Liebe Nina Hagen

Nina Hagen sera en concert au Transbordeur le 22 Octobre. L’entretien sera traduit ultérieurement en français. Merci de votre patience. Excellente lecture. Son prochain album Volksbeat sortira en Novembre 2011.

Traduction de Julie Jolibois

(Avec la participation de Cendrine Ribaldone)

Grand merci à… Julie Jolibois et Ben ; Cendrine Ribaldone ; Charles Catherinot; Brad Scott; Cécile Mathieu ; au Goethe Institut et notamment à Ulrich Fügener, à l’équipe de Nina Hagen et surtout à Mabel Aschenneller

et

Madame Nina Hagen pour sa gentillesse et sa disponibilité.

Quelques adresses pour en savoir plus:

• http://www.ninahagen.com
• http://ninahagen.beeplog.de
• http://www.facebook.com/NinaHagen http://de.betterplace.org/groups/nina-hagen
  http://www.myspace.com/whymeohlord 

Personal

Pauline Catherinot: How do you usually start your day? What is your favorite time of the day?

Nina Hagen: Early in the morning , I start my day with giving thanks and praises ! 

Pauline Catherinot: What first made an impression on you as an artist?

Nina Hagen: My mother !  When I was a 3 years old child , i was  hospitalized for many , many weeks , because i fell down the stairs and had a brainshattering… and my MOM came every single day to visit and sing a million groovy songs on her guitar for all the children & me  in the hospital . that was so awesome !

Pauline Catherinot: If you were one of the buildings in Berlin, which one would you be?

Nina Hagen: None ! I am stardust ..

Pauline Catherinot: You have a lived in all four corners of the world, which place do you actually feel at home?

Nina Hagen: USA ; Los Angeles , New York , SPAIN Ibiza , germany Berlin , FRANCE  Paris , England London … ….

Pauline Catherinot: What are you seeking in your travels?

Nina Hagen: Happy landings

Pauline Catherinot: You left Berlin in 1976, what memories do you have from your departure?

Nina Hagen: It was a long anticipated day , I was very happy to get awayyyyy

Pauline Catherinot: You are a singer who is involved/engaged.  You talked about Michael in one of your songs and about women’s condition.  You also sung of the Fall of Berlin’s wall.  Is this engagement a driving force in your artistic path?

Nina Hagen: My parents raised me as an anti-fashist . My father was tortured by the nazi’s , my grandfather was murdered in the concentration camp Sachsenhausen  . My stepfather’s father was also murdered by the Nazi’s . I am following a family tradition for fighting for human rights , freedom , peace & justice !

Pauline Catherinot: What is the key note you prefer? What type of noise could define you?

Nina Hagen: My voice …. and it comes in all keys …

Jesus und  Bekenntnisse

Pauline Catherinot: You recently published a book called Bekenntnisse, where you write about your religion.  When did you feel the need to write about your internal belief and path?

Nina Hagen: I have sung about my faith in Jesus Christ and preached about it all my life … just listen to « the Lords Prayer » on my Album  » In Exstasy  »  or live at Rock in Rio :  http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6931069680711259466 , or to  Spirit in Sky : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJ2UROhv-PI !    I sang the gospelsong HOLD ME from Mahalia Jackson at the Pierre Lachaise Cementary … asking the Family of Jim Morrison, if I could film a musicvideo at Jim’ s grave : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x4dc1w_nina-hagen-hold-me-1989_music  , I have sang about my faith in Jesus on my first english language album NUNSEXMONKROCK : where I explain that  » I believe in JESUS, I preach it LOUD & STARK  » !!  …. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsXhLPjbvK8 , and in the song  Antiworld  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FldxBv9qVmg   … so I hope , you can see , that I preach the gospel since a very long time already ,also  In the song COSMA SHiVA I tell my baby , that GOD is our FATHER  ! AbbA!!

Pauline Catherinot: You were baptised in 2009 by Karl ter Horst.  What can you share with us about this moment?

Nina Hagen: It was awesome ! i have written an entire book about it all , it is called  » Bekenntnisse » ( confessions )   and it has been translated into FRENCH language , will soon be published in FRANCE!!

Pauline Catherinot: You met God for the first time in 1972.  What do you remember from this encounter?  What did God tell you and what does he/she look like?  And also, is God a man or a woman?

Nina Hagen: This is my most sacred and personal experience  , and it is very difficult to express in words  , how to explain in human words the LOVE OF GOD ?  it seems impossible , it happened to me when I was 17 years old , and I hope my music tells a bit about it !  I also write in detail about my near death experience  in my book  » confessions  » …

Pauline Catherinot: Jean-Luc Lagarce, French producer who died from AIDS, wrote in his notebooks: “Saint Nina Hagen, please pray for us all!”  What do you think of it? Are you a Saint and does humanity deserve that Nina Hagen prays for them?

Nina Hagen: I DO PRAY FOR US ALL !!  I always have prayed for all of us  , not only for me  ! I always will pray !   nomatter how you call me … punk , saint , sinner , I PRAY not only for myself , I do pray for ALL OF US , who have been given the gift of Life on earth !

·         Personal Jesus and others songs

Pauline Catherinot: You often sing Ave Maria when you are on stage.  What do you feel when you sing that song?

Nina Hagen: I  am singing the catholic song AVE MARIA nowadays more in the protestant version of Mahalia Jackson  , she  is including our HEAVENLY FATHER in the song .  I do understand from our holy bible , that it was never taught , to pray to the mother of Jesus Christ . Jesus Christ himself has taught us how to pray to God . It is never mentioned in the bible .  to pray to Mary from Nazareth . Jesus  Christ himself told us in the bible , that all his friends are like a mother to him …: « For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother. » Matthew 12:50 and so , when I sing  the Ave Maria today , I sing it in an  » updated  » protestant version !

Pauline Catherinot: You often talk about your love for Janis Joplin’s or Jim Morrison’s music.  Who are the artists who get your attention nowadays and who do you feel close to?

Nina Hagen: I am close to BERTOLT BRECHT , WOLF BIERMANN, Bob Dylan , LARRY NORMAN , CURTIS MAYFiELD , AL GREENE ;  Odetta , Joan Baez, Rosetta Tharpe , Sonseed … just listen to my brandnew album « VOLKSBEAT » , which will come out on November 11 , 2011 … I have brought many of those treasures into the german language …

Pauline Catherinot: You like to mix genres and often exploit the richness of several movements, like in 1982 with NunSexMonkRock, but also with African Reggae, or more recently with your album Personal Jesus. How can you explain this?

Nina Hagen:  I love to unite everything and everybuddy … in my songs …

Pauline Catherinot: How do you define the “Gospel Punk”?

Nina Hagen: When you listen to my newest album  » VOLKSBEAT  » …. you might get an answer to that question …. hahaha , a new genre … gospelpunk … wow .

Pauline Catherinot: How do you write?  Do the lyrics come before the music?

Nina Hagen: Sometimes I am just writing a poem  , a text ,  which later on turns into a melody and song , and sometimes I play on my guitar and a new song just jumps out in the open , or I  HEAR a funtastik song from someone else  … and I am so completly touched by it , that I want to bring it into my german mothertongue ….

Pauline Catherinot: You performed many duets in your career.  Which one is still high in your memory and in your heart?

Nina Hagen:  » Romeo & Julia  » or VOPO with Udo Lindenberg  ! Or  » Lilly Marlene  » with Nana Mouskourri… when I was pregnant with my boy Otis ….

Pauline Catherinot: Is your music a shout/a statement/an ode to life?

Nina Hagen: You decide ! the listeners decide !

Stage

Pauline Catherinot: Sometimes when I listen to you I think of the great expressionists or of Antonin Artaud.  Do you think the link exists?

Nina Hagen: I am a christian human rights activist and I am against forced psychiatry  ,  I understand that Antonin Artaud was incarcerated against his own free will in a closed psychiatric -hospital , I am the Patroness of www.PatVerfü.de in germany , we are meeting at the House for Democracy and human rights here in Berlin … I am « Schirmfrau » der Initiative PatVerfü in Zusammenarbeit mit Zwangspsychiatrie  and I would have helped people like

Antonin Artaud !

Pauline Catherinot: Who are the artists who have guided you through your owning of the stage?

Nina Hagen: My mom , Bertolt Brecht , Wolf Biermann …  and  Uschi Brüning , Angelika Mann , Reinhard Lakomy , Manfred Krug , Hilmar Thate , Ekkehard Schall , Gisela May , Lotte Lenya ,   the Beatles , Bob Dylan , Joan Baez , Janis Joplin , Tina Turner and many many many more !

Pauline Catherinot: We are sometimes under the impression that you are being emotionally transported when you sing.  Are you playing this emotion or are you actually feeling it take place?

Nina Hagen: I am a gospel- preacher and my foundation is the  Love  of God  , and ofcourse do I feel it when I sing it !! forever!

Pauline Catherinot: Have you got rituals before going on stage?

Nina Hagen: I hate rituals !   I only cling to the LOVE and the friend- & kinship with my musicians  and the audience . we musicians do embrace before a show , we do pray and ask for guidance and  the presence of the holy spirit !

Pauline Catherinot: Your music is for me a sort of ‘happening’.  It reminds me of the performers of the 70’s. Your concerts are always a procession of tunes and energy. Is that your definition of a performance?

Nina Hagen: We just let it happen like a warm summerbreeze !

Pauline Catherinot: Do you not think that society surfs on the wave of false provocation where we invent prebuilt figures?

Nina Hagen: Hmmmm , I don’t understand ? ….

Pauline Catherinot: How is the touring going?  How does the public welcome you? Could you still make music if you could not be on stage?

Nina Hagen: Touring and giving concerts are a wonderful part of my life and I am longing to tour more , and then more !  I would love to tour Brazil again, South-and Northamerica , everywhere !

Punk Art

Pauline Catherinot: What is Punk Art? How do you choose your models?

Nina Hagen: I am not a designer … only a musician … and punk is only one part of my music ,  i also embrace the blues and the funk , the soul and the rock& roll !

After

Pauline Catherinot: What advice would you give a young artist who wants to follow your voice?

Nina Hagen: I would advise everybody , including singers and musicians , to embrace every human being with a brotherly / sisterly love and create a strong relationship to the source of all life and love : GOD !

Pauline Catherinot: What do you dream of doing next?

Nina Hagen: Dancing in the rain and jumping on my trampoline !

Pauline Catherinot: What would your greatest fear be?

Nina Hagen: I am a child of God , I belong to the divine source of never-ending  Love & Life , I do not fear . I fear for the evildoers , if they do not stop their evil ways , they will end up in disgrace …. so there is no time for fear here  , we have some fearless work to do  !