This is the second time I interview Popperklopper from Germany. A really good band which mixes between English and german lyrics. This was done in September 2022 and I think it is Carsten who answers the questions.

Please tell me a little if it have been much lineupchanges since the last time I interviewed you in November 2014?

-We have had just one change in the lineup end of 2015 when our bass player Poeppel quit after being in the band for 14 years and Udo replaced him. Udo is a good friend of us. I used to play with him in 2 bands before (“The Dynaminds” (action rock) and “Raw.ones” – a Ramones tribute band).

I don´t really understand, you released Alles wird gut 2000 and one with the same name in 2019(Which I haven´t) Isn´t it the same record??

-The 2019 album is called “Alles wird Wut”. It`s our 30-years-anniversary album and the title is a German wordplay, combining elements of the title of our 10-years album “Alles wird gut” and of the 20-years album “Was lange gaert wird endlich Wut”. So it`s a completely different album with new songs.

On the new record Verloren Und vergessen, is it many songs there which haven´t been released before??

-I have to explain the background for this “mixed” album: We started to write a lot of songs directly after having finished the 2019 album, and in the end (due to the pandemic when we didn`t play any shows) we had around 20 new songs which was too much to put on 1 album. On the other hand we had a lot of unreleased or rare songs which we wanted to release at some point. So we started recording 5 of the new songs first which are on the new album now and filled the album with unreleased songs (from several different studio sessions 2009-2019) as well as some rare songs, which had never been released on a Popperklopper release before, like Sampler songs etc.

Is it still important to release physical things? Or can you feel that you have done a record if you only release it digitally?

-For me it`s still very important to have a “real” = physical album, Vinyl and/or CD. Maybe I`m a bit old fashioned as I haven`t really started using Spotify etc..It feels a bit strange when our record company is talking about a new “single release” which is actually just a digital release without having a physical 7” vinyl single for example. But ok, that`s how it is sometimes nowadays..

You have never been to Sweden and played or? If you not have when do you come?

-We played one show in Sweden actually, that was at the Bollnäs Punk festival back in 1998 I guess…it was a real adventure for us, the whole weekend was so much fun, playing (and partying) together with such great bands like The Vibrators, One Way System or the Swedish bands A-Bombs and Plan 9 (by the way, do you know if the guys of those 2 bands do have other bands? We really loved both of them and the only thing I know is that Chuck Pounder of the A-Bombs used to play guitar for The Hellacopters around 1998). We had a real great time in Sweden but it was a little bit crazy to drive like 4000km just for playing 1 show…hahaha….but anyway, it`s always a big pleasure to play a show in a foreign country, as you don`t know what will happen etc…so, yes…if someone is interested in booking a show for us, please let us know!!

Which countries have had the pleasure to be hearing the band live?

-95% of our shows are in Germany of course, sometimes Austria and Switzerland as well. Besides that we played some shows in the neighbouring countries of Germany, like Luxembourg, France, Belgium, Netherlands….England, and we have been to Russia 2 times for playing some shows, which was also a highlight in our band career.

When you do songs, how do you do, are you jamming together or do someone comes with a lyric and some with the music or how do you do your songs?

-Most of the time I`m writing the music at home, then just record a song with my mobile, meaning just playing guitar and singing lalala at home, sending the chords to our bass player. So the others have heard the song and know what I mean, then it`s easier to start playing the song in the practise room, rather than to start explaining all details from the beginning which would be more time consuming. The lyrics are mostly written either by our drummer Lars or by myself, but it`s mostly the music which is done first, then the lyrics.

It seems like your lyrics are important, is there anything you not will write a song about?

-Yes, for us it`s very important that our lyrics have a clear message, rather than to sing about some nonsense bullshit or just party cliches etc…you know what I mean…our intention is to make people aware of injustice, (social) drawbacks, fight against far-right political tendencies (which I think is a big issue all over Europe), but sometimes we have some personal lyrics as well.

Please tell me a little about the following lyrics
-No Happy song

This is a song about our dilemma of trying to write a kind of happy or funny or whatever song which seems we are not able to do, as it`s automatically all the craziness all over the world which comes into our mind when starting to write some lyrics. But who knows….we might manage to have a happy song written at some point..

Wovor habt ihr angst

Not sure if this is a purely German phenomenon…don`t really think so...it`s about all those freaks these days, like far-right idiots, fake news spreader, conspiracy theorists…you know…Covid times…all these idiots are like merging into a big family over the last years…unbelievable…

Mantel des schweigens

This song is about religion, not really religion in general but more concrete about the way it is practised and teached by the fuckin catholic church. In Germany we are having a huge scandal about sexual abuse done by catholic priests over many years and the catholic church is not helping to clarify everything and punish the guilty ones. They prefer to keep silent and just wait and see…

How is it to live in Germany nowadays, racists, politics,covid etc?

-As mentioned above we are facing a dangerous trend of right wing radicalism over the last 10 years. This fuckin Nazi party AFD being part of the parliament since 2017, or the racist PEGIDA movement in east Germany, so called “Reichsbürger”, plus Covid deniers called “Querdenker” etc etc. It`s really alarming and it`s unbelievable that such things could happen (again) in Germany.

I guess the Covid topic/discussion/situation is quite similar to other countries, but I`m not very motivated to speak about this anymore…too much of this shit over the last 2,5 years..

Are you calling yourself a punkband, hardcoreband, metalcoreband or just call you a rockband? Is it important to mention punk in the same time you talk about your band? What is your thoughts about punk when you started and if you compare with punk today?

Yes, I would call it a Punk band…from a music perspective I`m also ok with the terms Punkrock or Rocknroll or whatever…actually it`s just a kind of fast and loud Rocknroll I would say. There are hundreds of different sub-genres or terms used for more or less similar music, I don`t really like this kind of stereotyped thinking…but in the end it doesn`t matter if someone calls it Punk or Deutschpunk or Hardcore Punk or whatever..and regarding the lyrics/attitude it`s definitive Punk as well…

I would say the main difference in Punk over the years is that it`s been socially accepted / mainstream since around the 90ies, and that it`s just 1 kind of a Mainstream thing in the meantime. On the other hand there is still a quite impressive underground scene which is refusing this mainstream/capitalism part, which I think is important to keep alive. I`m thinking of all those nice alternative places, clubs etc which are just like an oasis in the middle of the capitalistic world for me. But it`s getting harder and harder for those places, the fucking capitalism is eating up everything..talking about the Punk music itself, of course many bands have polished their sound to a more or less radio friendly sound, some of those bands even appearing on top positions in the charts, but that`s not my favorite taste, I like to hear some dirt and scratches here and there, you should hear that the music is handmade, rather than to use modern technics like melodyne or beat detective and record in the most expensive studios etc..

Do you have any favorite football team(I support Arsenal(England) and a Swedish team called GAIS myself)?

-I`m not really interested in Football, but you might know that for most of the punks/alternative guys in Germany it has to be St. Pauli, just because of their attitude, not necessarily because of their play.

Beer is expensive in Sweden. I have a very big interest in beer and brew myself? Your favourite beerstyle ? You don´t have an own Popperklopper-beer? Or maybe your straightedge?

-We grew up next to Bitburg, so of course Bitburger Pils was our favorite brand since we were teenagers…I also loved the more bitter beers from the North, like Jever for instance. But I have to say that besides the “Pils” since some years I discovered the taste of the more “light and sweet” beer from the South of Germany, so called “Helles” from Bavaria…I think it`s like “Lager”…they have thousands of breweries over there and in general almost all of their beers are very tasty…the better known ones like Augustiner, Spaten, but also the ones from the very small breweries.

What I don`t really like are the ones which are a little too experimental, meaning from the taste perspective…like beer with much alcohol, or smoky taste, or “Bockbier” and things like that.

Is there any good bands from Germany worth to mention? And how is punk living on in Germany?

-My favorite German bands are still mostly the classic old punk bands from the 80ies, like Slime, Razors, Razzia, EA80, Abwärts, Die Toten Hosen, Einstürzende Neubauten, Hass, Toxoplasma, Canal Terror, Molotow Soda, Buttocks, Targets, Neurotic Arseholes, also some old Krautrock bands like Can, Kraftwerk, Ton Steine Scherben etc. but of course there are also many younger bands around. Honestly speaking there are so many bands actually that I really don’t have the full picture of the scene anymore, worth mentioning bands like Dritte Wahl, Graupause, Alarmsignal, Fuckin Angry, Hausvabot, Scattergun, Gee Strings, Cellophane Suckers..

What is your strength when you play live?

-There was a guy who once said “you remind me of a classic power trio”…hahaha….i think that was meant as a compliment…we are only 3 guys in the band which means everybody has to put his full energy in the live show. And that`s what we do. It`s not about playing every single note correctly, it`s about the energy and the message which the audience should feel. I think it`s also a compliment when someone is saying “your albums are ok but your live shows are better”. That`s what it`s all about. By the way, my favorite shows are the ones in small hot clubs with a small stage, with direct contact to the audience.

Which type of people comes to your concerts? Which type of people do you miss?

-Most of the time it`s a nice mix of younger and older people. I like that mixed audience. It`s also always nice to meet some old friends after a long time for example.

Do you buy much records, or is it only Spotify and those type of things to listen to music?

-As mentioned above, I still love the original physical records, either as Vinyl or CD. But I also have to say that I`m not that freaky in buying records anymore….one reason is that i don`t have any space left in my house anymore…hahaha..

Are you selling any merch on your gigs, do people buy it? What sells best?

-Yes of course we are selling our merch. It`s going quite well I would say. There has been a change over the last few years, CDs don`t sell well anymore but vinyl is the big thing again (but vinyl is getting very expensive these days, and more and more issues with long production times..)

Which is your own favoritesong among your own songs? And which song is the people choice?

-I don`t have any real favorite songs, ok there are some which I like more than others, sure, but actually I`m not even listening to our own music anymore after it has been released.

The fans do have different preferences, some people just want to hear the old classics, others like the new songs…so it`s really getting difficult to agree on a setlist for let`s say 1 hour, as there are lots of songs we have/want to play and we would like to have at least 1-2 songs from each album in the setlist, but with each new album it`s getting more difficult..

What´s the biggest difference when you plays live nowadays if you compare when you first started to play in a band? Or is this your first band maybe?

-The main difference is 1. The time for each of us (family and job duties) and 2. The fact that in the past when we started the band we had to search and organise gigs by ourselves (without having internet! And nobody knew us). Today we are getting 10 concert offers of which we only play 1. We could play maybe 50 gigs per year but we only manage to play 10. but that’s ok, I couldn`t imagine still being on the road each and every weekend, as we did in earlier years..some things are changing with getting older…haha…regarding the concert itself, ok there`s a kind of routine after all these years, sure, but still each concert is an adventure for us, especially when we are coming to a city for the first time..

Do you care about reviews? Which is the most peculiar you ever had, with this band or any other band you have been to?

-Yes, I`m always VERY excited to read the first reviews for a new album! Imagine you are working on that new album for 2-3 years maybe and when it`s finished you are kind of blind somehow, so it`s very interesting to read and hear what other people think about it, be it positive or negative..haha…and yes, there where also some peculiar reviews over the years, but I can`t remember which specific fanzine it was…typical things like people getting upset just because of guitar solos / wah wah`s in a Punk song(?!?) or making fun of wrong lyrics/wording or my German/English accent..haha…we don`t take ourselves too serious, we don`t even call ourselves real musicians, so that`s all ok..

If you could choose five bands from the past and the history and nowadays and both dead and living bands to have a concert together with your band. Which five have you been chosen?

As I`m a huge fan of 60s/70s music most of my favorite bands don`t exist anymore or at least they are not having the original line-up anymore. I would have loved to see a concert by such legends as the original MC5, Sonics Rendezvous Band, Stooges or The Who etc in their first run, same for the classic US and UK punk bands end of the 70ies, and maybe the legendary Anarchy tour (Sex Pistols, The Clash, The Damned and The Heartbreakers…what a great line-up!!). Regarding my own band I would have loved to play a concert together with the classic German politic punk bands back in the early 80ies and feeling the spirit of those days. I guess my biggest wish would have been to play a concert together with Die Toten Hosen, also preferably in the 80s…I`m a fan since I was 14 years old..

Is music a good way to get out frustration and become a nicer person outside the music?

-Definitely! It`s always a great pleasure to meet in the practise room, drink a beer, make some noise and laugh a lot. That`s the best way to forget all the stuff/stress related to work during the week. I don`t know if i`m getting nicer by doing that, as I`m hoping i`m a nice person anyway, regardless of making music …hahaha…but I`m convinced that the whole Punk thing can change your mind in a positive way, meaning your overall attitude towards life and people, your behavior etc, how you think about certain things and treat human beings.

You sing in both English and in german, which do you prefer?

-It depends..of course it`s easier for us to write lyrics and sing in German, but there are several kinds of songs which we think sound better when we sing them in English. These are mostly the typical classic `77 style Punkrock songs.

Is it boring with interviews? Is it much interviews? What do you prefer Telephone interviews, face to face or as this one via e-mail?

-No, it isn`t boring at all to do interviews. I really like to do them, no matter if it`s by email or face to face. I really like when the questions are not always the same old standard ones, so yes, I like your interview! We have been invited to a 3 hours Podcast recently, that was much fun. Usually we are getting the most interview requests when there is a new album out, sure.

Futureplans for the band?

-The new album has just been released 2 months ago but I can confirm that the next album is almost finished already!! Recordings are done and now we will start with mixing and mastering. That`s due to the fact that we had so many songs (as mentioned above) that we directly started recording the next album which is a big advantage for us, not having any time pressure etc. So maybe we will have a new album out next year already! And this one will be a blast, I`m really sure! Ok, that`s what all bands are saying about their new album…and another good thing is that I have again TONS of new songs which need to be done…we are having a very creative and produtive period over the last years..

Any Swedish bands you like?

-Oh yeah, absolutely, all 3 of us are really huge fans of the Scandinavian High Energy Rocknroll scene since end of the 90s, or how do you call it in Sweden? I`m talking about bands like The Hellacopters, Gluecifer, Turbonegro, The Hives, Michael Monroe, Imperial State Electric, Baby Woodrose, Diamond Dogs, The Nomads, The Soundtrack of our lives, Peepshows, the International Noise Conspiracy, Sator, Fake Names, Dollhouse (which Udo and myself supported on a tour with The Dynaminds). Ok, not all of them are from Sweden, but all of them are really amazing. Nicke Andersson for instance is such a fucking great musician and a very kind guy (I had the chance to meet him twice (and drink with him…haha)…The boss of our old record company, Hoehnie, was a big fan of the old Punk bands like Asta Kask, The Past, Strebers, and we got to know their music by him, even played some shows together with Asta Kask/Cosa Nostra and The Past.

Wisdomword?

-Don`t panic, stay cool, safe and healthy!

Something more to add?

-Thank you for the interview and your interest in our band. I really enjoyed it. As said before, it`s always a great pleasure for us to get some experience/feedback etc in foreign countries.