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Interview with Arjen Anthony Lucassen - Star One
When we went to Hamburg to see the Star One concert we were lucky enough to arrange an interview with the main man Arjen Anthony Lucassen. We went to the concert place in the afternoon and talked to the tour manager. He wasn't sure if it would be possible to do the interview as it all depended on time and how busy Arjen would be. Luckily we got our 15 minutes about an hour before the show was about to start. We went backstage and into a small room where we met a smiling Arjen and Peter Vink (The bass player) who was sitting in the back fiddling with his bass.
Steen: So now that you have almost all the singers from Star One together, how about recording Space Metal Part II right after this tour?
Arjen: (Lauhgs) No, I want to do Ayreon now. Every album I do is a reaction to the album before you know. So, first I made Ambeon which is a very electronic and soft album, and then I feel like "wow, I have to plug in the guitar and play some metal again". Then I do Star One which is more straight forward and in your face metal and then I feel like I want to do a very different style again and get softer. I guess because of Star One the next Ayreon will be more melodic, more prog and I'm sure that when I've finished with Ayreon, I'm going to feel like making some noise again.
This tour will change the sound of the next Star One, I'm sure of about that. I mean this time I want to work with all the musicians I'm playing with now, because some of them don't play on the album. But this band is so tight that the next time it's going to sound different, I guess. But I live from day to day, so I never know what's coming after this.
Steen: You haven't planned yet.
Arjen: No I don't plan things.
Tajs: I thought you were getting heavier and heavier, first with The Universal Migrator and then Space Metal and the next one was going to be extremely heavy.
Arjen: Yeah, I think the next album will probably be even heavier.
Tajs: You think you can get heavier than this?
Arjen: Oh yes! Well, I'm thinking about something. With this animal on bas (Points to Peter Vink) Maybe the next album will be a bit more progressive, more time changes and stuff.
Steen: Cool, We're looking forward to it. So the next Ayreon album is going to be a bit more like "The Dream sequencer" maybe?
Arjen: No not that soft, more like "Electric Castle". So many different styles. It's funny, I did this Ambeon thing and then Star One and everyone was complaining "It sounds like Ayreon", so it will be great to do the next Ayreon and have it sound, not like Ayreon you know (Laughs) That's my goal.
Steen: How does it feel to play live again?. It's been a while as I understand.
Arjen: Well I was extremely nervous at the first gig and my heart was pounding, but we did the first rehearsal instrumentally with the band and we played one song, it went great and we were like "We're finished, should we do the next one? Yeah okay" (laughs)
Steen: So it just worked out great?
Arjen: Yeah, it just clicked. Everything clicked you know, and the funny thing about it is that the keyboard player is 19 years, a really young guy, and the bass player you see is 54, I'm 42 and Ed is in his thirties, so you've got all the generations, which I like. It is my music you know. You've got the newer influences of bands like Dream Theater and stuff and you've got the old influences like Floyd and Purple and Zeppelin and...
Steen: Beatles...
Arjen: Of course the Beatles. Well, Floyd is up there (Points really high) and then The Beatles are right about here (points a little lower)
Steen: Well, for me The Beatles are way up there too...
Arjen: Well, okay Floyd and Beatles, maybe they are equal. I've been listening to the white album a week ago.
Steen: Oh yeah a great one.
Arjen: That's a good example of an album with many styles. Why do people like the White album? Because you go from Rocky Racoon into Helter Skelter into Revolution numer 9 into Piggies. It has everything and that's what I like. I want an adventure, you know.
Steen: Yeah, I've heard some Beatles influences in some of your songs.
Arjen: Oh definitely lot of Beatles influences. Well, the way I see it, I mean John Lennon was one of my favourite singers. He is everything, yeah
Steen: About the concerts so far; How has the audience been
Arjen: Well, of course this is a cliche, but they've been amazing, AMAZING.
Steen: They know most of the songs?
Arjen: Yeah and it's not just the first three lines. When we're finished with a song I stand like this and it's all down the back and all the balcony. The first gig was sold out two months ago and the second gig wasn't completely sold out, so we were a bit worried, but it turned out that there were loads of people who couldn't get in. It was a big venue with room for 2.000 people and it was crowded and packed. The greatest thing about it was that we do this acoustic set and usually it's like (Makes sounds of a very drunk Ayreon fan) but it was quiet, you know.
Steen: That's the way it should be
Arjen: Yeah and we're one big family on stage and somehow the audience was a part of that family. They weren't kicking each other, they were going Yeah (makes a smiling face and thumbs up signs) at the guy standing next to you, who you've never seen in your life. So that's a good feeling.
Steen: This is a one time experience so I think people are very ready...
Arjen: Well, I don't know if it's a one time experience...
Steen & Tajs: Well, that's okay with us...
Arjen: But it's a first time experience and that's why it works so well. It's an adventure for all of us. We've never played together and the musicians met only six days ago and never saw each other before and that's amazing.
Steen: That's pretty cool
Arjen: But you'll see it this evening. It's a party.
Steen & Tajs: We're looking forward to it, A LOT!
Steen: During rehearsals you must have had some interesting moments together, or maybe some funny or scary moments?
Arjen: Help me Peter! (Peter Vink is sitting next to us playing with his bass) Scary moments during rehearsals?
Peter: Magic moments more often...
Arjen: Yeah Magic moments. Funny, I had goosebumps all over during rehearsals. For me the rehearsals were almost the same as the gigs and you know the strange thing is that everyone were giving it all during rehearsals and there was no one there, maybe three peoople sitting there watching the rehearsal, but it was like doing the show.
Russel Allen was giving everything he's got (Makes his best "screaming Russel Allen" impression) and the next morning he goes "oh, my throat hurts, I should be quiet today". Then he starts quiet and then suddenly he's like (Makes another good "screaming Russel Allen" impression) and I say "Russ, Russ there's no one here, quiet you know"
Steen: That definitely shows that he likes the music then
Arjen: He loves the whole experience
Tajs: Somebody recorded the rehearsals, I think I saw it on the web page. Will some of the clips be...
Arjen: Right, yes. Well he recorded it with a camera and...
Tajs: Still it would be great to see some of it.
Arjen: Yeah, well, the reason we didn't put it on was that I wanted the songs to be a surprise. A lot of people ask me what the set is gonna be, so I'm not gonna tell you.
Steen: We don't want to know that even.
Arjen: I wouldn't want to know. If I were to go to a Rainbow I would be like "Are they going to play Stargazer? Are they gonna play that and that". If I would know it would be like "Yeah..."
Tajs: That's the way it should be
Arjen: Yeah that's the way it should be. You should be surprised like "Wow he's going to play this" you know. I wont spoil the surprise for you guys. I'm not going to tell you anything (laughs)
Steen: You are not recording any of the shows live are you?
Arjen: Well, the main reason is that I want this to be a party. I want everyone to have a really great time and everything is very well arranged, the food, the hotels and the tourbus. I want this for everyone to be a huge great experience. And when there's recording there's a lot of stress and there's cameras on stage and a lot of lights and you know you're going to be recorded, so it's different.
Now I'm making fun and shaking hands with the audience while my guitar is like (makes a distorted guitar sound and laughs) in the middle of a song and if you're in a recording you have less fun. I personally have less fun when I know it's being recorded. So, of course financially it would be great to do something like that. I've been approached by Classic Rock to do a DVD.
Steen: Well, that was going to be my next question. How about a DVD?
Arjen: But that's even more stress. And I know because I went to a Spock's Beard concert and I was there before the show and there was a lot of stress, because things didn't work out. I talked to Neal and I just don't want that to happen.
But there is a chance that we will record the last show. We will probably record the last show and then we'll see what happens. Because another thing is of course the legal shit. You've got Ayreon and the musicians who have different record companies than me and we need authorisations. Then you've got the Star One songs with Inside Out and you've got the Ayreon songs with Transmission, so who's going to release it?
Tajs: It's a legal mess.
Arjen: Yes.
(Peter says something I just can't hear now)
Steen: Everybody probably wants something
Arjen: That's it. But we'll record it anyway and we'll see what we'll do with it. If not then we'll put it on the site so people can download it. We'll see.
Steen: So, I was thinking. Are you by any chance a fan of Monty Python?
Arjen: (Laughs) Well, it's not a Monty Python song. Everyone thinks it's a Monty Python song, but it's actually sung by Donovan.
Steen: Yeah I read about that.
Arjen: Okay, but it's very Monty Python.
Steen: Yeah, well I was also thinking about the liner notes for The Dream Sequencer. It has this thank you note...
Arjen: Aus Ulm!
Steen: Yeah right (everybody laughing)
Arjen: Gambolputty! Yeah Monty Python is up there with The Beatles and Floyd. The best ever. The funniest ever and Life of Brian is the funniest movie ever made.
Steen: Very closely followed by The Holy Grail. I can never decide which one I prefer.
Arjen: I prefer Life of Brian because it looks great. It's recorded like the big movies, you know it's got the real religous stuff like Moses and the ten commandments and it's got that quality. It's not just a funny movie. But the nice thing about The Holy Grail is that it was shot without money. I mean the joke with the coconuts, it's fun, but they didn't have any money for horses you know, so that's how they came up with them. So, yeah, definitely Monty Python.
Steen: Thought so.
Arjen: Yeah you recognized the Aus Ulm... Well, that's a joke with Erik Norlander. He always laughs, this incredibly long man.
Steen: Well, they've made so many funny jokes.
Arjen: I saw them again on TV some time ago and Graham Chapman was there in his urn with his ashes (Laughing) And they dropped him all over the floor.
Steen: Yeah and then the vacuum cleaner came out...
Arjen: Yeah (laughs) and I like them all, not just John Cleese like everyone does. They are all great. Michael Palin, yeah, I even watch his journeys, just because it's Michael Palin. And Eric Idle's stuff. It would be great to have Eric Idle on an album
(Peter laughs and makes a comment I just cant hear)
Steen: Backing vocals?
Arjen: No, lead vocals. He can definitely sing a song.
Tajs: What musicians would you like to play with?
Arjen. Well, top of the list is Ronnie Dio, whom I've spoken to.
Tajs: Is there a chance.
Arjen: He doesn't respond. I know that Shadow Gallery wants to work with him too. They offered him a blank cheque and he didn't, so it's not a money thing you know. I've been playing with Vinnie Appice and did a little tour in L.A. and Tokyo with Lana Lane and he said that he once did this guest appearance on a Kerry Livgren record. I don't know if you know "Seeds of change", Great album, but then he sang these lyrics "The last of the great deceiver". He didn't know that he was talking about god and he didn't like that. Since then he hasn't done guest appearances, but that's just the story I've heard.
And the other one is Alice Cooper, but I haven't got the guts to meet him. If I had a chance to meet him, but I'll be just like a little kid and of course I will be afraid that he'll be in a bad mood. If he's really your hero and he's got no time for you and like "fuck off" you know, then that would hurt. I have all his LP's and CD's and DVD's and I'm just afraid of that. So I'll be trying by a journalist to get in but it hasn't worked yet.
Steen: He has to hear your music then maybe he'll get interested
Arjen: Well, I don't know what music he listens to. But if only he would do narration or something. He would do a great job of course. And David Gilmour is the third. And John Lennon, but that might prove to be a problem (laughs)
Steen: That's gonna be a problem. So you know Pain of Salvation?
Arjen: Yeah, Well he's great, Daniel. A lot of people ask me about him. That's definitely an option. But of course, because I was brought up in the sixties and seventies. Those are the guys you want to work with because those are the guys you've been listening to all your life. Of course they are sixty now. I mean Dio is sixty now, so.
Steen: Still, you got together with the Hawkwind singer
Arjen: That was one of my dreams come true. I mean, not the best singer in the world, but still, he's got that massive vibe. He turned out to be such a great guy. That was very cool. But of course there are lots of new musicians I'd like to work with. I already have a couple of options, but I'm not going to tell you. The same thing will happen that happened with Bruce Dickinson, so.
Steen: Best to keep quiet.
Arjen: Yeah.
Steen: Where did the name Star One come from?
Arjen: Actually it's from a cult TV series from the BBC, an English TV series called Blake 7. It's my favourite series of all time. It's really cheesy and really cheap and one of the episodes is called Star One. I always liked it. It sounds kind of arrogant, you know. Star One... But why not.
Steen: Okay, got any last words?
Arjen: Ah... no. (Laughs)
Here the tour manager enters the room along with Russel Allen and Joost van den Broek. We get a couple of pictures and go back to the bar to wait for the concert of our lives. Read all about it here. We just want to say a big thank you Arjen for taking his time to do this interview.
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Written by Tajs & Steen - 10/26/2002 |
This article has been shown 6217 times. Go to the complete list.
RevelationZ Comments
| Comment by ahmet (Anonymous) - Monday, August 8, 2005 | ahmet
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| Comment by Emma Lucassen (Anonymous) - Friday, September 23, 2005 | Hi Arjen, I was wondering if we are related?! From Amsterdam, Emma Lucassen
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