Being careful with Richard Z Kruspe (Rammstein, Emigrate) interview

Sehr-gut day

Today's email from editor-in-chief truly made my day. He wrote me that Richard Z Kruspe and one of the Metallica's guitarists would be interested in an interview. The reason why their management didn't ignore or deny my request, which Rammstein mgt did few weeks ago btw, was the ESP guitar brand. God bless them. Question for Richard were just sent...

Call from above 

I work for a Czech gear-oriented magazine Muzikus for about five years now and I can truly call it my journalist home. I got also a “flat" at a mainstream mag Rock&Pop and occasional stays at few other magazines, but those guys gave me tremendous space and a motivation to grow. Interviews and articles play crucial role, but most of the space receive gear reviews and some all star commercials. One of them is also a world famous brand for guitars, called ESP, from Japan. 

This German bad boy or unreachable Metallica poster icons might deny everybody through their management, but when an ESP papa says go, even they, have to listen. I imagine a call like this: "Hey Kirk, cut the solarium for a while and listen for a moment. Do you like your new Frankenstein guitar? Great, here is a number to old central Europe, dial that thing and call a dude in Prague. 

Be gentle bitte schön

Metallica would be available during the release of their next album, but Richard would not mind a promotion right now, as he just released a second album with his side project Emigrate. You might think it’s great to get an interview like that, but there is always a big part of responsibility. Names like that always get an attention. I checked that during his career, he gave few interviews to Czech journalists, but there were rarely any questions on gear. Plus he never seems ultra friendly and his answers were mostly two short sentences. Therefore I started with gear questions, which get the musician on your side, before you work up towards more controversial questions. In general, I told myself, I gotta be really careful so I don’t piss him off over the email. Otherwise he could send on me a collection of pink Rammstein dildos, which would schpönk me in my arschloch! Questions were just sent and will see, what will come back. Front cover candidate promise, might make him go gently and tolerate the size on my questions, on four word pages…

Waiting for Scott Ian's (Anthrax) call

Catching a rock star

I wanted to get an interview with this metal legend for about three to four years now, but he always managed to get around. Not my fault, he is easily recognizable! Have you seen that guy's beard? ;D The case was, he either cancelled the press conference at a summer festival or his management denied any interviews upfront straight away. That's why I had to use the power of a "side project".

Side project of a famous musician is an incredible option for him/her to relax from a stressful cash cow like Anthrax but it is also an amazing chance for an interview. Big names are sick of interviews, as they have been given them for decades and you would not be happy to discuss your most heart breaking break-up or death in family after every show. However, if you form a new band, you suddenly need a promotion. Bands like that often skip major label and sign to a smaller one (with all respect to Metal Blade) as they don't need giant promo and they can give them more attention. Scott Ian, legendary guitarist and the last remaining founding member of thrash metal band Anthrax, decided after his 50th birthday to form an all-star band with his wife and few VIP musicians. They gave each other name Mother Sister, but the story starts with Mother Superior, long term rock'n'roll band from New York. They played on his bday party, based on Scott's personal wish. Mutual respect and few drinks led to a point, where Scott offered them a project. They could all relax, use their extensive skills and just play rock music, which they fell in love as kids. The moment I heard about it, I used my Metal Blade contact and arranged an interview on Feb18th at 18:30 and waited...

Waiting for reply

I usually invest a lot of time in the preparation, therefore for days I listened to Mother Superior, watched bunch of documentaries and read interviews with Scott. I wanted to get my hand on Mother Sister’s album asap, but due to the fact, album was supposed to be released in about three weeks (March 10th) I had to wait, until I was given a permit on Metal Blade's ipool, which happened on the day of the interview. So, I was lying in my bed since five o'clock watching some cool video interviews with Scott (very few all star musicians give them in such a quantity), writing additional notes and at the background I was listening to a new Motor Sister. 

17:30 - Message for Scott on skype: "Hey, talk to you in an hour, Dan (Rock&Pop CZ)" 

18:25 - Getting ready, voice recorder works, skype functions checked (this b*stard betrayed me few times...well, I didn't set it fully every time and used it on numerous devices ;D). 

18:30 - First call, "call denied". Well, stuff like that happens. Some big fan couldn't resist asking one more question or Scott just went to take a piss. 

18:40 - No call until now, so let's go for a second try... "Call denied". Did I check my time correctly? Often times get confused. CET, summer time, winter time… Nope

18:30 CET, I got it fine. Well, let's get back to Mother Sister and New Star Soccer on my phone. I'm addicted on this game for the past two weeks! It's sth between football manager and mobile FIFA. Well, really old one, but you'll get fully addicted. I did, not only because I won two league titles with Manchester United in a row. 

19:00 - Maybe I received a slot half an hour later. Nope, "Call Denied". 

19:30 - What about there was a time misunderstanding and it was an hour later? Once again "Call Denied"!

19:40 - I wrote to my Metal Blade contact and a dude from New Jersey, who reminded me earlier with Scott's skype that sth must have been wrong today. Reply came right away: "Scott has been having massive trouble with Skype. We will have to reschedule. Also from now on they are doing interviews via phone only."                                

 ...talk to you later, Scotty