You released two DoCD and a
solorecord in a very short time. Do you think this can possible end
with a lower quality of the music?
If it should lower the quality
,we would reconcider and make it a single instead !!! We make a
double because we have all these ideas that doesn't fit in the 60
minute format .And we of course like what we do , we think it's
exciting music and hope others like it too.
Do you think a DoCD is a kind of
commercial risk? What about your experiences with "Stardust we
are"?
It is a commercial risk !!
everyone tells me , but the fact is that our doubles is our
bestsellers!!! I cannot tell if Stardust would have sold even more
as a single CD.
Since your comeback in the prog
scene you becam one of the "kings" of the scene. As you
startet with "The Flower King" did you expected such
success?
Maybe not , but on the other hand
I was a bit dissapointed with all the present Prog groups of the
80:ies and 90:ies and the old ones seemed to be caught in the hit
machinery .....!!! or have run dry on ideas .
So there was always a possibility
for a new group of skilled musicians that included the best writing
elements of the 60:ies and 70:ies to have a certain success....
I sometime read about "dark
forces" that tried to do an kind of sabotage to delay the
production of your records. For me it sounds a little bit like the x
files....
Well ,all I can tell is that it
happens , I really don't know if there is any substance to it . I
hope not . On the other hand It feels like The FlowerKings travel
with a guardian Angel or as if we were blessed by a Good Fairy or
something . I've been doing music since the 70:ies but I can tell
there are strong forces involved in this project .
What about the other former
members of Kaipa? Are you still in touch? Do you sometime think of
an reunion?
We tried some years ago ,but The
Chemistry is gone , They does not respect each other. Still we did
backing tracks for 10 new songs .They've been put on the shelf .I
cannot make music under such conditions.
How much your music is
influenced by your religion?
I'm not heavily into religion , I
just try to live a good life , and I will serve the good forces. It
is probably reflected in my music . The lyrics deal with matters
that interest me . Spiritual matters do . Mystery does .
Was it your your plan to bring a
sixtie minute epic to the new record or was this a thing that just
developed by a kind of self dynamic?
It started as a 8 minute song and
developed into a 59 minutes song within 4 weeks , because we had all
these ideas popping up .As long as it develops into something new we
keep on writing.
Is the band now more involved in
the songwriting process than on the earlier releases?
It happened this time that I
asked the members to contribute songs . I think it added a more
different touch to the total concept .I still do most of the
production and cordinate all the stuff , because it's me carrying
the vision , the others just enjoy being in a group like this , but
they have other more important things in their lives .
What about the reasons to bring
a second lead singer in the band (I think this happend at the
Stardust... CD)
He's been there on and off since
the first FLOWER KING CD from 94 . I think he add a nice hi- pitch
voicing plus he's a more than able rhythm guitarist and
percussionist .I like the idea of 2 lead singers or more (like the
Beatles or the Eagles or Fleetwood Mac or ABBA )
Some german prog label (Inside
Out, Angular) work together with a big distribution company (SPV). I
think one of the results of this is that a band like Spock's Beard
became wellknown over the scene borders. Your releases are"only"
available via mail order/internet. Do you think about changing this,
or do you think as it works now it's enough?
We have some really nice people
that handle our stuff at some Mail orders . But we really want to
,and need to expand , and I have been in contact with these guys at
Inside Out ,and we may do a license deal with them for next CD .
I am a great fan of your music,
but although I had something to critisize. I miss such songs with
"hit charakter" on your last releases ("The Flower
King" may be an example for a song with this "hit
charakter")
Sorry if you do , but we make
music , and occasionally we make a good "hit" refrain but
we don't puch it, we wait and see what comes out naturally .On the
other hand there are things with a hit approach on our last records
as well . I believe songs like "Ghost Of the Red Cloud "
and "Different People" , "Kingdom Of Lies" ,
"Cosmic Lover" , "Stupid Girl" , "
Corruption" , "Silent Sorrow", "Stardust We Are"
part 3 are well in the " hit Character" field .
Some parts sounds like you are
copying yourself....
Who aren't ??
That's what is called to create a
distinct profile I guess, isn't it ?
On the other hand , Name one
group that comes up with new albums with more news or variations
than the FlowerKings ????
Sometime the vocal lines sounds
"replaceable" and not individual enough (I hope you
understand what I mean) I hope you now don't think about stop making
music, your music is everytime much more better than average....
I wouldn't stop making music
because someone think our vocals are "Replaceable" as in
my opinion the vocal melodies are far better than the average prog
group . It seems more like a matter of taste. Everyone cannot love
us .
"First impression is the
right impression" people say. "You had to listen to
progressive rock a lot of times to realize the "complex beauty"
people say too. What do you say?
I'd say I cannot worry about
these things , If people prefer The Manic Street Preachers, or Take
That or Spice Girls or Pulp or Arena or Björk or Alanis
Morisette or whatever , they must be happy with that . I'd prefer
something else , and maybe I ask for more excitement and more
complex stuff , I always have . And I'd rather spend some time to
get into the more complex stuff than miss the chance of a great
experience .
Why the Best Of ("Scanning
....") was not released via Foxtrot?
An American record label asked us
to do the Compilation , so we did .