The Toten Hosen were “always clearer about political statements when we thought it was time,” says Campino. The singer also speaks plainly in the dpa interview on the band’s birthday.
The band’s anniversary was officially celebrated in April – but the Toten Hosen don’t really want to celebrate until the end of May with a double album (“Alles aus Liebe”, from May 27th) and a tour (from June 7th).
The German Press Agency in Berlin spoke to singer Campino (59) about old and new pants songs, his band’s 40-year career, politically committed texts in rock music and current socio-political issues.
Question: The new Toten Hosen album, “Alles aus Liebe”, consists of 43 songs, seven of which are new tracks and six new versions or remixes. So a lot of value for fans, because you didn’t just want to fob them off with “old camels” from the past 40 years?
Answer: «It is a compilation of songs that were groundbreaking for us. Key moments that cannot only be measured by commercial success. There are also little pearls that are important to us as a band, but of course also the pieces that people love so much. We have enriched it with new songs. We might have had one or two more songs at the start, but we didn’t want to put any felt B-sides on the album, just serious new tracks like ‘Chaot (in me)’.”
Question: The new piece “Allesay das” shows the Hosen as a band that can take a snarky, but also witty and tongue-in-cheek stance on politics. How did this song come about?
Answer: «There was this beautiful, aggressive melody with a high tempo, so the subject matter simply came up. We took the insinuation of some critics – “The pants are no longer punk rock” – and turned them around and linked them to the current fake news debate. Anyone can now make any claim and at the same time find a dubious source on the Internet that confirms the alleged. In the end, all that remains is a huge scream – that was also an ulterior motive of this song. »
Question: How necessary are political texts in pop and rock music for you, what can they achieve? For example “Welcome to Germany”, you have now taken the song as an opportunity for a new recording – it’s about hostility to migrants and the democratic responsibility of each individual.
Answer: «I have absolutely no problem with it when an artist says: Politics is a private matter for me, I don’t see my artistic mission in it. This is completely right. I come from a different school: what song am I listening to, who is singing it, what does it tell me about life? In this respect, the claims of the Toten Hosen have always been closely linked to political thinking. But something like ‘Smash the cops like sandwiches’ in very early punk – that was never our theme. It wasn’t until the first generation of punk bands died out, when hardly anyone from the scene made any political statements, that we decided to combine our hard music with political messages and to close this newly created gap – also to make sure that the whole thing wasn’t right to leave stock. So we always went into political statements more clearly when we thought it was time.”
Question: The political uncertainty is currently huge, especially in view of the Ukraine war, which is why the Greens are now in favor of arms deliveries. Where do you position yourself there?
Answer: «I still feel that my political homeland is on the left. Ultimately, I was always able to get through to the Greens – I can’t remember an election where I would have chosen something else. That doesn’t mean that I like every point of view of the party. There is always a certain dynamic in politics, so one should never say: This is and will remain my attitude, I will not change it. Nothing should be set in stone. Right now it feels as if the world is collapsing on us – of course you have to question yourself and your positions and possibly adjust your beliefs. I think it’s wrong to declare someone a wryneck because of that.”
Question: How does this manifest itself in your case?
Answer: “We can all allow ourselves to be unsure. Even the smartest people can’t give us a prescription for how to proceed at the moment. I personally refused military service in 1983. I probably wouldn’t do that today, under these circumstances, if I got my draft now. We are just learning impressively why an identity as Europeans is so important and why we have to be a community of values. Unfortunately, that also has something to do with upgrading. We cannot afford to be completely defenseless against despots like Putin, who lives out old fantasies of power. You can only stop a man like that if he also has respect for the other side. At the same time, it is a dramatic tragedy, because we could damn well use all of this money that we will spend on armaments in the future for our social system, daycare centers, schools, public infrastructure and, last but not least, the fight against climate change. We can’t get out of it by closing ourselves off from reality and doing nothing. Despite the tense social situation, it is important that we humans maintain mental health and find moments of happiness. And I hope that as a band we can contribute to creating such moments with our music.”
Question: Otherwise you show yourself to be a deeply grateful artist. How lucky do you feel about this band and about your career together?
Answer: «It is a huge gift for us. We understand the happiness of our career more every day. For example the tour that we have planned now. Something like this has to be organized at least a year in advance. But who knew last year how the Corona situation would develop? You’re poking around in the fog and you’re pretty much alone. There is also no longer any insurance that covers possible damage or concert cancellations. Add to this this terrible war, which no one knows how it will develop. With all these questions, the entire music industry goes into the summer and everyone will make three crosses if the season has passed without any major disasters.”
Question: Since 1999, “our team line-up on stage has always remained the same, and I couldn’t imagine any other,” you write in your album “Foreword”. Does that mean: The Hosen will only exist as long as the current band exists?
Answer: «I don’t want to imagine anything else. We’re not a football team that you can constantly change. The Toten Hosen won’t go on forever – so it’s a nice thought that we’re the last line-up. I’m very happy at the moment, the mood between us is good, we meet regularly to rehearse and will definitely be good together until autumn. We never know what life has in store for us. So we prefer to think day by day, game by game if you like, and then see what comes out of it.
ABOUT PERSON: Andreas Frege (59), stage name Campino, has been the singer of Toten Hosen, one of the most popular German rock bands, for 40 years. Born in Düsseldorf, he is also an author (“Hope Street: How I once became an English champion”) and worked as an actor. On June 22, the German-British musician and ardent Liverpool FC fan will be 60 years old.