John Diva
John Diva & The Rocket Of Love
Well, thanks for being so noble, I am flattered. I indeed am doing fine, even though I miss the road, the parties, the Rock and Roll.
It's true, the current situation is particularly heavy for everybody in the entertainment industry. I feel bad for all the technicians, roadies, club owners, bands – and for all those who appreciate a real live RNR experience. I miss the stage, the fans, the people I meet on tour. I'm a gypsy, I'm not made to be domesticated. What I did throughout the last months? First: drinking a lot. After a while though I took advantage of the situation; I'm working out like a maniac, I'm crazily in shape. And I've been starting to write new songs; crazy, huh? Actually I should be on tour right now, promoting AMERICAN AMADEUS.
It's crazy to realize how fast everything can be lost. It feels like years ago, even though we finished our tour "MAMA SAID ROCK IS DEAD" only one year ago. It's surreal. No one who grew up in the golden west within the last 50 years ever experienced such a situation. I'm an optimist though: maybe this will teach us to appreciate all that we have lost a lot more when it's coming back. And there's no doubt: RNR will be back. And we will party all together like there is no tomorrow, and no tomorrow, and no tomorrow….
Well, Mozart was a grown up child, a playful man, a playboy and Peter Pan, a bonvivant, an outlaw. A pop star and a genius. Somebody who fired all of his guns at once and who died much too young. Somehow: a real Rock and Roller. On some crazy "Eyes Wide Shot" party I mixed my outfit with an Amadeus-hairstyle and some sexy lady from South America called me "American Amadeus" (In a big fat beautiful Latin accent, of course). This directly got my fantasy going and I instantly knew, that this would be a great title for the upcoming album.
Of course this is an important reference and somehow an homage to Falco and his song, that was visionary at his time. He mixed his attitude with Rock and Roll and funny Austrian Rap. It was a quest to be original and to aim for the unknown. This always was the secret to make it big. Be brave, do something no one would ever dare. To this, I – as a person – can totally contribute. Playing RNR the style we're playing it in 2020 – you need quite some self-esteem to do this. We love what we do: push the borders, be extravagant – and of course we know where we come from. We pay respect to our ancestors. Still, AMERICAN AMADEUS is a song unheard. Only me and the Rockets could have done it.
Well, I'm happy to have had the pleasure to cheer you up. And of course, in these dark times, this is something that can't be underestimated. But of course, we did that album before COVID happened. I always have been somebody in search of glamour. Life should be more than average. This is what I want for my life and I will not back down on this one. John Diva is about fun and our shows are more of a party than just a concert. Live is too important to be taken seriously. In times, where all the good and liberating achievements of the western world are in question and politics take a bad turn to populism, Rock music as well becomes a rebellious act and an important force – times are over when Rock was dead and old. It's not enough for me to serve nostalgia. I want Rock Music to matter again – BIG TIME. I wouldn't say, that THE ROCKETS are a political band, but I can assure you: on my shows everybody is welcome and you can act out your fantasies. If you want to try out your girlfriend's clothes, be my guest. If you just want to have a great time with your buddies, drink beer and watch the beautiful girls in the front row, that's fine too: just be respectful and we all going to have a great time.
Of course. Music and especially Rock and Metal always were great soundtracks for escapism. I'm such an escaper myself and there is nothing I would prefer more than being the host for a bunch of freaks to escape together from a world which seems to be out of control. And maybe we find some basic understanding for each other in RNR. I'm a romantic. People who love to rock might have a different point of view, but if they feel the power of one of our Shows, they hardly can be assholes.
We work intuitively. The songs on American Amadeus are the essence of round about 30 ideas that three songwriters (JJ Love, Snake Rocket and me) had for this album. However, it was clear to us that we wanted to push it to the extremes. Harder and faster songs on the one hand, on the other hand a pure acoustic song as well as an unusual instrumentation with banjo, pedal steel and an orchestra. I think this album is a more musical - we composed without censoring ourselves by a rigid concept.
MAMA SAID was a farewell and a salute to the good old days. To a time that I would place in the mid-eighties. This time we went deep down to connect with our roots, in the seventies – and combined the continental rock from England (Lizzy, Purple, Sabbath etc.) with the Californian variety of this music. The best of two worlds: American pop culture plus European high culture equal American Amadeus. This album has put the band in the center, we are on the way to make Glam Rock contemporary for the future.
I'm like a Jo-Jo, I bounce from one high to the next. Same with my ideas. I read a book, see a painting, a Graffiti, a slogan – and it bursts into melody. I must be a pain in the ass for any producer – a hyperactive grown-up child who is the boss. Still, I'm a total team worker. Picture me like a fast-talking tornado in the studio – Michael Voss and my band mates must be high score Buddhists. Thanks, Guys.
Well, we are all grown men with quite a history of music and taste. The whole band is a zodiac nightmare – JJ, Remmie and Lee are Aries, Snake and I are Twins. Imagine this energy. It's a mixture between a birthday party at McDonalds on booze and a Mixed Martial Arts finale. We try hard to integrate this energy and our different musical biographies. Of course, in the end it's just 12 Songs that will make it, but we gave every song a fair shot. But believe me: the biggest challenge in this band is to be in this band. We fight and sometimes we hardly talk, because there is too much ego power. Next day we say: "Fuck it" and party like teenagers. And we are always able to bring this energy to the stage.
The Album would probably sound different if we would have recorded the basic tracks live. But if it comes to the production, we really trust Michael – and we wanted to make it sound big. In this sense we also wanted to have the possibility to intervene in the arrangement again - and to develop the songs during the production. "Champagne on Mars", as an example, was created entirely in the studio, we discarded the original idea and it turned out to be a terrific song with a great seventies feeling. That would not have been possible if we had recorded everything live. In this respect, the album was created "on the way" and with a lot of freedom to be spontaneous. I'm very happy with the result – and concerning the Seventies: checkout "Star of Rock", it's a bonus on the Vinyl. Let me know what you think.
Forgive the self-praise, but we felt from the beginning that this song was incredibly special – no other band in the world would write a song like it. As I mentioned, the title flew to me at a wild, hypersexual costume party where I met my two ex-girlfriends. I immediately knew what kind of lyrics I wanted to write and that it would be full of associations and superlatives. Snake, on the other hand wrote the music and when he played the playback for me for the first time, I was thrilled and moved. This song is a sign of our blind understanding. It comes from the fact that we are the same generation, that we know what we mean when we talk about things: that we really understand each other. That's a wonderful gift and the very requirement for creativity. I'm very grateful that we have a unique artistic understanding of each other in this band.
See, I already mentioned this song as a perfect example for Michael's excellent work. I had this line, Snake really got stuck on. First he delivered a Whitesnakish boogie-riff, but this didn't fit the flair of it. I don't remember what happened first: the great keyboard-hook, which takes you back to the seventies and reminds me of some unknown Supertramp song – or this beautiful, dreamy guitar riff – somehow it all happened so fast, like it was waiting for us to happen. Michael is an exceptionally smooth and respectful co-writer with a strong and fast creative power. He always puts your idea first – this is very respectful and supporting. He's a great musician and he understands the Diva-concept a 100%.
It started with the playful wording "Karmageddon". I wanted to write a power-ballad with all the heaviness it needs. This is the moment when all the lying and trying is coming to an end. Judgement day, no more playing around. This is the feeling I wanted to come across. A lot of broken wings, broken hearts and untold stories culminate here – it is a very personal song. I wanted to drown in keyboards and find catharsis in a riff driven heavy chorus. To pick up the speed and go double time in the end with JJ. going crazy – that was Michael's idea.
It's a big motivation for a performer to try and write an anthem every stadium could sing along to. We grew up with bands like Queen and others, who performed what we nowadays would call "Stadium Rock". If I had you thinking of Kiss, that's not too bad, mission accomplished. Rock and Roll is a term used by too many people, who fucking don't know what they're talking about. It's just a word, if it doesn't mean anything to you personally. I'm sure that you and everybody who reads this, exactly knows, what RNR means to them. We all remember that very moment, when it hit us hard for the very first time – and we remember all the moments when it saved our lives, of at least our night. This is an homage to the way of music and the way of life that units us. I owe this kind of music a lot. This is a prayer of appreciation and gratitude.
Since there are no tours, at least for the moment, have you thought upon doing live stream shows? What are your thoughts about that?
Check out our website and social media next month. The album will be released on the 15th of January and we try to setup an online event. We would love to share the positive energy of this release will all our fans and friends – and those who are new to the game. But of course in the end there is only one way to rock: do it live! We will be back on the street as soon as we can. Check out the European dates online. Happy to see you there!
My very pleasure. Thanks for listening without prejudice.
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