Tokio Hotel International Blog

These little boys did a couple of amazing covers of Tokio Hotel at the recent Tokio Hotel Pilipinas’ Fan Party on May 29, 2010! Check out the video of their version of Love and Death:

This post was going to be a concert review… it will happen but those of you who read Tom’s blog will have recently read this post.

Georg performed a concert without (barely) any mistakes. No kidding – he hit almost each and every note right On top of that, I had a show without any flaws which makes me the one and only who had a perfect concert run. Well, I guess the other three did okay as well…

Tom, as much as we’d love to believe you, can you please explain this little incident to us?

Please note Bill’s face… confusion with a dash of annoyance. Oh yes. Madrid April 6th 2010 Tom missed his cue and *gasp* made a mistake, I witnessed it and got it on camera. The egg never closed because of it! But wait that’s only a photograph I hear you cry, can we get a video of that? Of course *runs to youtube*

While Bill showers the fangirls in red and pink confetti Georg (note: Georg does not make any mistakes on this occasion) makes his way up to Gustav and Tom… doesn’t.

Even Tom makes a few mistakes, but don’t we all? Tom we really don’t mind if you mess up now and then, perfection is boring.

So, I’m sure we’re all aware of the super secret show that Tokio Hotel had recently that you could only WIN tickets to, right?? Well, one of the members of our forum was a lucky winner! She was sweet enough to actually scan the pages of her diary to share with us, and she’s allowed me to post them here as well, for everyone to read about her experience With a HUGE thanks to Érica (EricaCatarina on the forum), check them out here!

& I forgot to mention one final thing!
After the song, Bill said “okay so we’re going down there to sign something for you” and they left the stage. And while they were doing it, as it by magic, we all rose our voices and began singing World Behind My Wall’s chorus. They hesitated to look back; I bet it made them happy….
They were just so amazing. So don’t get me wrong when I say it wasn’t “Totally perfect”. It’s just because we wanted more; I cannot explain the intimacy of a concert like this, it’s beyond my words

The rest there is to say is about the signing session; but you’ve seen the pictures, so there’s not much to be said!
And about the fans…. Well, about half a dozen applauded when we jumped out of the bus and screamed things like “Super Bock!” (A portuguese beer) or “Bacalhau!” (codfish ) but the rest booed us a lot and a girl actually got spat on, as far as I heard…

With the exception of that last bit, it sounds like an amazing and once in a lifetime experience, we are SO happy for everyone who got to go! If anyone would like to check out further discussion about this, you can find the thread on our forum here!

Hi all …

I think you’ve seen Bill being a Dsquared² model in Milan on Jan, 19th, 2010.
He did very well, mmh, rather: he was stunning!

His first time on a catwalk, opening the show, walking to his own music!

The Italian press praised him for it.
The whole world press wrote articles about this event and Bill.

But the good old German press couldn’t resist again.
Why.

Why do they (Morgenpost, read it here) have to describe him as the transsexual goth brother of Sesame Street’s Bibo.
Why do they (B.Z. Berlin, read it here) have to bring up Bill’s weight again, call him fragile and “Klapper-Kaulitz” (rattle-, clapper-)?

Why are there editors who always, no, ALWAYS have to talk bad?
Why can’t they praise for once. It’s always the bad stuff that counts.
Press in other countries is different, yes, they aren’t angels, but why Germany of all countries?

Germany, the home country of Tokio Hotel, can’t find a single good thing about the boys.
Yes, there are more or less positive articles, too, but there’s always something bad and negative included.
It’s not like there’s both, good or bad, it’s either bad or neutral with a negative touch.

You know what I think? Germany isn’t proud of the people who actually would deserve that. People who work hard and represent their country abroad. These people, in my opinion, are just there for bashing.

Thank you, German press. Maybe you should get better editors, some who do their job a little better.

One of our dear forum members has written up this rant, in regards to the most recent Bravo article. I think it’s worth a read - actually, more than that… I think it is beautifully written, and I felt it entirely worthy of sharing publicly, here! Onto her message:

After having a really nice day of shopping for the kiddies, I hopped online to catch up on my beloved TH news. I was appalled. Really. Not because of the article, but the reaction to it by fans.

Look, I know everyone has, and is entitled to, their own opinion. But I mean, come on, man. How much love do you have for a band that you constantly criticize, cut down and make assumptions about? *sigh* Maybe I’m just looking at it from a different view.

Of course the recent Bravo article is depressing. I know everyone is tired of Bill saying he has no privacy, he wants ice cream, and true love. Well, guess what? If you ask the same damn questions, you’re going to get the same damn answers. Wanna know something new? Be inventive. As an interviewer, that’s your job. Ask the questions that no one else asks. Having said that, I’m gonna really go on my rant.

For those of you that criticize Bill (and the band for that matter) for being in denial about the success of the album…..SHUT UP. He’s not in denial. It’s a business ploy. Pay close attention. When you say something is successful enough (even when maybe it’s not), it can fool enough people to buy into it. When that happens enough times, it actually becomes the success you wanted to be. Radio airplay drives music these days, along with iTunes/Amazon downloads. This band doesn’t fall into any set homogenized category that is used for radio station formats. That’s why this band’s success is staggering. It’s done with almost no airplay in different countries. Ok, so the album isn’t taking off right now. AND? Albums have a lifetime shelf life. Who’s to say that when they kick off their tour that the album will take off? Music is a very fickle business. If you buck the trend of what’s “hot” right now in homogenized music, the likelihood of your success drops dramatically. That’s why their success is special. Because it’s done with the love of the fans who want to see the band go worldwide. God knows I do. I want to shout it to every radio station in the US, but unfortunately, I know how the business works. Radio stations do not cater to the listeners anymore. They cater to Arbitron ratings and advertising sales. They get a pre-determined radio playlist and enter it into their computer. Deejays are almost obsolete. Believe me, if I had the power to play TH, it’s all I would play.

Oh! and another thing. Complaining about Bill being so negative and depressing, and comparing the fact that his performances weren’t as carefree as the Schrei years. Well duh. Of course not. He was what? 16 during those years? What the hell do you have to worry about at 16 other than getting laid? They were at the beginning stages of their fame.

Fast forward a few years. They are on album number 3. They took a year off and worked their asses off to put out a product they could be proud of. Bill put an enormous amount of pressure on himself. This album had to match or surpass the success of the first 2 albums. There was a lot riding on it. The band’s future,the record label (i’m talking Universal Germany…frankly CTR can rot in hell) not to mention the countless people that they have employed that work underneath them. There are jobs on the line. People they’re responsible for. That’s a lot of weight on the shoulders of a 20 year old man and his bandmates.

Ok, that’s just the business side of it. Let’s look at the life side. In the last year, he’s been stalked. His mother attacked. His twin brother facing legal trouble. His bandmate gets a beer bottle to the head. He gets into a car accident. And that’s just all the stuff we KNOW about. There’s no telling how much other stuff he’s dealing with. Hell, no wonder he smokes. The amount of stress is enormous. All that stuff fucks with your mind. So s’cuse me for not blaming him for sounding depressed and negative. You’d be too if you had all that stuff happen to you.

I don’t care if some people think the band sounds like they aren’t evolving as musicians. I don’t care if Tom seems to be happy striking the same 4 chords in different variations (by the way, Angus from AC/DC does the same thing and I think he’s totally bad ass….). I don’t care that some people think Bill’s voice isn’t refined, or gotten better.

What I care about is this: When he sings, you can feel the emotion. A part of his soul is released when he belts it out. Is it perfect? No. But neither is the person singing it. Or the person playing the guitar, or the bass, or the drums.

Life isn’t perfect and true, heartfelt music isn’t either. It’s a reflection of each other. THAT’S what TH means to me. THAT’S what music should be. An imperfect perfection that brings undescribable joy to this 34 year old.

I’ll never complain about the cheesy interviews. Or the cheesy THTV episodes. Or the OMG cheesy and stupid articles. Because they’re OUT there. In show business, there’s no such thing as too much publicity. Because as of right now, it’s the ONLY way I can see/hear/keep up with my favorite band.

My goal is to see TH, no matter the cost, if they come to the US.

Because I have a promise to keep.

And miles to go before I sleep.

-Shirley (THRox on the THI forum)

First of all, a disclaimer - this review is only my very own opinion, I do not speak on behalf of anyone else on Tokio Hotel International.

I’ve been waiting until the CD was out in the US and more people had heard it, and I know this is still cutting it close, but I cannot wait any longer!

On October 6th, Tokio Hotel’s Humanoid album dropped in the countries outside Europe, including here in the States. It was released a few days ago in Europe. This time around, they recorded the whole thing simultaneously in German and English (although all of the bonus songs are English only). You can buy the English version from iTunes, Best Buy, Hot Topic, and I’ve heard that FYE has copies? Really, you SHOULD be able to get it just about anywhere, but I don’t think a lot of places have a very big stock of it. The Best Buy deluxe version is the only one in America available with the standard German version included

It is incredible. I am so blown away, and so proud of them. It’s everything I had truly hoped for from this album, and MORE, it’s exceeded anything I ever thought we would get. There is so much depth to the music, they tried so many new things for them, it’s really given them a whole new dimension. I also really love that this time around, they didn’t bother with trying for absolutely direct translations from German to English. Each song is very unique, and while I do still have preferences, they are based on the lyrics themselves, how each song makes me feel, and certainly not the language (although that’s always really been the case with me). The ‘end of the world’ and ‘us against the world’ themes are still very much present, giving it that distinct Tokio Hotel flavour, but it’s on such a grander scale this time, I feel like it’s all reached a spectacular crescendo.

This album is very personal for me. I have never connected so deeply with one song, let alone a collection of them. I don’t know how to explain it, but I’ll try… I relate to music very easily. I have playlists of songs that fit every mood, and there are many songs that have really moved me. But all of these songs, they’ve always made me feel like there was someone out there who just really GOT it, you know? Someone who understood the way I was feeling, or something I believe in.

However, in so many places, it feels like Humanoid is literally written in the language of my mind and heart, my soul. It resonates on a completely different plane of existence, as if it directly reflects everything inside of me. It’s more than just the lyrics… it’s the words, the way they are put together, the pictures and memories they paint, the sound and melody of them, and the music carrying them, holding them, lifting them up and protecting them.

Does that make sense? I hope so.

Click ‘More’ for my thoughts on the songs themselves, and feel free to let me know what you think! Agree? Disagree? Why?

Read the rest of this entry »

Alright, here’s a little report about the concert.

It was really warm. Really really warm. When the concert began, everyone suddendly started “cuddling” with each others. You can imagine the pain ;D
But the secus handed out water and ice cubes

I took some pics and made some videos but it wasn’t easy. A lot of pushing made it hard to film and making pics wasn’t easy, bad light gave me a hard time. You can see it below, the blue LED light was gaaah.
The only sharp photo I could take was Gustav’s.
Well, the event was organized pretty well, that earns a lot of respect.
The guys gave their autographs to EVERYONE, they were writing like crazy.

I told Bill some greetings from THI but I don’t know if he understood me, he looked at me like a hamster ^^
edit: ok, with that I wanted to say he was like “eh? what does he want?” *mind goes blank* *smile* ^^

Georg was very very friendly, well, everyone was. Not arrogant or spoiled, like some people tend to say about the guys.

Their sound was very good, people started singing along when they performed Automatisch in a special acoustic version.

Well, I didn’t drink or ate much, but the Nokia team gave out free water to everone. I lost 2 kg of weight lol. I took off to Cologne around 11:45 am and it was 3 am when I was back home, after more than 3 hrs and 400 km one way.

Everything was very well organized and handled. Nokia, you got my respect in this case!

Here are a few pictures and the video links:
(the pics are working though imageshack might show a X for the thumbnails now and then)

my guest ID card

the autographs I got

my only sharp pic of TH, Gustav

Georg smiling, but blurry pic

outside

inside

TH ^^

The videos:

opening + Über’s Ende der Welt

Schwarz

Impressions from the venue

Durch den Monsun

Ich brech aus

Bill’s speech and Automatisch special acoustic version

In die Nacht with cute twin ending ^^

Hey all ^^

well … I kinda was forced to blog about this …

Someone sent me top secret footage secretly filmed in front of a stage in Area 51.

Bill is an ALIEN! FOR REAL!!!1oneeleven

I put it into a short video and uploaded it to youtube (watch it in HD!), so you can see the truth:

Well, to be honest, it’s just something I made up in the past few hours.
It’s my 1st animation ever, well … yeah, but I had fun making it ^^
If you read my previous blog entry you prolly saw that I wrote about complaining fans.
Complaining about the album title “Humanoid”, complaining about their (TH’s) looks etc.
So I combined it all: The alien theme, Humanoid and a little message to Tokio Hotel:

Be yourself, no matter what they say!

You also believe Bill is an alien, don’t you?

Well, I hope you like it

Nik

Hey all!

Another blog from me …

Today I saw the advertisement for the small Nokia acoustic gig in Cologne, part of Tokio Hotel’s new deal with the communication company. Though it looks like someone made this ad in a hurry that’s not the point. The guys look interesting, don’t they? Kinda like spacemen, maybe from the 1980s, who somehow managed to land in the future. In our time now.

Well, they could have nicer, more friendly expressions on their faces, especially Billi, but it’s alright.
My problem now is, I really can’t stand small minded “fans” crying about senseless things anymore.
“OMG they look so shitty!” “They can’t be serious???!?” “It sucks!” “Why Nokia?” “Humanoid is such a crappy name for the new album!”

GAWD DMNIT! It’s not on us to dictate them what to do, nor to give them directions on what to wear or what deals to sign! Why can’t some “fans” get this in their heads?

Tokio Hotel can do what they want. They can decide when the album will be released. They can decide what to wear and what music they make. They can decide whatever they want, like it or not, it’s not our problem.

Shouldn’t we be fans of their music? And as fans, shouldn’t we be happy if they are, maybe discuss why we like their outfits or not, but not blame them, call them liars or money-grubbing idiots. We shouldn’t care about their looks, just about their music.

I can’t stand it. Not always. It pisses me off.
If you’re ashamed being a Tokio Hotel fan, stop being one and go away.

And you go your way, Tokio Hotel, you’re doing the right things, if you do what YOU want.
Don’t let them slag you, you’re great!

Well, not long before this blog post I found a picture showing David Beckham’s son wearing a Tokio Hotel t-shirt.
I thought that’s funny so I put it in the news to share it

Some funny comment I got is: “He’s too young to read what’s on the shirt, so he thinks it’s his mother ;D”

Here’s the picture again: