Interview with Judith Holofernes

November 2005

It has been said that you’ve made  German music fashionable again; do you think that the world will understand your message?  In fact, what is your message? 

We never really set out to convey a certain message. I write my lyrics on whatever is important to me, from, say, media politics to weird little everyday stories to love and final loss. We just try and make everything we send out into the world be useful and not negative. Maybe that´s some sort of a message.

You stay very much true to yourselves in this industry.  How important do you think this is?  I admire  your sheer determination in marketing your own CD by going straight to the people who really matter, the fans. How important is it to you to sing mainly in German?

I guess we are hippies at heart. I think it's important to do everything you do with love. It´s as simple as that. And that does make a few decisions (whom to work with and whom to ignore, for example) very simple as well.

What do you think of the trend for female-fronted bands in Germany?  Are they a genuine thing or record companies trying to replicate the magic of WSH?  

It´s obvious that that is how this industry works. But that doesn´t imply that any of the bands that profit from it are rubbish or don´t deserve the success. Some of these bands actually exist longer than we have and care for their music as much as we do.

Did you enjoy London gigs? Is international success important to  you and what do you think you can add to the music scene in the UK?

We had a lot of fun! It was great to play a small club again, the overall vibe was just amazing! And we had a lot of fun speaking English, although (or because) we knew most people there spoke better German than English, probably.

You’ve done international versions of  VHAB, is there any plans to do this with other songs?  

No, I think that was just some sort of a gift that you give to people who invite you... :-) If we were ever to gain a more international audience, I think it should be for the stuff we do right now. That makes it quite improbable, but if it should work it would suit us more. And we haven´t done anything so far that didn´t suit us. So why start? I could still imagine translating one or two songs, just so the people could get an idea of what we are on about.

Can you tell me about the Berlin-vibe  in your music?  I’ve heard that  Berliners have a ‘young and cheeky attitude’, is this true?  

I don´t know about that! It´s hard to tell from the inside. And we´re not even all from Berlin, Mark is from Hamburg an Jean is from Hannover.

Who are your influences and what music  do you listen to?  I personally  listen to an album (like yours) for ages, then I move on to something else, missing out on all the ‘Next Big Things’ being touted.  

Same for me! I feel like I´ve missed out on a lot of good stuff lately because my heart is not fast enough. :-) Right now I adore Feist and Rufus Wainwright and Interpol, but a lot of older music as well. I listen to Elvis Costello a lot.

What do you think about music  piracy? Is it really all that  bad?  

The internet was very important for our success in the first place. We didn ´t even have a record out and people were singing along to all of the songs. They couldn´t have learned them if it hadn´t been on the net! But still I myself, as a fan, prefer to buy the real thing, with the booklet, and to own the album the way the artist conceived it. We put a lot of thought into how we do our stuff and of course I prefer it if people honour the time and love you devote to creating things.

Your lyrics are somewhat  confusing at times, even for Germans.   How do you create them  and is there such a thing as a straightforward WSH  song?

I think the beautiful thing about song lyrics or any other poetry is that it does not have to be straightforward and one-dimensional - because life hardly ever is. That is why, for me, song lyrics are a very apt means to capture reality – because they don´t freeze things up but let them breathe and change.

How does the latest album differ to  the first one, in your opinion?  

I think it´s maybe more melancholy than the first one, although that one already  did have some quite melancholy songs on it... And it´s probably more “guitar”, more indie-rock than the first one.

Would you freak out if someone covered your songs or feel flattered?  Who would cover a WSH song the best?

That depends on who would do the cover version! I would hide in shame if some ugly techno thing ever turned up, but a nice version of a British band, sung in German with a nice accent... I´d love that!

What do you do when you’re not making  music?  Baking?  White water rafting?

I like walking around in parks. Very glam, that, isn´t it? And drinking coffee with my friends, because I miss them a lot on tour sometimes.

What’s the next step for the Helden?  

We just started writing new songs, but we want to take our time... I guess for now we´ll just go an touring!

Questions by Kristabel

© wirsindheldenuk.com 2005