Because the musicians had been so young, a lot of so-called specialists didn’t take the success of Tokio Hotel seriously. Four years later, the band is touring, worldwide and breaks one record after the other. Instead of gossip and giggle, Gustav speaks about drumming in Germany’s super band #1.
You’ve been thrown into the cold water of the stages at a very young age. Can you feel now whether or not you’ve become more secure with your drumming?
Gustav: I think, I’ll never be completely secure. I’m always nervous before a show, and sometimes I make mistakes during the performance. But even big names like Chad Smith or Danny Carey make mistakes sometimes, but that’s normal. Whoever can play in front of 13,000 people, isn’t nervous and doesn’t make mistakes is not a real drummer in my opinion.
What’s the thrill for you to play the drums and be the musician who sits in the back?
Gustav: It’s great for me that I can act from the background and most people don’t know how much weight I carry on my shoulders. Sure, it’s like that for all musicians on stage, but when the drums are gone, the song is fucked. Someone once told me that the drummer is the clockwork of a band. He alone sets the tempo and everyone has to follow his lead.
From a drummer’s point of view, what’s the most important thing on a Tokio Hotel concert? What do you have to deliver?
Gustav: Firstly, I have to bring the songs. And I do! Sometimes, I play them differently live than on the record, and especially with our new album, there will be a huge difference, since we also have a lot of programmed rhythms. Other than that, it’s like with any other band. The drummer sits in the back and enjoys.
What song do you like playing the most on stage?
Gustav: That changes with me all the time. I’m a fan of heavy beats. At the moment, I like playing “Komm” or the English version “Noise” and “Für immer jetzt” or “Forever Now”. Those songs are really nice to play and have a good pressure in front of the stage.
What qualities would you like to improve and how do you do that?
Gustav: Unfortunately, what with all our traveling, there is little time for the exercises I keep telling myself I’ll do. At the moment, my handicap are the fills. I just beat the damn things and don’t do doubles. But it sounds way more awesome! Oh, I think I’ll just keep doing them like that. Nobody’s complained, yet.
How much time do invest in practicing when you have the time between all the interviews and signings?
Gustav: Whenever I get into the studio to practice, it’s always for about four or five hours with short breaks in between. But I’m beat, afterwards.
What changed for you with the recording of the new album, compared to earlier recording sessions?
Gustav: I recorded some part with an e-drumset on “Humanoid”. Those machines are incredible. It was a whole new experience to add that. I will play some things with e-pads live, too.
What problems did you have to overcome during the recording sessions?
Gustav: Sometimes it’s really maddening: I’d love to put everything in one song. When I see the faces of the producers and the band, I often realize that it’s way too much. I also notice that when I listen to a take, then I sit down at my set and say to myself: “Less is sometimes more, Hotshot!”
Could you imagine to never touch a drumstick, again, should Tokio Hotel split, one day?
Gustav: No way! I started playing the drums when I was four or five years old. When I was in primary school, several things interested me, but I only really stuck with drumming. My dad always kept an eye on that, too, and when we watched a Genesis concert, and I saw the masses of people, he used to say: “Gustav, practice, practice, practice, when you want to get that far.” I guess that took.
Because the musicians had been so young, a lot of so-called specialists didn’t take the success of Tokio Hotel seriously. Four years later, the band is touring, worldwide and breaks one record after the other. Instead of gossip and giggle, Gustav speaks about drumming in Germany’s super band #1.
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