Kingdom Come
Unwritten Language

20.06.2009

Another album and yet another interview. For many of Western publications it has long been a tradition to talk to bands every time they release a record, but we don’t follow it that much. First, our resources are scarce, and second, there are not too many musicians whom we can interview numerous times and each time make it interesting. Lenny Wolf of Kingdom Come is an exception. First, every album he has been doing in the past decade is different, so an interview is a chance for both us and you to find out why the new CD sounds like it does. Second, he is really nice to talk to, which means that he likes to get interesting questions and tackle them in more than just a sentence or two. Thus, you can find below the transcript of our fourth engagement with Lenny – this time devoted mostly to his latest record “Magnified” and his Russian touring experiences and expectations….

You quite often come to Russia, but in 2007 you for the first time did a really big tour which took you to Siberia and even the Far East. What are your impressions from those remote regions of Russia? Did you like the shows there?

Yes, I liked the shows very much, I remember great response basically throughout all of Russia. I’ve been asked this question quite a few times lately, I’ve just finished an e-mail interview where I was asked it again, and all I can say again and again is that there’s some magic about the people of Russia, which I really enjoy. I’m not trying to give you some blah blah blah, but the whole band really likes playing in Russia. And besides playing, it’s nice just to be there. I remember when I came to Los Angeles for the first time in 1983, people were different than now, there was something fresh in the air, and something similar to this can be felt in Russia. Obviously your country is starting over again in many aspects, you opened up, and a lot of changes have taken place. All those circumstances obviously influenced the whole vibration. I’m not saying everything is perfect, in Germany we have trouble, in Russia you have trouble, in America there is trouble, every country has its down and up sides. But in general, the energy is very charming. I just like the people, you know what it is – when you look in somebody’s eyes and you feel good, and you don’t even know why. I’ve been to countries – I don’t wanna mention them now – but I’ve been countries where I look at people’s faces and I just don’t like them. In Russia, it’s the opposite, I like it very much, I feel happy, and we’re always ready to come. I cannot put my finger on it in detail, but that’s just basically what it is.

In the song “Same Old Stars” from your previous album “Ain’t Crying For The Moon” (2006) you described St. Petersburg as “hungry hearts with a lovely smile”. How would you describe Moscow?

“Hungry hearts with a hasty smile”! (everybody laughs)

On that tour you played as a four piece, as Yenz Leonhard was gone, and you played the guitar yourself. As far as I understand, you continue like this until this day. Why did you decide not to look for another guitarist?

I was surprised that people actually liked it. First I wasn’t sure whether I should do it, but people kept telling us that some songs now sound a little bit better. I’m the one who wrote these songs, so obviously I know how I want the songs to feel and to sound like. I think it is the advantage of me doing it. The disadvantage, on the other hand, is that sometimes I wish I had a little bit more time communicating with the audience. I’m very busy onstage now, but I enjoy playing the guitar. I’m not one of those front guys like David Lee Roth from Van Halen, for example, he’s an entertainer and a big clown onstage. Things are different for me, I’m more of a guy who likes to be part of the game and just play the axe. I hope it’s OK with you. Is it OK with you when I play the guitar? If not, just tell me! (everybody laughs)

Let’s now discuss the new album “Magnified”, and the obvious question will be about its title. What does it mean – that Kingdom Come are now bigger than ever?

(laughs) No, certainly not. I came up with this concept of somebody looking into a speaker with a magnifying glass. And my brother said, “Why don’t we just call the album ‘Magnified’?” The music is good, there are many songs on it, and the production is kind of magnified, for example, the machinery side on ‘Living Dynamite’ or ‘When I Was’. I liked the concept, though I had questions about it. I mean, Kingdom Come was the biggest in 1989, so that would definitely make sense back then. But me and my brother talked to some friends, and they also liked it. Then again, you never know! (laughs)

Many reviewers have noticed that the new record is much more industrialized so to say. It sounds closer to “Perpetual” (2004) than to “Ain’t Crying For The Moon”. What is the reason for going in this direction? Do you think you went too far back to the rock roots on “Ain’t Crying For The Moon”?

No no no. People sometimes think there’s this big major cosmic plan behind something, but the bottom line is that there’s no plan at all. When I write, it’s a very spontaneous and a very innocent moment - I sit in the studio and I start doing something. I’ve been telling people for years now that I really enjoy playing around with new sounds. I mean, most of the sounds you hear on my records come from guitars and bass, I’m talking about all those loops or industrial or theatrical sounds. I basically built myself most of those sounds out of a can, I made them, and this is something that really excites me. Especially when we play live – we have just played in Minsk, Belarus, for the first time, and people were freaking. When I think about songs like “Mother” or “Twilight Cruiser” or “Living Dynamite”, live it’s another step forward, it’s bombastic… it’s different, if you know what I’m trying to say. Of course, we like to rock, of course, it’s four guys onstage banging out the riffs and doing solos, and my voice is doing what my voice can do, but that’s understood, that’s the normal stuff, as I call it. But there’s something else that’s giving us that little extra uniqueness, that makes Kingdom Come what it’s all about nowadays. Let’s take AC/DC as an example – I love this band, but AC/DC will always sound like AC/DC for the next 500 years. Or take Motorhead – you know one song, you know them all. I’m not a smart ass, I’m just telling you what my outlook on this is. I want to take my listeners to different levels, offer them something a little unexpected, different emotions that are taking all of us on a rollercoaster. It’s like a ride – you go up, you go down, you go straight, it’s not just “Do You Like It” 20 times. The things what I’m doing are best described as “variety”, that’s a good word.

You said that you don’t want to record “Do You Like It” 20 times, but you did re-record one of your biggest early hits “Get It On” on “Ain’t Crying For The Moon”. What was the reason?

I wish I knew! (everybody laughs) Basically I just thought of doing a version of “Get It On” which I felt like doing at that time. Obviously you’ve noticed that we play it lower, I sing a little differently, and the pace is a little slower, which makes a big difference. It’s just something I felt like doing. Actually I’m thinking about taking it a step further and doing a whole record of songs from the early days, which sounded great for that time, but let me pick one song as an example – “Should I”, I’m sure you know this song, it’s one of the songs that people always request us to play – and live we play it a lot heavier and a lot slower. I think it suits much more the time now than the original version. The original version sound very static and is a little too fast. I would like to give some of the songs a second chance by producing a whole record of such songs, but really making them different. “Get It On” was like giving it a try and seeing how it would work. Some like it, some don’t, some like the original better, it’s a free world.

The new album came out on a new label called Planet Music. What went wrong with your cooperation with Frontiers Records?

I was signed to a label in Berlin through my friend Ulf Zick, and it basically sub-licensed the last three records to Frontiers. That deal went out, and I was about to make a deal directly with Frontiers. To keep it short, there were contractual issues we could not agree on, and so we decided not to continue – as simple as that.

People say that a record label can make or break a band. But you have been through so many labels over the past decade – Eagle Rock, UlfTone Music, Frontiers, and now Planet Music, and you don’t seem to be harmed by label situations in any way. How do you manage to do it?

First of all, the days when record labels made a band are over, unless you’re getting a lot of TV support. I’m sure in Russia there’s a TV show called something like “Russia Looking for the Next Superstar”, this concept is going on worldwide right now, and participants in this show get such immense TV support! You can produce shit, but if 5 million people watch it, and only 10 percent of them buy the record, you’re in Top 10. We don’t have TV support, so it’s very hard to make this band. Nowadays to write a hit is not enough. You really need a lot of good timing and luck. As to labels, there are only two or three big labels nowadays – Universal Records and BMG or whatever they are called now, and then there are about two billion small labels who are basically trying to make a living by putting out as much as they can, but they cannot promote every record, because it’s too expensive. Nowadays the model is, “OK, let’s get as many bands as possible, release their albums and then hope for some miracle.” Except for cases when band members have an average age of 18, I don’t think that labels really make a band anymore. Bands nowadays need a platform to make sure their record is gonna be in most possible stores and then hope for some magic. Lots of bands are selling records only on the Internet, which I think is not the best way to go, but at least it’s something they can do. All the industry is changing, I don’t know if there will be any record companies around in five or six years. That’s why I made my songs available through iTunes and other digital stores.

On the cover of “Magnified” we can see a girl and a gramophone. Do you miss the times of vinyl records, or are you quite comfortable with CDs and mp3?

Vinyl records were certainly something special. I remember coming home after getting my first record. First of all, in those days you were very excited about the cover, it was not just a little CD cover, it was a big picture. While people were listening to the songs, they were holding up this big cover from the vinyl record, checking out all the little details. Those days a record definitely had some magic to it. It’s kind of sad that they’re gone. Some bands actually release their records on vinyl again for some nostalgic or some promotional purposes, but hey, 2009 is what it is. I think in five years from now there won’t even be CDs anymore. I don’t know if I like it, but that’s where it’s going at.

By the way, where did you shot the promo photos for the album? This tractor with the Kingdom Come flag – the background looks very much like Russian countryside…

I’m sorry to disappoint you, but it was in Vienna, Austria. That’s where my label is based. I got so tired and bored of seeing all those bananas over and over again, seeing all those Cadillac limousines, seeing the guy on a fucking Harley… I used to drive a Harley, too, and it’s nice, but come on, how many more times can you show that? I’m so tired of all these clichés! Maybe financially it’s not that smart that I’m not being part of all those clichés, but I just cannot fool myself, I just don’t like it. I was hanging out in Vienna quite a bit lately, because my label is based in Austria, we getting ready for shooting a video, and I saw an old guy sitting on this tractor, and I was like, “This is really cool!” (everybody laughs) He didn’t give a fuck about anything, he was just driving this old-timer tractor, and I said, “I gotta use that sucker for the video!” And I liked it so much that I’m thinking about getting myself a tractor if I’m gonna sell my car.

In the song “No Murderer I Kiss” you sing “Let’s save the planet / By killing us all / Cause we never learn”. Do you believe that the mankind is doomed, and there is no way to change our future for the better?

First of all, I’m very excited and very flattered that you are paying serious attention to my words. That’s very sweet, thank you, darling! Most interviewers are not paying so much attention. The bottom line is – just by watching what’s going on with a very young generation shows me that many of them have no idea what it is to be hungry, what it is to starve, what it is to have war and all that stuff. Fortunately, if you have not lived through a tragedy, misery or bad times, you can read about it, but I think for a human - if you don’t have parents who really kick your ass big time - it’s really hard to relate to those bad times. Therefore I’m afraid that wrong people are gonna be in power one way or the other, they will not learn until a bomb is falling right on their heads.

As much I like people, as much as I love peace, as much as I hope we all are gonna be living on this planet for the same goal and showing respect for one another no matter what religion or culture we belong to, I don’t think it’s gonna work. Especially in Europe. I don’t wanna get too heavily into politics, and most musicians probably wouldn’t say it because they’re afraid to step on people’s toes, but I’m not afraid to say something. Russia and America have one big advantage – you have space. Europe doesn’t, there’s not chance for any space. For example, you go out at night with your friends, because it feels good, you wanna be with people you like, people you can relate to, people you have fun with, people who speak your language, people who feel like you do. That’s normal, it’s the way it should be. But in Europe it’s getting pretty damn crowded.

I remember when I went to America, I was trying to speak the language and I was trying to fit in. If I don’t like America, I can get my German ass back home, and I can stay here. But never for one second I thought that I wanna vote or that I wanna raise my German flag in America. When I’m in Russia, I’m a guest, and I’m gonna raise the Russian flag because I like you guys. But the bottom line is that we have a lot of people here in Europe who like to live here, who like to take advantage of the European social safety net, but deep down in their hearts they don’t like us. We’re starting to really have a problem with that, and I’m afraid that sooner or latter there’s gonna be a bomb dropped.

That doesn’t have anything to do with racism and all that bullshit, I’m just talking reality. People are very afraid of speaking out, especially Germans should not even think about it loud, because we caused World War II, and we really fucked up big time. For the past 50-60 years Germans have been bending over, “Oh yes, oh yes, we’re so sorry and sha la la”. And now the new generation said, “Fuck this “sorry”, I am not sorry, I am German and I’m proud of it. You’re Russian, and you should be proud of it as well.” The bottom line is that you can’t mix too much, because, as I said, when it gets out of hand, you will really have problems, as simple as that.

In Russia, we’re starting to have the same problem in big cities as well…

Exactly! It’s the bottom line. I’ve been seeing this when I go to Moscow, and I’ve been a lot of times in Moscow. I know exactly what’s going on, and I know exactly what kind of people most of you guys don’t like, and it’s normal! It’s your country, it’s your homeland, so nobody should tell you who can come or not. It’s your decision. In Germany, there was a party called the Greens. I’m very grateful that they knock on our heads saying, “Hey, we gotta watch the environment, we gotta stop polluting the air, we gotta clean our lakes and oceans.” I think it’s wonderful, it’s great, and it’s right. But they were also saying, “Hey, we gotta love each other, let’s invite everybody to Germany.” They really fucked up with this, because there are too many people in our country, who don’t really like us. They just want the money. This is what causing a lot of trouble now with the right-wing parties, if you know what I mean.

So, I don’t have the answer to everything, but I like to speak out. In rock music, most of the bands like to be seen as very left-wing-oriented. But I’m right in the middle, that’s what I mean.

Let’s now go back to your music and talk about one more song from the new record. As far as we understand, “Unwritten Language” is a kind of thank-you to your fans, for whom your music is part of their lives. In your opinion, does a person have to have a special personality to like Kingdom Come, does he or she need a special state of find to fully understand it, or is it accessible for just everybody, and the only reason why more people don’t listen to it is that they don’t know it’s around?

You know, that’s why I like talking to you, because just asking this shows that you’re really thinking about things more seriously. You don’t ask shallow stupid questions about what I have for dinner or what car I’m drive. I think Kingdom Come is certainly no elevator music, and I realize that my personality is a pretty intense one. I’m an intense emotional motherfucker, I know that. I’m not put on the planet to be liked by everybody, it’s impossible to do anyway. I cannot be loved by everyone, so I decided to go my way. I’m trying to be nice about it, but I have my vision and my mission, and my mission is called Kingdom Come. Some of our songs are… I hate the word “commercial”, but they could be pretty commercial, if the radio would have played them. Off the new record, it’s “Over You”, for example, or from “Perpetual”, it’s “Inhaling The Silence”. They’re acoustic songs which show my Beatles-roots a little bit, they’re kind of mellow, not too aggressive. I think they’re kind of acceptable. But most of the songs are pretty intense, and if you don’t have a very particular antenna, or a particular emotional mirror which fits, then the acceptance may be more difficult for us. Just by asking your question, you basically answered it yourself – Kingdom Come is not a commercial “shabalaba-let’s-have-a-good-time” band, it reaches a certain kind of people. What kind of people those are exactly, I cannot tell you. Maybe they are people who know about the depths of life or people with a very developed emotional antenna. But it’s not bubblegum music, no shit about it.

By the way, who are your “invisible friends” in music, the bands that help “heal your scars”? We all know about the Beatles and AC/DC, but what about other, newer bands?

Right now in my car I play a lot of Muse, I like some of their stuff very much. I dig Stone Temple Pilots, and sometimes when I drive an autobahn and I really need to put out my middle finger, I listen to Rammstein. There aren’t so many newer bands that I like – Radiohead, Muse, but that’s basically it.

The song “Bon Scott” from your previous CD needs no comments, but there is an interesting line in it – “in after life I believe”. In your opinion, what happens to a person after he or she dies?

If I say I knew, I’d be an idiot, because I don’t know. It’s very hard to say. People believe because they need to lean on something, whether it’s a strong shoulder or just something in your mind, but obviously if it helps people, they should believe in whatever they believe in. Sometimes I have a tendency of thinking, “This could not just be it, there must be something else, because the way humans are made is so spectacular, so wonderful, so extraordinary, so cosmic, so great, that it’s hard it believe we’re only meant to live for 60 to 80 years, and then – “next please!” Then again, whoever or whatever made us, also gave us a chance of being something special.

Sometimes I believe in afterlife, sometimes I think we just say bye-bye and that’s it. I just wanted Bon Scott to know that should there be an afterlife, should he be around to listen, I just wanna say, “Hello!” But I’m the last one to say “yes” or “no”, I would not put myself in the position of smart ass and say, “Hey, I know there would be a life afterwards, I’ll make a comeback as an elephant next time!”

Going back to the new album – who is Jessica, who sings a duet with you on “24 Hours”?

There’s a club here in Hamburg which is called “East”, simply “East”, it’s like a big hotel with a great club and a bar downstairs. I used to go there quite a bit, we ran into each other and just started talking, very light-hearted, nothing special. Obviously, after a certain amount of time, people ask, “So, what are you doing?” I told her, “Oh, I spend most of my days onstage being a rocking idiot”, and she said, “Oh great, I’m a singer myself, too.” Next time she brought a couple of her recordings, she’s actually more into jazz. When I heard her voice, I really liked it a lot, besides the fact that I like her very much, too - not on a sexual basis, she’s just a great wonderful something. At that time my CD already went to the manufactory to get reproduced, but I said, “Fuck it, why don’t we just do this song “24 Hours” together, because I like your vibe!” Also what I really liked about her voice is that she’s not sounding like all those chicks who are singing on “Idol” shows, not like the 5,000,000th version of Mariah Carey. She has a very innocent, a very straight voice, and a very charming character. I really liked it, so she and I went to my studio, and it took us half a day to put it down. Then I said, “OK, since it didn’t make it on the CD, let’s offer it on iTunes.” It’s just a spontaneous thing I did – she’s happy, and I’m happy, and hopefully some other people are happy too. I actually like the version with her better than the other one.

Actually you’ve never done a duet with any other people throughout your career…

You know, I was very concerned with not doing it with some big names, not going like, “OK, let’s find somebody big and maybe we can cash in on this.” I like the fact that this is a spontaneous, no-name, straight-ahead cooperation, the song itself was the purpose.

We know that we ask this question in every interview with you, but there’s still no answer to it – when shall we expect a Kingdom Come release on DVD?

To be honest, this is something I regret very much – not running around with a camera in the early days. When we started in the States we did the “Monsters Of Rock” tour with Metallica, Scorpions and Van Halen, we toured with Black Sabbath. Bon Jovi and so many guys. We could have made footage to fill 20 DVDs, but I basically fucked it up. I know this is ridiculous and stupid, but we didn’t even think about this. Now there’s not much footage lying around that is worth putting on DVD, and I don’t wanna put a DVD out just to sell another piece of plastic. Something really exciting has to be on it, otherwise why do it? I don’t think people care to see us driving around Germany or me backstage with a Coca Cola in my hand – how exciting is that? (everybody laughs)

You’re coming back to Russia very soon…

(shouting) Yeeeeahhh!

In June you will tour the country with Scorpions and Alice Cooper. What are your expectations from the tour? And maybe you can say some final words to your Russian readers to wrap up this interview?

Basically I don’t expect anything because this way I can’t be disappointed. Just like I mentioned when we started this interview, the band is very excited coming to Russia again, especially the first time in the summer. Usually we go out to play in November or December, so this is going to be something new for us. But let’s not be mistaken – we are not a headliner. Originally we were hoping to do a theater tour again, because I really like your old theaters. In Moscow we played in Club Apelsin, which, as I heard, does not exist anymore, but mostly we played in theaters, and there’s a great vibe in them. Even if Kingdom Come were very big, I would still prefer playing in theaters, these shows are very intimate, people are coming especially to see Kingdom Come. Nevertheless, the summer festivals are going to be a blast, we’re very excited, and I’m sure it’s gonna be great one way or the other.

I just hope that my voice is going to be OK. I remember in Sweden a few years ago we played outdoors at one of the festivals, and my voice said “bye-bye” after the first song. I went to the doctor and said, “What the hell is going on?”, and it turned out I, like my mother, have a pollen allergy, though I had never experienced it before. Usually we play indoors, and there’s no problem about it, so I just hope it’s gonna be OK this time, too.

Other than that, what can I tell you? Rock’n’roll!


Kingdom Come on the Internet: http://www.lennywolf.com

Special thanks to Irina Ivanova (CD-Maximum) for arranging this interview

Roman “Maniac” Patrashov, Natalie “Snakeheart” Khorina
April 15, 2009
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