That seems relatively few for an album by DRITTE WAHL. Has there been
any change in the songwriting? Are ideas lacking?
A: I believe the era of albums with 16 or 18 songs is somehow over.
Today, a lot is streamed, and you can clearly see in the numbers
that many switch to another artist or album after 4 or 5 songs,
if not just playlists are running.
Unfortunately, some songs get lost in that.
Moreover, I always find it better when I think after the last song
of an album, “Oh, they could have played one more song” than
when I’m already satisfied two songs before the end and wish
that I could finally hear another album, perhaps even from
another band. The truth is, we only managed to finish these 10 songs
to the point where we felt we could release them. All other “construction sites” were not ready yet.
Q: I find many of your songs have a large portion of
irony, as well as sarcasm and cynicism, like "Urlaub in der Bredoullie", "Das regelt der
Markt", or "Fabelhafte Voraussetzung". Is that your way of dealing with the circumstances
in which we live?
A: Yes, somehow you need a healthy dose of gallows humor today to
endure the world. I often feel like I’m sitting in a bad movie.
At least sarcasm helps from time to time.
Especially "Urlaub in der Bredoullie" seems rockier to me than, for example, "3D", "10", or
also "Geblitzdingst". Was that a conscious decision?
A: No, we take the songs as they come. We’ve always done it that way.
We listen to so much and such different music, and we don’t forbid ourselves the “infidelity”.
a beautiful vision. If all the rich people were gone,
would the world improve?
Are the younger generations better?
A: I don’t think so. Then probably the next ones will come who would like
to have a bit more of the pie. I just wanted to point out with the song
the unequal distribution of money in the world.
Some fly into space just for fun and spend millions on it,
while others don’t know how to pay for their food the next day.
I denounce that!
or personal escape from circumstances. What would you
like to do? What are your dreams?
A: That’s a good question. I’m actually living the dream I’ve always
had. And yet there’s a longing for something else that comes up
from time to time. I think all people have that in them, sometimes
more, sometimes less pronounced. To be honest, I don’t have a specific heartfelt wish.
"Radio" from the album "Strahlen" on the setlist, which is an old and rarely played song. How is the setlist created? What criteria do you apply?
A: It’s getting increasingly difficult to create a setlist that really satisfies everyone.
With each album, new songs are added. A few songs we have to play because many people want to hear them when they come to our concert.
And then we also want to play songs from the new album. There’s often little room for rarely played songs.
This time, I asked on Facebook and Instagram which track must not be missing from the setlist for the tour, and “Radio” actually came up a few times, and I thought, “Yes, it’s a good idea to bring that song back.”
A: I don’t know how that could happen...
Seriously, you can only make announcements if you think of something and if you enjoy telling people something. Both have increased in the last few years. Sometimes my colleagues have to rein me in.
pay, yet the merchandise is often made from conventional
cotton without Fairtrade standards. How is it with you?
Do you pay attention to such things?
A: Yes, we pay attention to that and try to offer fair merchandise as much as possible.
Q: 35 years of Dritte Wahl, what does the band mean to you, especially for the founding members Krel and Gunnar?
A: That’s somehow a completely abstract period. If someone had told me in 1988 that we would still be touring as DRITTE WAHL 35 years later, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. I’m a bit proud that we’ve managed to stick together for so long and still do. At the moment, I’m still having a lot of fun with the band and the music.
I think we will keep going for a while.
A: We always try to play in smaller venues from time to time.
It’s always a lot of fun, intense, and hot. Occasionally, we need that.
Personally, I still see us as part of the subculture, even though we are a bit more well-known today than we were 20 or 30 years ago. But that, like so much, is in the eye of the beholder.
A: I just have a lot of fun making music. With UNIVERSUM25, I can try something different and collaborate with other people.
I’ve only played with DRITTE WAHL for 30 years before, and it’s cool to see how others approach songwriting, etc. For me, that’s a great enrichment.
DRITTE WAHL remains my favorite child.
A: I wish for us as a band a loud, cheerful, and largely healthy year, and for the world, hopefully, a somewhat more peaceful and cleaner year 2024.
And of course, I wish you and all readers a wonderful year 2024! Make something of it!
