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UDO

Interviewed by Mike Korn
Interview with Udo Dirkschneider From 2008
MSJ:

This interview is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2008  Volume 4 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Udo, when you first got into Accept, did you have any idea you would still be making music in 2008?

No...I was not thinking so far ahead.
MSJ: What was it that attracted you to heavy music in the first place?
Jimi Hendrix...Deep Purple...Led Zeppelin... Rolling Stones...and many other bands.
MSJ: What were the early days of Accept like? Did you see yourselves as pioneers blazing a trail?
We were playing to just 30 or 50 people at a time...but I think the music we did with Accept was something new at this time.
MSJ: Is the music business as much fun now as it was when you started...or even ten years ago? What have been the biggest changes, both good and bad?
There's really no good support for young bands from the record companies any more! But for us as an old band in the business, we can still have fun.
MSJ: With the recent collection Metallized, the fans got to pick the songs. Did you agree with their selection or did you feel they missed some classics?
Absolutely they missed some I would have picked!
MSJ: How does it feel to be called the father of the German metal scene?  
It makes me very proud.
MSJ: Now that it looks like there won't be any further Accept albums, which one would you say was your favorite and why?
For me, it's still the Breaker album...that's the album where the Accept sound was born.
MSJ: Mastercutor was a great album for U.D.O. How do you plan on following it up?
When we start working on a new album, we never think too much about the old one...we just go ahead and do it!
MSJ: Is the current line-up of U.D.O. the best that you have worked with?
Yes, it is.
MSJ: You got to see the whole world. What was the most memorable place you ever visited?
Israel, for sure.
MSJ: You have a strong following in America, but as a whole, the US seems slow to catch on to U.D.O.? Why do think the American metal scene lags behind?
I think there's still a strong metal scene in the States but it's not easy for us to come over and tour. We need the right tour with a good billing so it makes sense for us to come over!
MSJ: The reunification of Germany had to be the biggest event of your lifetime. How did that influence you, seeing something once torn apart made whole again?
It was a great moment, but it didn't really influence me that much.
MSJ: Not to put you on the spot, but do you foresee an end to your career? Along with Lemmy and Dio, you're the most durable man in the metal scene1
Not at the moment. We already have plans up until 2012!
MSJ: What was the last CD you picked up just because you wanted to get it?
The latest Judas Priest album.
MSJ: What was the last concert or gig you saw just because you wanted to?
Doro.
MSJ: In your long career, is there any "Spinal Tap" moment that sticks out more than any other, that you'd like to share?
We had a big festival in Austria once, but nobody showed up for it!
MSJ: Any last words for the fans?  
What can I say? Hopefully we can get the right tour to come over to the U.S. Until then, keep on rockin'!
 
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