Interview
Dirk Sauer
Edguy

Click here to access the official Edguy website

Lineup:
Tobias Sammet – Vocals
Jens Ludwig – Lead & Rhythm Guitar
Dirk Sauer – Rhythm & Lead Guitar
Tobias “Eggi” Exxel – Bass
Felix Bohnke – Drums

Edguy Promo

3/12/06
Interviewer: Karma E. Omowale

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"I like being around with the guys, having a good time, and just enjoying what I’m doing...that’s what we show on stage!"

 

The first time I interviewed rhythm guitarist Dirk Sauer as luck would have it, my tape recorder malfunctioned and took with it a real blockbuster; you’ll have to trust me on this one folks! This version may not be as scintillating as the original incarnation as I hoped to reignite the magic from this Superhero however, it could not be captured, but it is solid interview nonetheless. According to their bio on their website this "EDGUY is the greatest band in the world; epic, intelligent, good-looking, bombastic, heavy, seriously hard rocking and nevertheless quite entertaining.” I’ll place double emphasis on the latter half. This band is not only one of the better “power metal” bands in the genre but they can hold anyone’s interest, even those with the most severe case of ADD. Get a achance to know Sauer on a personal level as he talks about the band's new CD Rocket Ride, having the distinction of performing in China/Taiwan, and much more. Read on!

 

Karma: I wanted to say thanks so much for doing the interview with me again, Dirk.Dirk Sauer of Edguy

 

Dirk: You’re welcome.

 

Karma: I know the last time we talked you and Jens had to cover for Tobi [Sammet] and do the interviews because he was under the weather. I hope that all is better now.

 

Dirk: Yeah, it’s okay. He just got a cold on tour so it’s just the normal stuff. The weather sucks! [Laughs] It’s cold and it’s snowing and umm…ja! [Laughs] I don’t like it.

 

Karma: Well there’s only so much you can take.

 

Dirk: Oh yes!

 

Karma: How has the New Year been treating you thus far? I know you guys have been busy touring with the new album, etc.

 

Dirk: The New Year has been great I should say because the record was released at the end of January, we’ve been on tour already at that time, it hit the charts on #8 in Germany and Sweden. We had a lot of Top 50 entries in Europe so everything’s been pretty fine. The tour was perfect! We got a lot of sold-out shows over here, Sweden for example every show was sold out. In Germany a lot of shows have been sold out. So ja, I'm having a good time and everything’s great over here!

 

Karma: That is awesome to hear. I know I asked you the last time if you were able to quickly prepare for the last barrage of interviews but did you prepare for this round of Press Days?

 

Dirk: No, I didn’t really have the time to; it was my only free weekend I had.

 

Karma: Oh wow! That’s some awesome dedication.

 

Dirk: [Laughs] Yeah.

 

Karma: What has been the greatest challenge after twelve years that you the band has been able to overcome in order for Edguy to get you where you are at this point in your career?

 

Dirk: I think that we always make challenges sometimes. I mean, now for example, tomorrow we head off to Japan and after that we play in China and Taiwan.

 

Karma: Oh rockin’!

 

Dirk: Yeah, we’ve never been there before.

 

Karma: Few have!

 

Dirk: Yes, almost nobody…I don’t know any band that have played in China before. It’s probably the new thing, and it’s just cool to do things like this because you really don’t know what to expect from there but I’m pretty sure it’s gonna be cool. That’s a new challenge, again to play China, Taiwan. Hopefully the next US tour, for example, will be like the last one was for me. I mean it was our first US tour somehow it is a big thing for a band to do this.

 

Karma: What has been the biggest lesson learned thus far after releasing eight albums. Which lesson will you not repeat?

 

Dirk: Phoo, the biggest lesson, I think you should always do what you feel to do and not do what somebody’s telling you to. I mean we never really had that problem but… [Pauses] Yeah, its worth it if you’re honest to yourself and to everybody, then its cool, it’s working!

 

Karma: I hope so too! Congrats on the success on the Superheroes DVD and on Rocket Ride. How has reaction been thus far to Rocket Ride? I mean I know that you said fan reaction has been great so how has press been?

 

Dirk: The press was very good for us as well. I mean in countries like Germany and stuff; we always get good press but this time it was really good. Especially for countries like the UK, I mean they were not interested at all in the last years in Edguy. It was always like they always said it sound like “gay power metal from Scandinavia” or something. So we didn’t get any features until Rocket Ride. We got great reviews in Kerrang Magazine and Greece, for example, was hard for us in the last three years. Even there, a friend of mine there wrote me an article that they need to redo the scale because 10 is not enough for when the next record comes out for Edguy!

 

Karma: Wow, now that’s an honor!

 

Dirk: Yeah…so press has been pretty good for us. Fans are very good in general.

 

Karma: Do you think Rocket Ride will jettison atop the charts worldwide, as hopefully the tour will navigate you to the States.

 

Dirk: You never know, I really can’t say. What I can say is that we are pretty proud of it and it’s a great album and the reaction of the people, the fans, shows they really like the album. So hopefully the people in the US think the same.

 

Karma: I for one do but I think there’s a lot of love for the album!! [We both laugh]

 

Dirk: I hope so! Now we are checking out at the moment to do some touring maybe later in the year after we did theEdguy Live festivals in Europe so I hope we can do another big step in the US as well.

 

Karma: Going back to a concept on the DVD/your music in general, you guys like to have fun, act “silly”. Personally, I think it is better this way, while taking your music seriously, otherwise why do it at all? Therefore, it is better not to take yourselves so seriously. You need to be able to laugh at yourself.

 

Dirk: Yes, this is true. I mean the good thing is if you enjoy what you do, you do it much better than if you would enjoy. I don’t know, everybody’s asking about that because I think we are just living a kind of dream. When you start playing in a band the only thing you want to do is going on tour and making records and stuff. And that’s what we do right now, it’s almost perfect. It’s a great feeling to play all over the world, people are there to see you and your music, and that’s what we enjoy, that’s what we show because we enjoy it and have fun doing it! The listeners show have the same feeling; they should go to a concert and enjoy themselves, have a great time, party, just relax and get out of their serious normal life, you know.

 

Karma: Right, right! Especially considering you are already dwelling in a serious world, just let go, why re-live it?! [Laughter ensues]

 

Dirk: Yeah, exactly!!

 

Karma: I can understand why! Well back to the serious, So tell me how is it work with Sascha Paeth [Kamelot, Angra, Rhapsody] especially after going years of self-producing the majority of your own albums?

 

Dirk: It was really good because he’s a [pauses to search for the word in English] a great addition to our own work producing wise because he was doing the same stuff but we just don’t know about or we never tried out before. We met him the first time when we did the Hellfire Club drum recordings. We found out that we could get along with each other pretty well that was the reason why we took him as a producer. The fact that we had a lot of fun in the studio and did a great record together shows that we definitely keep working together in the future.

 

Karma: Do you foresee the process of recording live going forward as well?

 

Dirk: I hope so, I mean this time it went pretty good so next time we can even be prepared when we go to the studio to do that way of recording [laughs] because it was not really planned this time. I think it’s a good thing to get a little live feeling and the special power you have when you play together with a band. It’s a kind of bringing the stage into the studio, you know.

 

Karma: Absolutely, especially since you are a great ball of energy on stage, it would only be almost a natural progression to want to bottle that up for your recorded material.

 

Dirk: We tried to do that with this last recordings. We never really thought about…yeah we did but we tried to do the best you can. It’s hard to make a plan, even on stage its not like we sit down and say, “Okay we got to be powerful tonight!” It’s just how it is, I just hope we can keep it. [Laughs]

 

Karma: No kidding but I doubt that you won’t be able to keep that going.

 

Dirk: Yeah but some bands just lose it in their careers.

 

Karma: True, but it also has a lot to do with the band not caring any longer as the project would have lost its appeal to them.

 

Dirk: Yeah, or they’re changing lineups and stuff like that. I think that now it’s perfect how we are. We’ve got  a stable lineup, we know each other pretty well, so everybody knows what the other one needs. It’s just, it’s cool! I mean I like being around with the guys, having a good time, and just enjoying what I’m doing and that’s what we show on stage!

 

Karma: Which is nice that same feeling translates in your recorded material as well.

 

Dirk: Ja. [Chuckles]

 

Karma: On Rocket Ride – "Superheroes" did you try for the intro to sound like a Western? It really completes the song!

 

Dirk: [Laughs] Western, no, it’s supposed to be the theme to James Bond! [Laughter ensues] [Hums theme]

 

Karma: [Embarrassed] Of course, I hear it now! [Laugher ensues] And on "Trinidad" exactly what is the "unhappy chapter"?

 

Dirk: Tobi would be the best to answer this.

 

Karma: Okay, fair enough. Going back something I wanted to address after seeing the Superheroes DVD, how is the groupie thing going after the "Bunnyville" video? [We both laugh]

 

Dirk: It was very good to see a lot of bunny ears at the shows in Europe. Every time we went on stage, [laughs] there were like a few girls wearing these funny, bunny ears. It’s a good thing! [Snickers]

 

Karma: You guys should definitely try to incorporate the bunny ears with your merch.

 

Dirk: Yeah, we should try to. I mean there were a lot of people asking for it, so we should sell ears as our merchandise. “Official Bunnyville”, whatever! [Laughter ensues]

 

Edguy Rocket RideKarma: Definitely! Axel Hermann did an amazing job with the cover art for Superheroes and Rocket Ride. It is so much fun it fits in with your personalities; please explain how the whole cartoon idea began for the newbie.

 

Dirk: Actually, we got in touch with him when we got some merchandise, I think for the Hellfire Club Tour, for us. So this was the first time he worked for us as far as I remember, or maybe even earlier, I don’t even know. Superheroes were pretty much made from comic stuff. He was doing a card game for the German Rock Hard magazine a couple of years ago where it was like…famous musicians on a poker game I think it was.

 

Karma: Oh, okay.

 

Dirk: This one was really great because he really managed to draw the important stuff. See, it was great! Like Lemmy for example was on them, all the famous guys from rock n’ roll business. This lead us to the fact that he was doing Superheroes, and after the success of Superheroes and the fact that everybody loved the cover artwork we said that we should probably do it on Rocket Ride as well. The title is screaming again for something not quite normal. I mean we could have done our normal artwork on it but it would have been quite boring so we choose that one to give it a little more rock n’ roll. I think it pretty much shows what the record is about.

 

Karma: Definitely, definitely! What's your favorite song off the album and why?

 

Dirk: Uhm, actually that changes. [Laughs] “Catch of the Century” is pretty much my favorite right now but I also love “Fucking With Fire”! When we play it live or on tour, it’s just a great live song; it’s so fun to play it.  Edguy Promo

 

Karma: Off the subject of music, what are your views on America? What strikes you odd our society not politically speaking of societal habits or geographical differences or driving on the right hand side of the road would be such a challenge…

 

Dirk: …we have 220 volt so it’s twice as much as power as you get! [We both laugh]

 

Karma: Ah, we do too…it’s just not as prevalent as it is in Germany as well as in Europe.

 

Dirk: [Laughing] No, I’m just kidding. Well, I think there are a lot of things completely different but it always depends on to who you speak or you talk. Geographical wise it’s a little different but it’s not that important. I think the society is different like the whole behaviour of the people. Most of the Germans are pretty tight and not that funny all the time. I think you’ve got that everywhere. I think American people are a little bit more open-minded I would say, for example.

 

Karma: [Shocked] You think that, really? Wow!

 

Dirk: Yeah, but on the other hand you’re not allowed to show tits or something, that’s strange. [Hysterical laughter ensues]

 

Karma: Very true, frontal nudity is not an option on regular TV over here.

 

Dirk: I heard a funny sentence, somebody was like, “moral is good but double moral is twice as much so it’s even better”. It was something someone was saying about the Americans because on one hand you can go out and buy a gun or something but you’re not allowed to show tits somewhere. [Laughs]

 

Karma: Excellent observation.

 

Dirk: Yeah, it’s kind of weird but I’m used to it so I can handle it pretty well.

 

Karma: Okay, well here’s a quick Speed Round Questions for you, are you ready?

 

Dirk: Um-hmm!

 

Karma: Creation or evolution?

 

Dirk: Creation.

 

Karma: If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose?

 

Dirk: Superpower? Pwww…Intelligence!

 

Karma: [Laughs] Why is that?

 

Dirk: I would know everything!

 

Karma: If marooned on a desert island whom would you take with you?

 

Dirk: Tobi!

 

Karma: Bitchy, slutty, or demure?

 

Dirk: [Pauses] Slutty! [Note: The first answer was bitchy]

 

Karma: Heels or flip-flops?

 

Dirk: Flip-flops.

 

Karma: If Edguy were a cocktail, which drink would you be?

 

Dirk: Ummm…Sex on the Beach! [Laughs]

 

Karma: If not music then what?

 

Dirk: I have no idea!

 

Karma: When you were a wee lad, what did you want to be when you grew up?

 

Dirk: Uh, what I wanted to be…actually there was no real plan.

 

Karma: Then suffice it to say you are pleased with the way your life has turned out.

 

Dirk: Yes, so far yes.

 

Karma: That’s awesome to hear! Describe yourself in three words?

 

Dirk: [Pauses then makes noise closely resembling a horse] Hmmm…hard question! Uhmmm, trustworthy, tolerant, and smart!

 

Karma: Which band member has the best sense of humour?

 

Dirk: Tobi!

 

Karma: Being a guitarist, who in your opinion would epitomize “axe-god supreme”?

 

Dirk: The number one ever?

 

Karma: Yes.

 

Dirk: Pwww, it’s a mixture of Ritchie Blackmore, Michael Schenker, and ja, somebody else, a few more.

 

Karma: All right, when you're old and brittle, where would you like to retire?

 

Dirk: Maybe where I’m living right now; it can change.

 

Karma: If you could commission a band to do an Edguy cover, who would do it and which song would it be?

 

Dirk: Let’s take one from the new one. Accept or Scorpions with playing “Fucking With Fire” would be cool.

 

Karma: That would be very cool indeed! Role reversal time, if you could interview anyone, what would be the one thing you’d like to know about them? I know I did ask this the last time and you couldn’t come up with an artist, etc. Is your answer the same?

 

Dirk: [Laugh] Ja, it is the same as last time. I don’t know.

 

Karma: Okay do you have any questions for me?

 

Dirk: Ja, when will we make it in the US?

 

Karma: I think you can make quite a splash on the next time over.

 

Dirk: Do you think we can make it in 2006 or…

 

Karma: I think it would be more along the lines of early 2007.

 

Dirk: Okay.

 

Karma: Definitely!

 

Dirk: That's fine for me!

 

Karma: I think you’re time is coming soon plus it gives you time to prepare, right!

 

Dirk: [Laughs] Ja!

 

Karma: Well thank you very much Dirk for doing this again.

 

Dirk: You’re welcome! Every time you call me, I call you. [We both laugh]

 

Karma: Have a great day and upcoming tour!

 

Dirk: Thank you, take care!

 

Karma: You as well!

 

 

We'd like to thank Dirk for speaking to FourteenG again and to the fine PR dept at Nuclear Blast for making it a possibility!