Ghost Frontman Tobias Forge On The End Of The Charade

Ghost frontman Tobias Forge on the end of the charade

(TRANSLATED FROM GERMAN)

For many years, the frontman of the heavy metal hit band was just masked, known as Papa Emeritus or Cardinal Copia. Now Tobias Forge has put off the mask - not entirely voluntarily, as he tells in the NP interview.

Hanover

The guesswork has come to an end: The Swedish rock musician Tobias Forge(37) hides behind the mask of the Grammy-winner Ghost and the pseudonyms Papa Emeritus and Cardinal Copia. Before the start of the Ghost Germany Tour, we talked to Forge about charades in Rock'n'Roll.

I’m not talking to dad Emeritus or Cardinal Copia today, but to Tobias Forge . Was it liberating when your name became known?

Papa Emeritus would never have given an interview … 80% was liberating. Without wanting to complain: But if I could control it, I would have left it as it was. But if you have a band that grows and grows, even commercially, that does not go well with anonymity. It was probably inevitable.

It was not really voluntary - your name became known in a lawsuit …

That’s true. On the other hand, many fans already knew who I am. I had been recognized on the street before. Some media had become a bit of a charade . We had many cancellations handed to journalists who wanted to do something personal with me. And my job is to make Ghost as big as it gets.

You are on a good way …

Yes, and I asked myself, “Why do I say no to it so often? I’m not even anonymous anymore. ”

What was the original idea behind the “ charade ”, as you call it?

I grew up with rock, heavy metal , death metal at a time when there was no internet. I learned to worship bands I knew almost nothing about. Today you can read everything, not only on Wikipedia , but also in books - everyone has a book today. That was early, mid-90s not so. Of course , there were books about the Beatles or the Rolling Stones . But not about Lemmy or Mötley Crüe.

One pounced on every little thing one could learn about his favorite bands.

Exactly, and I wanted to go back there. When I had the idea over ten years ago, I did not think Ghost would become such a big commercial success. In the underground: Yes, I could imagine that. But not like this. I imagined Ghost less like a classical band, but more like an art installation or a theatrical production of mine, which gives a few guest performances in the same place, sometimes in a historical theater in Cologne , sometimes in a cabaret in Berlin . So it would have been absolutely possible to remain anonymous.

Now you have just given your first interview in France without masking. Do you expect this to change anything for you?

Not through this one TV show (laughs).

How did that happen?

I was asked. An important guest of the show had failed; you suddenly had ten minutes of airtime to fill. My first answer to the request was a no. But then I thought about it and came to the conclusion that I could easily put it this way - without drum rolls or big fanfares. Which opens us many possibilities. I want to have as many people as possible come to our shows and listen to our music. My point is not to promote myself, but Ghost. If such a move makes us better guests on a television program, then it should be.

Will this move affect your shows? From what you hear, it gets more theatrical than ever.

The step allows me to make the shows as I have always imagined. Even though I was thinking of an art installation back then, I always thought it was great, like an arena show with pyrotechnics , fire, changing costumes and a lot of effort. That takes time. “It’s a long way to the top if you want rock'n'roll” …

… to say it with AC / DC .

Exactly. And I am on this path. namely to properly rock and roll Hanover .

There are not many bands that do a similar job. One would be Rammstein , with whose guitarist Richard Kruspe and his solo project Emigrate you recently worked together. How did that happen?

I know Richard , and he asked me, quite simply. I was in Berlin anyway . He invited me to his house, played this track to me and asked me if I would like to sing on it. And I said, “Why not? Clear.”

Another such band is Kiss, who are now on their last tour after 46 years. What do you mean: how long will Ghost be?

47 years? No idea (laughs). I do not take anything for granted. Right now, I know what I’m going to do the rest of the year. I know what I would like to do for the next four or five years. As with any band, there will come a time when Ghost is not so popular anymore. Who knows what happens next 20, 30 years? I mean, I’m in my 70s in 37 years. I wish that I can still stand on stage. That means a lot of work.

But now that you have named your current album “Prequelle”, it seems like you are just beginning to see yourself …

Or like I’m moving backwards (laughs). There are many things I want to do with Ghost before we go on a farewell tour. But who knows if we’ll ever get that far?

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*whispers* No one can resist the hip thrusties of Papa Emeritus the Third... Including himself. *fans self* I think he loves doing it almost as much as we love watching him do it... *q*

Ghost - Mummy Dust [Aftershock 2016]

T H E

U N H O L Y

C L E R G Y

Everyone in the Ghost BC fandom seems to be doing bad right now mentally so a few reminders

- you are loved

-you are important

-you deserve to be alive

- if you die you cannot get circie-d

ALSO there are people you can reach out to, both professional and in the fandom who are willing to help.

**as reference, the text hotline for the USA is 741-741. No verbal communication required.

PLEASE, REBLOG IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF OR ARE WILLING TO HELP SOMEONE IN THE FANDOM. BE THERE FOR EACHOTHER YOU GOTH BABIES, LOVE EACHOTHER.

And as Papa III would say - Fuck a lot.

“Ladies and Gentleman, and those of whom no title is worthy…”

“…It is Valentines day. A day of the year when happily loved up couples, or triads, or…how ever many are in the polyamarous grouping of your choice get together and show each other how much they care. Where singletons celebrate their celibacy, or where ladies celebrate their female friendships…”

“But did you know that Saint Valentine, The Catholic Christian saint was the saint of the plague…as well as marriages, beekeeping, used against fainting, Epilepsy…”

“The point is, this Valentines day, whatever you are celebrating–enjoy yourself, and remember that life is short–so fuck expectations.”