Nadine Kloppert (2023) - english

In the interview: Nadine Kloppert

by Marcel / 02.01.2023

Good editors usually have a very strong background knowledge about many bands and the different styles of music. They are also better able to take in the overall picture of the concerts and write about them.

I read a lot of album reviews, live reports, thoughts and impressions from fans and friends about music. I also like to read about artists I'm not necessarily a huge fan of. Music has always accompanied me and our scene is so wide-ranging and so it came about that I recently became aware of a few reviews and concert reviews written by Nadine Kloppert. I liked the writing style and so gradually the idea matured in me more and more, after the interview with Helge, to give a space to other collaborators away from the stages. And so I simply wrote to Nadine and the whole thing took its course.

Hello Nadine! It took some convincing, but I'm really happy that you're taking part in our project 😉 For those who don't know you yet, tell us a little about yourself.

I am 41 years old and work as an editor for two online magazines. Professionally, I work in the social sector for Malteser. Most recently, I was in charge of the "Moments of Closeness". In the run-up to Christmas, volunteers all over Germany were active to give people in need or refugees a few pleasant hours. Ukrainian children, for example, spent an afternoon at the cinema with their friends watching a film without a language barrier, schoolchildren made tree decorations and Christmas trees complete with lights were donated. Our visiting dogs brought small presents to senior citizens or mentally distressed children, which they transported to them in their mouths and earned cuddles in return... There were no limits to the ideas and in many places strangers, young and old found each other for a while. It was a wonderful time, as these activities enriched both sides. Otherwise, I design an online magazine for volunteers at Malteser International, give seminars or take care of financial matters.

Apart from that, I am married and we have a 15-year-old son. In my free time, I like to dance Zumba, occasionally I let my hula hoop spin or I swing on my bike next to my husband. Otherwise, there's almost always music playing and I'm passionate about experimenting with cooking and baking.

You are an editor for Monkeypress.de and Sharpshooter-pics.de, how did that come about and generally what gave you the impetus to write about music and concert events?

Music has accompanied me since my childhood. At the age of 14, I discovered my preference for going to concerts and at that time I followed a local rock band with my girlfriend. It never occurred to me to write about music. One day I met Cynthia Theisinger - the owner of Sharpshooter-pics.de. She quickly noticed that I had a hard time putting up with wrong spellings on the net. Maybe it stems from my teacher training of days gone by... She asked me if I could imagine writing about music. I hesitated and we agreed that I would start with editing. Gradually I became more courageous and we simply dared to take this step. To this day, I am very grateful for her trust. In addition, I particularly appreciate being able to think outside the box and experience concerts that broaden your horizons and sometimes take you over with full force.

How can one imagine the process when you write an album review and in comparison, when you are on the road at an event, a concert review?

When I write an album review, I try to find out as much as possible about the band beforehand. I don't just research the band's career, but rather go through all the interviews and news I can find. To get a feeling for what motivated the band to write this album. Of course I'm happy when I find a little anecdote or two that I can include in the review. When I have the album, it accompanies me for days in all situations of life. The first run-through plays an important role. But many impressions also develop. I listen to the songs on the stereo with good speakers, on a smaller version in the kitchen, with headphones, in the car. It's important to try everything out to get a final impression of the sound and the effect. Sometimes I give an album my full attention. Then, of course, I also test what happens when I listen to it on the side. When I cook, for example. Which parts also have an effect on you when you're actually busy? Here, too, I always have a sheet of paper within reach to record any impressions. When I have the lyrics at hand (which is unfortunately rather seldom the case in advance), I naturally also deal with the lyrics. And I love to dive so deeply into an album. To let it have its full effect on me with all its facets. Normally, you hardly ever take this time nowadays. Almost everything is streamed. You just zap in, an appealing booklet is completely missing. That is truly a shame for the artists. After all, they themselves put a lot of leisure, ambition and love into their works. They invent exciting things or even reveal personal details. I can only recommend that you devote yourself fully to an album. The effort is usually worth it. You can give the artists honest feedback. A few personal lines are very welcome. And food for thought is always welcome.

When I write a concert review, I like to create playlists in advance with the bands' most recently announced setlists. Especially with bands I've never heard of before, I can quickly get into the music. It's also fun to get in the mood for the upcoming gig. On the evening itself, I let all the impressions sink in. I have noticed that I am able to convey emotions. I don't just write down what I see or hear, but also what one feels. I let observations around me flow in and write a lot. Some people smile at me for that. But I simply don't want to forget any details that could still be important. That's why I always run around at concerts with my writing pad. In the meantime, I've even been given illuminated pens, because sometimes it's pitch black in front of the stage and I've had difficulties deciphering my scribbles afterwards. Afterwards I have to let the experience sink in. I reconstruct a set list if I didn't have a chance to get to it any other way. Then I link my impressions with research. If I've already seen bands a few times, the research part is of course much less. Apart from a few phrases, I hardly ever change what I've written down. Unfortunately, it takes quite a while until a report is finished. But it's always worth the effort. You relive the evening in your mind. If you even have to pause because a little shiver runs down your spine, you know that you've succeeded in writing the report.

Oliver Nikolas Schmid, Julian Larre (Lacrimas Profundere) and Nadine. Foto: Angela Trabert (Angela Moondust) © Monkeypress.de

At concerts or festivals, you are usually on the road as a team. While you are thinking about a good report, a photographer is often there as well. What is the typical procedure for you as a team on a concert evening?

Ideally, I meet with the photographer beforehand. If there is enough time, we go out for a bite to eat or otherwise we meet before or at the venue. Unfortunately, depending on the size of the concert, it can also happen that I can only wave to my photographer. As a rule, I try to stand right in front of the stage myself so that I can let the concert experience take its full effect on me and not be too distracted by the people around me. That's why at big events I sometimes get there much earlier to secure a place. The photographers only get access to the photo pit shortly before the start. They usually get the opportunity to take pictures during the first three songs. After that, they often have to take their equipment away and then it's almost impossible for us to get together again. I often find that a real pity. But then you talk about the evening afterwards. It's different at smaller concerts or at festivals. You always run into each other there. Festivals are really stressful for the photographers. They dash from stage to stage to capture impressions of as many bands as possible. Your pedometer is spinning freely.

When you're at a concert in private, does it ever happen that you absolutely want to write something about that evening, even though it wasn't planned?

Oh yes! It also happened once that I actually wrote a report afterwards because I liked the evening so much. That was the case at this year's concert by Aesthetic Perfection at the Kulttempel in Oberhausen. The band has just repositioned itself live and I didn't really expect much from the gig. But since they simply played my scepticism into the ground, I started to take notes on the spot and then wrote everything down after all. A little torment almost developed at Knotfest Germany - my personal highlight of the year. I was there with my son and we just wanted to enjoy the festival. We didn't let that stop us, but that day made a huge impression on us. We were completely flashed the whole following week and it was really hard to keep our fingers still and not report about this event.

You also had a great interview with Andy LaPlegua recently. I know that you appreciate him very much as an artist. How did the personal interview come about, how did you prepare for it?

That's right. All his bands have fascinated me for quite a few years. In 2001, I saw Icon Of Coil for the first time at the Zillo Festival in Losheim. Beforehand, I had animal respect for the interview. After all, I was worried about my sacred bubble that envelops Andy LaPlegua as an artist and all his projects. Could it stand up to an interview, even if it didn't go well, even if we didn't like each other? Cynthia set up the interview. She met Combichrist at the summer festivals and has known Andy for a few years. He agreed to her request directly. The interview was supposed to take place at the next Icon Of Coil concert in the Kulttempel. But since Andy doesn't read emails during his concert-free time, it wasn't clear until the end whether the interview would actually take place that evening. This also had advantages. The uncertainty prevented any excitement. On the spot, Cynthia intercepted his girlfriend and she said she would ask him. Then, shortly after the gig, it was suddenly "Here we go!" The next moment we were already sitting opposite him and my holy bubble was more resilient than ever after the interview, because everything went like clockwork. Generally, there are artists who do not reveal anything private in public. I respect that and focus the questions on the music. In Andy's case, we know that he sometimes gives a little insight into his private life on Instagram. My husband has always liked his bands and together we thought about how Andy LaPlegua would behave in the household. Since I knew his career, the research work here was minimal and I just thought about what you simply don't know about him yet and what might interest you as a reader.

Are there still artists with whom you would definitely like to do an interview?

Of course. Many of them. You're allowed to dream sometimes. Two artists I would love to interview would be Corey Taylor from Slipknot and Nergal from Behemoth. Two very interesting personalities who go their own way and have a very dry sense of humour. This dream will probably never come true, but I'm looking forward to every other encounter that comes my way.

What would be the perfect place for an interview for you?

It would definitely NOT be a backstage area where there is constant hustle and bustle. In the Corona days, I used to have the idea of doing something with my interview partners. Be it a sporting activity, a visit to a fair, whatever. But in the meantime they're all back to business and you just meet up even when a gig is coming up. Lacrimas Profundere didn't even bat an eyelid when they said their stage time was in 15 minutes. Even then we were able to finish the conversation in peace of mind. Respect!

Everybody has an interesting story to tell: True or false?

Every person is unique and everyone has their own story. Therefore, it is obvious that everyone has a story to tell. Some may not know it yet, or they may not be ready for it right now. They are agitated or distracted. But a counterpart is worth engaging with. Sometimes it takes little detours, that's perfectly fine.

And how do you get them out of him?

I think it's incredibly important to meet in person. Because I think that's the only way you have a chance to connect with each other and then it can become entertaining and any scepticism or coolness disappears very quickly. I usually succeed in breaking the ice right at the beginning and then a familiar level quickly develops on which both sides become completely involved with each other for a limited time.

Which interview or review has stayed in your memory the most?

That was my first interview, which directly taught me an important lesson. We took plenty of time for a W(i)interview and wanted to create a Christmas atmosphere. So we had pastries, liqueurs from the Christmas market and mead in our luggage. My plan was quite clear: we would do the interview FIRST and maybe chat a bit afterwards. Of course, we were already hungry after our long journey and coffee could of course be served with pastries. But we were in the middle of Advent. Mulled wine was much more appropriate. Oh, and if the liqueurs were so tempting, one could already try one. The interview was already designed for a lot of questions, since there was to be a Christmas part and a musical part. Question after question, sip after sip, we were all in the most detailed chatting mood and the follow-up work was immense. The result was almost two hours of pure interview material. At first I actually typed out EVERYTHING. I don't even remember how many pages there were originally. In any case, I had to thin it out afterwards and also rework some things, because the wording naturally came across more loosely. In the end, we published the interview in three parts. I don't want to miss a single moment, after all we had a great time. Nevertheless, since then I've been focusing on composure 😉.

Last question: How did I do? 😉 No, seriously, I'm glad you took part in this rather unusual action. We are conducting this type of interview with other colleagues of yours and I think that many readers will find the whole thing very interesting. The last words belong to you!

Thank you for turning the tables on me. At first I was quite sceptical. But then I liked your idea and I like the fact that you go unusual ways. The interview offered me a completely new experience. I am already very curious about the conversations you had with the other dear people from our environment.

Nadine at work (Photo: Tom Armstrong)