I saw this interview and thought it was good, even though it's a bit old...

translation by chupju of tokiohotelus.com

Tom Kaulitz

Self confident, brilliant guitarist, insatiable seducer, Tom play the image of the rock star in all his splendor. Through Tokio Hotel’s adventure, the young artist blossoms fully in his exciting life and realises his bigger dream.

What summer holidays make you think about ?
Tom : I think straight away about a distant island, sun, beautiful beach, turquoise water, long time naps….That is a pretty lovely programm.

A flirtless summer, is that possible ?
Tom : As far as I can think about, I can’t remember a summer without going out with one or several chicks ! [Smile] With Bill, we were used to spend our holidays in some giant touristic places, on the spanish coast for example. There are so much pretty young ladies in that kind of place that it wasn’t difficult to seduce some…[Wink]

Could a summer love last beyond holidays ?
Tom : To my point of view, summer is made for having fun and take everything with thoughtlessness, above all love ! In a hot atmosphere, far from home, we are relaxed, open to others, we feel free because we know that at the end of the holidays, each of us will get back home. So, I don’t believe a summer love could last. In any case, it has never happened for me.

Do you believe in girl-boy friendship ?
Tom : In theory, nothing prevent a girl and a boy to have only friend relations. But, I admit that those kind of relation can easily get broken….In general, on of the 2 friends falls in love with the other one and hope their friendship will move into a love story. That’s why girl-boy friendship is always ambiguous.

Have you ever comfort a good female friend in order to seduce her?
Tom ; No, Never ! In any case, not deliberatly.. I hate manipulating people, all the more if it is a friend in distress…

Could you forgive a betrayal ?
Tom : It depends on who did the betrayal… I think I would be able to forgive the 3 people I love the most : Bill, my brother, Simone, my mother, and Andreas my bestfriend. To other people, I would not have any compassion and would not give a second chance.

Are you resentful ?
Tom : Yes, clearly ! I always avenge when I think I have to…

Could you give an example ?
Tom : In junior High, I have more than once settle up with some guys. I was a very unruly student, always there for bad blows… Some scrapleless students didn’t mind to report me to the head teacher. I’ve got my revenge for that on them… I don’t like sneaks !

In what kind of bad blows have you been involved ?
Tom : Oh, nothing very mean.. I was just a unruly student, not a criminal. I did make some small stupidities to provoke my teachers, for example, pour out some ink on teacher’s chairs, put some glue on door’s handles, or draw some graffiti on tables…

What is to do to make you feel hurt ?
Tom : Usually, I accept critisism pretty well, except when it is told behing my back. I prefer to be said those critics in front of me. I don’t think I’m particularly touchy. I need a lot of critics to get hurt. But Bill is an expert for that. [Laughs] As he knows where my weakness is, he knows what to say to hurt me and get me out of my nerves…

Which situation makes you feel really cross ?
Tom : I don’t stand being interrupted during a discussion without expressing myself. When, for example, we’re talking about Tokio Hotel’s stuff, if one of us get ouf of the room before the end of our discussion, I often get mad and cross! [Laughs]

What character flaw don’t you bear in the band ?
Tom : The energieless of Georg is really driving me crazy ! And it’s a lazy guy talking ! [Laughs] It’s true that I like sometimes to wake up very late, and to drag myself around…But Georg, he is just like always hibernating ! Wherever we are, even if there are many stuff to do, and to discover, Georg prefer to sleep…

What is your best quality ?
Tom : My self confidence, I think. It let me make progress in my life without asking myself thousands questions. That is also reassuring for the others. Rub shoulders with a self confident guy is comfortable… That’s why, my family and friends don’t hesitate to ask me for their problems. I like to play that adviser role. [Smile]

Are you comfortable with success ?
Tom : As soon as the first hours a bit unnerving of public life past, I have quicly find my marks. Contact with crowd, close connection with fans, relation with journalists…just some exciting moments. I love excitement, stress and all the excess of a rock star’s life !

What other profession could you have choose ?
Tom : Music is my bigger passion, my big kid dream… Today, I have the chance to realise that dream in the best conditions. I’m waking up with music and going to sleep with music. I’m playing in front of a great audience everywhere in Europe. I just can’t imagine to do something else now…

Do you have star’s whims ?
Tom : No, that’s neither my style, nor the style of Bill, G & G. None of us have weird demands. Some sodas, crisps, pizzas on a table is enough to satisfy us. We let those eccentric whims and limo processions for american stars !

What is your relaxation fantasy ?
Tom : I like to imagine myself with my family and friends, lying on a lawn in a park of the city, drinking beer, looking at the sky…simply that. I don’t need a lot to feel happy : friends, a piece of nature, something to drink, and that’s it.

Quiz Express
Have you ever pretend to me sick in order to miss school ?

a. Never
b. Sometimes
c. Often [X]

What do you nibble with pleasure ?
Plums

Have you ever cheated to win a game ?
a. Yes, I hate losing [X]
b. No

Do you think you’re smarter than your mates ?
a. Yes [X]
b. No

Your sexual activity is :
a. Nothingness
b. Once a month
c. Once a week
d. Once a day
=> Once an hour !!!

Would you like to wear glasses to watch through clothes ?
a. Yes [X]
b. No

Do you sometimes envy that boy with the pretty chick ?
a. Sometimes
b. Never
=> No, it is always me who have the pretty chick with me !

Have you ever fighted with a stranger ?
a. Yes
b. No [X]

What kind of movie do you like ?
a. Action [X]
b. Horror
c. Love

To what sin would you be unable to say no ?
Luxury, laziness

What sin get on your nerves ?
Jealousy

Click thumbs to make them bigger

The German teen band Tokio Hotel supports in Leipzig a musical foundation for socially challenged children.
It was announced by the foundation in Leipzig, the band donates 20.000 euro. 8000 euro will go this and next year into the project "music makes you smart". From this money at least 20 children can learn to play an instrument for a whole year.
The other 12.000 euro will go into the account of the Leipziger foundation.

tokiohotelus.com

Tokio Hotel wants to conquer America

13th of May 2008 Frank Briegmann is used to experiencing the biggest music stars in the world. And yet, there still are very special performances for the German boss of the Universal Music Group. The Magdeburger teen band Tokio Hotel, the best horse in the stable of Universal Germany, has come to New York to introduce their first English language record. Briegmann doesn’t really see himself as the type of boss that interferes in every little thing of his artists. But for Tokio Hotel, he traveled with to New York. For he believes that Tokio Hotel has a real chance of commercial success in the world music market. And if it would come that way, then it would be a rare piece of art: "There are German athletes or models these days that are famous in America, but hardly any musicians. It would be something very special if Tokio Hotel it would make it."

In fact, America is a notoriously difficult market for foreigners. This does not apply only for Germans, but also for artists from English speaking countries. Even the British superstar Robbie Williams is almost completely ignored in America. The Australian Kylie Minogue didn’t even make it in the top 100 of the American Billboard charts with her latest album "X". Germans have it even harder: Only Nena landed a hit in the US in 1983 with her "99 Red balloons". Even today you can ask the Americans what German musicians they know, and the answer is almost always "Nena". After her, the Scorpions managed to land a top 10 hit with the song "Wind of Change", and the band Rammstein managed to get a decent result, but that’s where it ends with the German artists.

Top class TV appearances secured

Tokio Hotel are already an export hit, which is a bit puzzling. The band managed their breakthrough in Germany in 2005 with the song "Durch den Monsun" and has since become a teenage phenomenon to a hysterical fans base. Soon the band didn’t just have supporters in German speaking countries like Poland and France, even with the fact their music wasn’t even publicized yet. Briegmann was sharp-eared: He introduced the band to his Universal colleagues from other countries and brought them to arrange the first performances and to design the marketing machine. In France it went beat to beat: First a mini show in front of 600 fanatical fans, then the support from radio stations, chart success for the CD and a concert in front of 500.00 people in front of the Eifel tower with other stars.

Tokio Hotel made the first jump into America in February already with little concerts in small halls: The shows were sold out, and the concert in New York was printed in the "New York Times", a lavish illustrated story on the first page on their featured pages . Now Tokio Hotel are back in New York, because they want to get into the charts with their just recently released "Scream" album. Universal boss Briegmann looks satisfied at the first evidence on the hit list of the online Music company iTunes from Apple: "Yesterday the album was on place 13, today we are on 24." Even the business of the CDs in the stores went well. "After the first prognoses, we will be climbing in the Top 50 of Billboard charts." 15,000 to 20,000 sold CDs would probably be needed, estimates Briegmann . He hopes that it will once be a total of 500,000 exemplars.

Sales so far are between 30 million to 40 million Euros

There is no shortage of hysteria in New York. Tokio Hotel have secured themselves top class TV appearances. They were on the music channel MTV on Times Square and were welcomed by screeching girls. MTV covered its glass facade of an entire floor with Tokio Hotel posters. The day after they were on the TV station NBC on the Late Night show with Conan O’Brien

Tokio Hotel have sold 3 million albums and 2 1/2 million singles around the world till now. That would make a profit of 30 to 40 million Euros if you calculate it from the usual selling prices. Around a third of that value still comes from the selling of fan items as well. The band is for Universal a handsome economic factor, even though the figures are still modest compared to the total value of the company’s profit of 4.9 billion Euros.

On the way to a global brand

But when it comes to Briegmann, Tokio Hotel are only at the beginning of the road to become a global brand: This year, America and Europe are still in the foreground, and for the coming year Briegmann wants to take Asia and South America next. Briegmann sees Tokio Hotel as one of the few that has chances to base German artists internationally. Hard to export would be groups like Rosenstoltz that celebrate their success as the second most important German band after Tokio Hotel for Universal.

The guys of Tokio Hotel are used to the success and screaming girls, but the response in America was obviously something quite different: "To see this huge poster of us on Times Square was simply overwhelming", says front man Bill Kaulitz. And his twin brother Tom tells that after the article in the "New York Times", they bought all the newspapers from the whole airport back then.

Teen bands traditionally don’t last very long

For Briegmann, the success of Tokio Hotel is a ray of hope in a difficult market. The entire music industry has been in a crisis for the past couple of years: The business with the sale of CD’s is continuing to shrink, and growth rates for online platforms such as iTunes can’t even be nearly compared. Briegmann admits that the industry must change. The deal with physical records will continue to shrink, so the income has to come from other sources. Universal has become partners with internet sites like Myspace and Youtube and cooperates with the mobile phone producers Nokia in the sales of music on mobile phones. In addition, Briegmann will increase the "adjacent areas" next to the selling of music, such as merchandise or live concerts. Briegmann doesn’t want to be part of the end of the world mood in the industry: "I’m sure that you can still earn money with the music business even in ten years."

Whether Tokio Hotel still exists is an entirely different question. Teen bands traditionally don’t last very long. The four band members are now between 18 and 21 years old and are aimed at a very young fan base. Whether the popularity will still hold the more the boys grow seems questionable. Universal boss is Briegmann optimistic: "The boys can be just as successful if they are 30." Band member Gustav Schäfer is thinking over a longer period of time: "We’ll be doing this till we’re a hundred years old." Translated by Lenny

source: faz.net

Tokio Hotel conquer Los Angeles

First New York and now Los Angeles! Since Tokio Hotel started promoting their CD "Scream" (the English version of "Schrei") in the USA, their fans have been flipping out. Together they have gathered in front of the "Avalon Club" in Hollywood, where Tokio Hotel will give a concert.

Even to the sound-check the boys came totally styled. Bill in green leather jacket, skull t-shirt, hairs high. His brother Tom relaxing skater-look.

Very easy and relaxed the boys stepped out of there black limousine, strutting down the famous "walk of fame" with his stars.

Tonight on stage and after that: Total Party! The Kaulitz twins rocked the club. Their female fans just couldn’t scream anymore. After that: Giving autographs, giving autographs. And partying.

Even "Pussycat doll" Nicole Scherzinger came by. Wow!
Translated by beertje_86

Photos @ the source
source: bild.de

Tokio Hotel bigger than Rammstein

Just unbelievable, what kind of movement our hottest music export makes in America.

The success story if the Kaulitzers sound like the beginning of a book. Now they are playing small gigs in sold out clubs like the Fillmore in New York, where also Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Frank Zappa have performed. As can be seen in February, the New York Times showed painted faces on their front page of their issue.

Then they performed at US-music station MTV, where they promoted their English album Scream on 6 May. After that they had a great turn out of screaming fans at their CD signing in Times Square.

Followed by a performance on the great Late Night Show. That’s what the boys did last Saturday night at Conan O’Brien, which in America is the place to be for hilarious moments. They performed their success hit: Ready, Set, Go, and straightened the road to great success.

Only the language barrier has turned out as a little obstacle, while singer Bill hasn’t really got the natural talent for English.

“To really bear his English singing you really have to be carefree,” tells brother Tom, after the Rolling Stone’s gentle judgement, Bill’s extraordinary pronunciation only makes Tokio Hotel more charming. Now, with their TV performance they have a German premiere. The US market is really hard for foreign artists, even the English artist Robbie Williams was completely ignored in America, same goes for Australian Kylie Minogue, that didn’t even make it into the top 100 of the charts with her new album.

From Germany Nena had a hit with “99 luftballons”. The Scorpions had a top 10 hit with “wind of charge”, Rammstein had some little success.
But no German has ever made the big break.

Outside Tokio Hotel? Universal chief Briegmann tells to FAZ: “As it looks now we are gonna enter in the top 50 Billboard charts.” And once America is conquered it will go much further. Next year Briegmann wanna take over Asia and South America.
Translated by beertje_86

source: web.de

Thanks to tokiohotelamerica for finding this!!

Tom: “Bill needs me, to be honest.” *dies laughing*

Watch it here, it is really good.

Tom Kaulitz has THE best sense of humor.

For those who cannot watch it or those who want to translate it to another language.

Hey New York, we are Tokio Hotel. And you are watching Rolling Stone.com.

We’ve heard you have crazy fans

Bill: Tokio Hotel Fans, they live the whole Tokio Hotel life with us. We travel in so many countries and they come with us and they sleep in front of the venues, I think 3 months before we came in the venue, it’s just crazy.

Tom: They write kilometre long fan letters and we have redesigned cars, Tokio Hotel cars…

Bill: And there was one girl she ran away from home, I think for 6 months…

Tom: For half a year, yeah

Bill: And that was just crazy. And she really wanted to find us but, we met her at an afterparty…

Tom: Yeah, an afterparty…

Bill: … in the end, but just I think for 10 seconds or something.

Tom: Yeah *laughing*

Bill: There was one special present, I think it was a star…

Tom: Yeah, we got a star…

Bill: And then it’s somewhere out there

Tom: A star called Tokio Hotel, yeah.

(He talks over Bill and I cannot hear what Bill is saying)

Your style has gotten a lot of attention:

Bill: For me, the very first time I wore makeup was at a Halloween party. I went to this party like a vampire and I think I was 10 years old and after that I said “Okay, I like it” and I started to color my hair and wear makeup and stuff and also in school and every day. If you take a look at the old pictures, you can see that George (English pronounciation) was so ugly and he is ugly right now.

Tom: It’s a fresh look.

We hear you like Nena’s “99 Luftballoons”…

Bill: I really like Coldplay, and Green Day but also Keene and I’m a fan of Nena. That was really my first contact with music. I was 6 years old and I saw Nena on TV in Germany and yeah, so, I’m still a fan of Nena.

Tom: He forced me to hear Nena in my childhood, so that was terrible.

Bill: It’s important to hear Nena.

Tom: And I listen to German Hip Hop music, George is a big fan of David Hasselhoff…

Bill: Yes!

Tom: Gustav is a fan of “Need artist’s name”, you don’t know “need artist’s name” I think, but also a good artist.

Georg: Not nearly as good as David Hasselhoff but…

Tom: Not a good dancer.

Were you nervous coming to America?

Bill: It’s really the first trip that we speak English and also on TV shows and in front of a camera, because we just speak our school English…

Tom: Our school English, ja.

Bill: It’s just some words and it was also a challenge for me to do the English record because I always sang in German and it’s really the first record that I tried to sing in English. And I really wanted to sound… I’m a perfectionist and I really wanted to sound like a native speaker and as you can hear, I’m not. So, that was really a challenge to do. But it’s a 1:1 translation from the German songs and we had some help with that but, yeah, I hope the fans will like it.

What’s it like being brothers in a band?

Bill: I think it’s normal because we were always together

Tom: Yeah, always the same friends, the same interests and yeah.

Bill: And we started to make music with each other…

Tom: Yeah

Bill: And in the beginning I just had a keyboard because we had no bass player and no drummer and, I don’t play an instrument. I was always too lazy for that.

Tom: Bill needs me, to be honest.

Bill: And he needs me so…