ASSHOLE FANS

Heavy metal is often said to be an outlet for aggression and frustration. That’s spot on, especially if you’re talking about going to live shows. Cause the main thing you need to know about live gigs is that it’s the law of the jungle – survival of the fittest.

And metalheads have definitely embraced the idea of gender equality too – because they don’t give a fuck if you’re a girl, they will gladly punch you, kick you, try to climb on you – whatever it takes to get you to move. Don’t expect being treated like a lady at a rock concert, you’re gonna get the same shit as any guy, if not worse. Take it or leave it.

But having been a rocker all my life, it’s not like I haven’t learned how to deal with these things. Bring it on.
A friend of mine told me about her experience at a Pretty Maids concert in Copenhagen the other night.

[Axl Rose gets pissed at random crowd-assholes: “You’re fucking up other people’s show!”]

“Their fans seem to consist of giant six-foot guys who haven’t been taught by their mothers to behave nicely. I tried to stay upright but the stage was just two inches high and the dude was hanging with his entire weight on me. I know he was aiming for the “little blonde slender lady” at the front cause he thought it would be a piece of cake to get her to move. Well – wrong bitch!

He tried every trick in the book to get me to move and when I fought back he gave me the kind of look that said “if you can’t take the pressure, get the fuck out”. So at some point while he was hung over me, I took the opportunity to lean on the monitor for support, then I reached back, streched and grabbed his family jewels – and TWISTED for all I was worth!
When I turned around his cocky face had vanished and he was staring at me with astonishment and probably pain – and what do you know. He left to find somebody else to bother!

I can accept those who are there to jump, scream and have a good time, but these assholes who are consciously trying to hurt others to give up their spot – THAT I will NOT accept!”

I know the feeling. Things that you would never do in any other situation, you will find yourself doing at a rock concert. And it feels good, because you don’t have to feel bad about it – those assholes are asking for it. I’m sure we’ve all been there. There’s always one or a few of those airheads at every show. To quote Dave Mustaine at a Megadeth concert at the Hard Rock Caf’e in Las Vegas, who pointed at a fan and said: “There is an asshole in every crowd. Guess you just volonteered!”

[Another yell-at-fashole fan incident: Megadeth-Mustaine vs The Laser Kid]

Brings me back to a W.A.S.P concert a few years ago when me and my friend Henny were standing in the front and some drunken tool decided that we had taken “his” spot. He was doing everything to get us to move and he just wouldn’t stop. Henny got pissed off and stomped on his toes with her high heel boots for all she was worth (man, it hurt just to SEE it, I can only imagine how it felt when that this pierced the dude’s toes!).

But he was too high on something to let that stop him, so I found myself doing something I’d never done before (and probably won’t try again) – I thrusted back my head, full force and hit him right in the face. Nice headbutt, it even ached in MY head, I honestly didn’t dare to turn around to see what that did to the dude. Must have broken his nose or kicked out a few teeth, I don’t know. All I know is that after that – the torture stopped!

[Dave Grohl: Hey, you motherfucker in the striped shirt! Get the fuck out of my show right now!]

It’s not like you would EVER do anything like that in ANY other situation. But sometimes it just feels like you have the right to do it.

Some bands have asshole crowds, more than others. Motley Crue is one of those bands. Their audience isn’t exactly the civilized kind – and by that I mean that eventhough there is always pressure in every front-row situation, some people are easier to deal with than others.
Even the Slayer-fans were nicer. It was HELL standing in the Slayer-crowd at Graspop, but two guys actually let me come between them so I could lean on the barricade. Would NEVER happen with any Nikki Sixx-fanatic, that’s for sure.

[Henry Rollins beats up a fan who’s being a pain in the ass]

Whitesnake-fans are great, mostly people who are there to have a good time, sing along, jump or headbang to their favorite songs, whatever, but basically, it’s a cool crowd. You don’t have to worry about being beaten up. The worst assholes don’t listen to Whitesnake. Thank god.

It can be annoying, cause fans who are in the front row have been standing somewhere for hours just to be first in line to secure that front row spot. So when some smelly idiot, who just got in (cause he was busy getting drunk somewhere), starts making trouble, it’s simply not something you are willing to put up with.

I don’t have a problem with fans going wild and crazy at a concert because they love the music. That goes with the territory, go ahead, go nuts, it’s what we’re all here for! But THOSE types whose mission in life is to create trouble, deserve whatever they get!

And just cause I’m a girl doesn’t mean that I don’t have a few tricks up my sleeve. Just TRY to move me..:! In the 27 years I’ve been going to gigs, that has never happened. And believe me – it never will. I don’t care if you’re 6 foot tall and weigh a ton. I ain’t moving.

When I got back from the W.A.S.P shows on the Helldorado tour, I had bruises all over my body. I was green, yellow, purple, black, blue….. At every show there was “one of those” types trying to get me to move. Over my dead body! And well, it wasn’t far from it! :)

[Carries on playing, like a boss…]

Another annoying thing, while I’m at it, is people who are trying to tell you what rock’n’roll is. I’m sorry, but I feel that at this point in my life, I certainly don’t need some little dweeb telling ME what rock’n’roll is!

Like pretty recently, when H.E.A.T played in Malmo, I was in the front taking pics, filming a bit, minding my own business. Suddenly somebody behind me started pulling my hair (wtf?!?!).
When I turned around, there was some chick with a bad “trendy” haircut, glasses and a ruffled blouse (!) yelling: “Come on! Dance! It’s rock’n’roll”.

Oh please. That wasn’t even worth a response. Some chick who is at her first concert this year, is trying to educate me in what to do at a concert?! I overheard her yelling to her friend with her screechy annoying voice “why are they in the front?”. BECAUSE WE GOT HERE BEFORE YOU, bitch!

Nobody was stopping miss Ruffle to get in the front row, stop whining.

[“You just fuckin’ pushed my grump-button!”]

Besides, what people do at a show is nobody’s business, as long as they aren’t hurting anyone else. I was a bit surprised at Bruce Dickinson’s reaction to some fan in the crowd who was texting throughout the whole gig. I mean, yeah okay, might not be overly “rock’n’roll” but the dude paid for his ticket!
Even if he wants to go in there and take a fucking NAP it’s still his business. Paying for a concert ticket doesn’t mean that you are obliged to act a certain way. Again – do whatever you want as long as you’re not bothering somebody else. Pretty much the same rules that apply outside a concert arena.

[“Oh, for fuck’s sake, the man the white shirt, you’ve been texting for the last fucking three songs! You’re a wanker!”]

I’ve been asked a few times how I can experience a show “properly” if I’m standing with a camera in my hands. Well, first of all, I see the show even BETTER through the camera because I can zoom up close with it – kind of like using binoculars at the opera.

Secondly, if I like a band, I want good footage of them as it’s a PR-thing for the band as well to have good quality videos on YouTube as opposed to the awful, crappy cellphone versions with bad audio. Thirdly, I can always go back and re-live my memories anytime I want by watching those videos.

Also, it depends what kind of band it is. If it’s AC/DC it’s just a party and I might want to jump and go wild for a few songs and THEN do the photo-thing. Other bands are more the kind where I’m STUDYING and listening carefully. It’s nedy but after thousands of shows, you just get a little less nuts at gigs, as you’ve seen so much already.

It’s harder to get the same kind of kicks that you did back when you were a teen. I experience live gigs differently. Firewind for instance, that I’ve seen a million times now – I still find little bits and pieces in their music that I haven’t noticed before and it’s just a cool feeling to “suddenly” discover that eventhough you’ve heard the songs so many times before.

Live and let live. Go to shows, get wild, have a good time, sing along, do your headbanging or your jumping, whatever makes you feel good – or be a nerd and be just a spectator (even if you want to text people or update your Twitter or Facebook-status during the show) go the fuck ahead! It’s 2013 and the rules for how to behave at a rock concert have changed. And if you’re one of those “complimentary assholes”, you’re only going to get what you deserve….!

Just live it

Was thinking about a friend’s reaction the other day when we were talking about concerts and how many times we’ve seen certain bands. My record so far is without a doubt the Firewind-shows. Somehow those added up to about 36 in two years – all over the globe. He shook his head saying I was nuts.

I guess it has to do with perspective and how we all choose to view things.

Imagine that someone told you that you had a deadly disease with only one month left to live. What would be more crazy – sitting in front of the TV or doing the things you truly love to do and get your kicks from -while you still could? I guess that in THAT perspective maybe more people would understand.

We all tend to assume that our last day on earth is somewhere far in the future. We think that there’s plenty of time to do stuff “someday“. Guess what – there is no day in the calendar called “Someday“!

There is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Pick one of those.

Cause the truth is that you never really know if that last day is 50 years from now or next week. Life is so unpredictable and anything could happen.

The way I look at it is that if I got hit by a truck tomorrow, I would have no regrets and I would move on to the afterlife with a smile. Cause I lived my life the way I wanted, the way that was right for me and the way that made me happy. Nothing else matters. Ever.

I’ve seen people close to me give up on their dreams, and I don’t want to be another one in that “club”.

My aunt loved cooking, she dreamed of becoming a professional chef and wanted to work in a restaurant. But back in those days, in the 40’s, women’s place was at home. So, she got marred, had kids and became a housewife. When I talked with her a few years ago, she still had little stars in her eyes when she talked about and remembered that dream she once had.

My dad wanted to become a captain on a ship, he always wanted to be at sea and dreamed about maybe having his own boat. Well, he moved to Sweden as a young man, met my mother, they had me and….well, life changed. He worked his whole life as a sheet-metal worker for a shipping company, a really tough job. It was only to provide for the family. But he never got a boat and he never became a captain. I think that deep inside he still wishes that life had turned out differently.

My childhood friend was born a week after me, she was a very smart girl, adventurous, driven, full of dreams and expectations. At the age of 30 she was hit by leucemia and died within a few months of her diagnose. She never got to fulfil any of her dreams either.

So – the term “crazy” means different things to different people I guess.

Money, time, normality… none of that matters. Just do whatever you need to do to feel content and to get your kicks. If that means painting or bungy jumping or riding horses or whatever the hell rocks your boat – go for it!

I love the road, and I love rock’n’roll. I’m not gonna live forever. So I’m living it NOW. In my world that’s pretty damn “un-crazy” …….. :)

Once a fan – always a fan!

It’s been a busy week, but – in a good way. When you’re working in a different country and have about 4 hours of travel back and forth every day, you just don’t get a whole lot of time left for the stuff you want to do (which in turn of course leads to insomnia or extreme tiredness because you end up staying up all night to finish stuff).

Had a great conversation with David Coverdale the other day for instance. It wasn’t for myself so I can’t reveal much about it until it’s actually been published (you know, all those “business policies” you have to think about nowadays…).

But how that man knows what to say and how to say it to make people smile. :) I can of course only speak for myself, but I think that many who have dealt with David can relate. He remembers names and faces. Sceptic as I am, I’m always thinking that artists get a short decription of who they’re going to speak to before an interview.

But sometimes THAT idea totally flies out the window. With David, I already know that he doesn’t need an introduction of me, he’s been aware of my existence for many years now. But sometimes it surprises me when it comes to other artists!

I always thought that Judas Priest’s Rob Halford, maybe would know me by name cause he’s such an internet-junkie (and during a period I was out there on the Priest/Halford message boards quite a lot). But a few years ago I realized that he knew exactly…

I had been let through the gates of Fort Knox (Sweden Rock Festival backstage area to the main stage – which is like this HOLY place that you need to be escorted to, unless you’ve got one of the very rare guest passes to that area, of course).

Had just finished an interview with K.K Downing and when I stepped out of his trailer after the interview, Rob was packing his suitcase with his back turned to me. I didn’t think there would be any point saying anything, he wouldn’t know who I was anyway (I thought). But I ended up just saying: “Hello Rob!” . He turned around and immediately went: “Well hello Daniela! How lovely to see you! How are you?”

Needless to say, my jaw dropped. He didn’t need as much as a second to ponder, he was very 100% clear on who I was.
Halford is my #1 hero as I’m sure that nobody who’s been following me through the years could possibly have missed, but THAT moment was so memorable.

Coverdale ALWAYS smiles and says something nice, whether it’s at a press conference or from the stage – he can spot me and recognize me in seconds. I can even see the very moment when he notices me, his whole face just brightens up with a big smile. You can’t buy that feeling for money.

[David Coverdale and me after an interview, Sheraton Stockholm 1999]

If you’re a fan of an artist and you’ve followed them since what feels like the beginning of time, those things not only make your day – they make your week, month… Well, you know. :)

But during this conversation with David a few days ago, he was in the middle of explaining something, when I suddenly heard him say “…maybe not suitable for your blog, but….”

Wait, wait, wait a second….! I was doing this interview on behalf of another media. I never mentioned to him or the guy who set up the interview that I have a blog. And even if I had, it would have been completely irrelevant in this case.
Then HOW on earth would David Coverdale know about my blog and speak about it like it was the most natural thing in the world? It was just a “by the way” thing that was sneaked into a sentence when he was explaining something.

Holy crap. I suppose then that David has visited the blog at some point. It’s probably “uncool” to admit it, but I feel honored.

I know that Sebastian Bach has come across my blog as well, because it resulted in a YouTube-dispute last year. Not that I’m surprised, I’ve known the guy for 25 years and his explosive mood is not exactly news to me (or anyone else I’m sure).

[Baz and me after show at Gino’s, Stockholm 1995]

I had written something negative about his performance at the Graspop festival – that he was acting like a primadonna who was afraid to get his hair wet when it rained and he was bitching about it on stage. It was just a review, and the rest of the text just said that this is one of the few times I’ve seen him like that. He always gives everything on a stage.

Anyway, he reported the 30-second video clips on YouTube as “copyright infringement” (which is ridiculous as it was so short and was basically a zoom-in on his unengaged facial expression, not a music video). [The copyright-thing has been taken back though, so things are cool :)]

In an interview recently he pretty much quoted what had been written in this blog about his performance at Graspop. My guess is that he knew that he had had a bad day and was upset that it had been caught on camera and brought to people’s attention that way. There’s nothing on YouTube from that gig now when I made a search… I don’t blame him. I suck at taking negative feedback as well. :)

But as I hadn’t named those clips on YouTube and only linked to them to the post as unlisted videos, you don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to figure out that he somehow came across this blog. :P

Maybe not a big deal but it is to me, sometimes. We’re all still fans – and there will always be somebody (an artist or a band) that makes us feel like 13 all over again.

I read drummer Brian Tichy’s post the other day, about his jam with Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. He was so excited about the whole thing, like a school boy. And you’d think that this guy should be jaded by now – he’s been playing with everybody. Billy Idol, Whitesnake, Foreigner, Ozzy, Glenn Hughes… the list is just way too long! And he can still be “star struck”, I think that’s so lovely and makes me feel a whole lot better, ha ha! :)

[Doug Aldrich and Brian Tichy]

Marshall and Natal announce Whitesnake clinics

From Brian’s diary:

“In 2011, before the Whitesnake tour, I got the opportunity to track drums on Steven Tyler’s single “Feels So Good.” Steven watched me track them that day. Two takes later, I was done. That’s what led up to him calling me to play this benefit with he and Joe Perry. But nothing prepares you on how to react when you get a a call from Steven Tyler! 

He started complimenting my drumming from the day I tracked his song. Then he told me what he wanted me for. He started naming off the songs he wanted to play; “Dream On, Sweet Emotion, Walk This Way, etc..” and I was tripping out that soon in my life would be a day that I get to play songs from one of my favorite bands ever, songs I had been playing since I was 10, songs that I learned how to play drum by playing to, with the guys that wrote them! Come on!”

I don’t think I’ll ever get so jaded that I don’t give a crap about certain bands/artists on a pure “fan level”. If I do, that will be my cue that it’s time to start doing something else. :)

[With Rob Halford outside Royal Albert Hall in London, 2006]

Steve Harris’ British Lion @ KB, Malmö

Steve Harris’ British Lion visited Malmö last night. I’m guessing they arrived the day before – I passed the club KB (Kulturbolaget) on my way home from work and saw the usual “Beat The Street” buses outside. So, their day off was possibly spent in ice-cold Sweden. What a drag. :)

Met up with my friends Mari and Henrik outside KB pretty early, basically cause I didn’t want to go home and get all drowsy – it’s better hang outside the club and yap a bit until the doors open. And you never know with these things – there could either be two people in line – or there would be one of those “around the block“-type of lines.

For the record – it was NOT the latter….

It was embarrassing to see the lack of people. It was cold as fuck and it was a freaking Tuesday, but if there is ANY rock’n’roll in people, they should have been there when they got this once in a lifetime opportunity to see the godfather of metal bassists, a living legend, STEVE HARRIS – IN A SMALL CLUB IN MALMOE. That’s never going to happen again. How anyone would want to miss that is beyond me. I’m guilty of almost bailing myself, until it dawned on me what I would be missing.

It’s a bit fashionable right now to dislike what Steve does outside of  Maiden with British Lion. Nobody dares to say that they like anything about his new project, but honestly… it’s definitely not that bad.

I think that the problem is pretty much what Gary Moore experienced when he tried something very different from what he was known for. Critics loved “Still Got The Blues” – fans absolutely hated it. Metalheads don’t like change. It’s like you’re a traitor, like you’re leaving your group, the place where you belong.

And the problem is to “reprogram” yourself to think of Steve Harris as a brilliant  musician who can and wants to do something different, something that doesn’t sound like Iron Maiden. But it’s hard. The man IS Iron Maiden, so I totally understand why he’s having a tough time winning people over.

I’ve always been more of a Priest-fan anyway, I’m not the typical Maidenhead. So, unlike many others (maybe) I went to the gig with an open mind, not expecting anything at all.

I was just curious what he would do with this new thing and on a small club stage. The scenario was just weird – I’ve only seen Steve on the greatest stages of the world, never anywhere remotely as small as this.

I didn’t know the songs, I didn’t know the band, I didn’t know anything – and sometimes I actually want it that way. You tend to experience stuff differently when you are just there as a curious spectator with no expectations whatsoever.

And I have to say – I don’t care how much shit Steve has had to take from reviewers and fans, British Lion put on a great show. I had a freaking great time and I loved seeing the band just playing because they enjoyed it, totally unpretentious, regardless what anyone thinks.

The songs? I think that if this had been performed by a new, unknown “rock band” and not Steve Harris & co, it would have been easier for people to take it for what it is, and appreciate it. Cause the songs were not THAT horrible. My god, I’ve read so much crap online since he released this album, and the only Swedish review I’ve read today pretty much pissed on it as well, but I truly believe it’s mostly a matter of psychology.

I was in the front row, because I wanted to experience Steve Harris doing his thing up close when I had this unique chance. I don’t regret it for one second, and the band gave it their best – I don’t know if you’re missing those small details if you’re way in the back (eye contact and seeing the slighest change in their facial expression) but the point is – they managed to entertain me eventhough I hadn’t heard the songs before. And as we all know, that’s not an easy thing to do.

I very well know I’m going totally against the stream here, but …sometimes somebody has to.

It wasn’t Iron Maiden, but I wasn’t there to see Iron Maiden (I’m seeing Maiden this summer, so I’ll get my fair share of Run to the hills in a few months anyway…) I was there to see something different and I did.

Happy belated birthday mr Harris and thank you guys for a good evening at KB!

BAD BLOOD (opening) NIGHT with Crucified Barbara

A new rock club in town opened  last night – Bad Blood Night. On stage: Godass and Crucified Barbara. As it was the international women’s day the day before, that was the theme of the evening – rocking, wild, headbanging women!

Quite honestly, I wasn’t in the mood to go out at all. It was cold as fuck too so I would have just wanted to stay at home and work on an article.

But when somebody makes an effort to keep the live music scene alive, I’m sure as hell dragging my ass over there to support it!

Besides, Crucified Barbara is a kickass live band. Might not be my type of band to listen to at home – but LIVE they put on quite a show and rock people’s butts off! :)

Spoke to Pontus, the promotor of the Swedish metal convention, earlier in the evening and he was going to the premiere too. The only difference was that he WAS in a party mood so I was probably the worst person to deal with as I just pretty much wanted to see the gigs and leave. :)

Anyhoo…. Going to rock clubs in my home town means that get to see many familiar faces – people who I’ve seen hanging in the bar, holding on to their beer, for the past 20 years, people who know who I am, who I have no idea who they are – or people that I HAVE met, but don’t recognize. That’s quite embarrassing actually. I’m so bad with names and faces, I just don’t remember.

It’s not that I’m a stuck up bitch for not remembering people, it’s just something I’ve always had a problem with. So a lot of times I don’t know if I’m supposed to know the person who so happily greets me, or not.

With a few exceptions of course.

The club was at Moriskan, centrally located, in the “Mirror hall”. Pretty good stage for a small club too. When I walked in, Godass were onstage. I think I’ve seen them before but I don’t remember where. Good band – it’s good when someone who doesn’t know the band’s songs still wants to stick around and see their whole set. :)

After a short changeover, it was time for the kickass girls of Crucified Barbara to take over the stage. You get the “One-two-three-FOUR!!” and GO!-type of show with that band. A few guys who had just walked in, asked me before the show who was playing, and when I told them that they sounded kinda like Motorhead they stayed. I saw them briefly after the show – they loved it! :)

My paths have crossed with Crucified Barbara a few times. They toured with Jon Oliva’s Pain, then me and a photographer from Sweden Rock Magazine followed the band the whole day for a long “hour by hour” report when they were recording a TV-show. It was a long day but these girls are fun to be around.

Singer/guitarist Mia also showed up at my birthday-bash a couple of years ago. And guitarist Klara Force and I were both DJ’s one evening at Club Distortion. It’s just the type of band that shows up when you least expect it. :)

The crowd loved them, some of them even worshipped them. I’d call it a successful gig, for sure!

And the music that was playing from the DJ booth was great too, cause they didn’t play the most obvious songs from the bigger bands – but well known, yet “obscure” songs. I like that.

I’m sure that it was a great club evening after the gig, but I didn’t stay to find out. I was just so tired and wanted to just call it a night…

The band Grand Slam‘s Ivana had been standing there in the front right next to me, and she went: “You’re like a ghost, you show up somewhere when you least expect it!”

In a way, I guess she’s right. :) I don’t go out too much in Malmo anymore, just focusing on travelling out of the country for gigs most of the time.

The last thing I heard before I left was a guy who walked up to me and asked if I was Daniela P from such-and-such newspaper, and I said yes. He fucking STILL remembered a review I once wrote about Black Sabbath (w. Tony Martin) in Copenhagen 1989!! Holy shit.

I rushed out the door after the show like Cinderella, and thank god I did. I was so tired that I passed out on the couch with makeup on, the TV, lights and computer on… Woke up this morning looking like Alice Cooper with that horrible “I didn’t get to brush my teeth last night“-feeling. The worst! Yuck.

I liked the vibe, if people support this club it will be great. A club without live music is not interesting to me. But as soon as there is a band – I’m there!

Looking forward to next time, it’s about time, Malmo needs more gigs..!