Page 9 - Black Velvet Issue 94

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gether during the course of the year and it bald and bearded, but after he said we only lested, so it isn’t autobiographical or any-
can be very easy to get upset over small went to the posh parts of Russia! One night thing like that, but I have always had strong
things; it’s just like a relationship. This band I was talking to the promoter and asked how contempt for any kind of movement that kind
has been around for two years now, more or many tickets we had sold and he said, ‘We of labels you with sin or guilt or something
less, with the new additions, and we’ve hon- have 100 tickets sold’ and I was like, ‘wow, which you were born with by default by
estly not had one fight. It’s fun to hang 100’ but he replied, ‘But we will sell more at being human. Nowadays, if you are a white,
around with these guys, it’s fun to go and do night,’ so we just thought, ‘OK, cool’ and at heterosexual male you should be guilty of
the stuff we do and to play together and re- soundcheck there was already 20 to 25 kids, stuff other white, heterosexual males have
spect each other and it makes you feel con- 15 to 18 years old, waiting and we came out done and I hate that whole thing and the way
tent.” to see them and they had made signs, one some people use this to gain power over oth-
had a flag, they gave me a bracelet, stuff like ers.
ove is often a common theme of any that and they said they’d been there for four “Sometimes I touch on the subject and
Lrock record and despite its strong hours waiting.” it’s not specifically against any one religion,
horror movie influences, ‘Ruff Justice’ is no “And some couldn’t even come to the I’m basically against organised religion, I
exception, with ‘If It’s Love’ and ‘Shot With A show because they were too young”, Danny don’t have a problem with personal faith, I’m
Needle Of Love’ offering various takes on the adds. not a believer myself, but I don’t have any
‘L’ word. Joel continues, “It reminded me of when problem with people who are, but I object to
Danny tells Black Velvet, “When it comes I was young and I was hanging around in my organised religion which tries to exert power
to love lyrics, it’s not like I have experienced native town waiting for bands like Sepultura on people in the name of a deity of sorts.
everything that I write about, but it’s a theme and stuff like that that I loved when I was ‘Snakes In Paradise’, that is about watching
which anyone can relate to. Everyone has small. We were sitting backstage and all of a out, because in the places that you most
been heartbroken and sometimes when you sudden you hear people shouting ‘CRAZY trust there are people who want to screw you
are heartbroken you are so heartbroken that LIXX’ and then they start chanting and we’re over, and it’s the same with ‘Kiss of Judas’,
you can’t even feel it, so you start to ques- thinking, ‘We’ll be on in 15 minutes, please really. There was a situation recently with a
tion, was it really love? Because I’m so numb calm down,’ so it was a great experience and Cardinal in Australia and it came out about
from this I can’t even tell, is this love, why we can’t wait to go back.” molestation charges and we see this kind of
can’t I feel this, I should be crying, why am I thing all the time. I think the world would be
not? And it’s because we are totally empty n the opposite side to the positive better off if we just say, keep your faith, but
and that’s how it feels. So I wanted to do Oand inspirational messages, which please, keep religion out of it.”
something along that theme, kind of a re- stem from songs such as ‘Walk The Wire’
verse love ballad, not the usual ‘I love you so and ‘Live Before I Die’, ‘Ruff Justice’ also side from ‘Blame It On Love’, an-
much, please come back’ record. This has boasts a somewhat darker message, which Aother of Crazy Lixx’s most recognis-
ended, what am I feeling? I’m not quite sure.” could be interpreted as more of a warning able and most loved tracks is ’21 ‘Til I Die’,
Love is also something the band share and words of advice from the band. ‘Snakes it’s popularity being such that it often has the
with their fans and in ‘Shot With A Needle Of In Paradise’ warns, ‘They are gonna deceive honour of bringing down the curtain on a
Love’, Danny cries, ‘I love it when she calls you, bleed you like a sacrifice,’ whilst in ‘Kiss Crazy Lixx show, and so it’s somewhat fitting
my name.’ But what does he and the band of Judas’, Danny sings, ‘Those words are to ask if Crazy Lixx will always be 21 ‘til they
think when their fans are calling out for die and if so, how will that be
them, whether it’s before they hit the stage achieved.
or during the show when they sing along Joel immediately leaps in
with every word? and says, “Well, my stomach is
Joel jumps in to answer and says, “Every far from what it was when I was
time, it doesn’t matter where we are, Sweden 21!”
or abroad… Well, maybe not in Sweden as Danny, as he often offers a
we don’t have the following we do else- more thoughtful insight, tells
where, you notice that certain songs have hit Black Velvet, “I think you want
the audience more than others, especially to be 21 at certain occasions. I
‘Blame It On Love’, which is by far our think if you were going to live
biggest song. When you start playing that with a mindset that you are 21
song you can hear the crowd roar, and, you all the time, I’m not sure that is
don’t get a hard-on, but it’s not far from it!” a very good thing to do and a
As Joel’s thoughts are replaced with his lot of stuff, let’s be honest, was-
own chuckles, Danny takes over and says, n’t very cool when you were 21.
“We played in Moscow last year, which was You were broke, you didn’t have
our first time in Russia and we didn’t know a job, you were probably, well, I
what to expect at all and I had an acoustic bit wasn’t living at home when I
in the middle of the set and they were was 21, but I was living in a
singing along with all the verses and they small apartment, so many
weren’t that good at English, but they sang things are better now of course,
what they thought they had heard, and in but there are some occasions
that moment I kind of went through the when you want to be, ‘Fuck it
whole process of the song from the moment all, I’m 21 today or tonight, let’s
where I wrote the song, when I picked up my do something fun and magic’.
acoustic guitar at home, did a couple of And 21 is also a magic number.
chords, wrote some words and stuff and Sure, it makes a good lyric as
through the whole process of the song being only lies, you stand so proud, high above the well, but in the US, 21 is when you can buy
produced and released there was some heavens with your head up in the clouds, I alcohol, you can drive a car and all that. In
Russian guy who got it and told his friends can see right through your rotten soul, I’m Sweden, it would have had to have been 20,
and they came to the concert and sang never under your control’. but that wouldn’t have fit very well!”
along. It’s a strange feeling that something Given these are such powerful words And we’re willing to bet that whenever
you started so long ago and ten years later… and messages contained in their songs, you catch Crazy Lixx live or pump their
you know, we were almost kids when I wrote Danny is very happy to open up about the music through your speakers they will make
the song and it fills you up with pride.” meaning behind them and what he is trying you feel young again as well as offering a
Joel is eager to add to the conversation to say. He tells Black Velvet, “We’ve touched timely reminder of how great 80s rock truly
about their trip to Russia, saying, “As a on the subject of religion a couple of times was.
whole, it was a very humbling experience; before. We have ‘Children Of The Cross’ Visit www.crazylixx.com for more info.
we weren’t expecting anything. Our bass (from 2010’s ‘New Religion’), which handles
player had played there before with his old the child molestation allegations in the Words by Michael Coventry
band and he painted a picture of venues with Catholic Church. I’ve been a member of the Band Photo By Nils Sjiholm
Nazi flags on the walls and everyone being Catholic Church growing up and I wasn’t mo- Live Photos By Ian Golcher

CRAZY LIXX