Interview with Dero Goi

«I'm not afraid to be unsuccessful»

German musician Dero Goi just recently presented his new album, “1984.” Some critics and the public have already called the album controversial but filled with fresh solutions. The predominantly ironic lyrics of the songs deal with the topical issues of pandemics, vaccination, social controversies, and the musician's personal views. Fortunately, Dero was able to find time in his work schedule to talk about the new record, abusive relationships, and the perils of the music business

We did an interview with you, I think, about a year ago. What has changed for you in that time? Maybe your approach to creativity has changed? Or have some new plans emerged?

Luckily, as a musician, I have a lot of influence from the world. The world is changing so drastically, and so I have so much different material that I can't complain about a lack of inspiration or ideas. I think I've already gathered ideas for 2 or 3 new albums. That's a good thing, of course! But also a lot of things are not very comforting. But still the world is changing; we are living in very interesting times. In my humble opinion, it's Biblical times. So let's see how quickly they come. In my humble opinion, everything that is happening in the world right now, and especially in the Western world, is in a state of decadence. I mean, every culture, like Babylon, or the Egyptian civilization, or ancient Rome, or ancient Greece, or the Inca Empire, or the Aztecs, they all had three stages of development—rise, blossom, and then decline. And I think right now the Western world is in a state of decline. All this madness is erupting so adamantly here and there. We're living in unstable times, and we'll see where it goes. But as an artist I am, let's just say, full of new impressions and new experiences every day.

I listened to your new album, and I can say that all your songs on it are different in sound and style from each other. Was it difficult to combine such different tracks on one album? And did you have to say no to any ideas?

Of course, I did a lot of sketches and songs both during Covid and Lockdown and afterwards. I put together somewhere around 15 or 16 ideas over the course of the year. And, of course, I tried to pick ones that were as different as possible. So I had enough songs to create a double album. The limited edition version of the record contains 23 tracks, and I've even released some B-sides of songs already. Yes, it's a lot of material, but it always felt very natural. I've also changed my style, because I've changed a lot of things myself, and I wouldn't want to lie to my audience by just self-repeating or copying what I did with Oomph! I don't feel the way I used to feel anymore, so why would I lie? You can just do it the way you feel. So it felt natural to make new music in English, and it also feels totally normal to make this journey back in time to when I started my relationship with music and was a teenager in the 80s.

So I started my creativity with all these keyboards and synthesizers. Also because of the lockdown and the social distance and all that stuff, I was forced to move alone. So I made a decision and just my workstation, my computer, and started working. I found the first ideas very easily and quickly and started combining them with lyrics in English. I think my choice was also in English, because most of the time I watch international shows and podcasts and listen to music from all over the world. So I can say that I was even influenced by some headlines in English, and I just created songs from all of that.

How long did it take you to gather and prepare all this material for the new album?

I can say that it took me about six months to put together the demo version of the album. And it took another year or so to work on the sound and prepare the album itself. So in about a year and a half, I managed to create this record.

Judging by the title, are you a fan of George Orwell? What other books do you like to read in your free time, and what books can you call important for you?

Well, I can say that I'm interested in many books, such as the short stories of “Wonderful New World” and other “1984” books by Aldous Huxley. These utopian short stories are very similar to what is happening in the world right now, in my opinion. In the real world, we have the same problems with mass control and brainwashing. And for the most part, we are completely free to go along with it all because we use our devices every day, and they have a lot of influence over us.

Also, “1984” is part of the interest history of the time when I was a teenager. And with that comes the music of Depeche Mode, The Sisters of Mercy, Visage, Kraftwerk, Camouflage. And I wanted to combine my musical interests of that time with the ideas of utopian novels and what's happening in the world now. So the title “1984” was an obvious title for me.

At first glance, I thought your new album was a bit gloomy. You don't believe in a bright future for people at all?

Well, it seems to me that if you go through life with your eyes open, you can definitely see all this utopian tyranny. But just like someone who believes in Jesus Christ, I also believe that there is a bright future for people. I'm not talking specifically about religion or the church as an institution. In my paradigm of the world, Jesus gave people free will in all areas. And likewise, people have free will in the matter of believing in God or not. So I believe that some people, by their free will and by their good deeds, can wait for a happy ending. And by our free will we find ourselves in this imperfect world where evil, tyranny, control, manipulators and abusers, abusers and child trafficking, wars, and exploitation rule—it all happens because we humans are not perfect and, in a way, fallen. But we all have a sense of the beautiful and the ideal; we all want to achieve the ideal in our lives, in our work, and in visual beauty. All people want to reach the ideal, although they know that it is impossible. But we all realize that perfection exists not only in the laws of nature, such as gravity or the laws of biology, but in the whole nature of the universe. And we want to strive for perfection and to be gods to ourselves, to be Messiahs to ourselves. I also believe in the Devil, although I don't serve him, as some people say. I absolutely and completely believe that good always triumphs over evil and that truth always triumphs over lies. And I believe that light will also defeat darkness, sooner or later. But I don't believe that institutions of religion or churches, for the most part, can whitewash evil. If you look at the sermons they give people, for the most part, it's not even written in the Bible. My new views and my faith have also helped me get out of my depression and my dark suicidal thoughts. Of course, everything that happens in the world also affects me that way. I see so much chaos and destruction in the world, but I believe that in the end, there will be a happy ending for the world. So there is definitely a light at the end of the tunnel. And if you take another look at my music and my lyrics, you'll see that there are a lot more positive ideas in there than it seems at first.

As someone who grew up in a very strict Catholic family, I can say that I have often faced restrictions and prohibitions in my life. Do your views on life somehow limit you in your creativity?

I can say that it doesn't. My views on life go hand in hand with my creativity. I can also say that God created creativity and gave us the ability to create. Creating something is a pact between intelligence and information. I like the example that our DNA is the program of life, and it couldn't create itself or come out of nowhere. So I think there must be a higher intelligence here that was able to create such a beautiful thing. The question is, who could it be? I can't imagine that nothing created everything from nothing. In my mind, only life can create life. And we see life throughout the universe, so there must be someone or something that created all this life. We also see information everywhere, so there must be a consciousness that created that information. I was curious and studied a little bit about the Quran and the Buddhist scriptures and the Vedas, and I saw similar stories everywhere. I was interested in all these stories about fallen angels. I was interested in finding information about the real God.

For example, Buddha never declared himself to be God or truth. He only said that life is suffering. And in a way that is true, because we live in an imperfect world. And I always had a question: Why is the world full of pain? But I was able to find some answers in the Bible. And I'm no longer afraid to die; I no longer have thoughts of depression and suicide. I also don't need all those rituals, traditions, or ceremonies anymore. Fun fact: Jesus criticized very religious people the most. So my views are not about being religious. I myself was raised and grew up as a Catholic, but I'm not religious. I don't think that's the key. I can just as well pray for those who antagonize me or who don't like me, for them to similarly find peace and truth in their hearts. I don't care if there are people who don't like me. I also have a pretty inquisitive mind, and I've always loved finding real answers to all questions. When we work at a computer, we realize that it is a complex machine created with a technical approach and creativity. And also we realize that we can Google and find the answer to who created this machine with many functions. Such a thing did not create itself. But people rarely ask such questions regarding the structure of life and where everything came from, which sometimes seems absurd to me.

What ways of promoting your art do you find more successful? And does all that interaction with social media, YouTube, and comments take a lot of energy?

Absolutely, it takes a lot of energy. When you're a musician, you're kind of spinning around in your universe and around yourself, and that doesn't seem very healthy to me. It's often about ego and self-service and excessive self-love. And that often only leads to more emptiness. Of course, I still love being an artist, and I love reflecting the world in my art. But it takes a lot of positive energy. It's a negative part of being a musician. But it's part of the job. So it's good to talk about your music or your views or your faith, and it's just as fun. But some other things...like when you make a music video—you have to present yourself as an artist, and it's often your ego's position. So I try to create topics that people can discuss or ask themselves some questions instead of worshiping me. Because it's a strange thing in this world—a lot of people reject the idea of God, but they don't notice how they serve and worship other things. They worship their favorite soccer clubs, their favorite music, their kids, whatever. We also like to create idols that fit perfectly with our world, which is in decline.

People have beliefs that they can't trust anyone because they've had so many bad experiences in this life, bad relationships, abusive relationships... They literally can't trust anyone anymore. But we ourselves are responsible for all the evil that happens in the world. We don't need God or the Devil to create evil; we do just fine on our own.

I'd like to ask, what is the main purpose or goal for a musician or artist, in your opinion?

To reflect and reflect on myself as honestly as I can. That's the basic thing. And in my opinion, God created all art and all sounds and all music in the same way, and you, as a creator, can find the divine in art. Music is also our way of finding perfection and infinite beauty in this world. If you're an artist, you should be as honest as you can be. And don't be afraid to point out the most problematic places and reveal painful topics. I think there are fewer and fewer musicians who can do that now. Because they're afraid of losing their status, and it's easier for them to keep quiet about some things, because they know they can just “cancel” them. But it seems to me that this is a very dangerous position, because art can die. Art should be both ironic and grotesque, protesting as much as possible. That's our calling as musicians. And if we can't do it for real anymore, then we're just delivering popular trends and mainstream fashion. Is that art? I don't know. It just seems like commercial music.

As I could notice, most of your music videos always look like short movies or have some kind of plot. Have you ever had any ideas to work in movies? Maybe try your hand as an actor or a director?

Yes! Why not? If the script is good and the team is independent. I don't like the whole idea of Hollywood, where everything is permeated with secret networks and acquaintances, and you have to hang around in certain circles and behave a certain way to be rich and famous. And I'm not willing to sell my soul for that. We also know that it's the same with the music business and all of show business. And now we see so many of all these scandals popping up in the media and the internet about P. Diddy and the rest of them. That's the way this world works. If you want to get to the top, you have to join their club. But I don't want to be a part of that. I'd rather be independent and not as famous, but I can look in the mirror in the morning with a clear conscience. It's not important for me to be the most famous person possible. Going back to the question: yes, if the team is independent and I like the idea, then I'm willing to work with a movie as well. But you should always be careful: the world is full of these secret and dangerous networks and communities. It's like a pool of sharks. Sometimes it's very dangerous.

There is a cult of success in the world right now. Everyone around you wants to be the most popular, the most successful, get as many awards as possible, have as many sales as possible, and be the most productive. How do you manage your productivity anxiety?

I'm not afraid of it anymore. I was under that pressure before. Now I believe I already have everything I need. I'm not afraid of being unimportant, of being unsuccessful—that doesn't mean much to me. It's important to me to be authentic and truthful in what I do. And if there are still going to be people who love what I do and love my music, that's a good thing. If the world gets more and more glitzy and glamorous and demands more and more success, it doesn't matter, because I'm not in the game. I've met so many people in all these years of my work who were completely dead inside and completely empty inside and lost. I no longer understand why the whole music business and the whole entertainment industry are so glorified. It's all full of empty people, weak and lost people. Because that whole industry is full of narcissists and narcissism. And narcissists are not the best people to be around. They use you spiritually and physically; they drain you and leave you completely empty, like a used battery. Who wants that? Who wants to be abusive all the time? I think the whole world works this way and is so abusive because we are all used to abusing and living in abusive behavior. We've all known it since we were kids. Most of us grew up in abusive families. And I'm not just talking about sexual abuse. It's a very sad thing, and it h appens, but there's also spiritual abuse, mental abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, emotional neglect, and all the other things. And the worst part is that we're all used to all these types of abuse, and we're looking for it over and over again. And so many people get into these abusive relationships over and over again just because of habit. These are patterns of our behavior from childhood. And it's a sad situation and a tragedy because you're going to be left more and more empty each time. The more you get experience in these conditions, the more lost and empty you become. This is one of the reasons why I wholeheartedly recommend to people to “go out and find someone who will be honest with you and really want you as a person, accept you for who you are, and not just use you.” This story repeats itself constantly—it's like demonic behavior and an endless pattern.

At first, they flood you with admiring messages that are full of love: “You are the best! You're the most gorgeous and beautiful! You're the sweetest and smartest and most beautiful!" But then they curl their rings around you like a snake. And they control you and use you and suck your energy. They manipulate you every so often and plant their weird and sick views of the world on you. And then when you're really at rock bottom and devastated, they just throw you away like a piece of shit. One last thing—they'll give you  - "ghosting" —you'll” never hear anything from them. Who could possibly like that? Even if these people are so beautiful and glamorous, it looks demonic. Who could possibly want to be treated like that? I've thought about this problem before, back when I didn't believe in Jesus. But I've always thought there's something wrong with the music industry. It's a pack of pathological narcissists, and they are abusive to everyone else. They just use people to become famous and get what they want.

I don't recommend anyone be in those circles. This is one of the reasons why I can't say a lot of good things about the music business or the whole music industry, because in my opinion it's a convention of empty, lost, narcissistic people and zombies.

Which song from the new album can you call the most important song for you at the moment?

I can't really say that. It depends on my mood. Some songs are more melancholic and calm, and some are more upbeat. It really just depends on my mood. I really appreciate “1984”, which is the title of the album. It's very reflective of everything that's going on in the world, and it's like the essence of the whole album. So I really like that song. I also like the ironic “Saturday” for personal reasons. Ever since I honestly confessed my faith in Jesus, people started flooding me with angry and nasty messages. And I said, “Ok, you can do that if you feel better afterward. But I still love you, and none of this bothers me.” I don't care what words you call me because it says more about you than it does about me. It kind of takes all the power away from toxic people. Of course I understand that people are upset that their favorite band no longer exists in its original form. And of course, who is the main target of all the hate when things go bad or good? It's always the singer! When things are going great, everyone says, “Oh, the singer is so cool!”. But the moment a singer leaves the band, everyone hates him. So in good times and bad, you're always the main target. But that's okay; I'm not in the victim position. If you like to call me something—okay, I'll just be creative and make new songs out of this storm of hate. It's still better than sitting alone in my room and being angry and sad. I grew out of that a long time ago.

Have you already made new songs for the next album?

Of course! I've already written 18 or 19 songs, and that's definitely enough for a couple of albums. There will be more fun stuff and some deep philosophical stuff. So I'm excited to start the new album.

Jenet Bonishi