Interviews

Interview WIG WAM02.07.2012

Wir haben die Möglichkeit erhalten, ein kleines Interview mit WIG WAM zu erhalten. Da die Band leider nicht persönlich verfügbar gewesen ist, schickten wir ein paar Fragen zu Band. Ihr Schlagzeuger FLASH beantwortete diese dann recht zügig. Das Ergebnis könnt ihr nun hier lesen. 

Hello Flash from Wig Wam! Thanks for taking some time to answer these questions for Kalle-Rock.de.

You´re quite a while in music business already. But do you still remember how it all started? How did you get into rock and metal music? Did your family or another person close to you influence you?

 It all started when I first heard some other guys in school played in a band, which made me paralyzed. I think it was the sound and the loud volume which made me think I wanna do that! I must admit it was Kiss and in some extent Sweet that made me get into rock/metal music. Larger than life characters made a huge impression on a little kid from Norway... I had no family members or any other persons nearby who influenced me. It all came from listening to records and reading magazines.

What was the first instrument you´ve ever touched?

I always wanted to play drums. My best friend?s father was a drummer, and sometimes I got to try them out. A big thrill!

How did you get into the first band you played with? What was the name and what kind of music did you make?

I put together a band called "Gold". The guys weren,t the most talented, but had enthusiasm and could afford some gear to make some noise. I guess we played some Beatles and Rolling Stones covers. And Kiss of course..

Can you still remember you´re the first concert you played with your band? Where did you play and how did it feel to be on stage and to play for the very first time?

I remember. We got two hot dogs and a coke for playing, and it was a fight during the show. I was shit nervous, but we got a great review in the paper.

How did you manage stage fright and how you handle it today? Are you still excited and nervous nowadays?

Luckily I got no stage fright. After god knows how many shows, I´m pretty confident when I hit the stage, but sometimes I am excited if there´s a huge venue or an important gig.

Which musical steps followed after your first band?

I always sought challenges by playing with musicians better than me. In that way, I aimed not to be the weakest link in a band. After a few years me and a friend founded the heavy metal band Artch, which was pretty successful. We released a couple of records during the 80´s.

After those first steps, how did Wig Wam start? Did you know each other from school or from other bands?

Wig Wam got a gig as a house band at a club every Friday. Teeny put the band together. He knew Sporty as they played together in the 80´s. He knew me as we also did something together in the 90´s. And I recommended Glam, as we had a band in the early 90´s. Then we started as a cover band doing 80?s hits from Bon Jovi, Kiss, Def Leppard ...

Let´s talk about the band name. Does the name Wig Wam has a special meaning? Why did you choose it? And does it have a connection to the music you play?

Not really. The name came out of nowhere (although we all are Sweet fans as they had a song called Wig Wam Bam) We just thought it sounded cool...

While Glam Rock is rather untypical for Norway, one would rather expect to find it from your neighbours from Sweden. What or which bands influenced you to put Wig Wam into this genre?

More or less all of us have their musical roots in the 80´s and 70´s, so it was only natural to proceed the only way we know. Though some of us tried out some blues and even jazz, but that?s a blur...ha ha. If I will mention some influencial bands it would have to be; Kiss, Queen, AC/DC, Def Leppard, Sweet and Van Halen...

You published your first album (667 The Neighbour of the Beast) in 2004 (which name reminds a little of Iron Maiden ;)). How did you get the job of representing your country 2005 at the Euro Vision Song Contest?

We first did an audition for the national eurovision in 2004 which we ended in third place, and the next year, we were invited by the national tv station. I guess they smelled there were a buzz around the band and the genre at the time. We certainly created a landslide when it comes to rock bands competing in the eurovision..

After the contest things were looking up for you. Do you think it went too fast too good or could you handle the pressure as a "no-name" band back then?

Hard to say, but we did certainly handled it. We toured till we dropped physically, but took the medicine and got back on stage. We really took advantage of the situation, and did some smart choices. In hindsight we also did some weird choices, but all in all we did great. We´re still around.

Let´s come back to the band formation. Did you find extern help soon, e.g. a manager or a booking agent? Or did you make your own first experiences before finding a label?

We pretty much did most of the work ourselves. We had the experience and the knowledge to point out the direction we would go. We did have booking agents, and when we´re touring we have a small crew.

You´re quite successful as a band in Japan. Do you think that´s because of the tradition that Hard Rock bands always tend to be successful and play huge tours in Japan? I mean there are many DVD releases and special CD releases from bands like Guns n Roses or Soul Doctor made for Japan.

Might be so. I also have the impression Japanese enjoy a good chorus with big hooks and guitars with chunky riffs. Wig Wam certainly fit that label. And for a rock band or any foreign artist, it´s a dream to tour Japan. They really know how to make things run smoothly.

If you´d have to describe, how did your music develop in the last years and how did the music influence yourselves personally?

Personally, I like to explore as many aspects of the genre as possible. There´s no need to write the same song twice, although some bands have found success through that formula. But I believe bands like AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Metallica had their momentum at their early stage (the first 10 years) anyway. I see our music has in the last years become more aggressive music wise, but still has a melodic approach. Personally, I love varied albums. But if it´s good, it?s good....

To end with, you can make up your all-time-favourite-band. It can have a maximum of 6 band members and the members can be from every rock and metal genre, dead or alive. Whom do you chose and why?

Drums: Bill Ward, He had a style which carried the band more than you imagined. Could handle many styles and genres.

Bass: Lemmy, No need to explain here

Guitar: Malcom Young, this guy is safer than the bank.

Lead Guitar: Gary Moore Hell bent to every fucking single note he played, unbelievable!!

Vocal: Chris Cornell Pure passion!

Thank you for taking time to answer these questions and good luck for the future!
I hope you enjoyed the questions. If you have some last words to your readers, it´s your turn now.

When it all comes together, I really hope it will be magical.  Enjoy music! Flash

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