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This band changed our music destiny in 1983 & 1984 with the release of Red, Hot & Heavy & Future World (two top classics of the 80's). From that day, our heart was totally devoted to heavy metal. We have talk about the last Pretty Maids Carpe Diem with Ken Hammer (guitar and song writer). Being mega fans of Pretty Maids, we asked him some more in deep questions about Pretty Maids career. Ken answered honestly and it has been a real pleasure to do this interview. MR : If today I listen to heavy metal, there are mainly two records "responsible" for that. The first one was Number of the Beast (Iron Maiden) and the second one was Red, Hot & Heavy ! Ken : Oh thank you very much. MR : So I can say you changed my life. Ken : I hope for the better (laughs). MR : First of all, are you living Carpe Diem ? Ken : Of course, we are living Carpe Diem (enjoy the moment you live right now in Latin). It is a life style. It is also the next step after our last album Anything worst doing is worth overdoing. This is one step further. This is why we have called it Carpe Diem. MR : Are you happy with the final result of Carpe Diem ? Ken : No, I never will be. Of course I am happy with it, but I am never totally satisfied. I know we could have done lot of things better. Of course, this is true for every single album we have done and not only for Carpe Diem. MR : Violent Tribe & Carpe Diem are typical Pretty Maids songs: fast, heavy and melodic to the bones. However, the overall sound of Carpe Diem is less heavier compare to other Pretty Maids record. Ken : Yes you're right on that. MR : Was it intentional from the beginning? Ken : No, it wasn't. When we have started to write songs, we didn't know which direction we were going. The only thing we knew is that its gonna be "typical Pretty Maids". However, we had no plans on which direction we were going. MR : Clay, Time awaits for no one & Invisible chains have a Beatles touch. Is it one of your influences? Ken : Oh yeah, we love the Beatles. Anybody who doesn't like the Beatles must be "f*cked up" in the head (explosion of laughs). They wrote some of the best songs in the world with the best melodies. That's why everybody still love them and that's why there are still around 30-40 years later. MR : Agree with you, but all your ballads (MR: which are always so great) have this Beatles touch? Ken : Invisible Chain has this intro who really reminds you the Beatles. You know, the working title of this song was actually ... Beatles. That's true, that's very true that the Beatles is a big influence. MR : Can you mention other influences ? Ken : Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Kiss, Rainbow ... Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath. All the band that started the whole thing (MR: heavy metal of course). MR : Ron and yourself are writing all the songs of Pretty Maids. You are like John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Do you accept other ideas from the rest of the band ? Ken : Oh yes we do. But they are pretty busy doing other things when we're writing. Kenn got a music shop and Michael is involved in other things too. So basically when it comes to the writing process, Ron and me are the one picking the guitar ... and writing songs. MR : Until it dies & They are all a like, which sounds a bit like Dead Or Alive... Ken : It is actually the continuation of Dead Or Alive. MR : Oh I see, they both have some power/thrash guitar rhythm. Is it something you will explore even more in the future? Ken : Oh I would think so. It is a part of the Pretty Maids style. Definitively. MR : Ok, but I mean the sound of those two song is really new, innovator! Ken : Ok, I understand what you want to say. It is year 2000, so of course we also would like to change slightly, but not dramatically. I guess you know what I mean. MR : Yes. Flemming Rasmussen has produced Carpe Diem. Before he has mixed some songs on Future World and also co-produced with you Sin-Decade & Scream. Did you feel it was the time to go back to Sin-Decade sound? Ken : No, the funny thing is that we wanted to used the studio called Sweet Silence (Copenhagen) and Flemming Rasmussen owned that studio. So he got naturally involved in the project. He hasn't produce the album, he mixed it. MR : This is why the sound of Carpe Diem & Sin-Decade are more or less the same. Ken : Yeah...true. Why have you chosen Flemming Rasmussen and not Tommy Hansen? Ken : That's a good question and I really ... don't know. No in fact, there are some technical reasons to it. We have recorded everything on Protools and we had to find a studio that could actually work with the kind of way we had recorded our album. And Tommy hasn't Protools. So we went to Fleming's studio. Of course, this is one of the reasons. Also because Tommy has worked on two of the last three records. We thought: "Let's try something different, let's see if it will be better or if it will be worst". MR : Tell Tommy to buy Protools! Ken : I will (laughs). Hey, you like Tommy, do you ? Yes and we will come back on Tommy later in the interview. Ken : Ok. MR : You are one of the most well known Scandinavian bands... Ken : Thank you ! MR : For me, your career should have been as big as Iron Maiden's one Ken : Thank you very much. MR : Now two questions : Ken : First of all, I don't think Stripped was a mistake. In fact it was an end of contract deal, we were trying to get out of it. That was a "business move". MR : It was a bad contract in fact? Ken : Yeah. Now if I could change something it would be the gap between Future World & Jump The Gun. It should never been three years, it should have been one year. Because in those three years, the all hard-rock scene changed completely. From Gun's & Roses to glam, the whole scene changed completely. I think that was the big mistake I would like to change. MR : Yeah you are right. Jump The Gun was a bit late, especially after the bombastic Future World! Ken : Yeah, but also it took us about a year to record the whole thing. That was a big mistake. MR : Spooked is for me your best record of the 90's ... Ken : Thank you MR : ...and the one that reminds me most Future World's spirit, with an excellent new sound. After Red, Hot & Heavy, Tommy Hansen produced also Spooked. Some bands will die to find this sound and you decide to change again your sound on Anything worst doing is worth overdoing? Why? Ken : Well that's a funny question. I think that Spooked is one of our best album, which contains on the best Pretty Maids songs ... but we didn't like the sound. MR : You are kidding, come on Ken : Yeah ... that's what we thought. That's why we changed the sound on Anything worst...Of course, I agree with you, the songs are excellent. But personally, if you listen carefully to some of the drum tracks, I don't think they sound so good. MR : You're right on that. Ken : That's is why we have changed the sound. We all like Tommy, we love to work with him, he's got always great ideas, but for some of the sound we thought: "let's see if we can do this better". MR : You have produced Anything worst doing is worth overdoing. Today do you still think it was the right choice ? Ken : Yes. Because looking back today, do you think we would have sold more albums with another producer. MR : No, I don't think so. Ken : I don't think so either. MR : Ok, but we were talking about the sound of the record. Spooked, except one or two small things, it has a wonderful sound... Ken : Yeah you're right. MR : ...and Anything worst doing is worth overdoing, is another direction in terms of sound. Ken : It is. But I mean sometimes you have to try different things. We are doing that since almost 20 years now. You have to try to do things better, even thought if at the end of the day you realize it didn't work, you can always go back to where you were. You just have to try to make things better sometimes MR : You have almost created a new heavy metal sound with Red, Hot & Heavy & Future World ? Those records are one of the best albums in the 80's... Ken : Thank you very much. MR : ...so why Pretty Maids still needs to experiment new sounds and don't keep its original sounds like Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Motörhead or Kiss ? Ken : Well as I said, we just want to change some things, not completely. We will always keep this Pretty Maids style. MR : No ok, but when I see Iron Maiden or AC/DC changing one or two buttons in their sound... Ken : That's true. MR : ...and when we compare their career, I was wondering why you don't keep your original sound, the one on Red, Hot and Heavy & Future World, which is for me the best one. Ken : But to go on you need to experiment. MR : That's an honest answer. So having created a new sound, you need to find another one? Ken : Yeah. Exactly. You need to make sure you are on top of things, that you have try different things, that you can progress and just go on. MR : Life is a Rodeo, just keep on believing and make it through. One of your best ever song. Don't you think that life on earth is today worth than a rodeo ? Ken : It's a lot worst. Of course, it depends on how you look at it. To some people it's a lot better. But if you look at it globally, it could be a lot better place. If we could only try to live together, it would be a little bit better. MR : Finally a typical fan question: Ken : I don't know (explosion of laughs). If we could do that, we would. I mean, what is Future World Part II? You know what I mean. MR : Of course, I know ... but I guess you also know what I mean ! Ken : Oh yeah I know! But I don't know what we should do to do it (MR: if this is not an honest answer, I am wondering what is one!). It is a matter of luck. Of course it is a matter of good songs, but the songs we wrote in the 80's ... are they good enough today? Probably not, because I think people are expecting something more or something different. MR : Of course, it is not so easy to do it Ken : But believe me, if we could, we would ... definitively. MR : So we should see you on tour around March ? Ken : Actually, between February and March 2001. MR : Will you pass by Switzerland ? Ken : I certainly hope so. Things are falling into piece right now. It is not completely settled yet, but we're working on it so I hope it is going to be like that. MR : You are going to be the headliner I guess ? Ken : I certainly hope so. MR : So see you on tour Ken and congratulation for your wonderful songs since now almost 20 years. All the best and say hello to Ron who is for us one of the best ever heavy metal singer. Bye. Ken : I will, bye !
After many, many plays of Carpe Diem, which is one of the best Pretty Maids since ages, I think personally that to obtain Future World part II, there is one thing missing: a second guitar. Of course, this is only my opinion. Carpe Diem my friends !!!
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