Edguy
By BLUNT Magazine
On New Year’s Eve, metalheads from around the nation will descend upon Sydney’s Enmore Theatre for the inaugural Screamfest festival. Touted as the first metal festival of European calibre to hit our shores (minus the mud and lax alcohol laws), Screamfest will see a mix of international and local metallers pummel their way into 2010. BLUNT checked in with some of Screamfest’s main attractions to see what they had to say about bringing in the New Year on the opposite side of the globe. In part two of our series, we catch up with Tobias Exxel of German outfit Edguy.
What attracted you to spending New Year’s Eve in Australia?
It’s gonna be cool to call our families and friends, and wish them a happy New Year when it’s just early afternoon at their place [laughs]! I’ve seen the great fireworks at the Opera House on TV many times, this time I gonna be there personally, that’s just unbelievable!
What is the first thing you want to do when you arrive in Oz?
I don’t know. It’s gonna be a more than 24 hour long journey from Germany. Guess I just wanna breath some fresh air. We’ll arrive in Sydney in the early morning of December 31st, so a cold shower would be great. Then we’ll be preparing for the New Year’s Eve party!
Tell us about your best New Year’s Eve you’ve ever had?
There are just too many, but here I have to mention two of them. First one, when I was fifteen back in 1988. It was a real heavy metal party! Just last year we had our 20th anniversary, and the most important fact is we are still – almost – the same people partying together. Thank God we had a camera there twenty years ago. We copied all those old cassettes to DVD, and watched that old stuff on a big screen. I tell you, I really had tears in my eyes!
…And the worst New Year’s Eve you’ve ever had?
We had been to a public party in the early nineties, and I just found myself in the middle of a fight between two other assholes. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time, and I got my nose broken. In that moment, at least, I could see some fireworks inside my head, but unfortunately two hours too early…
What is the most exciting thing about the prospect of playing Screamfest?
It’s almost at the opposite side of the planet, and I’m going to jump around and stomp on the stage floor hoping that my friends at home will feel the vibrations [laughs].
What has been your best experience attending a music festival, either as a performer or a fan?
I went to Monsters Of Rock in 1987 with Deep Purple, Dio, Metallica and many more. I was just fourteen and everything was so impressive. I just wanted to be a rocker one day, and play concerts all over the world as well [laughs].
…And your worst festival experience?
An open air festival in Spain some years ago. It was summer, but the weather felt like winter. It was so cold that we had to keep our jackets on onstage, and we barely could play our instruments. Anyway the place was packed, and I really, really look up to all those fans that were there and spent the two nights in their tents, not giving a fuck about the weather!
List five essential items for your backstage rider?
Five lovely women [laughs]. But I don’t think we have to write that down on such a rider, do we?!
What is the last thing you will do before taking the stage at Screamfest?
There’s no master plan or ritual for this. Just keep talking to some people and joking around, this is what puts me in a good mood, and that’s the most important thing for a successful Edguy show. We’re gonna rock ours and your asses off.
What is the first thing you’ll do when you come offstage?
Hopefully having a shot of Jaegermeister!
To have your say on this and other burning BLUNT issues, click thru to the Forum.
