Goth for Earth Interview with the Dutch formation RADIANT TEDDY.

Published: 09-11-2009 on www.goth-for-earth.com

 

Goth for Earth: The black scene isn't necessarily known for its environmental dedication. Are you in favour of giving more attention to this issue in the scene (i.e. in magazines)?
Herr Black Lagoon: I’m more into the Steam punk scene where everything is about recycling. First I was in the cyber scene where they make clothes out of old plastic. When I found out that the cyber scene was less aware of recycling as I thought I decided to focus on the Steam punk.
Madam Alskaer: In the Netherlands we aren’t very aware of the environment. The government is trying to do more. Like we won several times the eco challenge or the supermarkets have more and more green products. But the underground scene has two sides one side is aware and the other don’t give a thing about it. In the fantasy and mediaeval scene is eco a hot topic. Here in the house I have people who take care of recycling. With my online magazine Noize Magazine do we love to give room for this kind of topics. Like we give Goth for Earth room for an article every edition of that Holland will be more aware op this topic.

G4E: At this years’ Wave Gotik Treffen in Leipzig we started our campaign "Goth for Earth". Did you hear about our Walking Act with the band GriffonVox and the poll amongst the visitors? Where do you see possibilities for you as an artist/active member of the scene to make this issue better known?
HBL: Help me, this is to visual. Let Alskaer solve this one.
MA: My reporters most have been a sleep that day. I found it out by MySpace when GriffonVox add me on MySpace. Or else I would find it in the report for Noize Magazine about WGT. Herr Black Lagoon and I were working in the studio during WGT with our first Radiant Teddy recordings. Personally I always like this type of promotion. Maybe will do an act by ourselves with Goth for Earth if we find a good moment and show for it.

G4E: Today there are a lot of possibilities for producing eco friendly CD's and merchandise. Did you make any personal experiences here?
HBL: Not yet but we are working on to find it out.
MB: I know that there are a lot of possibilities, also for my work as a photographer. I took a look for Noize Magazine to print eco. But because we have a really small budget Sister and I decided that I wasn’t an option to print eco for 2010. But we decided to print three different flyers so that people can collect them. So they won’t be thrown away. For Radiant Teddy are we going to look in the further to see if it’s possible to print eco.

G4E: Do you see the possibility to exert influence on an eco friendly CD production?
MA: Financial stuff is scary. I only spend money. Ask Black Lagoon.
HBL: If there are enough possibilities to print on a cheap a decent qualities. Then we would love to print. But here in Holland it is hard to get and very expensive. That’s why it’s almost impossible for a Dutch underground band to work eco.

G4E: How about the "private" artist, are you also "green-aware" at home? Have you already changed anything in your personal behaviour? Any plans for the future?
HBL: More green as people think.
MA: My wardrobe is black.
HBL: I was talking about separating garbage and eat eco food. And eat all you stuff and don’t just throw it away.
MA: That why we eat that crap for days.
HBL: Sorry can we skip this question?
MA: All right, we try to be a green as we can but my wardrobe stays black. Except the eco towels.

G4E: The music business as a whole is not really eco-minded yet (i.e. tours, gigs in clubs or at festivals). Do you believe that the organizers have to rethink too (i.e. using eco-power or offering organic food at festivals)? To what length the influence of the artist goes here?
HBL: Lots of festivals know this problem. However the big festivals try to get more eco. Alskaer can tell you more about it. But there is a lot to do to get more green energy, like using wind and sun energy. Our studio and office work on green energy. And our website works on a green server.
MA: On the underground events you see more and more eco food. At the events Castlefest, Keltfest and Folkwoods all the food is eco. You pay a little bit more than normal but it’s great food. You also see more and more the deposit system on cups. This is a concept the Dutch learned from the German. It’s also for bands very cheap to run your website on an eco server. It’s not much but it’s a start. Our own websites are almost all on eco servers: www.radiantteddy.com , www.primulapromotion.com , www.alskaer.nl ,www.steam-punk.nl. Only the Noize Magazine do we have to check out if it’s a green server. We don’t know it for sure.

G4E: What's the most urgent need for action in your opinion?
HBL: Green energy is easy to get.
MA: Less CO2 emissions so that the earth doesn’t warm up too much or Holland be under water. Well on the other side that would be a reason to go to Germany (just kidding). But less CO2, green energy and recycle.