04122023 TTTO GUEST ÅGE STEN NILSON-VOCALIST OF WIG WAM

On this episode of THIS THAT AND THE OTHER with TROY PATRICK FARRELL, vocalist of WIG WAM, Åge Sten Nilson joins me to discuss Wig Wam's longevity, thoughts on our hero bands fighting and what they should do to resolve their differences and thoughts on bands like KISS and Motley Crue among others and the use of Tracks during Live Performances.

www.WigWamOfficial.com #OutOfTheDark US Tour April/May 2023

Transcript and Time Stamps:

THIS THAT AND THE OTHER RADIO SHOW W/ TROY PATRICK FARRELL
www.DirtyRadio.FM – Channel 2 #DirtyRadioClassics
LIVE Weds 2-5pm PDT (Saturday Replays 5pm PDT)
www.Drummertroy.com (Show Page)
www.tinyurl.com/DirtyRadioClassics (Direct Player Page)

Show Date: 04-12-2023
Guest: Åge Sten Nilsen Vocalist of Wig Wam (Norway)

00:50 SHOW START-GUEST INFO
02:45 WEBSITE AND TOUR INFO
04:00 FOREIGN VISA TAX THOUGHTS
06:40 INTERVIEW INTRODUCTION
08:00 ÅGE STEN NILSEN ANSWERS FROM OSLO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT
08:30 DISCUSSING THOUGHTS ON COMING TO THE USA “WE’RE EXCITED, WE’VE NEVER PLAYED IN THE US BEFORE-THIS IS (OUR) FIRST TIME, WE’RE READY FOR A KILLER SHOW”!

09:20 WE DISCUSS WIG WAM’S LONGEVITY OF THE SAME MEMBERS FOR OVER 20 YEARS (MINUS A 5 YEAR HIATUS), WHILE OUR HERO BANDS ARE FIGHTING (MOTLEY CRUE, KISS AND ACE FREHLEY, JOURNEY) WE DISCUSS THEORIES ON WHY BANDS SPLIT (EGO ETC) & HOW WIG WAM HAVE MANAGED TO GET BEYOND THEIR ISSUES. “WE BURIED OUR HATCHETS AND CAME TO OUR SENSES-IT’S ALL ABOUT GROWING UP”

10:30 STATES DURING THEIR SPLIT OF 5 YEARS, THEY WERE TRAPPED INSIDE “OUR CHARACTERS” (*WIG WAM HAS TAKEN ON A SUPER HERO PERSONA WITH EACH GUY HAVING A NICKNAME)

11:00 TALKS ROOTS OF “WIG WAM” - “WE STARTED OFF LIKE STEEL PANTHER”

11:30 THOUGHTS ON MOTLEY CRUE/PAUL STANLEY VS ACE FREHLEY FIGHTING:
“DIRTY LAUNDRY IN PUBLIC, NOT TOO KEEN ON THAT, CAN’T THEY JUST GET TOGETHER AND HAVE A FIGHT BETWEEN THEMSELVES”?

12:00 DISCUSSING SPARKS IN THE WIG WAM CAREER- WITH COME-BACKS
Eurovision Song Contest (2005), COME BACK ALBUM AFTER REFORMING IN 2020 BUT
HAMPERED DUE TO CORONAVIRUS, JAN 2022- “DO YOU WANNA TASTE IT” ADDED AS OPENING THEME TO HBOMAX’S “PEACEMAKER”

13:30 HOW WIG WAM GOT A SONG ON THE HBO MAX SHOW “PEACEMAKER”
(CREATOR) “JAMES GUNN HAD US ON HIS RADAR AND WAS A FAN OF THE BAND”. “HE FOUND IT TO BE THE PERFECT SONG OF THE DANCE ROUTINE.” “WE THOUGHT IT WAS A REQUEST FOR A COMMERCIAL OR SOMETHING”
15:40 DISCUSSING THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE FIRST TOUR IN 2022 (COVID/VISA DELAYS)

16:10 ON TOURING IN THE USA: “WE DON’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT, WE HOPE THERE ARE PLENTY OF ROCK N ROLL FANS THAT WANT TO CHECK OUT THIS KIND OF NEW BAND FROM NORWAY, THAT ARE KINDA CRAZY ON STAGE”, “WE PROMISE WE GONNA PUT ON ONE HELL OF A SHOW”, “WE’RE IN OUR PRIME, WE’VE NEVER SOUNDED BETTER, WE ARE DRUG FREE, SAFE AND SOUND AND WE’RE GOOD TO GO, AND WE REALLY LOVE PLAYING”

WE’RE HAPPY TO COME DOWN AND PLAY AND I THINK THAT’S GONNA SHOW

18:30 VISA DISCUSSIONS AND HOW EUROPE MAY ANSWER BACK WITH TAXING AMERICAN BAND WHO GO OVERSEAS: “THE EXPENSES FOR US TO COME OVER AND PLAY THESE GIGS, IT’S CRAZY MAN”

“YOU’LL SEE A CHANGE IN THE COMING YEARS” (WHEN IT COMES TO AMERICAN BANDS GOING ABROAD AND TAXES)
“WE’RE NOT COMING OVER TO THE US TO STEAL AMERICAN MUSICIAN’S JOBS, WE’RE COMING TO CREATE JOBS”, “WE’RE COMING TO GIVE PEOPLE SOMETHING NEW”

“AMERICAN BANDS HAVE COME TO EUROPE AND TAKE THAT FOR GRANTED, IT’S TIME FOR AMERICA TO BE EASIER ON LETTING EUROPEAN ACTS COME TO (USA), IT’S CULTURE MAN, WE NEED TO GROW TOGETHER, WE MIGHT SEE THINGS WITH DIFFERENT GLASSES THAN THE AMERICANS, WE CAN LEARN FROM EACH OTHER, EVEN BY MUSIC”.

21:30 THOUGHTS ON BAND’S USING TRACKS: “I THINK THE ROCK N ROLL SHOWS PRODUCTION HAS BECOME SO BIG (SYNCING PYRO LIGHTS ETC WITH THE MUSIC) “WHEN YOU HAVE EVERYTHING ON TRACK AND IN SYNC, SHOULD WE (JUST) ADD SOME BACKGROUND CHOIRS, EXTRA GUITARS AND VOCALS?” IT’S ALL IN THE NAME OF THE BIG PRODUCTION”

“WE TRIED IT BEFORE IN 2003, WE HAD SOME SONGS WITH SOMETHING ON TRACK”, IT DIDN’T FEEL,…WE LOST OUR SOULS. IN THE MIDDLE OF A SONG THESE DAYS, WE CAN DO SPECIAL THINGS, THE MAGIC OF THE MOMENT”

(HE GOES ON TO SPEAK ABOUT SINGING FOR TONEY CAREY (RAINBOW-KEYBOARDS))
“I WAS HIS SINGER FOR MANY YEARS, THE RAINBOW-DIO ERA; “WE NEVER BROUGHT A SETLIST” ,“WE KNEW WHAT SONG TO START WITH AND WHAT SONG TO END THE SHOW WITH.”

“THAT MEANT SOMETIMES WE WOULD IMPROVISE AND MAKE NEW TUNES, NEW MELODIES AND JAM”, “ONE NIGHT WAS NEVER THE SAME AS THE NEXT NIGHT”

WE ALWAYS TRIED TO FIND SOMETHING NEW (A NEW MAGIC EACH NIGHT).

“ROCK N ROLL NEEDS TO LEARN SOMETHING FROM JAZZ, WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME TO A SHOW AND THE NEXT DAY, THE SHOW WILL BE TOTALLY DIFFERENT,
“IT’S THE MAGIC OF THE MOMENT, I THINK ROCK N ROLL IS SUPPOSED TO BE THAT WAY”

24:30 REGARDING KISS (END OF THE ROAD TOUR): “I’M A HUGE KISS FAN, I’VE BEEN TO LIKE 5 OR 6 OF THOSE SHOWS, (END OF THE ROAD TOUR) AND IT’S EXACTLY THE SAME, YOU KNOW WHAT HE’S GONNA SAY BETWEEN THE SONGS, EVERYTHING IS THE SAME, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL JUST PUT ON A DVD OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT.

“WE’RE TRYING TO MAKE THAT NIGHT COUNT AND THE NEXT DAY IT WILL BE SOMETHING DIFFERENT. YOU’RE MAKING IT AS IT GO, AND THAT’S THE COOL THING ABOUT NOT USING TRACKS.

“YOU HAVE TO TAKE CHANCES SOMETIMES”

26:00 “IF I HAVE A BAD DAY AT WORK, IM A HUMAN BEING, IF MY VOICE IS TIRED FROM 4 DAYS IN A ROW, OK, THAT’S THE SOUND OF MY VOICE THAT DAY, AND THAT’S THE BEAUTY OF BEING A HUMAN BEING. THE THING IS, THESE DAYS, THERE’S SO MUCH MONEY BUILT INTO THESE PRODUCTIONS, THEY CAN’T RISK THE SINGER TO HAVE A BAD DAY BECAUSE THEY HAVE YOU TUBE AND ALL THAT SHIT”.

“LIKE I SAW IAN GILLIAN, GREAT SINGER; A CONCERT SHOWN FROM PARIS, HE HAD A REALLY BAD DAY, HE TO CATCH THE FLU, THAT WAS THE BEAUTY OF THAT CONCERT, HE HAD TO COME UP WITH NEW MELODIES, HE HAD TO WORK AROUND THE MELODIES, HE WAS STRUGGLING, BUT HE WAS HUMAN.

WHEN I SEE SOMETHING MODERN WITH AUTOTUNE AND ALL THAT SHIT, IT’S “AH”.

“EVERYBODY CAN MAKE A MISTAKE, IT’S BETTER TO SHOW PEOPLE THAT WE ARE HUMAN BEINGS AND WE CAN MAKE MISTAKES AND THERE’S NOTHING ABOUT IT”.

29:15 ABOUT THE BAND NAME “WIG WAM” AND THE HISTORY OF THE BAND. ORIGINALLY CALLED THE “ABSOLUTE FRIDAY BAND”, A JAM BAND, WEEKLY JAM SESSIONS ON FRIDAY NIGHTS.

THEY GOT BOOKED FOR AN 80’S THEMED PRIVATE PARTY SHOULDN’T BE CALLED THE “ABSOLUTE FRIDAY BAND”.
THEY ALL APPRECIATE (THE BAND) “THE SWEET” WHO HAS A SONG CALLED “WIGWAM BAM” AND THE DRUMMER “SPORTY” HAD PLAYED DRUMS IN SWEET WHICH ULTIMATELY INSPIRED THE BAND NAME.

31:20 ABOUT THE STAGE NAMES: (TEENY, SPORTY, GLAM, FLASH) WE WANTED TO CREATE CHARACTERS, MAKING A STORY ABOUT THE BAND FROM THE BRONX AND IMMIGRATED TO NORWAY.

THEY STARTED TO ADD IN ORIGINALS IN THE COVER BAND BUT PRETENDED THEY WERE KISS AND BON JOVI COVERS AND PEOPLE REALLY LOVED THEM, MAYBE WE SHOULD MAKE AN ALBUM, AND SO WE DID.

32:30 ABOUT THE DISCOGRAPHY OF THE EARLY ALBUMS AND
“667, THE NEIGHBOR OF THE BEAST”

33:30 ABOUT THE BAND SLOGAN "Rock is the new schläger".
WHICH SIMPLY MEANS “ROCK IS THE NEW “HIT” (SONG)

35:30 FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT THE TOUR, BAND MEET AND GREETS ETC
“WE ARE EAGER TO PUT ON A GREAT SHOW, AND KICK SOME ASS, EVERY NIGHT”
“AFTER EVERY SHOW, WE WILL SIGN AND TAKE PHOTOS” (AT THE MERCH BOOTH FREE OF CHARGE)
“WE’RE COMING OVER TO MAKE NEW FRIENDS”

37:00 FINAL TOUR DETAILS AND INTERVIEW WRAP UP

WIG WAM “Out of the Dark” USA Tour Spring 2023
www.WigWamOfficial.com
Apr 15 Fresno, CA, US Tower Theatre

Apr 16 Roseville, CA, US Goldfield Trading Post Roseville

Apr 17 West Hollywood, CA, US Whisky a Go Go

Apr 22 St Charles, IL, US Arcada Theatre *with WINGER

Apr 24 Warrendale, PA, US Jergels

Apr 27 Leesburg, VA, US Tally Ho Theater

Apr 29-May 4 Cape Canaveral, FL, US Monsters of Rock Cruise