Mad Sin Formed in 1987 and are one of the most iconic psychobilly bands. The sounds is amazing and its hard to place a genre they are always evolving and are an amazing show to see live. The Big man doing cart wheels on stage with so much energy. It was an honor to sit down with him and share so much wisdom with me.
BBM: Tell me your name who you are and what you do for the band?
I’m Kofte Deville the leader and singer of mad sin
BBM: How would you describe Psychobilly to someone who’s never heard it?
Kofte Deville: Hell of punk rock energy and up right bass or slap bass like they played in the 50’s and a certain vibe of horror and science fiction culture.
BBM: How would you say the Psychobilly scene has change from when the band first started to today?
Kofte Deville: I started when I was like 11 years old I was a big kiss and Ramones fan and my mother was an actress and my father a musician so I grew up with dad he was playing soul music in the 60’s. and the end of the 70’s there was a big trend in Europe being a teddy boy because punk rock died. So Teddy boys were going down but then neo rockabilly came which was a little more colorful more wild based on British culture and influenced off southern culture of America. I started as a Teddy Boy at the same time the Metors came out with meteor madness I was like fascinated and blown away when it started in 91 and back then you would never hear something like that before. Looking back on it now it sounds like straight rockabilly to some people Meteor madness it was just crazy and I immediately turned into a Psycho which back then was not a big trend you know it was more fucked up now everything is more polished you know some jeans some boots and quif short flat top. Back then it was long coats flip knifes it was pretty violent especially in berlin lots of street fights with other sub culture. Another thing and this is important to know its really based on Working class violence that you guys never had here. Sorry to talk like that but its important to say .
BBM: Its really interesting what your saying
Kofte Deville: In the 70’s we would have to fight between the teddy boys and punks. It was really violent it was not like oh yeah maybe I don’t like you go away. It was fucking violent knife fights every weekend there was fights not like Im so tough and so cool.Everything that you hear from panic talking like hes a tough guy That’s where he comes from I mean I know he does like certin bands and he kinda ok with Mad Sin and we played there first show ever in Berlin I was there back stage and all the violence and tough image comes from a real background and all the psychob illy in the beginning was based on that culture Teddy boy. Psychobilly was the same but more wild because it had the craziness in it. So that is important to know because A you know where the boots are coming from and mixture between not so much punk rock but skin head culture you know bomber jackets all that. The scene was growing bigger and we would start at club foot in 84 in englad that was like the place to go and it became bigger and spread out over Europe and became a certine trend and of course since I been there since day one I grew with it some people I saw coming and going and that’s 86 86 and back then it wasent like let me in I want to see bands and get entertained it was like I said Street fighting It was like I want to do it to that’s what punk rock and rockabilly was it was like I can do that and its easy to do get drunk and a bass and whatever singing with certin energy that’s why everyone back then had a band or started something. There was energy in it not like this band sucks that band sucks it was likie I do it my self so that’s where we come from. We started playing with no money and got kicked out of school and started the band playing in the streets of berlin that how we started because we had no money for recording no one was working we started playing fast rockabilly because that was the easiest Psychobilly you needed a little work after a while we got enough money and got a practice room. Playing on the streets was our daily money our daily booze it was everyday partying because there was nothing else to do besides that in the practice room we were working on Mad Sin back then we were called sinners maddened idk that was stupid and then we had our first show and we were like the 2nd band and people loved us the most. That was also a fact because that was my scene not like berlin that was my fucking scene I was the first one a long with 2 or 3 other guys started a band even if we sucked which we weren’t they would like it because we were the scene and the other bands were good but not existing no more and that was our first show and it was working we started playing Psychobilly festivals and did our first album which was a top seller back then like from zero to the top you know. The beginning of 90s the scene died in the way it was boring techno came people left I saw them come and go concerts where still going but it really wasn’t the thing like in 88 5000 psycho in a festival in Belgium there was riots with the police some got killed by police they where thrown from a bridge. You know what it was it was fucking punk rock so that died but we stayed true and ive always been a find of kiss, ramones, misfits and we started to balloon our sound a little bit like this is getting boring and I know because the music if you hear if every day it gets boring so lets do what I feel like basically we were one of the first bands maybe a long with the Nekromantix more punk a little ska with a little whatever which was forbidden in the 80’s we wouldn’t do that and we got more punk rockers. When the scene got smaller the violence went because in the 80s if a punk rocker would go to a Psychobilly festival they would get beaten up always though it sucked and that was a certain energy some assholes had. The meteors where kinda responsible for that in the early 80s all kinds of people would go to there shows but when more bands came it became more a little hey we are the number one which we always where but god knows what reason he became a little paranoid and try to make the thing like an army wrecking crew like and army it wasn’t like that I mean you saw him with a mo hawk like joe strummer style and that to me was meteors and I just want to see them do the same thing 10 years later but that became a problem because certain people thought you have to look crew cut and short hair like boots no spikes or anything more like straight I got footage where steve has spikes on his jacket and colored hair that scene became very violent in it self in the 90s and that’s why it died the wrecking crew would fight against the punkabillys and mad sin where in the middle kinds I was good friends with Demented are go and Klingonz and they where or still are badly hated by meteors but I’m a Metors fan so what can I do it was a struggle and I saw it and thought my god can they really be that stupid do I really want to be a part of it but I thought what can I do that’s where my heart so I just thought let’s try to find the middle way you know not to be like that but try to get it together and that’s what we tried with god save the sin and basically was our very first a real album that was the first album open mind but didn’t lose Psychobilly the album was very important to us it opened the doors to much bigger shows in Germany we played with gwar the whole Europe tour with misfits and then we got a major deal but I wasn’t sure what we should do but what would you do if you have no fucking money I mean wasn’t able to pay rent so we thought when a bunch of money comes lets take it but you know it wasn’t like that for us because where Psychobilly we just progressed we did the album which was a good album but it was good but we tried hard to please everybody. Even the main stream people and we tried to make the money like a bitch you know so we also we wanted to make sure hey where still the same to old fans but that wasn’t the best idea but some people out there really love the album to me personally its not but we got kicked out because we were spending about 100,000 only for producing that album going to an island hell lot of things we felt like the sex pistols you know whatever came we used the situation one time chance we grabbed it we fucked up a little and got kicked out we never sold more than 30000 albums which is not enough till now. We played with all the Europe bands and the kids would buy the albums because for a moment we were the hip thing but we got kicked out because that wasn’t enough for a big record company maybe sounds good for Psychobilly. Anyways we thought what we gonna do we got no more money should we keep on doing the band and being my band I decided out course what else can I do you knows its my life. I thought what can we do to make it more festive again so we got a second guitar player that moment everything began to changed it got cool now I can feel the band musically wise was much better bigger sound more action on stage but we should have done that before the major deal we were struggling around for 3 years trying this style and that style we said fucked that you know we are mad sin and we do what the fuck what we and was did people like you and that was kinda cool just we did what the fuck we want and it waws a great album and then I said ok only the Meteors are pure Psychobilly but where Evolution-billy you know idk I cant ponder about that anymore but we still play with the Meteors and then we did out last album which I feel was bit to over produced I was like a mad scientist in the studio that’s why it took over 2 years . Dead moon calling is a great album but its an album to listen to when your stoned you know. You heard 1 million things in the back and its kinda weird and pretty experimental it’s a great album but the next one would be much more raw and basic and I hate to do songs with people who know it you can do 3 or maybe 1. Life in the road it hard when you get older but you know like I said its my life and I said fuck it with our second guitarist he was married and left the band so I said ok and replaced him and at that time peter left the band because he said they sucked but who knows what reason he said that I know it was because the fact that kim was in California I don’t know I dont want to get into that any way he left the nekromantix and he was there since 88 and since then I know him you know he would stay in my place and wed hand out and I was like ok brother join the band it was perfect you cant get any better then peter great guitar player great performer and great guy.
BBM: How did the Dead Kings come about. Its an all star Psychobilly band.
Kofte Deville: Ok so that happened when I was living in London my girlfriend was always there I would be like one month in London one month in Berlin and play some shows in Germany and go back to London we were all hanging out we were kinda like a gang and where ever you go you find brothers and sisters where you can stay at my place. Its like when there in berlin you can stay at my place do whatever the fuck you want because when I’m there they are the same. That’s why where strong you know and the scene in Europe is very very strong you know and good connections in japan and now to the states and I was in London always and that’s what we would all think about you know. When I was in lond Klingonz would play in the streets to make some money you know playing rockabilly I would be there and play music with them one day we thought lets get all the brothers and do something and at the time I wasent sure with whats happening with Mad Sin. You know we would play shows but I wasn’t sure where we would go musicly and itw as the right thing to do it got back in the LETS GO we got the gang together called Johnny Psychobill and said alright sounds cool Im in. Basically the Dead Kings can be whoever you know that’s my band. It was me that got the entire thing together. We were talking about it but it was me who put it together that was like a project you know the next show a guy from peacocks is playing guitar one of the guys from meteors played with us and we got peter pan speed rock really good friend there drummer now plays drums for us Johnny from batmobile has no time anymore he has kids you know. We change around in the show I play stand drums like the 80s and we switch out you know .
BBM: What are words of wisdom to someone wanting to make it in the Psychobilly scene?
Kofte Deville: Idk I cant say you should do this you should do that this is exactly what I don’t want to do. I don’t want to be like the meteors do this do that but I do totally respect them. I understand that its kinda a trend cause it looks cool you know you go crazy but that’s not all you got to live it. And if you don’t live it fuck off go away but you have to give everyone a chance. Even a 15 year old if he starts listening to Psychobilly but they would go oh hes just a kid. Fuck you you where a kid when you started I was 11 when I started fuck that bullshit give everyone a chance. If you just do it like yesterday it was this today its this ok now im going to be Psychobilly because its cool I hate those people but that’s something you find out after a while. That’s the cool thing in japan if you’re a Psychobilly you’re a Psychobilly for life if you do something you do it forever. It doesn’t mean you don’t need to like other things that doesn’t make sense some people think okay I like Psychobilly that’s all I can listen to and you know that’s bullshit if you do that you can only do it a few years I saw people come and go and they don’t like anything else but Psychobilly but those people always go if you only listen to one style music its going to be boring you got to be open minded to other things there’s so many things you can listen. You have to know where you heart is my heart is Psychobilly I know everything about it that doesn’t mean im not open minded.
BBM:We were talking about dead moons calling I want to talk about that a little more. Why did you choose that for the name of the new album?
Kofte Deville: The idea was to call it Babylon reloaded because on that album there’s a lot of political things maybe this is very opinionated I try to read between lines when someone says im a skeptic when I see the news I want to know why I don’t think that’s true I’m kinda like that. Everything’s based on facts I feel like Babylon that part in the bible and it all fell a part I feel like that with the world right now totally capalistic you know going to tear everything a part the way I’m not a socialist not a communist I try to live my life this is wrong this is right. I think about it and try to find my own way but we dient do it because Turbonegro was going to call there album Babylon forever they never did it in the end. We thought fuck that to many Babylon’s so we just called it dead moons calling because its like a dead planet its kinda dark and gothic in a way its like a state of the world right or the state of the world is going to be at if we ever look like that.
BBM:Favorite palce to tour?
Kofte Deville: Japan people there if your into something your into it for life that’s why if you do something don’t do it like eating a sandwich you do it because you believe and feel it in your soul and that’s what you have in japan and they part hard if you friends there first forever you know the people for such a long time its like meeting brothers
BBM: I wanted to ask you about the syndicate can you tell me about it?
Kofte Deville: Its something like the meteors we have the syndicate in the begging we wanted to make it like just Mad sin but it became because you know berlin crew which it used to be now its more or less syndicate we want no make it public and close friends who are on the road with us. Great friends there from the first time but we are open minded.
BBM: What’s coming up for the band in the future?
Kofte Deville: Another festival in Europe with motor head and other bands. Tour a little here and there and write new songs and then the new dvd coming out at the end of the year that’s going to be the past and now and we have a lot of footage from the 80s to now we always have a camera. New album summer next year
BBM:Anything to say about new album?
Kofte Deville: Last one was like mad scientist so now we did that that’s a closed chapter now its time to start all over again back to the basics I was a country hillbilly fan punk rock early Psychobilly lets bring it back to that and make it more powerful you know. Its going to be fucking great and now with peter hes a great song writer to its might not be as colorful as fashionable
BBM:Any last words?
Kofte Deville: Well I’ve talked a lot with that one question I covered it all.
BBM: I never heard that point of view you educated me
Kofte Deville: I think its important to know its all based on violent street working class background that’s why it explains all the toughness it had nothing to do with fashion and more based on raw struggly to survive the streets that what its comes to and its important to know and there is certin violence in the Psychobilly scene every scene was violent its good its not like that anymore it was tough. I just want to say I hope people will not see it only as a trend I know its always going to be like that I just hope enough people will survive as psychos in the next year and see them all again when I come back that would be great.
No comments:
Post a Comment