHLETIC GUY IN A BAND, HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR TIME OFF?
Well, during a tour there is no really a day off. You have to keep your skills and go to the practice room and the rehearsal room once in a while…But basically, right now I am spending some time also with my family.

I have something to work as I also run a small booking agency for some bands. And of course, enjoying my favorite football team - Borussia Dortmund… drinking a few beers and having a good time.

YEAH YEAH, THE TYPICAL

GERMAN WAY OF HAVING FUN …BEER, FOOTBALL...
I am just an ordinary guy, you know …

ALRIGHT, SO TELL US, WHAT IS TO BE AN ORDINARY GERMAN GUY INSIDE A TYPICAL FINNISH POWER METAL BAND?
Well, in fact this is a very unusual constellation. And it was also very surprising for me at the time when Timo Tolkki called to ask me if I could be a permanent member of Stratovarius, sending me down the tapes.

And I was really blown away. It was a demo tape for the 'Episode' album. I was very impressed and thought why not giving it a chance. Of course, at the beginning it is not so easy because they speak a completely different language, you don’t understand a word they are saying.

But it doesn’t actually matter where you come from or here you are born or which color your skin has…It matters where your head is at.

….And I think we have a very good team for many many years. And this is great. I’m in this band now for almost 14 years and believe me, you won’t play in a band for 14 years when you hate it!

YEP, BUT YOU SAID THAT YOU GOT BACK HOME TO HAVE FUN WATCHING FOOTBALL AND DRINKING A BEER OR TWO…DOES IT MEAN YOU GET TIRED FROM TIME TO TIME OF BEING SURROUNDED BY VODKA DRINKING PEOPLE WHO TALK ICE HOKEY?
Ha ha ha ha, not exactly. The ice hokey think is maybe not my cup of tea, but I still admire the skills of Finland. Unfortunately, most of the times they loose, but this is also like a good joke.
Now, Finnish people have much more to come and by now I really love this country! This is a great country with great people and very nice hospitality. They don’t talk so much, so it’s a little bit of a new experience for everybody who’s coming there. But after a while you start adapting this and when you know how they click, then at a certain point it’s a very nice country. I would say it’s my second home by now.

YEAH, BUT YOU STILL LIVE IN GERMANY, RIGHT?
Yes. All over these years I still lived in Germany, but there were times when I was spending more time in Finland then in Germany.В 

YOU ACTUALLY MADE YOUR REPUTATION EVEN BEFORE JOINING THIS VERY FAMOUS FINNISH BAND. PLEASE TELL US, WHAT ARE THE RUMOURS FROM THE RUNNING WILD CAMP, ARE THE GUYS PLANNING TO GET BACK TOGETHER AGAIN ANY SOON OR IT’S OVER FOR EVER?
Oh, I am not a member of Running Wild anymore since 1997. This is almost 12 years ago. I saw Rolph briefly this summer when he played his last show at Wacken open air. For me it was a great pleasure and a great honor to play in Running Wild.

There are so many rumors saying this or that about the band…But I personally always have had a great time. And I don’t think they have any plans to get together. I think Running Wild is disbanded by know, they just played and last show and Rolf basically buried this band! Unfortunately also for me. But this is as far as I know!  

THROUGH YOUR CARRER YOU HAVE PLAYED MAINLY IN BANDS OF POWER AND CLASSICAL METAL ETC. BUT YOU ARE PROBABLY ALSO INTO OTHER GENRES…WHAT MUSIC ARE YOU LISTENING TO AT HOME?
Well, this is of course a little bit difficult to say. Basically, I am a guy who’s coming out of the 70s and the 80s when I grew up with music. And this is where my heroes and my idols came from. And many times I still listen to the same old bands I’ve been listening to for 20 years – Deep Purple, Cream, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden.

There are of course many cool bands that came a little bit later, like Metallica, Rammstein – these are also bands  I like to listen to. I also have my heart in certain classical composers, like he greatest of all greatest – Ludwig Van Beethoven..

YEAH…
Also Mussorgsky of course…a Russian composer, but in general, most of the stud I’m still listening to is basically stuff from the 80s. heavy metal music. New Wave of British kind of stuff. So this is what I’m still listening to.

WELL, SINCE YOU HAVE BEEN ON TOUR FOR MONTHS AND PLAYING AND LISTENING TO THE SAME STUFF EVERY NIGHT, I WAS THINKING WHEN BACK HOME, YOU ARE PROBABLY CHILLING OUT WITH SOME DIFFERENT MUSIC, BUT YOU ARE OBVIOUSLY REDESCOVERING THE ROOTS OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING, WRIGHT?
Yes, of course. And there are certain artists and styles I admire for certain things. For example, what sounds probably a little bit unusual for you but I was also a big fan of Michael Jackson. Especially the way he was doing all his rhythm things with the computer or with the playing, whatever. I think he was an absolutely impressive artist. Well. I was never a real fan of him, if you know what I mean.

WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE STILL IN THE BAND THAT SWEDISH GUY, JEN JOHANSON PLAYING THE KEYBORDS, WRIGHT?
Yes?

AND HIS BROTHER IS A DRUMMER AND A VERY FAMOUS ONE…PLAYING IN HAMMERFALL AT THE MOMENT…DID YOU FEEL ANY PRESSURE THEY WERE TRYING TO HAVE THE TWO SWEDISH BROTHERS PLAYING TOGETHER AND TO KICK YOU OUT OF STRATOVARIUS SO THEY CAN HAVE ANDERS INSTEAD?
Ha ha ha! Noooo. I think first of all, Anders is playing since many many years in Hammerfall and I am pretty sure he’s kind of happy about it, and I also do know that everybody is very happy with the way I play for Stratovarius, so I wouldn’t think a second about them thinking kicking me out of the band to put Anders in.

HA HA HA...
We went actually very tight together when Timo Tolkki left the band. It was Jens Johansson, Timo Kotipelto and me who really wanted to keep this idea and the band Stratovarius alive. And I think there’s low danger any of the current Stratovarius gets fired or exchanged for another musician.

THIS LAST QUESTION MAY SOUND A BIT WEIRED TO YOU BUT, WE JUST REDISCOVERD LEMMY’S BIOGRAPHY, SO WE CAN SAY WE ARE A BIT INFLUENCED BY AND NOTHING CAN STOP ME TO ASK YOU – BEEN THE DRUMMER, YOU ARE FORCED TO SEE YOUR BANDMATES FROM BEHIND – SO WHO’S THE BEST LOOKING OF THEM…FROM BEHIND…
Hah, it’s a tough question… And I can say that I never though about it! Well, Timo Kotipelto has probably a very athletic kind of drift performing on stage! But I think all the guys have a ceratain character to offer! And everybody does it good in his own way! But I don’t thing about that, really!

YEAH, BUT OF COURSE, YOU CAN ALSO HAVE THE BLINDERS IN YOUR FACE, HAHAHA...В 

Ha ha ha ha.

rights Tangra Mega RockВ 

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