Germany has thrown out a variety of musical acts since the beginning of time but there is one band that is unlike any other. This band are legendary and far most important on top of that, known as German Thrash Veterans known to everyone as DESTRUCTION! Bassist Schimer discusses with me about the band's 25 years of being together as a whole, as well as the current tour and upcoming over all plans for the rest of the 2009 year.
1. How is it going touring in the U.S. again?
Schimer: It’s a really good time together, we love coming over. We come here and play and play other countries and sometimes the promoters and stuff don’t give a fuck and get mad but we come out for the fans and to promote us and play and then tonight we’re playing in Anaheim and we can only play an hour what the fuck is that.
2. Everyone knows about metal music and people who love to headbang how do you tend to do it night after night? Have you ever had your neck go all wack where you were stuck in that position?
Schimer: I’m really trained and we started the bang we practiced for 2 years in my garage and we got use to headbang and now headbang for over 25 years usually no problems as of yet. On a long tour it does get painful but you get use to it but nothing really bad.
3. I got into you guys because of your song "Desecrators," off "Metal Discharge," (2003) how does it feel when you hear a fan give you a remark like that?
Schimer: It’s great ya know when people get into Destruction when they hear something from the band. It’s great to see the band writing material, and seeing what the fans think of it. We get a lot of new fans and old fans and what makes all the new and old stuff too.
4. What was the idea for the VIP Competition Contest you have running on your site, what did you think of what I told you, why did you pick me?
Schimer: We wanted to get some fans, to have a chance and get stuff signed and sometimes ya know it’s not too easy to get in contact with the fans or they tend to miss us because we go eat or if I hang at the merch table I try to meet the fans, I think it makes the show more special.
I was looking for people who had good stories to tell and there was this one guy traveled 18 hours from the North of Canada or why they love Destruction and the band so much and I was looking for something that was interesting or had real meaning that hits you right away and a lot of people wrote to us and it was very overwhelming and we’re going to announce the last 5 winners this week for the last couple of shows. Like at the Key Club it was more difficult because it was hard to accept our passes and stuff.
5. You guys have only one DVD around "Live Discharge," why just the one?
Schimer: It’s the Anniversary DVD which should be out by Christmas time, which will have a few shows on it and then we’re releasing a double live album that was filmed at the Key Club in Hollywood and New York that should be out this summer. Overall it should be very entertaining.
6. Happy 25 Years by the way, how does it feel to be around for that long, done any parties in celebration?
Schimer: We have a party everyday actually we’re celebration and this tour is the biggest tour we’ve ever done as Destruction and it started back in September in South America and since then we’ve been on the road countless we just love being on the road and just tour and it’s going to end come December in Austria and we just party everyday on the tour bus. I remember so much from the old days and it doesn’t seem that long actually.
7. I read in another interview floating around the net that you guys have toured with other thrashers Slayer, any chances of seeing you guys going out on tour again?
Schimer: It depends on if we get invited ya know we had great tour with them on the Hell Awaits Tour but when they had Metallica’s tour manager and he was a total prick to us. We always want to play with other thrash legends and bands. But that manger isn’t working with them anymore sine that tour so that’s good. Fans like Motorhead and supporting them on tour many times. Even after 25 years its all about touring.
8. "D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N." is your tenth accomplishment Happy 10! What was the whole process for this record, i.e. title, artwork, lyrics does it go down the routes of your earlier works?
Schimer: It’s actually 13 I think and then the other guys did like 3 or 4 without me, I think it’s 10 albums with me and then like 3 or 4 live albums with out, but altogether probably 17 albums actually. I’m not sure I don’t really count the albums I’m not sure. *Laughs*
The race of mankind and people can relate and how they’re selfish and don’t care anymore about others and all about them and rule all over the world. It’s still a global effect and the lyrics on it and it starts in the daily lives and goes through what the economy is going through. Its necessary we basically behave like caveman and how we act ya know.
9. I noticed you guys rarely tour North America last time you were here was in 2006.
Schimer: It’s difficult for us, the shows are far and it costs a lot of money the tour bus, and traveling costs a lot of money and we don’t really make money we try and sell our merch and make money from that. We had a lot of great shows last year and we played here in 2000, 2002, 2006, 2007, and now 2009 it’s not so bad. If we get invited for another tour then we will come back. There are so many states and spots we haven’t played its hard to get around, and then we get people that say when you coming back to the USA and then I’ll tell them we were just there!
10. What do you think of all these online communities, i.e. MySpace?
Schimer: I think those sites are really cool and MySpace is a global network and helps bands connect with their fans and have people listened to bands music. I run the MySpace of ours and our website and I dislike the people that hang out online and just talk shit to one another. In general I think the internet is great and when we started the band, it was impossible to connect with the fans but now that the internet is on I go on the Message Boards and communicate with the fans.
11. How is the current tour going, getting along with the other acts, what do you think of Mantic Ritual? I also got to interview them.
Schimer: It’s going really well and they play a fresh and thrash style that’s great and we have a great time and love what they do, their a young band and people at this age play music all sorts of metal, from metalcore and Mantic Ritual bring out the old school thrash.
12. What are the largest and smallest crowds you've played in front of?
Schimer: I think it was 80,000 was the biggest crowd ever and smallest crowd was in the middle of nowhere in Canada in a small little and it was probably a hundred thousand people. Playing so far out in the woods we play no matter the size big or small.
13. Do you remember the first show Destruction ever played?
Schimer: the very first show we played we were headling it was Sodom, Morbid Angel, Kreator and they were supporting it was back in September 1984 I think, and I remember I was so nervous I kept losing my bass pick I remember that really well.
14. Where do you see yourself and Destruction in twenty years?
Schimer: OMG Well who knows we’ll see how many years we will have at least 10 or 15 years my body will work but 20 years, we will see what happens.
15. So, how would you describe your sound to a stranger in three words?
Schimer: Sonic, Aggressive, Destruction music!
16. If you were interviewing yourself, what question would you ask yourself?
Schimer: Are you really the asshole everyone says you are?
17. What’s it like having me win your VIP Contest and getting the chance to interview you, double the trouble?
Schimer: What’s it like? I don’t know I saw your name on the guest list the same day, and saw your name on the list Natalie Perez and thought it was a funny thing.
And the Key Club I’m sorry there was a lot of chaos and stress and then the guest passes and some of the other guest passes didn’t have trouble but sometimes shit happens ya know?
18. Any final thoughts or comments?
Schimer: We’re gonna be at the B.B. King’s in New York, and hopefully we will be back in the future in maybe 2 years and thanks for supporting old school metal. Thrash till death!
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