Krokus is celebrating 50 (!) years of its career by giving selective concerts and reminding the world of some of the most classic songs ever written in the hard rock history. The founder and bassist of the Swiss band, Chris Von Rohr, has a special relationship with our country as he has bought a house in Chania many years ago and thus has become… an honorary Greek citizen. We contact him via Zoom for an in-depth interview about…well, everything and everyone while at the same time Von Rohr expresses his strong desire for Krokus to play in Greece. Let’s see if we can make it happen…
Interview: Sakis Nikas
Rockpages.gr: Chris, you are doing for a few years the “Adios Amigos Tour”, your farewell tour. Are you ready to say “goodbye” to your fans?
Chris Von Rohr: Well, actually, no, to tell you the truth. We started this farewell tour in 2019 but then Covid-19 hit the world and we had to stop for almost two years. During that period, we saw what happened in the world. So many lies, so much panic…we sat down as a band and we decided that we should continue that tour no matter what because music is really important…in rock we trust! It sounds a little bit crazy but we found ourselves again during the pandemic. That’s exactly what happened. Music is really what keeps us you young, you know. We decided that we should go on as long as it’s fun for us. So, it seems that the last round of this tour will last a little longer than we thought. After all, this line-up of Krokus, the original line-up is longer together now compared to all that bullshit that went on in the past with all that splitting and the line-up changes. In the last 10 years we did three studio albums, two live albums and the band is getting better and better. We are so tight and happy to be together on stage. I wish you could have seen us in one of those summer festivals this year. We are full of energy and we are still kicking ass! The moment it won’t sound good anymore, I will immediately stop it. Obviously we are not doing this for the money and hopefully we are gonna see us next year and you will see what I am talking about. I just wish we could make it to Athens…like Rammstein (laughs)!
Rockpages.gr: I am so glad that I hear you so positive and enthusiastic about Krokus nowadays. Maybe, you can take this energy with you for one last time in the studio, one last Krokus record. How about that?
Chris Von Rohr: Well, you can always wish…you know. The question is: does the world need new Krokus songs? We already have a problem when we play live because we have something like 20 albums and the thing is how you can fit new songs on your live set. Also, will the new songs be at the same level as let’s say “Headhunter”, “Bedside Radio”, “Tokyo Nights”…I could go on forever! We had “Hoodoo Woman” which sounds like classic Krokus and we play it live all the time. The truth is that albums are for new bands and when an old bands come up with a new record most of the times is repetition and an excuse to go out on tour. Personally, I don’t think that Krokus need a new album because we have so many great songs and in the end we can only play for two hours, you know…but we have talked about it from time to time. Maybe there’s gonna be one or two songs…who knows?
Rockpages.gr: Chris, I will be honest with you. You might be right when you say that the world doesn’t need a new Krokus record but all the die-hard Krokus fans need one and I guess that applies also for yourself and the rest of the band members as artists that wanna put his heart and soul on a song…
Chris Von Rohr: Well, the problem is that I always compare all the bands with their best work. For me it’s the wrong way of thinking to continue as an artist just for the sake of it. The best way is to release new stuff when you really feel it otherwise there’s no point of doing it. Most of the times when you listen to a new record by an old band, all their previous albums sound 10 times better than the new one. Maybe it has to do with the fact that they were young and more focused…I don’t know. Personally, I don’t want to put out an album because I have to do so. I agree with you but in order to get a new album all the members of the band would have to share the same opinion.
Rockpages.gr: I am sure that you know that almost all the hard rock fans have this perception that Krokus really started when Marc Storace joined the band for the “Metal Rendez-vous” album although the band was active, of course, before Mark. How do you feel about it? It’s almost like with “Metal Rendez-vous”, Krokus found its sound.
Chris Von Rohr: I and Fernando (Von Arb) are the main songwriters of the classic Krokus stuff. So, we don’t think so…the time period and the albums that we released before Marc were also important. Recently I spoke to Lars Ulrich from Metallica…he came to me holding “To You All”, the album that I sing on. That’s a more bluesy and experimental album. Definitely, the style before “Metal Rendez-vous” was totally different. Lars told me that when he was still in Denmark we would listen to that early Krokus stuff and let’s face it even the Metallica logo was slightly inspired by the Krokus logo. These first three Krokus records were albums of another era, another time. Yes, I agree with you though…“Metal Rendez-vous” is the first Krokus album with an international flare. I remember telling the guys in the band and the record company that we should get a better singer that would sing at least 3 octaves higher than me. They were looking at me like I was crazy because we had a little bit of success with those first three albums. But I knew that if we wanted to get a little further and with the coming of NWOBHM, we had to get a better singer. We needed that change if we wanted to break the band on an international level. So yeah…the addition of Marc was really important for the big scale of things. “Metal Rendez-vous” is one of the best hard rock albums ever. To this day there’s no other Krokus album that features so many songs on our live set. We had worked so hard on this album and that spirit absolutely shines on the songs. So yeah…that’s the start of big scale Krokus. Definitely.
Rockpages.gr: I gotta say that the biggest surprise for me, when I saw you live in Sweden back in 2019, was the fact that you didn’t play “Tokyo Nights” that day…
Chris Von Rohr: Yes, you are right. You know what…since then, we play it all the time. I am so sorry that you didn’t get to hear it.
Rockpages.gr: I know! Tell you what, Chris…you can play it live in Athens or even in Chania at the Chania Rock Festival so I can hear it live. What do you say?
Chris Von Rohr: I would love that but the problem is that we haven’t heard from any Greek promoter all these years and the first call must come from a promoter. Let me ask you: does Greece know Krokus?
Rockpages.gr: Of course, we know you. You are rightfully considered a classic band here in Greece. I am not so sure how many people still buy your records but they will come to the show.
Chris Von Rohr: You know a funny story…when “Dirty Dynamite” first came out, we received a call letting us know that the new album is #9 on the Greek charts! Also, people have told me that “Tokyo Nights” is a really famous song in Greece. Is that true?
Rockpages.gr: Oh yeah…it’s a classic. Everybody sings along when a DJ puts it on at a rock club.
Chris Von Rohr: That’s great! I have to come to Athens!
Rockpages.gr: During that period in between “Metal Rendez-vous” and “Headhunter” which is considered the classic Krokus era, you toured all over the world and you found your way in the States. How did it feel for a Swiss musician to be living his “rock star” dream?
Chris Von Rohr: Sakis, I have written recently a book and I dedicate a whole chapter on this…unfortunately it’s only available so far in Swiss language. I wish somebody would translate it to English. It’s all in here in detail. But I gotta tell you that it was a big surprise for us when they told us that there’s a tour for us in the States for the “Metal Rendez-vous” album. Later on we found out that there’s a big interest for Krokus in England. That was a big surprise for us, too, because we had only started to get bigger in Switzerland. England seemed like a really scary place for us because all our heroes were from England and the truth is that we weren’t really prepared for such a jump…from a club level band to all those legendary places in England like Hammersmith, Apollo or Liverpool’s Empire etc. These were places where all the famous bands played. That was a challenge for us and a test to prove that we weren’t simply another regional band. It was a learning process for us but also a great time period for us. Everybody was coming to see us…Lemmy, Bruce Dickinson, Rob Halford. It was a perfect timing for us…the beginning of the 80s.
Rockpages.gr: During the “Headhunter Tour”, you were kicked out from Def Leppard’s “Pyromania Tour”. I guess it had something to do with your then manager…
Chris Von Rohr: I wrote it very clearly in my book. The manager was playing games turning each band member against the other. The sad thing was that Marc was listening more to the manager than myself or Fernando. So, during that tour he copied on stage raps and whole words by Joe Elliott. Of course, Def Leppard was bigger than us because they had Pyromania on #2 on the Billboard charts and “Headhunter” was #15 or something. The problem was that our singer was breaking some rules…things you don’t do when you are a special guest on a tour. The guys in Def Leppard were great…they came to us and told us that we shouldn’t copy Joe Elliott’s raps or we shouldn’t go to some areas on stage which are reserved for the headliner. But Marc didn’t listen and he did it again. Next thing we know, our manager had a fist fight with Def Leppard’s drummer who had, of course back then, both his arms. Nowadays we have a great relationship with Def Leppard…actually we met them in Sweden where you saw us and we had fun. But back then…that was a horrible mistake by our side because we were thrown out from the biggest rock tour in the country. Success is very dangerous to certain people. If you can’t stay grounded and normal then things can get out of hand. Also, bad management decisions can lead to bad things. Don’t forget that after that incident, the guys listened to the management and threw me out of the band. We had a big fight but there was nothing I could do. Then came the dark years of the band, as I call them. Especially, “The Blitz” and “Change of Address” had nothing to do with the original spirit of Krokus. On the other hand, it had a certain cleansing effect. I don’t know how you see it but those records had nothing to do with Krokus.
Rockpages.gr: I understand your point of view but I gotta ask you…you formed this band back in the 70s and later on they threw you out. Didn’t you own the name “Krokus”?
Chris Von Rohr: That’s true. Let me tell you though…I was never a guy like for example Axl Rose. He succeeded with lawyers and confrontations with Slash to register the “Guns N’ Roses” name for himself. I was never interested in something like that but basically that was a fist on my face. I lost my baby…that’s the crazy thing. Life is a learning period, you know. It was definitely a mistake from my side but on the other hand, I had the chance to take a break and expand as a producer and work with bands like Gotthard. I helped them become really successful but I also learned more things about songwriting. In 2008 when Krokus reunited with the classic line-up it was evident that the band was re-energized with more fuel on its tank! Yes…we made mistakes. We have talked about it and Marc, Fernando, myself have realized that we have made some bad decisions on the way. Nobody had prepared us for such a career. That’s life. But we are still going and in 2024 we celebrate 50 years of Krokus!
Rockpages.gr: How cool is that? Do you realize that you started this band 50 years ago? Time flies, for sure!
Chris Von Rohr: It’s scary.
Rockpages.gr: It’s scary for me, too…when I think that I bought my first Krokus record more than 35 years ago!
Chris Von Rohr: With what album did you start?
Rockpages.gr: You don’t wanna know the answer to that (laughs)!
Chris Von Rohr: (laughs) I know the answer! It’s “The Blitz”, right?
Rockpages.gr: Correct! And then came “Change of Address”.
Chris Von Rohr: Well I gotta say that “The Blitz” is the best of the worst (laughs)! It has “Midnite Maniac” which is a good song but it’s an overproduced record. It was also a departure from “Headhunter”. Krokus was turning into a glam, pop metal band. You don’t change that sound especially when you have success in America and Canada. “Headhunter” was a masterpiece. And if that wasn’t enough, you put on the cover a girl with a white dress…I mean…c’mon!
Rockpages.gr: Krokus had so many line-up changes through the years. With which one from the all did you have the best chemistry and the best working relationship?
Chris Von Rohr: I gotta tell you that all these changes came –more or less- when I left the band. I had nothing to do with those changes…well, maybe with the exception of Fready Steady, our drummer…Fernando and I wanted more punch behind the drums. To answer your question, the best working relationship was and still is with my songwriting partner, Fernando Von Arb. No doubt it. We are like yin and yang. When the two of us come together then Krokus come alive. Of course we need that voice…Marc Storace’s voice.
Rockpages.gr: Chris, if you had the luxury to put just one song into a time capsule for the future generations which one would that be? Which song captures perfectly the Krokus spirit?
Chris Von Rohr: This is a really hard question, my friend…I would put three in it: “Tokyo Nights”, “Bedside Radio”, “Screaming in the Night”. It’s very hard because we were never a “singles” band…we were always an “album” band. If I had to put an album on that time capsule that would be “Metal Rendez-vous” or “Headhunter”. Those two albums have the spirit of Krokus.
