Hi
Martin… Congrats on “Rest In Sleaze”. As you might know, we have chosen
your album as the Surprise Album of the month!!! You really released an
excellent work!
M:
Thanx a lot! Sounds great!
Before
we go on to the new album can you give me a bio of the band in brief?
M:
The band formed in 2000 by leadsinger Dave Lepard. The band struggled on for
about 2 years (with a different lineup than today) and then broke up. In 2003
Peter London met Mr Lepard at a punkconsert and decided to reform Crashdiet.
Only days later Peters exband member Martin Sweet (me) joined together with
Eric Young.
And
why did you name the band Crashdiet? Who’s idea was?
M:
Dave was drunk out of his mind when he came up with the name. No one knows for
sure where it came from!!
OK.
As you may know, I consider “Rest In Sleaze” as one of the best debut
albums of the last decade! Although I believe the most important thing is that
with this album a new era of sleaze hard rock music has begun… I mean that
even though some very good albums have been released since 2001 on this genre
and we all knew that hard rock music was on the rise… we needed a debut that
would sealed that period and that would give the glory to this genre back.
What do you think of that?
M: We feel great
about the album and our goal was to bring back the Big Arena type of rock’ roll which I think we’ve managed to do and when people like
you love it, we’re of course satisfied!
Now
let’s say some things about the album. Firstly why did you title it “Rest
In Sleaze”?
M: We’ve used the “slogan”
for some years and even printed it on some of the early merchandise so it felt
natural for us to use “Rest
In Sleaze”.
What
do you had in mind while you were recording this album? To make it sound more
fresh and modern or to give it a retro feeling?
M:
We wanted a fresh sounding album, the only thing retro about the album would
be the big songs with big choruses fit for big shows.
When
did you realize that this album has many hits and that can bring you fortune
and fame? When the recordings were over or before that?
M: We’ve always
known that the songs could be big hits because we’ve
played them live for quite some time and the response from the audience tells
us what works and what doesnt.
Can
you make a comment about each song of the album? Just a line or two.
M:
“Knokk ‘Em Down”: Probably the heavist guitar riff I’ve heard
of.
“Riot
In Everyone”: No one
leaves a room without having ”Kidz of the underground” singing inside
their head, when they hear this song.
“Queen
Obscene/69 Shots”: A
classic from the beginning... Girls, Sex and shots of gasolin..
“Breakin’
The Chainz”: This
song was actually called “Breakin The Chainz” before Dave did the lyrics
to it. Since I wrote the music a just put a nametag on it, just to remember
it...
“Needle
In Your Eye”: One of
my favorites. It’s got a good groove to it that appeals to me.
“Tikket”:
The song we usually open the shows with.Works really well live.
“Out
Of Line”: Just
another kick ass song, could be the oldest one on the record cause we’ve
played it live since our first gig ever!
“It’s
A Miracle”: This
magical song will probably to it for us... we’ll
just have to wait and see.
“Straight
Outta Hell”: The
title says it all... what we are and were we come from.
“Back
On Trakk”: A
“Show-closer”.
Are
you totally satisfied with the album? Do you think that you have pushed your
music to the edge or this is just the beginning?
M:
You can always push it further in terms of making it sound better, but the
energy is there from the beginning, no matter how the album is mixed or
whatever... And this is definately the beginning. We already have songs for
the next album.
You
have also released several videos (five if I’m right) to promote this album
in a better way. That shows that your label believes in you and tries to
promote the album in the better way that it can. Are you totally satisfied
from your label’s promotion?
M: Yeah, they’ve
really done a good job to get us out there. At least here in Sweden. Our next
thing is to go international. We’ve done 4 videos so far, with “It’s
A Miracle”
coming out in just a few days here in Sweden.
Are
you going also to support the album by playing gigs in Europe and America? And
if yes which places are you going to visit?
M:
We’re doing Germany, Japan, and UK that I know of right now. USA will
unforunately have to wait. But it all depends on how the album sales are doing
over there when it gets released.
Who made the production of the album? Are you completely satisfied with it?
M:
We
had 4 different producers which meant 4 different studios and very spread out
recording sessions. That made it really hard to make it sound the same all
through the album and that was an early issue for us. But as time went on we
felt that is was refreshing to here different productions on different songs.
I thing no other rockband has done that before. So, I’d
say I’m
95% satisfied with the production.
Which
are those things that you would change if you had the chance again?
M:
You don’t fuck with the past.
What
are your expectations from this album and what should we wait from Crashdiet
in the future?
M:
Our expectations are pretty big and we’ve just started. We’ve only
promoted the album since september 2005 so there’s alot more to come. We’re
just gonna tour our asses off for the next year, that’s
what matters most to us.
Do
you think that the band’s image is part of the music that you play? Is it
too 80’s for nowadays?
M:
Sure
it’s part of the music we play, that’s how we got so far with the music.
But keep in mind that if our songs sucked, the image wouldn’t do the job by
itself. There are alot of people that hate us for bringing back the image in
rock n’ roll, but there are also even more people who love it.
Do
you have any plans of moving to U.S. or this is Europe’s time as it concerns
sleaze hard rock music?
M:
We all wanna move to Japan when the time is right. Since the LA-scene was over
decades ago in the States... Japan kicks ass!
Is
Sweden the L.A. of Europe?
M: I wouldn’t
know... We’ve
only toured Sweden so far and are about to find out about the other
countries...
Do
you believe that there was/is always an antagonism between the American and
the European bands, in the 80’s
and now, or it just the music that matters at the very end and not who leads
the scene?
M:
I really don’t
know since I was too young in the 80’s, but there was great music coming
from both sides.
How
far do you think that you can go with Crashdiet?
M: We can go all
they way, I’ve
known it from the beginning.
Are
there any details about the album that you would like to share? Funny stuff,
way of recording it?
M:
When we had just recorded the first song “Riot”, when the producers let us
borrow the studio to record some demos for the upcoming album. Instead of
being a creative band, we threw a big party inviting some really strange
people... It went on for two weeks. In the end: no new songs, only a trashed
studio. We thought it was the end of our record deal.
The
reaction from the press must have been glorious, right? Have you been
expecting it?
M:
Yes and no. Of course we hoped for great reviews, but we never thought it
would happen.
You
are a young band... how did you find the resources to compose something so
mature, despite your young age?
M:
I don’t know what you mean by mature... think half of the album is pretty
juvenile, which somehow was the point.
Which
are those bands that have influenced Crashdiet?
M:
Guns n’
Roses, W.A.S.P., KISS, hanoi rocks, GG Allen, Skid row, Aerosmith, the
Stones... the list goes on.
I
believe that the trademark of the band is Dave’s wonderful voice and the
excellent background vocals! Is this the secret of your succession?
M:
I suppose so, and also the great attitude that comes with it. Strong songs and
strong vocals.
Big,
early success usually blinds young musicians leading them to false movements
in the future (see Angra). Again, sometimes, after a glorious first album,
record companies start pressing for more and more releases, leading the bands
to the trap of repetition. Are you ready to face these challenges?
M:
We’re
already facing them. But since we’re a hungry band with no money, I thing
we’re ready to do anything.
And
some weird questions now to relax somehow!!! Which are the top 5 hard rock
albums of all time according to you and why?
Do
you consider Sweden as the capital of hard rock and metal music in the Europe?
M: W.A.S.P - “W.A.S.P.”
There isn’t
a song on this album that doesn’t
make you shit yourself from excitement.
KISS
- “Creatures
Of The Night”,
It’s hard to
choose a Kiss album since they’re
all great.
Aerosmith
- “Toys
In The Attic”,
What a fukking amazing album... Sweet Emotions etc..
Pantera
- “Cowboys
From Hell”,
The band that could have been the biggest band in the world, but Metallica
came in the way.
If
you were obliged to give just one album to extraterrestrials that which would
represent the whole human music… which album would it be and from which
band?
M:
What type of question is that? *laughs* The answer is ”Rest In Sleaze”!!!
Which
are the things that piss you off from today’s music industry?
M: Hiphop and Pop
with bad taste. It’s
also bothers me a little that people today don’t
buy records... But it’s
obious that something is wrong with the industry... Hopefully they come up
with a solution that will keep real music alive.
Do
you prefer the 80’s era of music or not?
M:
I prefer 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s...
Which
is the most overrated band today?
M:
Nickelback.
Which
band do you consider that can take a leading part in rock music in the future?
M:
There is none that I know of. Hopefully we’ll be a part of that some day.
Do
you believe that internet has helped the bands to become more popular or has
caused many problems?
M:
The only problem is the downloading. Internet has helped alot of newer band
like us. Spreading not only music but the our name. Without the internet
people wouldn’t
know of us outside Sweden... before we even had a record real.
What
would you tell to someone to convince him to buy your album instead of
hundreds others that are being released every month?
M:
This album is solid hard rock with 10 big songs to sing along on.
Do
you believe that the term “rock stars” suits you?
M: Jupp.
Imagine
that your girlfriend is selling your whole album-collection just to buy for
herself an expensive ring. How would you react? J
M: I would sell her and buy my albums back!!! J
Is
there something you would like to be questioned, but I didn’t ask??
I
think we’ve covered most of it.
All
my best wishes for the future Martin! Keep up the good work! Leave a message
to
M: Thanx and take care! To the rest of you: be sure to check out our album. Surely your hair will start growing within minutes!!!
Martin
Sweet.
by Thanos Aggelakis