Interview with Bloody, Dead & Sexy (Rosa Iahn)
http://www.myspace.com/bloodydeadandsexy/
http://www.bloodydeadandsexy.de/
Diegabrial:You’ve been making music together for a long time (since 1997). How did the band get together?
Iahn: We started the band when we were kids. We didn’t have girlfriends so we had plenty of time. Enough time to sit in the basement and dreaming of becoming rock stars. And for working on songs, of course.
Diegabrial: We know you was influenced by David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Roxy Music, Black Sabbath, Kiss. What about the other members of BD&S?
Iahn: We all love handmade rock music. The spririt of glam and Rock’n’Roll. I think there is no use to list a hundred names of bands who share this love.
Diegabrial: It’s very interesting, what was the main conception of your band in the end of 90-s? Have it been changed for years?
Iahn: There never was a real concept. Concepts are created by rationality and Bloody Dead And Sexy songs are not made by the head but by the heart. We do what we feel to be right. Hmmm… sometimes this might seem as a concept.
Diegabrial: Your 1st album “Bloody Rose” (2003) brought you fame & garnered comparisons to early Christian Death. How do you evaluate constant comparisons with Christian Death? Is it smth pleasant or not?
Iahn: When you are new to people, they try to compare you with something they know. And it’s funny, most of the bands you are compared to you have never ever heard about. This is normal I think and I really don’t care, this is the affair of the people who judge. And there are worse bands to be compared to than early Christian Death.
But I notice these comparisons have dropped in the last years. People see us as that what we really are: Bloody Dead And Sexy.
Diegabrial: «Narcotic Room» (2005) seems to be the most likable album of BD&S. That’s the source of energy & unity of style in this album?
Iahn: Three years after release of the album I still can say that I like the album. It’s a bit slower, more polished than the first album. “Paint It Red” lives from our naivety, we were young and hungry and had no clue how to use the technique in the studio or even the instruments we were playing. “Narcotic Room” was different, a little bit more grown up.
Diegabrial: After your successful cover the Aryan Aquarians «My Secret Gardener» do you think to cover smth again & what song would you choose?
Iahn: When we started the band we didn’t want to cover anything. We only wanted to create our own songs and sounds. It’s just too simple: When noone knows your songs at the first gigs, you play some tunes the crowd knows, the audience goes crazy and you feel like the Rolling Stones. But this was never what we wanted. We wanted to feel like Bloody Dead And Sexy, you know. We rivilege to work on our own songs and I think this was the right to get us where we are now.
But as you noticed, during the last years we lost our fear of covering songs a bit.
I found this wonderful, totally unknown song you mentioned and felt that this is a pearl. We also couldn’t resist to play some of our favourite songs live in the past. Like “Bang Bang” by Iggy Pop. This is some kind of a homage.
But there is still the “cover songs codex” working: don’t cover a hit and you have to give something really new to the song. The song must become your song in a way.
Diegabrial: Your fans have been waiting for your new, the 3rd album for several months. Is there anything new in your sound or a new conception? May be you can open some secrets or surprises for us about coming album?
Iahn: After we took a long time to write the album, we are now stepping into the recording process. And I really love the new songs, the new album (working title “An Eye on You”) will be the right successor of the albums we made before. But it’s too early to say too much about the new work as it is useless to say too much about music in general. Just listen to the songs when it’s done.
We played some of the new songs live in the past month and I think they are worthy to be on a Bloody Dead And Sexy album.
Diegabrial: For what experiments in music are you ready? What would you like to try?
Iahn: I’d like to play a show in a kindergarten. Or in a rest home. No, kindergarten!
Diegabrial: How do you think, what band you can make a song or even an album together with?
Iahn: Believe it or not. I have a list with people I want to make a song together. But I’m sorry, it absolutely top secret.
We worked with some people in the past and enjoyed the process very much. And I’m sure we’ll do this in the future again.
Diegabrial: «Sex, drugs & gothic-rock». What is your opinion about drugs ?
Iahn: Door to paradise, door to pain. It’s like fire, fun to play with but absolutely dangerous. So I have nothing new to say: You can’t control them, they control you. And they cause damage to your brain.
Diegabrial: There was the august 2004 interview with Iahn, & discussing your USA tour he told about USA president (ex-president now). Can you say what you are interested in politics? Can we consider you as a band with an active political view?
Iahn: No not really. We all have our opinions about what is going on in the world. But I think I am more interested in the depth of mans soul which is the origin of his deeds.
Diegabrial: In your own opinion, is there a large difference comparing European & American death-rock?
Iahn: Not really. The world became small in the last ten years. Internet made the death-rock community a big international family. I don’t see many cultural differences concerning death rock.
Diegabrial: As we know, Bloody, Dead & Sexy liked the USA tour very much. But what is your favorite scene or club in Europe?
Iahn: A difficult question. The world is full of wonderful places to play and wonderful people to play for. Sure, Germany made us big. The legendary “Zwischenfall” in Bochum by example is a club that helped us a lot.
But really, I like to play everywhere. Every club is different, every audience is different and every show is different.
Diegabrial: Are there any plans of BDS members to make a single projects?
Iahn: I put everything I want to express into Bloody Dead And Sexy. This is fine for me at the moment. In some way it seems that Bloody Dead And Sexy is the single project for everyone of us. But did I mention that I like suprises? So Never say never.
Diegabrial: Imagine, if it was possible to transfer into the past & to visit any place & concert, what would you choose?
Iahn: Sorry, the past is not interesting for me anymore. I like suprises. And surprises work better in the future.
Diegabrial: No doubt, Bloody, Dead & Sexy is a rather successful band. You have fans in many countries. Can you say now what BD&S is the very that you’ve wanted?
Iahn: I’m not sure anymore what we wanted when we started the band. But at this point of time I can say: Yes, it feels good. We have the rivilege of being vagabonds in the service of our artistic view. Thanks to the people who like what we do. This is a great feeling, and maybe something that we wanted with the band when we were kids.
When we started we tried to find an artistic way to handle the demons that lived inside us. Maybe these demons were just the boredom being virgins at this time. Nevertheless, the demons are still there, but this time they’re in our service.
No matter what some people say: Frustration is a good song writer, maybe the only song writer for rock’n’roll. And that’s what we do: Rock’n’Roll, believe it or not.
Questions: Irina ‘Diegabrial’ Afonina
“Grave Jibes Fanzine”
