Cult band in Vienna

Clawfinger: “You also have to move with the times”

Swedish-Norwegian crossover institution that can finally be seen live in Vienna again: Clawfinger and frontman Zak Tell (center).

(Bild: Clawfinger)

Clawfinger were one of the most important rap-rock bands with a political conscience in the 90s. With the advent of the download era, however, the band gradually withdrew and ran the project as a hobby. In this interview, frontman Zak Tell explains how they choose the few concerts they play today, why the old lyrics are still relevant and why he doesn't remain stubborn. They play with Cypress Hill in the METAstadt.

Anthrax, Public Enemy, Rage Against The Machine or Body Count - the 90s were flooded with crossover bands that mixed metal with rock and rap, giving the harder genres a new color. Anyone who recently saw Body Count at this year's Nova Rock, for example, knows that there has long been a revival that has not only attracted fans from back then, but also a new generation. One of the most important rap metal bands in the 90s were the Swedes Clawfinger around frontman Zak Tell. Their debut album "Deaf Dumb Blind" hit the scene like a bomb in 1993 with its unbridled energy. "Use Your Brain" (1995) also followed in this vein, before "Clawfinger" (1997) hinted at the first changes. After the big hype, the Scandinavians released a few more albums, played numerous festivals and one-off shows (including in Austria) and disbanded in 2013, only to make a surprising comeback in 2017.

Play when there's time
However, without following industry rules or chasing after any mechanisms. Clawfinger play when everyone has time and it feels good. "We're all over 50 and physically it's not as easy to play a show as it was 25 years ago," laughs frontman Tell in the Krone interview, "we have families, health problems and other jobs. The band is purely a hobby and we go out when every single one of us feels comfortable with it." For Tell, playing live with Clawfinger today is also a useful source of additional income. "We can earn some extra money alongside our day jobs, but of course we also have to juggle a lot to make sure everything works out. Another plus is that our kids are all young adults who lead their own lives. So we don't embarrass them like we did a few years ago."

Clawfinger not only released groundbreaking albums in the 90s, they also networked well. They collaborated with German industrial outfit Die Krupps, introduced home organ player Mambo Kurt to a wider audience for the first time as tour support, shared a studio with tech-metal band Meshuggah and none other than Rammstein are among Clawfinger's biggest fans. The Swedes also remixed songs by the Berliners, such as "Links-2-3-4", "Sonne" and "Keine Lust". In the 90s, which were very peaceful on the surface but nevertheless internally charged, Clawfinger were a socio-political thorn in the side of the elites. "I don't know if we're a political band per se, but we certainly weren't a 'sex, drugs & rock'n'roll combo'," explains Tell, "but it's frightening how many lyrics from almost 30 years ago are still relevant today. That's not a good sign for the state of the world."

No insistence on old structures
One of the biggest hits on the debut album was the anti-racist song "Nigger", which, with its explicit content and title, could of course no longer be written in the same way today. Misinterpretations at concerts were a frequent occurrence, and Gigi D'Agostino fans can tell you a thing or two about it today. "It's a difficult subject," Tell becomes serious, "we hardly ever play the song at the moment because things and the political climate have changed drastically compared to the past. After the rise of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement, it feels completely wrong. It would also be stupid to stubbornly insist on something when the whole world is changing around you. I don't have a problem with the song personally at all, but it would be disrespectful to a lot of people to play it."

Tell has an ambivalent opinion of the rampant cancel culture and political correctness. "You always have to weigh it up. There are things that make sense. Others less so. You have to move with the times and embrace changes that improve life for everyone. Conversely, that doesn't mean you have to blindly follow all trends and parrot them. That would be absolute bullshit." The fact that the debut "Deaf Dumb Blind", which was directed at the stupidity of the human race, is still so relevant annoys Tell. "I wish we were moving forward, but the opposite is the case. The media unthinkingly trumpet what social media dictates. There's a generation for whom even five seconds on TikTok demands too much of their attention span. We're a pretty stupid breed."

Band remains a hobby
Clawfinger are not currently thinking about a new album, but every now and then the Swedes come up with a new song to keep the live hobby fresh and exciting. "It's not that easy. Our drummer lives a three-hour drive away from me in Stockholm, the guitarist ten hours away in Norway. We work with files and ideas, but it's not easy to piece together new songs. We're out of the album-tour-album-tour process and that's not going to change. Sometimes we have bouts where we think that would be nice. Why don't we try it again? Then I realize that our guitarist lives ten hours away by car and I immediately lose the desire to make Clawfinger the focus of life again." You shouldn't count on a new album. "We're not pushing that. When illegal downloads became socially acceptable, we sat together and decided to continue the band as a hobby. I think that was the right decision in the end."

With age also came a certain form of wisdom in the Clawfinger camp. "Of course I see many things differently than I did 25 years ago. You get older, you tick differently, you adapt. Mick Jagger once said that he couldn't imagine he'd still be on stage at 40. Now he's 80 and what does he do? Exactly. The older you get, the broader and wider you see the world. You become more modest and grateful for what you have. I think that's a very good development." Tell is happy about his own career. "We came up at a time when nobody was interested in glam and sleaze rock anymore. With Nirvana, Soundgarden and Rage Against The Machine, serious music was the order of the day. At the peak of our career we were perhaps a bit diva-like, but most of the time we kept our feet still. Besides, we're from Sweden, where you get laughed at if you act like a celebrity."

Live in the METAstadt
Tomorrow, July 13, Clawfinger will play one of their rare Austrian gigs in Vienna's METAstadt as the support act for hip-hop legends Cypress Hill. It will be their first appearance here since their celebrated concert at Nova Rock 2022, where they opened the festival after weather capers and cancellations. Tickets for the first concert in the big METAstadt summer series are still available at www.oeticket.com