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Q: Could you give us a band history including line up changes, musical influences and tape/ record releases?

A: Markus (bass) and me started a band bacl in '79 called 'Kahlschlag', Frank (git) joined the band a bit later. When Kahlschlag split 2 years later, us three formed 'Die Walterelf', a punk rock band in the old Sham 69/ Stiff Little Finger/ Angelic upstarts etc. style. The Band still exists, has an lp out on We Bite records (the guys that did the sperm lp in germany), and is a kind of 'alter ego' of the spermbirds. About half a year after the beginning of 'Die Walterelf', Markus & Frank met Lee, who was in the U.S. army in these times (something he regrets a lot nowadays), and decided to start a real HC band with him. They were looking for a drummer and while Kaiserslauten, our town, is a pretty rural place, they had to take me (sight!). Later, Joe (git) joined the spermbirds, and the typical spermbirds set up was perfect: bass, drums, vox and 2 guitars. After 2 years Joe had to move away with his family, and Roger (git) replaced him. Thats why you can hear Joe only on our Walterelf/ Spermbirds split 7". Well, Roger was a pretty good replacement, he wrote some of the best songs on the lp (something to prove, you're not a punk, get on the stage). Another 2 years later Joe moved back into town, and right now we've got 3 guitarists. They alternate with each other at every gig.The line up:

Records:

Musical influence? I can tell you mine. First of all the Beatles (when i was young) and the Descendents (what a fantastic, great fucking band). Very important to me also: Devo, Squeeze, XTC, B52's, Comsat Angels and Madness, bacause all those bands doing absolutly fantastic POP! in their very own way. Of Course lots of HC bands influenced me too. To name the most important: Bad Brains, Minor Threat, 7 Seconds, NOT Suicidal Tendencies or Black flag. The best band i've heard in the last year came from Australia, the Hard Ons, fantastic band. I like pop punk rock and hardcore, thats why the Descendents mean so much to me, they've got all my different favourite styles of music compiled in one band.

Q: What type of message would you say you try and convey in your songs, any definite polital views, and are there any vegetarains?

A: Well, we've got a very special attitude towards this. We don't like bands with facist or similar stupid words. Actually we don't like bands with sexist words either, which might astonish you because you probably noticed that there's some prety sexist lyrics on our lp. Well, you're right about it, they're sexist. The're from a time when Lee (hedoes all the words) didn't really think too much about the words, he was very Angry Samoans influenced and thought singing about tits, cunts and sperm pretty funny. Today, those words are actually a bit embarrassing for us, but this was a part of the Spermbirds history, a rather stupid part, but a part of it anyway, so we wanted those songs on the lp, because the lp reflects our work of the last 4 years and it shouldn't just reflect the nice parts of us. We've had our faults too, but actually we're not sexist at all! I like Lee's newer lyrics a lot, and they reflect a lot of my views too. But this is the other side of the problem, some people obviously can accept a band only if they've got social- critical/ concerned lyrics, they take this as a kind of ticket for the entrance into the hall of officially accepted bands. Imean there's a lot of other things that make a band a good band. maybe thy're musically bad, but absolutly nice people, or their words are just plain fun lyrics, but they're nice people and musically good. This doesn't mean that you should be apolitical, not at all! People that called themselves apolitical are just aa part of the sheep-herd of the mighty, (still i know a lot of people which are not too politically concerned but still nice people). But you should be free to choose the way you're acting political!
I personally don't think that writting songs about worldwide problems would help that much, because at concerts nobody understands the lyrics anyway. I'm not such a great writer of lyrics either so the words i write for Die Walterelf are totally unpolitical, so now people who don't know me judge me from our record and think i'm a typical unpolitical 'Toy dolls' type dummy, which is totally unfair because i'm a member of the german socialist party (SPD) and work a lot for what i think the world should look like (i think it's getting a bit confused right now). What i'm trying to say is, writting social critical words shouldn't be that point to judge a band. I personally can accept any band as long as they're nice people.

Q: What do you think of the metal/ trash/ speedcore/ USHC and skateboard trend that's currently invading everywhere, and why did Lee move to germany and where's he originally from?

A: Lee had lots of troubles with his parents when he was young (even physical fights and so on) and in this age the army seemed to be the ony way to get away from them. The army sent him to Germany and that's why he is here. By the way, Lee would never go to the army again, he's kind of grown up now.
About the whole crossover thing, i personally don't like speedmetal that much, but sometimes it's fun tohear. I think people make too much fuss about it. If somebody starts liking speedmetal more than Hc, so what? As long as this doesn't change his opinions about alternative life, independency etc. it's totally ok with me. It's what you think, not what you hear. About skateboarding: none of us skate, even Lee traded his skateboard against a BMX, i can imagine that it's fun, but i'd rather stick with football. Skateboarding obviously became a kind of trendy fashion to many people, but wait 1 or 2 years and there will only be those left that already used to skate before it became the big HC fashion. Besides that, i think skateboard as a prestige object is a bit more tolerable than a rolls royce or a mercedes polluting the air.

Q: What do you think of the german scene compared to other, would you consider any non european tours and what's the response been like to your releases so far?

A: since this american influence touched the german scene, it has become better. About 4 years ago lots of people thought thats smashing bottles, windows and get sick in front of the stage was punk. We still have lots of stupid people like this down here, but the number of thinking people is increasing. some people don't like that this good influence came from america (and that is true), they're accusing the scene to just try to be a copy of the american. I think, as long as it's a good idea, why not taking it on? I don't think fucking care where this idea (like positive thinking, straight edge etc.) came from. it is amazing how fast people that always choose borders can become nationalist thinking. The best scene i've met in europe right now is definitively the belgium scene. Any band should try to play there: very nice, intellignet people, friendly and peaceful. Looks like there's a lot happening in england right now, too. (gonna be fun to find this out at my blackpool holiday this summer!).
Bad news: lee left the band, and there won't be any spermbirds without Lee, just as Lee couldn't do the spermbirds without the rest of the band. That means: we've split! it's no such thing like personnal problems, we're still as good friends as ever, but Lee wanted to do something different, and right now he's playing in a band called '2 bad' with ex Challenger crew members, they sound a bit like Beefeater. Actually we planned a GB tour in january to support manic ears a bit (and our lp), but this of course means the end of all tour plans. America was, like probably for many other bands, the dream of a tour. But for me it's almost impossible right now to get into america, unless you're not doing it ' black', and second everybody in the band is working and it would have been hard anyway to get everybody off work at the same time.

Q: Why the anti woman themes in 'what a bitch is', 'playboy subscriber', 'bed tool' and 'she's got VD'? Do you really have such a low opinion of the female sex?

A: See Q#2 we're not sexist at all, we like accept and respect women just like everybody else. We don't have groupies, and like to see more girls making music.

Q: What futture plans do you have with the band, who writes most of the music and lyrics, and do you have any final coments?

A: Lee writes all the lyrics, sometimes the words result from a discussion or talk with me or other band members, but the final words ar all by himself. The music therefore comes from the rest of the band, especially Frank, Roger and me. There's 2 songs where Lee had the idea how about the song should sound like ('playboy subscriber' and 'kill me quick'), but the real music was made by the band too. I told you about the new band from lee. Markus and Roger are concentrating on their own band 'art and decay' while Joe and i are trying to set up a new band. But this is going to be very difficult because i couldn't accept anything worse than the spermbirds and therefore you need a very good singer which is not so easy to find in a place like Kaiserslauten. Final words: Thanx to everybody who supported us and like us, i've met so many fucing great people during our spermbirds time, and i'm gonne miss them! bye Beppo