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Frank: I'm Frank Shitler, most people probably know me.
Martin: I'm Martin Shitler. I'm Bochum's most important punk and I'm spending my 31st year of life in Cologne exile.
Tristan: I'm the new guy. Some people think I'm shit, but that's okay, I think some people are shit too. I'm ten years younger than the others, but that's not so bad because I probably master my instrument the best.
You have only existed as "Die Shitlers" since 2011, but according to your own definition, you made music before that. If so, where were you active before?
Martin: Many different punk bands that never became anything bigger. I thought two or three were quite good. Additionally, I'm currently still playing with Gedrängel.
Tristan: I used to play in the Essen punk band Hartmut, which nobody knew, but we once had a two-page spread in Musikexpress.
Frank: Punk
What is it like in the world city of Bochum, is it easy to find other punk rockers there, or do you have to force them into isolation in the rehearsal room for days to land at DIE SHITLERS?
Martin: It's better to never ask interview questions with "either or" but rather openly, otherwise you box in the interviewee and don't get informative answers (unless, of course, it's intentional). There are quite a few punks in Bochum, but it used to be more when Dirty Faces still existed and you could hang out in the city center. However, luckily, we never did that. We don't really like punks that much. By the way, you won't find us in our rehearsal room. We're about to quit that. I hope 84 Breakdown finds out this way.
Tristan: Yeah, that would be really funny. Finally spreading awkward information over the internet.
Frank: I don't really care whether there are many punks somewhere or not. At concerts, it's cool when a lot of people are there.
Which musical "role models" besides NOFX and RANCID and Joan MirÒ influence you?
Martin: As no longer the drummer but the guitarist of the Shitlers, I notice that I've picked up many things from the guitarist of an old band where I used to play bass (Phantomias). That's particularly ridiculous because I always make fun of such music today. Otherwise, in songwriting, a lot of Blink182 and other pop-punk stuff. But actually, nobody should know that because, firstly, it's totally uncool and secondly, it's a bit ridiculous because the songs are all the same. How does that sound: "My influences are various variations of the chords C, F, G, and sometimes A at relatively high speed."
Tristan: I don't really go with Blink because they usually don't play as fast as we do. I'm mainly influenced by an acquaintance from the USA who once showed me how to play in a way that you don't constantly get pain in your hands even at high speeds, which only works moderately well. Actually, I almost exclusively listen to various bands with Claus Lüer when it comes to punk.
Frank: Recently, it was said somewhere that we sound like Die Ärzte. Personally, I've always thought they were crap, I've never listened to them, and I hope I wasn't influenced by them. Other bands we sometimes get compared to are Supernichts, Chefdenker, and so on. But I only started listening to them after being told that repeatedly. I never really listened to German punk, but rather stuff like Bad Religion, Bouncing Souls, and so on. Also, we like to steal things from other bands. Usually just individual elements, but in one case, a whole song: There's the Shitlers song "Party in der Villa". Our former guitarist Phantom found it too embarrassing, which is why it's not on the album, but it's available on YouTube. Musically, it closely resembles the song "I’m a huge fan of Bad Religion" by NOFX.
Did you have a fixed basic idea in mind when founding DIE SHITLERS, that it should sound like this or that, or are you more of a spontaneous type?
Martin: Both. There is a long-term strategy that Frank and I mainly developed through various phone calls where we discuss the events of our lives and contrast them with the imagery of the German rap universe. We relate the result to the framework of our possibilities, which arises from a) our money, b) our circle of acquaintances, and c) the amount of mid-term available free time. In the short term, a lot of predictable stuff happens within this framework, which varies depending on the situation but is basically quite similar. Sometimes, however, the things that happen transcend the framework or even change it. Then you have to look again. Like at the point when heroin enters the scene in 'Die Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo'.
Tristan: I had nothing to do with the founding of the Shitlers and I explicitly distance myself from it.
Frank: We previously had a band called "Stoehrfacktor", which was political German punk with stupid lyrics. It was a lot of fun, but of course, you had to play a role. Our goal with the Shitlers was to have a band where the stage personas are identical to the private individuals.
What inspires you for your lyrics? Do you like to package your everyday experiences and current events or various trends (e.g., in "Dreh den Swag auf") in an entertaining way in your songs?
Martin: Definitely. The Scheiße Minelli singer does Fight against Reality and we do Fight against Punkrock. In that regard, we are completely messed up. Frank's and my scene affiliation is a nearly 20-year-long bullying story, and Tristan was recently choked by a cook in the Potse (Berlin) and a skinhead at his first real punk concert. To cope with such terrible experiences and to be able to take revenge on the perpetrators in the future, we founded the band.
Tristan: I even acted particularly politely towards the punks in Berlin because you know they take themselves a bit too seriously up there. But since that didn't help at all, it's time to stop the cuddling. I briefly tried to become an integral part of this scene when I was 15, but it really isn't fun enough to pursue it long-term.
Frank: The world is my inspiration. I stroll through Bochum, meditate, pick up a pen, and then it just flows out of me.
In "Cordon Sport Massenmord" or "Stadtteile in Bochum" you mix rap elements with punk rock. It sounds good and makes your songs varied, in my opinion. Do you plan to continue mixing the classic punk sound with other styles in the future?
Martin: Yes, but probably only rap. The next album is supposed to feature a cover of "Verschwende Deine Zeit" with Kolja from Antilopengang. Otherwise, we try that, but we're not sure if we can pull it off. Frank Shitler is also considering making a rap EP someday; maybe he'll write something about it.
Tristan: I would like to mix our skate punk sound with a bit of street punk, but I don't mean it seriously enough to enforce it. Another proper rap cover wouldn't be bad either, but I wouldn't know which song would still be suitable; with "Dreh den Swag auf" and "Cordon Sport Massenmord", everything has basically been said. Furthermore, I find it a bit pandering that you say it sounds good. I would like to receive more accusations and condemnations.
Frank: Yes, I would really like to record a rap album. I've already written a few lyrics, but for some reason, I'm not creative at all right now. Maybe it's because a lot is happening at the moment, and I first need a relaxed basic mood to pack the events into great lyrics. Martin will be out of the country for half a year soon, and the Shitlers will be on hold during that time anyway. Maybe I'll do it then. But it could also be that nobody wants to hear it.
You sing "Bochum must never change". Tell us something about this city that you have mentioned in so many songs.
Tristan: I think Bochum is okay; you can hang out there from time to time and, if you want, even live there. I wouldn't judge anyone for that, unlike, for example, Duisburg.
Martin: I was born there and, as it stands now, hopefully will die there too. Bochum is great because the people are very nice and no crappy dialect is spoken. I think 400,000 people is a good size, and it's pretty much in the middle of some other cool cities and has good transport connections (both inward and outward). This thing about "people in the Ruhr area are honest, work hard" etc. I can't really sign off on that. I suppose everyone would say that about their region (if you listen to regional hits, those are basically the themes). I can only say that the people in the Ruhr area are honest people with their hearts in the right place who work hard.
Frank: Bochum is really great. And this is not a dull local patriotism; I have the role of an objective observer from the outside since I'm not from here at all. The people here are honest, work hard, and have their hearts in the right place.
"Gegen Nazis reicht" I think is a very cool song and finally brings this sensitive topic of Israel-Palestine onto punk in a very ironic way. I like your politically incorrect humor. Do you have a hard time with that in your corner, or do people understand your ironic style?
Martin: We're very happy about that! I think people understand it; most punks aren't very dumb. But I believe many just don't find it funny. I can understand that too; a lot is also below the belt. But my goodness, that's just how punk is. And that's a good thing (as Fat Mike argued very nicely in 'The Separation of Church and Skate'). We also have to live with it when Tristan gets punched in the face by xenophobic punks because he looks like a German studies student. In my opinion, punk is so great because it has both, the assholes and the politically correct.
Tristan: Which is also a reason why punk is shit.
Martin: In general, punks often overestimate themselves regarding political stuff from my perspective and say many things they actually can't judge (e.g., about the Middle East conflict). The singer of ZSK recently said in an interview that as a political primary socialization, punk is very good and puts people on a reasonable path. I would sign that immediately and add that afterwards, you should look for better socialization instances.
Frank: That's true; I was politically primary socialized by pretty dumb punk lyrics; I really enjoyed the lyrics of bands like Anti-Flag or Pennywise. By the way, the life motto of the Pennywise guitarist is: "What doesn't kill you makes you harder." But precisely because the punk scene is sometimes very dumb, I take the liberty to also be allowed to be dumb.
Tristan: A bit exhausting in punk is that people always have to judge everything, which leads to quick fronts forming on the really important issues (Middle East conflict, Die Shitlers), even though no one should actually be as sure as they are.
Why has Gunter Gabriel influenced you so strongly? Was it his special street punk attitude? Some say he is more punk than others; do you actually know Gunter? I think he lives in the Ruhr area?
Martin: I only started to celebrate him after I heard his dope Germany track. Then I got his biography and realized what a great idiot he is (the performance from the morning magazine where he explains that he lives in his boots is also highly recommended). How do you know that we celebrate him? Uh, it was on your homepage, but it could also be one of those lies you spread, right? Honestly, I think the other two don't celebrate him that much, do they?
Tristan: I was once in Berlin and met him there with a black-red-gold acoustic guitar. He said he wanted to recoup his enormous debts with street music, which I find a very funny approach. That would mean that if you start from zero, you can become incredibly rich.
Frank: I do celebrate him, but not as much as Martin, I think. We were at one of his concerts last summer at Café Extrablatt in Düren. Free! Nice guy, works hard, and has his heart in the right place.
How did you manage to get on Punk im Pott? Maybe for the reason that, as you sing, assholes are never alone, but always at least two?
Martin: Frank and I once interviewed Alex for an article. The relationship was good until we met after a Slime concert in his hotel and drank rum. What happened there, we don't remember exactly, but the contact then broke off. We were very surprised that our original plan to ingratiate ourselves with Alex through a detour actually worked out. At some point, he just wrote to one of us on Facebook and asked about Punk im Pott. The absolute highlight of our career!
Tristan: I wasn't there yet, but I got in for free that day because of the guest list. That was very good because I could see Knochenfabrik for free, who were actually quite good that day, which, as you hear, is by no means always the case.
What are your plans for the future now? Will there be a world tour or a new album following your performance at Punk im Pott?
Martin: Definitely not a world tour; I don't like being in other countries except the USA. As far as I'm concerned, we can play five or six concerts a year, two in Bochum, one in Berlin, one in Hamburg, and two variable ones. That would seem ideal to me. A new album is hopefully coming out at the end of the year. It will probably be titled "Die Shitlers versuchen, Deutschland zu ficken".
Tristan: Originally, we wanted to make an EP that was supposed to be titled "If someone really wants to insult me, it's just that I insult his family. I insult his family from top to bottom"; now we prefer to release an album. Otherwise, I would increase Martin's ideal to about ten to twelve concerts a year.
Frank: Until recently, I wanted to play a lot of concerts. But since I'm the only one in the band who can and is allowed to drive, that's no longer the case. Additionally, I'm divorced and have two children who don't live with me, so you have to plan weekends a bit in advance. It's important to me that the Shitlers become a recognized scene size so that people always react to our Facebook posts. How that happens is secondary.
