"Metal is growing and becoming bigger and bigger all over the world."
Wikimetal (Daniel Dystyler): Hello, Doro?
Doro Pesch: Yes, hi! Is this Daniel?
W (DD): Yes, this is Daniel from Wikimetal, Brazil. How are you?
DP: Hi, I'm fine, very well. And you?
W (DD): I'm fine. Doro, it's truly an honor to have you here on our show. We've been listening to your music since your Warlock days, since the '80s, so it's really, really great to have you here on Wikimetal. So first of all, welcome, and thank you for spending time with us.
DP: Oh, thank you so much. I'm so happy to be here, I love all my Brazilian fans, and I love Brazil, so it's really cool, I'm very happy and excited.
W (DD): Doro, first of all, let me congratulate you on your latest album, “Raise Your Fist,” it’s a great album and we’re very happy that Doro is producing such high-quality music. So could you talk a little about how the album has been received by fans so far?
DP: Yes, we toured all over the world, we toured Europe and Scandinavia, and the fans loved it. We did… Yeah, like, 5 or 6 songs from the new album, among other albums, some songs from Warlock. And I think the new material is really fantastic, I think “Raise Your Fist” is incredible. We played in some cities, some countries… The fans loved it… Seeing their fists in the air, you know, is one of the best things, and hearing them singing along… I’ve never seen so many fists. It was really cool, when I was in Wacken, at a show, I said “I want to see your fists!” and there were 60,000 fists in the air. It was really cool to see. I couldn’t have been happier.
W (DD): Wow, that's really cool to know. Besides the great music on the album, there are also some really good photos you included, so we highly recommend that our listeners buy the "Raise Your Fist" CD. I noticed you have photos with Lemmy and the unforgettable Ronnie James Dio. Could you talk a little about, firstly, recording a song with Lemmy, "It Still Hurts," and also about Dio, you did that great song "Hero" for him, so could you share some memories about the recording sessions with Lemmy, and also about producing a song for Dio?
DP: Yes, I would love to. I met Lemmy many years ago, in the early 80s, and we became great friends, and we toured together many times, and we played at many festivals. And on that last time, I was with Lemmy recording the album “Calling The Wild”, and we recorded the Motörhead classic “Love Me Forever” and the other song was “Alone Again”, and Lemmy said, “Oh, I have this idea, do you want to hear it?” and I said, “Oh, I would love to.” And he played this idea for me, Lemmy singing was so beautiful, it touched my soul deeply, wow, it was unbelievable. So now, so many years later, I had this idea for the song “It Still Hurts” and I started singing, and I thought… And I kind of… I heard him singing in my head, so I showed him the song and he said, “Oh, let’s do it, I love it,” and we recorded the song in LA, and actually, Lemmy… He was so cool, and we both had a lot of fun in the studio, and I love him so much, he’s a great person, a great musician, and his vocals on “It Still Hurts,” wow, they really shake me, they have so much emotion and depth, I love it, it’s one of my favorite songs on the album. It’s an honor to work with Lemmy on this album, especially since we’re such good friends, it’s something that… I don’t know, I think we’ve become closer and closer friends all these years, and he’s very close to me. And another incredible person was Ronnie James Dio. I was with him many times. Actually, the first time I toured Europe was in '87, after the album "Triumph and Agony," and that's when I met him. He was really cool, super friendly, a really great artist. I trusted him, we toured together, I opened for "Heaven and Hell," and we did a long American tour in 2000, and we became great friends. And Ronnie really was one of the kindest people, and his voice was so incredible. And when I found out he had passed away, for two weeks I couldn't believe it, it was so sad, so hard. I wanted to write a song for him, I had this melody in my head… Because it was very important for me to do everything right, and we finished the song two days later, and it was honest and sincere, it was the most important song for me to put on this album. He was one of the best people who ever lived, and I will always love him. Ronnie is always in our hearts, he always will be, you know.
Ronnie James Dio was one of the best people who ever lived and I will always love him.”
W (DD): Yes, it's a great song, and right at the beginning, you say "It's like a rainbow in the dark," it's great to remember one of Dio's best songs, it's awesome. We have a classic question on our show that we ask everyone we interview, which is, imagine you're listening to your iPod on shuffle mode, and there are tons… millions of heavy metal songs playing, and suddenly a song starts playing that makes you lose your mind and start headbanging immediately, no matter where you are, you can't contain yourself, you can't control yourself. What song would that be, so we can listen to it on the show now?
DP: Can I choose just one or more? More than one?
W (DD): Just one, and we're going to play it now, on our show.
DP: OK. A song that always gives me a lot of energy, and always makes my heart beat faster, because we love them, is "Ace of Spades" by Motörhead and Lemmy.
W (DD): Doro, you've had an incredible career, from Warlock to this latest album. How did you first get involved with music, and what was the beginning of the band's formation like? What were the main obstacles you had to face in the past?
DP: Actually, I started falling in love with music when I was three or four years old. I was very young, and music was always the most important thing to me. And then, when I formed my first band, I was 15 years old, and I had many bands, and then I formed the band Warlock, and I think we were in the right place at the right time, and it was the beginning of an incredible era that only brought good things. And we played with many bands, many bands and albums, like Metallica, they had just made the album “Kill 'Em All”. And once, this club owner said, “Hey, I want to put on a small festival, do you guys want to play?” and we said, “Yes, we do,” and he said, “Yeah, I'm trying to get this band from the United States, they're from San Francisco,” and we said, “Oh, that sounds great.” And we went to this club, it was in Belgium, and you know, we had a lot of fun, there were many fans there, we jumped off the stage, into the crowd and everything. And we said, “Hey, let’s check out the other band.” And we didn’t know the band, and when we went on stage, it was Metallica, and I think it was one of their first shows in Europe. And we saw the band and thought, “Wow! This is fantastic.” You could see they were really good, you could see the magic. And then other people found out about Warlock, and then we did a tour – actually, our first big tour was in '86 – and it was a dream come true with my favorite band – and that was in '86. And then I quit my job, I worked with record label artists, and I thought, “I’ll give it a try,” and we played a lot of rock festivals, it was amazing, back then we had these big festivals. And it was a great lineup, it was Motörhead, Scorpions, and Warlock. All this time, in the '80s, we did great tours, and then in '87, we did the "Truth and Steel Tour," it was unbelievable, it was so cool. And then we wanted to go to America, and we did a long tour with Megadeth, and that was, yeah, it was in '87, '88, that was the peak for us and for Heavy Metal, it was so crazy, it was great. It was incredible, and it seemed like it would always get better and better. And then, in the '90s, it was unbelievable that suddenly Metal wasn't the big thing anymore, suddenly grunge had become the new sensation. I tried to keep going, and we made albums, but some of the albums weren't released because the record labels said, "Oh, this isn't grunge," and they didn't like the music, so… But I said, "I'll do whatever it takes." And then, in 1999, I said, "Metal is coming back." And it was great. That's when we did the album "Calling The Wild" with Lemmy. And from 2000 onwards, I feel that Metal is getting bigger and bigger. Yes, and Metal is growing and becoming bigger and bigger all over the world.
W (DD): Yes, and now it's back and stronger than ever. Doro, congratulations on the great version you did of Metallica's "Nothing Else Matters." How was that for you, did you enjoy doing it?
DP: Yes, yes. Metallica asked me if I wanted to do a song for their tribute album, they were celebrating the "Black Album," and I said, "Oh, I'd love to." So it was a lot of fun doing that song, I loved it… So it was really cool to do.
When you get knocked down, just go back outside and try, try even harder.”
W (DD): Very good. Since the Warlock days, you've always recorded songs, or parts of songs, in German. Do you plan to record an entire album in German in the future? Like "Fur Immer" or "Angels," those songs where you included some German words.
DP: Yes, I've done one or two songs in German, in… I love it. But when you sing something in English, it automatically sounds cool, and in German, it sounds… I don't know… I've thought about it a few times, but actually, I know we need to be global, and in German it becomes something limited, for Germans only. I think one or two songs are interesting on an album, but not all of them. But sometimes, there are some songs that you think, “Ah, let's try…” I love all languages, you know.
W (DD): Very well. We're almost at the end of our interview, but before we let you go, I'd like to ask what advice you would give to a girl who wants to sing in a rock band? What does it take to have such an amazing career as yours?
DP: I would say, you know, always, always follow your heart, follow your instincts, follow your soul. And, you know, do what you plan, give it 100%, apply all your love and dedication to it. And be yourself, never let them change what you think is right, and always keep going. Never give up, and always try. And when you get knocked down, just get back out there and try, try even harder. When you believe in what you love, you definitely achieve success. And to everyone, good luck, keep fighting, and try to surround yourself with people who support you, love you, people who believe in you, and if nobody believes in you, believe in yourself. Go ahead and do what you love and what feels right to you.
W (DD): Excellent. And to wrap up this great interview, could you choose a song from your latest album for us to listen to now?
DP: Ah, yes! Do you want another heavy one, or can we play the one with Lemmy? Ah, yes, I think that's a great idea, because that song is unbelievable. Yes, play the song we recorded with Lemmy from Motörhead, "It Still Hurts"!
W (DD): Very good, great choice, thank you very much for your time, Doro Pesch, the great Doro Pesch on Wikimetal. Could you leave one last message for our listeners?
DP: Yes. Hey Wikimetal fans, I love you so much, I love you more than anything else in the world, and I will never give up, I will always give my best. Thank you for all your loyalty, all the support, all these years. I will always have you in my heart, deep in my heart, and I will try to get there as soon as possible to see you live, and I love you. Keep Metal, and all the best, keep rocking, guys.
W (DD): Excellent, thank you so much, Doro! It's incredible for me to talk to you, it's one of my dreams come true. Thank you so much for your time, it was great to have you on our program, and count on Wikimetal whenever you need anything from Brazil, anything to promote what you're releasing, the great songs you release, you can count on us, and we will help promote Doro Pesch in Brazil.
DP: Oh, thank you so much, Daniel, it was very pleasant, and thank you so much for your support, thank you for supporting me, you guys are great, and keep up the great work. I will definitely let you know when our dates are finalized in Brazil. And all the best to Wikimetal!
W (DD): Thank you very much, bye-bye, Doro!
DP: Thank you! Bye-bye, Daniel, take care.
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