Interview with Hein Frode Hansen of Theatre of Tragedy: 2001
In promotion of their new album, Musique
Azriel: I noticed your album is already being spread around the Napster universe, how do you feel about that??
Hein: The new one really? I only found some odd tracks. I have nothing against Napster for exploring and checking out new releases and new bands, but to download a whole album and burn it or spread it further on the net is plain unnecessary. in order to make good music and do great live shows the underground artists need the fee earnings they get. Without it they cannot make music that the listener want and hence the listener fools themselves…. but if Metallica loses a few cents I don’t care.
Azriel: Nicely said. I’ll admit I have pretty much all the tracks from the new one, but I live in North America, and when it finally comes out here, I’ll have a copy. So explain to me (and I know you have probably been asked a million times) why the change?
Hein: Bands change. It’s a fact of life and we as people had to reinvent our own concept in order to survive as a band. So it would be Musique or no Theatre of Tragedy whatsoever. Without change and progress society would be quite boring in my opinion. No mobiles, no Internet, no CD’s, no nothing. And to combine organic sounds with electronics felt natural for us as we listen to such different kinds of stuff.
Azriel: I have listened to the album carefully, and find that it still does hold the ToT flavour, and I was expecting to be disappointed, but I am impressed. Tell me about the Image video
Hein: Thanks for still being able to hear what we tried to accomplish. Reinventing the ToT sound in a 2000 kind of way. Escape our own limitations created by us. Image video is a sexy dirty, rocky and posing video. Liv as the clean and angelic front singer, and the models and the male band members as fucked up dirty and kinky. Real MTV kinda groove but in a much dirtier and sexier way. If people wanna see it, it is on streaming on www.nuclearblast.de and on our www.theatreoftragedy.com
Azriel: Yeah, I really like that video, Liv is looking good these days. Who’s idea was it for that type of feel for the video??
Hein: Well we got a bunch of concepts from different directors and we liked the simplicity of this one. NO typical Goth or metal video. Only a kick ass rock and roll one.
Azriel: What would you say you miss the most, if anything about the old look/sound of ToT?
Hein: Our old bass player Eirik. He left last year. He was tired of being in a band and wanted a regular job. He was really funny and like the clown in the band. Apart from that I look to the future and try and focus on that. I regret nothing, but progress is a good thing.
Azriel: I noticed when looking through your tour dates, you haven’t been out here in North America, has ToT ever considered the possibility?
Hein: Well there is some serious talk right now to do some US shows in December this year around X-mas and between X-mas and New Years Eve. So far no date are confirmed, but as soon as we have them they will be posted on our homepage. Sign up for our update mail and you will get notified.
Azriel: I noticed you guys have a link to a Yahoo! Club, do you visit the site often?
Hein: we have a link to a Yahoo! Club??????? I don’t even know what it is……..
Azriel: LOL, the link is on your web page.:) The Musique album has a general theme, defiantly technology, and I am feeling hints of 80’s techno, but I could be just a dumb shit on that, tell me more on what the album represents
Hein: The album has really nothing to do with techno, but rather takes a look on the impact and effect technology and machinery has played on mankind over the last centuries. For good and worse. Does mankind control technology or do technology control mankind? The lyrics, music, cover, homepage and band photos are each a part in a bigger scheme. The red line between the different elements.
Azriel: Can you elaborate on that a little . . . or a lot 🙂
Hein: Well I thought I just did:-) Well the thing about mankind being closer to machine/robot something’s in the higher pace of society. Routines are taking over our lives, due to technology. On the other hand it offers new ways of communication as phones, internet, planes, etc. which brings the world and people closer together. As well as making fascinating sounds/noises/feedback and fucked up stuff for our music. It has negative effect as well as positive effect on mankind in my opinion. Like the equilibrium of the year 2000.
Interview Originally Published in October 2000
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