DORO PESCH Speaks Out On GREAT WHITE Concert Tragedy

German metal singer Doro Pesch recently gave an interview to PITRIFF.COM in which she addressed a number of topics, including the GREAT WHITE concert tragedy, her recent car accident, the "Celebrity Boxing" match she lost to former porn star Gina Wild last October and her upcoming DVD.

Here are some of the highlights of that interview:

THE GREAT WHITE FIRE

Pitriff - Speaking of small clubs, what is your take on the GREAT WHITE tragedy?

Doro - Obviously we were stunned by what happened. Of course, our hearts went out to the families of those who died. It is tragic how many people have started pointing fingers and trying to place blame. A couple of our band members had actually played shows in that same club. We use a lot of the same kind of pyrotechnics in our shows now.

Pitriff - So how does that effect future shows for your band, especially since you will be starting an American tour soon, and a lot of that time will be spent in small clubs.

Doro - It really makes us think about how we want to do business. There are so many promoters and club owners out there that don't care at all about the fans or the bands, just the bottom line. Now bands have to be more aware of the dangers that they might be putting themselves and the fans into. I have played hundreds of clubs, sometimes even in basements, and never thought once about where the exits were. Now I will have an escape plan.

Pitriff - Do you feel fans will be more apprehensive about going to a show in a small club?

Doro - Yes some will of course, but I think it will be the parents of the younger fans that will be more scared. Whereas in the past they would have said yes, now maybe they think it isn't such a good idea. I hope they will still support the bands and come to the shows.

THE CAR ACCIDENT SHE RECENTLY HAD

Pitriff - You had an accident recently didn't you?

Doro - Yes, I was in a car crash just before Christmas. I was driving late at night in the snow and I had new tires on my car and one of them blew out and sent me spinning all over the road. It was very strange because even though it only lasted a couple of seconds, I felt like I was in slow motion. My body went limp and I ended up hitting my head very hard into one of the windows. I remember crawling out of the car and there were people all around trying to help me, then I noticed blood was shooting out of my head and no one knew what to do. I had to be taken to a hospital in an ambulance.

Pitriff - That had to be scary for you!

Doro - Very much so. I didn't want to be in the hospital, I wanted to get back on a tour bus and finish our tour. They let me go home because I said I was better, but when I got there I collapsed and ended up back in the hospital. We had to cancel the rest of the tour so I could recover. I still get a little freaked out when I am driving my car, even more so if I am a passenger in someone else's car.

WHY SHE DECIDED TO PARTICIPATE IN CELEBRITY BOXING, AND HOW SHE FEELS SHE GOT SCREWED BY THE JUDGES

Pitriff - Didn't you try some kickboxing recently?

Doro - Yes. When I was a kid I used to love to watch boxing. I would stay up late at night to get a chance to see Muhammad Ali fight. A couple of years back I met a guy who was a world champion Thai kick boxer and he got me interested in it. I just loved it, but it was very hard. I would have a workout and then go home and crash for almost five hours. That is hard to do in the middle of recording an album or rehearsing for a show. I stopped for awhile when my schedule got too busy. Then I got invited to sub in for another woman and fight former porn star Gina Wild in an exhibition match. At first, we said no because we would have had to move a concert which I didn't want to do because it wasn't fair to the fans. They kept after us begging me to do it. In the end we agreed, cancelled the concert and moved the entire thing. It was a lot of fun, but when that fight was over I was so sore I could barely move and I still had to do a concert the next day. I would never do that again.

Pitriff - So who won?

Doro - (laughing) Well, I thought the judges were very unfair. I felt I won, or that we at least tied, but they gave her the decision. It was still fun. A friend of mine was her trainer, and when Gina entered the ring they were playing "Fight" which I had written for the friend. It was strange to have someone else being ushered into the ring to my song.

THE LATEST PROJECT SHE IS WORKING ON

Pitriff - So where are you right now? What are you doing?

Doro - I am in Pennsylvania at the moment making a DVD. We have compiled a lot of old documentary footage — you know, old black-and-white footage that dates back even before WARLOCK. Fans have been great by sending us bootleg footage that they have shot over the years. We are looking at making it a three-disc set, one being a concert that we shot last year in an old cave. We think it will be a great package for the fans."

Read the whole interview here.