Interview

ZANN

Jeudi 6 novembre 2008



1. Could you present the band though it's actual discography to our French speaking Belgian audience?

Uwe: Zann started back in '99 when Ron moved to my hometown. Me, Ron and Mark started the band then. Later Robert joined as a friend of Ron as singer. After two shows John joined on second guitar. Since that time the line-up is solid. We wrote some songs, put out several records on different labels, toured Europe, the U.S. and Japan in the past years.
Our first full-length came out in the summer of 2006 on Vendetta records. Future plans are a split 10" with our friends from Burial Year, a three-way-split 12” with Perth Express and Trainwreck and another U.S. tour in fall.

Robert: Nothing else to add - expect the 3way split probably will be 4way split LP (Trainwreck, Perth Express, Zann and Perth Express)

2. ZANN have toured many parts of the globe, be it USA as well as in Japan if I'm right? How did you get the chance to make those tour possible? Did you sold your ass to big tour manager or did got in touch through the DIY way with bands and people and set the things up that way? How DIY is important to you? And how do you see, live, explain it?

Robert: We would never use a "tour manager" or any crap like that. We book all our shows by self from the beginning and since the DIY network is one important part for us - we would never change that. All the tours got possible w/ the help of the DIY network and the help of friends we made over the years. So we usually know all the people that book shows for us and help us out and that is really important to us and feels AWESOME. I mean we saw so many places and played so many shows in so many countries w/ out any "professional" help and thats what is all about for us even if it sounds pathetic! So thanks to all the people that support us and the whole network.

Uwe: D.I.Y. is pretty important to us. We like to have as much control over our projects as possible. This way we know how something looks or sounds and we gain a lot of experience on that special matter, like doing shirts, layouts, records etc.



3.Touring is a great experience I experienced a few times...But memories are there. You met many people, have talks and discover new aspect of people you know and don't know. How was it for you? After all the time spent together, you know each other better now. The good and bad side. The stupid stuff everyone do like sleeping the mouth wide open and stuff like this. How did you make it in not breaking up until now? And what are the best memories that you remind. What are the best aspects of touring for you?

Uwe: By now I know we've been close to a break-up one time. I mean there are little fights and problems on every tour. But with time you learn to get along or you break up. It depends on how important the band is to you and what compromises you are willing to make with people. It's a lot about tolerance and respect, but in the end we know there won't be much possibilities to do a band like this again when we break up; and this keeps us together too.

Robert: There have been days of hate and love. I mean its like a marriage. Its impossible that you get a long every day and over the years we learned to argue about things, to talk about almost everything and we got to know each of us better and better and know everyones mistakes and special habitates. But at the end we all have respect for each other and we agree about the things the band is all about like what kinda shows we play, our political views etc etc ... And like Uwe said we will never find people like that again :) Most of us are over 30 and its hard ot make new friends. hahaha


4. ZANN is a straight edge band. As well as a band that puts Animal Liberation ideas in practice through its diet. Why being a straight edge band? The vegan straight edge wave is over ;-) It's not cool anymore and moreover people in our scene tend to think all straight edgers are « though guys close minded people ». But for a band of stupid XassholeX you still try to make propagandha for « non religious, non violent, pro choice, anarchistic and humorous lifestyle ». Why such combination. And tell us your relation with
SxE in general.


Uwe: We're not a "straight edge band". It just happens that none of us take drugs. Might be that "the vegan straight edge wave" is over, but ideals and compassion about what you think is important is never out of style. We're not here to prove something concerning our diet or lifestyle. If people believe straight-edgers are close minded toughguy assholes they are as close minded as the people they criticize. It seems they can't separate individual people from ideals and beliefs.... Why such a combination? Because it reflects who we are and what is important to us.

Robert: I agree w/ Uwe on that. I don't care about trends and all that shit in hardcore/ punk. If people are vegan or straight edge or whatever cause its trendy - then I don't have much in common w/ them. If people smoke and get wasted cause its trendy then also should fuck off. I give a shit about them as long as they respect other people in their way of life.
I mean this drugfree vegan/vegetarian lifestyle is all important to us and I'm glad we are all have the same ideas about that - but we never pray those kinda things. Of course we let people know what we support (non religious, non violent, pro choice, anarchistic and humorous lifestyle) - since those things are what all agree on in the band about. The problem w/ lots of those Straight Edge bands you probably mean don't have anything else beside the XveganX lifestyle.



5. You're all coming from East Germany if I'm right. And so at the age you are you have witness the fall of the big Wall between East and West. How did you lived that, but especially how did this affect your childhood and teenage days? Does this affect your todays political ideals?

Uwe: It was an intense time and it was the end of my childhood. Before everything was really closed and isolated in a positive way. No problems existed around me. After the fall there were lots of new possibilities but also lots of new problems. We were forced into capitalism from one day to the next. And it for sure affected my political views. Today I only can hope for the people to realize that this capitalist society is not less inhuman - the free market is just a different, more subtle form of oppression that needs to be overcome.

Robert: I don't have really bad memories on my childhood in Eastern Germany. I mean I have been around 10 years old when the wall came down and so far my childhood has been pretty awesome til then. I lived in a town w/ 100.000 people and we got a lot of woods and nature around the city - so I spent a lot of time there.
I don't know if my childhood had such big political impact on me. I mean you still feel that people are still different on both sides of the old border and we still have some different views and ideas on some stuff - but I might have been to young.
Its more my parents that had bigger politcal impact on me. They supported me in any way and helped me out w/ a lot of stuff now and then.


6. Some people in the band do practice hadcore punk in a « professional way » like Robert with its Adagio830 Records. How's your relation then between professionalism and your punk rock ethic? Where's the difference with the fashion kid, the « new economy fashion » like said in «  ausweitung der kampfzone »?

Robert: The whole thing grow on me. I mean when I started ADAGIO830 in 1995 - I never thought about things like make a living out of it. It just came one thing to another. I think being professional and DIY at the same time is no problem for me at all. I think being unprofessionell, unreliable is a bigger problem if people label their work as DIY or use DIY as excuse for being unreliable. I think over the years not much changed in the way I run things at all. Of course I do now a living out of it - but we still sell stuff we love, I release records by bands I love and that I'm friends with. We try support small labels, friends, projects etc ...
Of course we had to change some things like prices etc since we now have to pay taxes, rent and make a living out of it. But I don't feel bad about it - cause I always wanted to earn money w/ stuff I like and love and that is what I do now. It even doesn't feel like work and that feels damn great! I'm glad we have done since it was just a logical step after doing this thing for more then 10 years and spent already most of the day w/ it.


7. Still in the relation with the previous question...we're all growing old, and soon we'll get the age to get out of all this teenage things! ;-) What is it like for you integrating punk into life as you grow up, gain more responsabilities and so forth? « Früher war alles bessser » touch that subject in one way too...

Uwe: The older I get, the harder it is to integrate punk/hc in my daily life. I finished studies a while ago and by now I have to get a job to pay rent, food and band stuff. So it gets harder to organize rehearsals, shows & tours for us since most of us joined the work force by now and spare time is rare. If some are worried about this whole teenage rebellion thing they should get out of it rather sooner than later and leave it to kids who are sincere about what they're doing and believing.

Robert: I just did an interview about it. I often look back and sometimes I see myself in like saying "you know back in the days everything has been so much better" Its hard to say - somehow things have been different and more exciting back then cause it has been new and you did'nt another boring american band on every bill. I mean it has been more special to bands etc.. Now it seems to be normal that every band comes over at least once a year ... But thats another topic.
Since I choosed the punkrock economy as my daily life my teenage rebellion got my life. I mean I still do the same stuff like I have done 10 years ago. I go to tons of shows, hit the road, see my friends, spent tons of time w/ records, books, fanzines etc. It got a part of me and it keeps me young. I become 30 next year and I still feel like 18 sometimes (of course my back hurts more often, I get tired faster and I like quiet more often - but still ... ) So I don't see myself being a wonderful grown up that hangs out w/ former classmates and talking about my real estate and my boring job etc ...



8. ZANN took years to write and record that new record « three year in the desert ». Was it three years in reality? What did you do in all that period?

Uwe: Yep, it's been three years since the last recordings. What we were doing all that time? Writing songs (quality instead of quantitiy), doing tours, surviving.

Robert: Yeah three years - but like we said. Touring was always the most important thing to us.


9. « Schöne neue jugend » is a song about the Golden Age of the scene. The past that anyone idealize, for good and bad. Now you surely have great bands in mind of your Golden Age and our todays that you could recommend us all, for their music and/or their ideals?

Uwe: The past: Unbroken, Chokehold, Swing Kids, Three Mile Pilot, Mean Season, SDRE, Chisel, The Van Pelt, Indian Summer, Outspoken, Threadbare, Left For Dead, Coalesce, Majority Rule, Damnation A.D. The present: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, Planes Mistaken For Stars, Damien Jurado, Burial Year.

Robert: The past: Damnation AD, Threadbare, Unbroken, Chokehold, Swing Kids, Snapcase, Rites of Spring, Devo, Embrace, Indian Summer, Constanine Sankathi, Current, Coalesce, Swing kids, Angel HAir, Undertow, Hoover, Outspoken, Van Pelt, Rorschach, Born Against, Lungfish, Endpoint, 4 Walls Falling and lots more.
The present: Majority Rule (rip), WowOwls, Hot Snakes, Wrangler Brutes, Songs:Ohia, Burial Year/ Takaru, Bullets in/ Baader Brains, Haram, Om, Sinaloa, Life at these Speeds, Ghostlimb, Funeral Diner ...


10. What's your opinion about that new pope. He is a German one, and an ex-members of the « Nazi Youth » if i'm right. I know the band is non-religious. But Religion does surely affect the German politic in one way? But also Germany have two seperate religions the catholic and protestant. Does this both affect a lot the people in their everyday life? And what's your relation with religion. It is a relation of hate?


Uwe: The new pope? What is so surprising about him being an ex-member of the « Nazi Youth »? Who of the elder people wasn't or wasn't in the "Wehrmacht" or didn't collaborate with that system? There were lots of former Nazis in important positions after the war in West Germany - that's worse. As for religion: It for sure affects people and their everyday life if they are stupid enough to believe in that nonsense. The real problem is that we have such idiots in the government and that they have power over things that affect all of us. So the sooner we get rid of this plague the better for everyone.

11. Leipzig seems to be a city where hardcore is played heavy and chaotic. I think of bands like PERTH EXPRESS, and MEN IN SEARCH OF THE PERFECT WEAPON. What's your relation with those bands of your local scene? And do you play in other band? Or have you any other projects like label, zines, or anything else?

Uwe: Yeah, we know and love the people in these bands, nice people all the way. Besides these bands there are plenty more in or around Leipzig. But most of them suck :-) Me and Mark play in The Probsts besides Zann. And we have a secret project coming up as soon as Zann is gone. And it will be even better :-)

Robert: We are all friends - even if those two bands are not from Leipzig :) I think Leipzig got a good and fresh scene - which also probably is result of the size of the city and the big university. There is a lot of stuff going on and somehow everyone kinda knows each other. Its kinds different then Berlin were everyone seems kinda feed up.
I start a new band w/ Justin from Ghostlimb/ Gorlock and Benni 244GL ...


12. You all love beards... Does the band try to put a new trend on the forefront 100%with this? Or is it just a way to looks older and intelligent? ;-)

Uwe: I don't like to shave; it's just a waste of time. Plus beards look really good and make you more mature :-)

Robert; I never thought about it. I have sideburns or a beard since 10 years and if I would shave - no one would recognize me anymore and beards are sexy too ;)


13. To close this interview, i'll finish with one other question : what are the next project for the ZANN collective?

Uwe: As I said before, we're going to put out a split 10" with our friends in Burial Year as well as a split with Perth Express and Trainwreck. And we're probably going to tour the U.S. in fall. And writing new songs of course. Thanks for the interview!

Robert: The splits and then the US tour again in September w/ Ghostlimb and Graf Orlock, some shows in Italy, Austria etc ... and Germany. we will see....
Thanx for the interview
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AUTEUR : Julien
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