Meteors Interview
With permission of
T. Krieger
More Metal
Iceman:
"Hi Paul, nice to meet you, at first Gratulations for
the new Record "Hell Train Rollinī" - I think this
contains the "usual" trademarks of THE METEORS,
power and energy, what can we expect this evening?"
Paul Fenech:
"We will do songs from all stages of THE METEORS,
from the first album rightup to the new one!"
Iceman: "Allright, how long do you
gonna play tonight? Two hours?"
Paul Fenech:
"Nearly, two hours, it depends how fast we play!" (laughs)
Iceman: "I see there a lot of
tattoos, what was your first one and what is the
meaning of it?"
Paul Fenech:
"This one I did, when I was about 15 years old (Hillbilly
Rockers), it wasnīt very good tattoed, but I keep it
as a memory!My latest one was that one (Mexico) and
here is a funny one in german (Inselaffe)!
Iceman: "A Fan wants to know - is
it correct that you want to do a "Patent" for the
word "Psychobilly"?"
Paul Fenech:
"It is patented! I have the copyright, but I dont
use it, I copyrighted it 25 years ago, I think that
THE METEORS are the only Psychobilly Band!"
Iceman: "You are the "Godfather" of
this genre!?"
Paul Fenech:
"No, I dont mean it like that, not me personaly,
even all the members that came before made the
Psychobilly, Iīm still here, after 25 years, I get
the most glory for the work, but the band is the
thing, you know? Itīs not me! But this band is the
best Iīve ever worked with, we chanced the sound a
little bit harder!"
Iceman: "You are on the road since
25, 30 years, hard-working, hard-rocking,
hard-drinking band...
Paul Fenech:
"I dont drink! But "hard" - everything else!"
(laughs)
Iceman: "What do you think about
this modern popmusic genre, castingshows and stuff
like that?"
Paul Fenech:
"I dont really like popmusic, I think Rock N Roll is
the exact oposite of pop, thatīs what it is supposed
to be! I dont mean just Psychobilly Bands, I mean
hard bands, guitarbands! I like a lot of differend
kind of music, but is has got to be Rock N Roll! I
like Motörhead, they are good friends of mine, I
like The Ramones, Creedence Clearwater Revival and
all this kind of music. I have my own studio, I have
to listen to a lot of stuff to educate my mind, but
I really only like hard rocking stuff! I dont like
Jazz or Pop or fuckinīDisco! I cant live with that!
In my opinion Rock N Roll is here to fight soft
music! Rock N Roll should be a Pop Killer!!"
Iceman: "In the internet somebody
posted "Paul Fenech kicks the members out of his
band, just he likes to do it!" What do you think
about this?"
Paul Fenech:
"The people talk a lot of shit!" (laughs)
Iceman: "Thats why I ask you for!
One more lie in the internet?"
Paul Fenech:
"Yes, because this is not the way it works! I have
been working with him since 25 years! Ok, it is
difficult to work with me, I understand that,
because I like to say the truth! If you ask me a
questions, Iīll give you a straight answer!"
Iceman: "Thatīs the way it should
be!"
Paul
Fenech: "In
Music-Business itīs not the usual
way...everybody..."
Iceman: "Tries to tell you "You are
the best, the greatest blabla!?"
Paul Fenech:
"Yeah, thatīs the way! THE METEORS are three people,
has always been three people, unfortunaly, we had
some good other members, but a couple of them been
assholes!
The forget how to talk to me! You know, Iīm nothing
without the audience, my bandmates came from the
audience, and if Iīm going to be an asshole, my
friends will stop me!
I never said something like that,"If I dont like
somebody - Iīll do my best to run over them with a
car!" (laughs), normally, if the dont fit into the
band, they dissapear!
I just think its like in a gang or in a club, itīs
not how tough or crazy you are, itīs about beeing a
brother, how much you can be part of something!"
Iceman: "Ok, when we are talking
about the Internet..."
Paul Fenech:
"I read so much shit in the net! You know, Iīve done
a lot of things, I said a lot of things, but not as
much they pretend in the net!"
Iceman: "For example: A girl
outside told me something and I want to know if this
is true! She told me that YOU "gave the order, that
a Psychobilly Girl should NOT colour her hair!!???"
Paul Fenech:
"WHAT??" (laughs) I dont give fuck! I got no hair!!
My agenda has always been: It doesnt matter what you
look like, long hair, short hair, if you like us,
thats what we are playing for!
Iceman: "I asked her if that is a
REAL Questions and she said "Yeah I want to know why
he made this rule!"
Paul Fenech:
"I donīt make rules!! (laughs) I canīt make a rule
for you, or anybody! If you are nice to me, Iīm nice
to you! Iīm not going to tell anybody what to read,
what to write! All I say is that I hope that you
enjoy music, if you donīt, so I canīt help you!"
Iceman: "I read in the net that
Mark David Chapman, the Killer of John Lennon, is
your "Hero"? Is that true?"
Paul Fenech:
"Not a "Hero", you know? I donīt like The Beatles,
because I always loved The Rolling Stones, for me it
is was divided, The Beatles made Pop and The Rolling
Stones made Rock! Thats what for me divided Pop and
Rock! And James Brown made fucking Disco!! (laughs)
Chapman is not a hero, he would have been a hero if
he had shot all four of the bastards! ;-)
I donīt have a hero!"
Iceman: "But what do you think in
the modern days, when musicians like Dimebag Darrel
(R.I.P.) gets shot on stage?"
Paul Fenech:
"I have been stabbed twice, people always treatend
to kill me!"
Iceman: "Really? Why?"
Paul Fenech:
"I donīt know, people are fucked in the head, I
guess!"
Iceman:
"I donīt like your music, so Iīm gonna stab you????"
Paul Fenech:
"Yeah, or they think we play "Horror-Musik", so they
have to prove how "Horror" they are...but back to
the internet - I mean the Internet is a brillant,
excellent thing for the world, but it can be so bad,
I put my name into "Google" and there are a million
of fucking pages! I mean, Iīm not Elvis, I just play
a fucking guitar, I would never dream about telling
a woman what to do with her hair! As long as MY
girlfriend looks good to me, everything is ok! Hair
is not a part of my life (laughs) Politics are also
not a part of my life, I have my own politics, but
itīs not my job to teach people, so I donīt sing
about it, I donīt talk about it!"
Iceman: "Fans outside, from the
audience told me "Oh, when you talk to Mr. Paul
Fenech, youīll get a real problem, because Paul
Fenech is not friendly to journalists!"
Paul Fenech:
"You ask me in the right way, why should I be not
friendly? I got a problem when journalists are
arrogant, or call me an asshole, than I have a
problem!!"
Iceman: "People told me, that you
are always arrogant, donīt answer in sentences, just
answer "Yes" or "No", but now we are sitting here,
drink some beer, we smoke a lot of cigarettes and
everything is easy!"
Paul Fenech:
"Because they donīt know me! You come here, to
interview us, wich is really good for my band, then
I answer your questions, but I cant talk to
everybody, you know?
When I move to my car and somebody, a fan or
whatever asks my something "by the way", so I just
say "Yes" or "No"! Iīm just a normal man! A lot of
people mistake confidence for arrogance"
Iceman: "I think this is the "bad"
side of the internet, because anybody can upload
anything?!"
Paul Fenech:
"Yeah! And than it becomes a kind of "fact"!"
Iceman: "For example - when I look
at YouTube, to watch some videoclips from THE
METEORS, it is a fine thing to get an impression
about bands, but when I look at the comments....I
mean, each 5th user pretends to "Know" you!" "I
"Know" that Paul Fenech said this, I "know" Paul
Fenechīs point of view about that...blabla"! Isnīt
it some kind of risky for a band? Rumours are very
quick!"
Paul Fenech:
"Yes!! Its is not very good, I meet a lot of people,
but I can count my friends at one hand! You know,
when the people come to see us an stage, spend their
money, they worked hard for, so Iīll try to them
give my best!
If they can catch me and they wanna talk to me, as
long as they ask me the right questions, they will
always get the right answer, but if they want to
show me how crazy or "Psycho" they are, how drunk
they are, then they will get "the other half" of
me!You know?
Imagine a complete stranger will come to your
dinner-table and start talking to you!
The people cross the streets to talk to me, and so
they get a reaction, this is a normaly way, isnīt
it?
Ok, Iīm maybe a little fucked up in the head, but
not 24 hours a day! Sometimes I go shopping,
sometimes Iīm out with my dog, sometimes I wanna
stay with my girl-friend, it depands where you catch
me, what reaction youīll get, like everybody else!!"
Iceman: "Ok, but the people in the
net...you know..."Yeah" I meet him, and he was so
arrogant!"
Paul Fenech:
"Yeah, maybe at 4 oīClock in the morning and I donīt
want to talk to anybody?" (laughs)
Or sometimes - its weird when people ask for an
autograph, because I donīt feel that Iīm anything
special! Itīs really hard to explain, I just go to
work, like everybody else!"
Iceman: "In Germany we have a guy,
his name is right out my mind at the moment, but it
doesnīt really matter - so, this guy calles himself
a "Star-Hunter", whereever a famous musician, Movie
Star, whatever arrives somewhere, he is there and
trys to catch a picture with the Star, even at 2 O
Clock in the morning! Isnīt is insane? To try to
"Catch a little bit of the Starshine?, for me it
makes no sense!!??"
Paul Fenech:
"This is totaly fucked up! Itīs different to like
somebody or to chase him! Totaly crazy!
I live in Germany and to be honest, I think the most
German People are very polite! Thatīs why i moved to
Duisburg, I can be myself, the got good maners here,
mostly! And Germany has good beer!"
Iceman:
"German Beer!! Nothing more to say!" ;-)
Paul Fenech:
"By the way - the fridge is full of beer, feel free!
One more beer wonīt kill you!" :-)
Iceman: "What about you, A beer
too?"
Paul Fenech:
"No, I donīt drink alcohol, I use to drink a lot of
coffee!"
Iceman: "Ok, what do you think
about all these "hard-drinking, livinīon the road"
Storys that some bands never get tired of telling?"
Paul Fenech:
"Well, I lived that, apart from the drinks, I lived
hard!"
Iceman: "We talked about MOTÖRHEAD,
Lemmy without drugs - he would die!"
Paul Fenech:
"Me too! Wait a minute, lets get a cigarette!"
Torstenīs lighter was running out of duty, so Paul
Fenech throw his Zippo across the table....
Torsten" Cool old Zippo, Paul!"
Paul Fenech:
"Yeah! A Zippo, a knife and a Stratocaster, thatīs
all a man needs!"
Iceman: "Yes, but they took away my
knife at the entry, I forgot to leave it at home!"
Paul Fenech:
"Really? But they will give it back to you, hm? If
there is a problem, getting your knife back, tell
me, Iīm gonna care for that!"
Iceman: "Thank you! So, back to
business! I read in Lemmyīs Biographie that he
wanted to chance his blood - "
Paul Fenech:
"I guess, when they look at his veins, there is only
powder in it!" (laughs)
Iceman: "And the doctor told him
"If we would give you fresh blood, without alcohol,
without drugs you will die! And if we give your
blood to somebody else, this man will die!!"
Paul Fenech:
"The next ten men!" (laughs) I met Lemmy a lot of
times, he has been to gigs, he also came to my
studio in London to do some work and I think he can
never die!! Or maybe he is dead and he just canīt
stop movinī!(laughs)
Because I donīt drink, doesnīt mean Iīm anti-drink!
For some reason I never started, I moved from school
to the Army and then to the band! Iīm not pissed
when somebody gets a drink, but for me itīs too late
to start with!
I canīt get the taste for it anymore, I like
Tequilla, donīt like the taste of it, but I like the
effect of it!
Iīm not "Anti-Drugs" or "Anti-Drink". People can do
whatever they want, I donīt like "Needle-Drugs", but
if the people want to do that - itīs not for me to
tell them that! Itīs not to me to say "Donīt drink
two Bottles J.D. a day!"
Iceman: "Ok, Paul - I have to say,
I donīt understand why the people told us that you
are so arrogant and always "pissed off"! It was nice
talking to you!"
Paul Fenech:
"First of all - your job feeds my job, so Iīll give
the best I can, secondly - I feel comfortable
because you are talking to me nicely! So, the way
you talk to me, Iīll talk to you!"
Iceman: "Allright! So, Paul - is
there anything left you want to tell our readers?"
Paul Fenech:
"Yeah! Just make up your own mind! Come and see THE
METEORS! If you like us, we are really happy, if you
donīt - what the fuck can I do about that? And it
got nothing to do with "hair"! Enjoy yourself!"
