Future Palace Discusses Berlin’s Music Scene and Deep Topics at Louder Than Life Festival

0:05 Hi, you're listening to Adventure on W4CY Radio. This is the Pipe Man here on the Adventure's Pipe Man W4CY Radio, and I'm here with. Future Palace from Berlin, Germany. Nice, here at Louder Than Life. I just came a couple months ago from your country, and now you're over here. I was doing coverage at Wacken. Excuse me, how's the jet lag? I was doing coverage at Wacken. Ah, Wacken. Yeah, we've been there. That was our album release day, so that was crazy. Yeah, that was a busy day. Wow.

0:47 I got to tell you, too, like, I've been to Berlin, but before I went to Berlin, I couldn't imagine to be the way it was. It was freaking amazing. And the underground music scene there is so cool. Like being over here, you know, we don't get a description of what it's like over there. We just think of the stupid propaganda bull crap. But I went there. I was like, it was one of my favorite cities in the whole world. It's so cool. And there's so much great music that comes out of there. It's true. It's a very creative place to be. We were all born there and raised there, which is rare in Berlin because we have so many different people.

1:29 It's a very international, extremely international city. And that's the fun of it, I think, because you don't get bored ever. You get so many different influences and you have so many opportunities also in Berlin. If you want to study something creative, there are so many universities and there are so many art galleries and. But sadly right now it's. Going a little bit away because of money and economy. They want to get rid of the Air Wegelände which is one of the most culturally important places in Berlin because all the clubs are there. So many bands played their first shows there. that our first show was in a club that actually shut down. And it was a rock club, Rocket Sage, we loved it there. It was such an important spot for finding yourself, especially in this metal rock scene. I went there every Thursday when I was in my early 20s. It's really important to keep these places alive because this is where young people connect and identify themselves. I would really hope that the rock scene in Berlin would also have a resurgence.

2:38 I couldn't agree more. And we're having some of that happen here in the States. Thank God for the Danny Wimmer festivals. As you can see, keeping this scene alive because there's a lot of iconic venues in the States that are shutting down that have been around forever. And we even are taking art out of the schools. Like, what the hell? Out of schools? Out of schools. That's so sad. Let's not have music class. Let's not have art class. That is what saved my life, basically. I reflect on this now because I'm an adult. I wasn't even aware when I was a teenager how extremely important.

3:19 My school, my high school time was. Because I had a teacher who did music classes that were not about music theory. It was just about getting to know an instrument and playing shows regularly. That's what we did. We did like Amy Winehouse, Linkin Park. And it was people who didn't know anything about music, but he gave us like the fun part of it. He's like, you want to learn it? Let's take the curiosity and make something out of it. And I look back on these lessons and I'm like, this actually shaped. My life more than anything else. Right. Because I did it like every week. We had all the shows. I discovered how to play like electric guitar and sing. And I'm like, this teacher really changed so many people's lives. And it's the opportunities that matter because like, Other people I know didn't have that in their schools.

4:03 If you're from a smaller place. And I'm still to this day so grateful I went to that school. Even though it wasn't a normal school. It was just luck that they had such a huge art part. And yeah, people need that. Children need that. Because how else will you find out? When will you get the chance? Exactly. And how do you express? How do you get things out in a healthy way? And the thing is, I think, I don't care if you're somebody that's really smart, that's just into math and science. I think everybody needs the arts to be a more well-rounded person. Yes. I think so, too. It doesn't matter who you are. Yeah, it's a balance. Exactly. Everything is balanced.

4:43 Exactly. And so it's a shame to hear what's happening over on your neck. Yeah. It's like the whole world is. Yeah. It's almost like if we take arts away, then nobody can argue, and all these idiots that try to run things will get us to do their bidding. Art is honest, and that's dangerous for some, you know? Exactly. But art is what we need. I think art is the definition of what a human being is to me, and that's why I hate AI so much. I love that. Yeah, because to me, that's what art is all about, a place where we can put our emotions and what identifies us, so... I think this should never be taken away from us. Well, and to your point with AI, that's the missing component of AI that makes it not so intelligent is no human critical thinking, no human emotion, none of that.

5:39 I even see it in some of the tools for editing shows and doing show notes. I read the stuff and I'm like, It sounds like a robot wrote it. That is what makes me aggressive. AI wasn't meant to replace the fun things humans do. It was meant to replace boring or database stuff. And now my eyes itch when I see AI flyers all over the place. When artworks are done with AI. Yesterday we watched TV and there were ads everywhere. Completely done with AI. We don't have that in Germany yet. We do, we do.

6:20 We don't watch TV in Germany, but yesterday at the hotel we watched TV. I was like, what the fuck? That is some form of art too. And they use AI to create it. And I talked to Manu about, I was listening to a podcast and there was an ad inside. And the speech was done by AI. And in the end it was like, the speech was done by AI. I was like, why the fuck didn't you spend 100 bucks to have a professional speaker speak this speech? 10 second ad. And you can always tell because it's so choppy it's like the difference but tenfold of digital music opposed to analog music analog has a wave with the mids digital is choppy there are no mids anymore you know and i think ai is a similar thing but worse you know and like I'm sorry, you shouldn't be able to create art with AI.

7:11 Yeah, I think so too. You should be able to create certain things like you said, databases. But art is expression. AI isn't trying to express anything. Yeah, I recently just said, if you do music with AI, you might as well just sell cars. Because what is your point of doing it? If you just want to make money, just go in a business that actually gives you money, right? Because I'm like, what is it for? Exactly. What is it for? To me, you're not an artist if you can push a button. And in the end it's stealing from other artists because all these models are trained by real artists and they don't have a saying in that. They already stole our stuff.

7:52 There's a website where you can check in and there's so many things already stolen from our music which is so annoying. But like a human can't steal from you or you'd get in trouble. So that's ridiculous. And then they want to talk about not even regulating it. Like in my country... The idiot doesn't even want to regulate AI. Like, we're talking about regulating... The entire world. And he's like, no. And I know, like, I dated for a while a woman that's from Lingan. And she lives there. She's from there. She's never lived in the United States. And she's even telling me how the whole political climate is changing in your country where it's almost... in some places getting back to the Third Reich, which is really sad, because you guys have become like, especially Berlin, one of the most liberal places on the planet.

8:47 Right now, today was election in Berlin. In two parts of Germany, and in Berlin, luckily, the leftists They did win. But in the part where my family came from, the white wing won by far. There's no neutral. There's no in the middle anymore. And I am more of a middle person. I hate the extremes. And like here in this country, I have a pretty good balance of right and left people I'm friends with or colleagues with. And I can't even stand any of them anymore because they all moved. Like They distance each other more and more and more.

9:28 And then they're doing the same thing. Like, I have my liberal friends. I'll say straight out to them. I'm like, you're acting just as bad as the people that you don't like. Ironically, there are many things that are very similar about both sides with the extremist mindset. I think so, too. I think. We really need to discuss again. We really need conversations again. And we need to be brave about talking about topics, both sides. I think it's a huge problem in the world right now. There's no, as I said, there's no real Like diplomatic middle. Exactly. And like, how are you going to learn things by only talking to people that agree with you? I think the way to learn is to talk to people that disagree with you.

10:09 Yes. And you can learn from each other and maybe there's some happy middle there. I always say it's two sides of the same coin because we're a two-sided country. And they're all on the same team and it ain't mine. You know? See, always trick in the book. Divide and conquer. Guys all piss at each other so they can get what they want done. But here we are at Louder Than Life. And this is where the example of the world is, right here. You know, where you can come here, nobody's an outsider, nobody's any label, we're just all here to enjoy music, and when I'm here at a festival, no matter where it is, even at Vakan, my feeling was, wow, none of this bullshit is going on that's really going on. Like, you don't feel like the weight of everything going on in the world because we're one big family and a community.

11:11 I think the whole world could learn from our family. Yeah. People need to try to understand each other again, maybe instead of judging right away. It's a, it's a thing because there is no alternative at this point because it's either that side or that side, but it's never really understanding. And, and empathize, you know, like, I have a brother that's like that. If somebody doesn't agree with them, he says they're uneducated and uninformed. And I say to them, or they got brought up someplace different than you. Or they have a different job than you. Or a different education than you. Or 15 million other ors. Because we're all different with all different influences. That's what makes humans great.

11:56 We're unique. If we become the way we're going right now, we're no better than the AI. Yeah. That's my opinion. Yeah. I think so, too. I think we do have our values that we speak out for because many people don't get these stages. Yes. And I think you should never underestimate the power you have, no matter. Who you are. I think one thing is we have so much more power than we are aware of. Every single person. And we should really use it and talk. Talk. about each other. And that's what I do. I inform people about my problems, for example. If I go into a little less big bubble, like for me it's mental health a lot of times. Because I still feel like it's a topic that's not talked about a lot. True. And I see it as my own mission to spread awareness about this topic in the world. Because there's still so many people who have never experienced it.

12:42 Because it's invisible, you know? Yes. And it's something that I used to stage for, we used to stage for. And also other topics that are very important to us. Because I feel like it's very sad sometimes how little the artists use the power they have because they talk to so many people at one show. It's crazy. I love that you're saying that and I applaud you for it. And that's an unpopular opinion nowadays because there's so many even artists saying it. Like Gene Simmons came out and said, entertainers, musicians, they should just entertain and not... No. First of all... What has all music always been based on? The whole basis of punk rock was based on speaking up and speaking out against all these things. And, you know, basically...

13:35 I mean, it's ridiculous to say that artists shouldn't have a voice. First of all, they're human beings that have their experiences too. Second of all, if you do have that platform, why shouldn't you have a voice? The best songs in history were always written from that voice. And music is the best therapy there is. For you, the artist, meet a listener. So if you can no longer express now in your music, where's the therapy? Yeah, I think so too. That's what I do it for at least. I know there are different types of people. And we even wrote a song about it called Nixie because I criticize a lot of the industry. Because I know there are many people who love to present themselves in a narcissistic.

14:19 Kind of behavior. And you get very far in life when you're narcissistic. Very far. I would say most people on top are like that. And you get very far when you're an asshole as well. It's the easy way, you know. And I think it's very sad, especially in the metalcore scene. Why do we allow assholes? This is supposed to be an open space, a supportive space for people. And I'm just very sick of a lot of people that... are so ignorant and only want to represent themselves on stage because there's so much, this goes deep, but like our ego doesn't matter with so many important topics that exist, you know. And I really try to. Put my ego away almost every time. Of course it's fun, it's also entertaining. We also do things just out of fun.

15:06 Sure. I will not even put it that way. You have to do fun in music. I mean, come on. But we are at least a band that have many values. But there are also party bands, and it's also important. It's important to laugh. It's important to cry. It's important to be angry. I think everything has a reason to exist, but I don't think assholes have a reason to exist. I agree. You know, it's funny. I go on tour and I do these festivals all the time. And it saves my life because, like, even my youngest daughter, she'll be like, she'll come to a festival with me first day, halfway through. She's like, Dad, I don't know how you do this every weekend. I'm done already. And me, it's my escape, okay, from the assholes. Literally. Like, I get home and I'm like, I seclude to stay away from the assholes until I have to go to the next festival. Yeah.

15:54 Because I never, no matter where I am in the world, I never find the assholes at the festivals. You know? That's nice. Go to Wacken, the biggest metal festival in the world. I met all the nicest people there. And from everywhere. Like, from Russia, from... I'm American. We're not supposed to like Russians. But stop not liking people. Dislike governments. Yeah, the individuals are individuals. Yeah, they're not the government. They're not making rules. They're probably dealing with the same crap you are. If we all bound together. I do have a solution to the world's problems. Do you want to hear what it is?

16:36 You have a solution? To the world's problems. You? I have a solution. Okay. We have one big metal festival. That the whole world is required to attend. Okay? Except the political leaders. They are banned. You know, security's given very specific instructions to kick them out. But everybody in a mosh pit will all work it out and hug at the end of the song. And then we can get rid of the bullshit. Yeah. Because when we're in there, there are no differences. Yeah. That's how it's been forever, right? It was never about the individuals, really, I think. But maybe he can say because he has a PhD in history.

17:18 Let's go. We haven't heard from you yet. Let's hear what you have to say. I'm listening and I'm thinking. So keep going. I think there's no easy solution. I salute you for that proposition. It's obviously not something you could facilitate for sure. Exactly. But it's the concept, you know? It's like Humans need to start just banding together and stop picking a side. It's us against them, not us against us. I think one thing that will unite humanity is climate, actually.

18:00 When we all have one big enemy, it's nature. In the end, it will... Like, turn against us and then we will have to unite. You know what? You are so spot on. I wish we could teach some of the idiots about that because after all the festivals I've done this summer, if you can argue climate change, you're an idiot because... I keep saying I can't wait to get home to Florida so I can cool off. And nobody says that. Because Florida is like hot as can be. Vakan was, oh my God, unbearable. Italy, I was in, unbearable. Bloodstock in the UK, unbearable. Rock, Oklahoma, unbearable. Ohio, incarceration, unbearable.

18:46 And here, unbearable. Listen, I've done Loud in Life every year. Usually I have to pack a heavy hoodie because it gets freezing at night for this festival. Now, how do you argue climate change? I stay in the Netherlands a lot. I love the Netherlands, so I'll stay there months at a time. I was there like a couple summers ago. I was like, oh my God, it's so hot. I was talking to an Airbnb host. She's like, yeah, I've lived here my whole life. It's never been this hot. It's crazy. I mean, we started playing festivals right after the pandemic because we formed, like, just before the pandemic and so it's our fourth or fifth year of playing festivals and even we noticed that the june festivals in europe right it's insane it's insane in five years you notice i mean we are not that old but we notice the climate change yeah and.

19:35 Even download i was at which normally has the bipolar weather It was hot as hell too. We had way more, way too hot festivals this year than we had like normal. Do we have like one normal weather festival? I don't think so. No, exactly. And then you have the winters. My winter in Florida was probably the worst I've ever experienced. Not that it was bad, but it was abnormal. Usually we'll have like two weeks where it's in the 50s and maybe in the 40s for a couple days. We had, like, months that were in the 40s, and you never have that in Florida. Mm-hmm. Same one. As in politics, the extremes are getting stronger and stronger.

20:17 Oh, no doubt. It's gone. Actually, thinking about what you said, I think people connect most in crisis because there is no alternative. You have to collaborate. And actually, that's a good point, I think. That's something I also recognized over the world. We all have one big same problem. And the thing is, nature is... Nature can't lie to you. It's a real thing that you experience. I hope it won't get that far, but we already have to unite with that and fight against it. That's why we're vegan, for example, and all that stuff. We're already trying the little we can, but yeah, we should all. But we all have to do it. Just like the pandemic when there were different rules everywhere. You're not going to solve it if everybody's not on the same page.

21:02 Where I lived, the next county 10 minutes away had no restrictions. We had a lot of restrictions. So you just drove 10 minutes. Yeah. And you did not. How are you going to solve the problem? And they're like, it doesn't work. It didn't work. Well, yeah, it doesn't work if everybody doesn't get on board. Yeah. Yeah. You know, so thank God we have people like you that do have a platform that can give the help and the message out there. So I applaud you for being musicians that use that platform because I do not agree at all that musicians should keep their mouth shut and just play. Same. So thank you for that. Yeah.

21:44 One last thing, is there anything, because we've spent all this, is there anything you want to tell the listeners about your band that's coming up or anything they should look out for? I mean, we talk about quite deep topics, so that already fits our music because. We always talk about deep topics. We talk about climate change. We talk about also society and mental health mostly. So if you are interested in these topics, go check out actually all our albums because we have all of that covered. They're all real things that we think about. And we just released our new album, Resurgence, on July 31st. So yeah, check that one out. And also, I really hope we can come back here to tour in the US. So check out our socials to see when we will tour here. Get your tickets, because that's what matters. Support us. We support you. Let's connect at shows in real life, because numbers and digital stuff.

22:37 It's not real life. Exactly. And I hope you do come here more. And I'm definitely going to make it a point to maybe come see you in Berlin. Yes, that's cool. Because that will be fun. Yes, it is very fun. Our German shows, yeah. I'm excited you're here at Lighter Than Life. And thanks for being on the Adventures of Pipe Man. Thank you for having us. It was really cool. Thank you very much. Thank you for listening to the Adventures of Pipe Man. On W4CY Radio.