Carl Begai Interview

Carl Begai... With Beer!

Originally from Toronto, Canadian metal scribe Carl Begai is based in Germany. A long-time writer for Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles, Carl has recently self-published his first book Fire And Fame, the autobiography of former Bonfire bassist Joerg Deisinger. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable book that not only tells the story of one of Germany’s best melodic rock band’s but also gives the story of the eighties hard rock scene in Europe and America. Visit www.bravewords.com and www.fireandfame.com for further information. His personal website is www.carlbergai.com.

 

When did you get started in the music business? What made you want to become a music writer?

I officially started in October of 1993 with M.E.A.T magazine, a Toronto-based regional fanzine founded in 1989 that eventually gained Canada-wide distribution. M.E.A.T was my springboard to BW&BK, launched by former M.E.A.T staff member Tim Henderson in 1994. My first story for BW&BK, covering Sentenced and their Down album, was published in January 1997. I’ve been at it ever since.
As for why I became a writer, I think it was a case of “Those who can’t play, teach.” I grew up on the Toronto rock club scene, and I remember being in awe of the intimacy of it all. Hanging at the Gasworks and Rock N’ Roll Heaven, seeing people like James LaBrie (Dream Theater), Sebastian Bach (ex-Skid Row) and Pete Friesen (Alice Cooper, The Almighty) go on to bigger and better things, witnessing things like Rob Halford performing with Stryper and Pantera or Bruce Dickinson playing a club, and really just seeing name bands and independent acts up close and personal. And even though I was one of a hundred or a thousand, I always felt like I was a part of the action. And in some cases, quite by accident, I was. Being exposed to all of this, I got into playing guitar with that “rockstar wannabe” light on in my head, but I never had the chops or the hunger to pursue music on a professional level. Writing had always come naturally to me, so when the opportunity presented itself to put the music obsession and the writing together I took it. I didn’t count on getting into it as deep as I have, but I’m very fortunate to have come this far…

 

Tell me about your book Fire And Fame. How did you hook up with Joerg Deisinger?

I met Joerg in ’98 in Nuremberg, Germany, where I’m currently living. He lived around the corner from me at the time and worked at USG Records, so we ran into each other on a regular basis. I was never a huge Bonfire fan, but we had a common interest in rock, metal and movies, so there was never a lack of things to talk about. He moved to Thailand in 2004 and narrowly escaped being killed by the tsunami that hit on 26th December. By rights he should have been killed; only dumb luck saved him. When he first approached me about the idea of writing his memoirs I didn’t really see the sense of it – I had no idea just how popular Bonfire had been in Europe in the early days – but I understood his reasons. His first hand experience with the tsunami and the aftermath, I think that was kind of like a mirror being held up in his face, saying “look at your life and don’t fucking take it for granted.” He asked me to work with him on the book because of my experience as a journalist, and I agreed based on our friendship. What sold me on the project was the fact that I had an active role in shaping the book rather than being a mere translator. Anybody with the skills could have translated his story, but I was able to use my voice to tell it. Fire And Fame was a 50-50 split with regards to creative control, so while it is indeed Joerg’s story I was able to put something of myself into it as well.

 

Why did you self-publish the book? Did you approach publishers about it?

Quite frankly, after the amount of work we put into this book both Joerg and myself were reluctant to give up control over the project. We did some checking prior to going the indie route and having Fire And Fame printed through Books On Demand, and we discovered that the average publisher’s policy dictated that the company had to sell ‘X’ number of books (a few thousand at least) before we’d see any kind of profit, and then we’d only receive a euro or two per copy. Meanwhile, BOD’s policy splits the profits from the cover price down the middle. Granted, if you go through a publisher they take care of all the promo and assorted legwork whereas this way we’re stuck doing everything ourselves, but just like signing a record deal, going with a publisher is a crapshoot. You never know what kind of representation and promo you’re going to get until you’re deep into it. Going independent, we’ve retained all the rights to our work and we call all the shots.
The other reason for going independent was that we worked on Fire And Fame for a long time and wanted to get it out there sooner rather than later. Drumming up interest and seeking out a publisher – particularly for a book of this sort – is time consuming. I think we were both tired of sitting on the material, because we knew it was good. After over two years of slugging it out we wanted to have something concrete in our hands.

 

Would you self-publish future books?

I’m undecided. I certainly haven’t ruled it out. The problem with the do-it-yourself approach is that real life has a tendency of getting in the way. Basically, there aren’t enough hours in the day to take care of promoting the book at the same level as a publisher and the promo department. If I could find a publisher with a proven track record of getting material out through the proper channels without demanding the client sign away his or her life, I’d consider it. While I do indeed understand the business side of things, I hear about some of these publishing “deals” and wonder just how unbelievably stupid one has to be to sign on.
Bottom line is that I would love to sign a publishing deal and get books out on the shelves, but not if it means signing over my hard work to line someone else’s pockets. Not very realistic in this day and age, I suppose, but one can dream…

 

How long did it take you to write Fire And Fame? What was the writing process?

Writing began in April 2005 and wrapped up around November 2007, but we had a mind-boggling conflict with our “editor” which put things well behind schedule. Joerg and I would meet one day a week and he’d dictate the chapters to me, which I would then take home and work on. The following week we’d discuss it and decide what changes needed to be made, if any, before moving on to the next section. We did things in chronological order for the most part. If I had simply translated Joerg’s written work we would have been done a lot sooner, but we were much happier with the flow and tone of the story by doing it through a face-to-face dialogue. Also, my translations were based on Joerg’s body language and inflections in his voice as much as his words because I learned how to speak and understand German that way. I think that gave me a unique perspective, and that energy – for lack of a better term – made it into the book. If I’d done a straight translation from the written work Fire And Fame would have been a much different book, just as it would have been very different if someone else had written it.
The book was officially done and in our hands in July 2008, but I freely admit there were times during the editing process where I was convinced our work had been for nothing and the book would never see the light of day. Things were really that bad, trying to push things along and hitting roadblocks at every turn. As a result I’m quite pleased with the final product.

 

Did it require any research or does Joerg have a very good memory?

I wouldn’t call it research. Joerg went back through old tour itineraries and dug up some old documents – such as a hand-written letter from Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford – to back up certain facts and claims in his story, but the vast majority of the material was from memory as far as I know. We did go back and confirm certain events and details versus the timelines Joerg remembered – Chernobyl, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the death of Kurt Cobain – just to make sure we weren’t rewriting the history books. I know he contacted a few people, such as his ex-bandmates, regarding details he was sketchy on, but there was no real hard core research involved.

 

What are your favourite rock books?

In no particular order: Are You Morbid? (Thomas Gabriel Fischer – Celtic Frost), The Collector’s Guide To Heavy Metal (Martin Popoff), The Heroin Diaries (Nikki Sixx) and The Dirt (Mötley Crüe).

 

Who are your favourite rock scribes?

Favourite writers… that’s a tough one because there are lot of good writers out there. If I go by the people that blow me away with their energy the following four take top honours: Martin Popoff (BW&BK), Audrey Dujardin (ShutterBLAST.net / photographer), Götz Kuehnemund (Rock Hard), Jeb Wright (Classic Rock Revisited). I devote a huge amount of time to BW&BK every single day and I’m always writing and up to my ears in the music, but those folks leave me in the dust. I’m in awe of them, maybe even a tad jealous.

 

What makes a good rock writer?

 - Honesty; being true to yourself and your musical tastes in person and in print rather than jumping on a bandwagon to suit your editor, label reps or fellow journalists.
 - Being able to take criticism and realising that (a) no, you actually don’t know everything and (b) the other guy may actually have a point.
 - Stepping out of the box, not going into the music world with blinders on and dismissing something as crap just because it isn’t your usual everyday fare. Keeping an open mind.
 - Grammar and spelling! You don’t have to look very hard on the internet to find prime examples of rock “journalists” that should have stayed in school. They definitely outnumber those of us who can write.

 

As a writer for BW&BK which artist(s) gave you the most interesting interview(s)?

Tough question to answer. Interviewing Loudness at the Earthshaker Festival in Germany in 2005 was a personal highlight because I grew up on their music. Lightning Strikes (1986) was their first Loudness album I ever heard, and I was hooked immediately. Then I discovered their Disillusion record (1984) and that was it, fanboy forever. To meet up with the creators of two albums that were part of the soundtrack of my teenage years was surreal.
Michelle Meldrum from Phantom Blue/Meldrum. She was my very first interview (early 1994), for Phantom Blue’s Built To Perform album. I was nervous leading up to her phone call because I was afraid of sounding like a moron to someone used to dealing with “real” press people. That and I was socially inept when it came to women, so I had visions of tripping over my words the same way I did whenever I was put into social situations with good looking girls. But, in the space of about two minutes into the interview we were talking like we were old friends. She was very, very cool and a real sweetheart. A few years later we spoke again, and she blew me away by remembering who I was and that she had been “my first.” From that point on every time we spoke it was like two old friends shooting the shit. I was gutted when I heard she’d passed away. I still am.
Arch Enemy vocalist Angela Gossow. My interviews with her have always been great, but the first one we ever did was before Wages Of Sin – her debut with the band – was officially released outside of Japan. Supposedly it was the first interview with her by any North American metal publication, print or online. It was set-up thanks to bassist Sharlee D’Angelo and Angela’s mother. She was an absolute blast to talk to, very straight up and genuine, and I was pleased to discover that she’s still the same person to this day in spite of her meteoric rise to fame.  
Stuck Mojo guitarist/vocalist Rich Ward. Easily one of the most talented and brilliant-to-genius musicians in the biz. Lots to say, but there’s a brain to back up his thoughts and opinions. Never a dull moment, and what I ended up with both times made for great stories.

 

And the least interesting interview(s)?

Least interesting, as in bored off my tits and working like a bastard to make it an actual interview? Michael Schenker takes the Number One spot, hands down, for being a miserable individual (at the time, anyway) who should have stayed in bed. One word answers, zero enthusiasm with regards to his own work, and that was two out of the three times I’ve interviewed him. I haven’t had too many bad experiences, which is surprising. I’ve been lucky.

 

Who would you like to interview?

Corey Taylor (Slipknot / Stone Sour), Dave Mustaine (Megadeth), Yoshiki (X Japan), Brian May (Queen), and Paul McCartney.

 

Aside from BW&BK which music magazines do you read?

Terrorizer (UK), Rock Hard (Germany), Metal Hammer (Germany), Guitar World (US), Burrn! (Japan) … and Unrestrained! out of Canada while it was still active.

 

What are the best gigs you’ve been to?

I’ve been lucky enough to have seen a lot of brilliant shows in my time, but off the top of my head: Triumph (Toronto, 1984 - my first real metal show), Dream Theater (Toronto, 1993), Skid Row (Toronto, 1992), T.M Stevens (Nuremberg, 1997), Savatage (Gunzendorf, 1997), Children Of Bodom (Nuremberg, 2006), Jon Oliva’s Pain (Nuremberg, 2007), (Kamelot / Leaves’ Eyes (Toronto, 2007)… and Honeymoon Suite in Toronto, 1984, still the loudest show I’ve ever attended to this very day –  my ears were ringing for a week, and they were pretty frickin’ over the top heavy for a Canadian radio rock band.

 

Who are your favourite artists?

I could go on forever with this one, but some of my absolute faves include Saigon Kick, Children Of Bodom, Loudness, Styx, T.M. Stevens, Dream Theater, X Japan, Arch Enemy, Iron Maiden (pre-Blaze Bayley), Annihilator, Tesla, Scarlet Sins, Megadeth (minus Risk and We Don’t Need Another Hero or whatever the hell it was called [The World Without A Hero]), Savatage, Gamma Ray, Cradle Of Filth, Death Angel, Danko Jones, The Organization, Bruce Dickinson. I like a lot of different stuff…

 

What are your 10 Desert Island Discs?

If there’s one question I suck at answering, this one is it. I can be asked this question in 10 different interviews and I guarantee you at least five albums will be different in each one. That said, off the top of my head and in no particular order:

Saigon Kick – The Lizard / Annihilator – Never Neverland / The Headstones – Picture Of Health / Loudness – Disillusion / Ratt – Out Of The Cellar / Queensryche – Operation: Mindcrime / Warlock – Hellbound / X Japan – Blue Blood / Tesla – Mechanical Resonance /
Children Of Bodom – Hate Crew Deathroll

 

What do you think of Downloading?

Folks can argue this up, down and sideways and find ways to justify illegal downloading, but I disagree with it completely. It’s just plain wrong in my eyes. That said, I can only put a small portion of the blame on the fans – particularly the younger fans – because if you have that kind of technology at your disposal it’s only natural to want to use it, especially if you have a limited budget for music. Older metal/music fans should know better, especially the ones that claim to love and support their favourite bands, but my big problem is with the assholes that put the music online in the first place because I don’t see how they benefit by doing so. Those people have screwed the music industry up for the artists, the labels, and the media alike.
It’s weird, because there’s this call to have illegal downloaders crucified, but I think people are missing the point. A much stronger message can be sent by nailing the people uploading the music illegally in the first place. Go after the cause of the disease, not the symptom. And you can’t tell me the technology doesn’t exist to track these people down. I know there have been half-hearted attempts to go this route, but the only reason it’s gotten as out of hand as it has is because the suits prefer to talk the matter to death rather than act. At some point you’ve got to leave the bloody conference room and get down to work.

 

Do you prefer CD/LP?

I learned to appreciate CDs because I had to, but I’m a vinyl freak. I have a huge LP collection back home in Toronto; every time I get back home I go through it and I’m amazed by some of the stuff I picked up over the years. Die-cut limited editions, embossed vinyl, 12” EPs with unreleased tracks, etc. Once I started getting in to metal I collected everything from my favourite bands that I could get my hands on. Funny thing is I recently got a hold of a combination turntable / CD player with a USB hook-up. There I was hitting the “record” and “stop” buttons, putting the songs from LPs I’ve picked up in Germany on my computer so I could make CD-Rs out of them. Very, very weird to be recording music like that again. Talk about nostalgia…

 

Do you have plans for any more books?

Yes. I’m currently looking into doing a band biography with a rather well known metal act, but that’s up in the air. Band and management have to be in on it 100% or I won’t bother. I’m also finishing up a work of fiction based on my experiences in the music industry; things I’ve either experienced or witnessed first hand. I’ll be putting excerpts up on my website (carlbegai.com) in the near future, but if you like the writing in Fire And Fame you’ll enjoy this one as well.

 

Interview by Neil Daniels 2009