Interview with Captain Poon By Sabine Schenk Gluecifer split up in 2005 and I can still remember the show in Munich as part of their farewell tour. It was great and sad both at the same time. In my eyes Gluecifer is probably still the best rocknroll band that ever came out of Norway and their last record “Automatic Thrill” is killer! I was really sad when I heard about their split as the record seemed so promising and I was looking forward to much more high class Norwegian rocknroll to come. But there is hope, as Captain Poon, former guitarist in Gluecifer, started a new band called Bloodlights and now just two years after the split he entered Europe’s stages again to do what he can do best: rock out! I had the pleasure to sit down with him for a brief talk on a sunny day in Toeging, Germany. And what can I say? The Captain is back on deck! First of all, how are you? Could you please introduce yourself a little? I am Captain Poon. And I am doing great! Why do you call yourselves Bloodlights? Is there a story behind the name? Yeah, the name of the band is from how I felt lots of times when I was touring too much, drinking too much and in general just being really fucked up. Then I would be seeing this really weird red flash and just pass out. That happened quite a few times. That’s why I made up the word Bloodlights. Bloodlights emerged rather quick after the split of Gluecifer. Was the band already existent before the split? Or the idea of forming an own band? No not really. We decided to take a year off in 2005. It was different because we were not supposed to do any shows that year as some guys in the band felt like they needed a little break and I did not want a break. So I think I figured out at some point that this might be the end. And at the same time I thought ‘what else can I do? I cannot really do anything but playing in a rock band’ so I started working on a back up plan. I had always been writing songs in Gluecifer and I just stopped that cause it didn’t make any more sense to me. I just wanted to move on. And the guys said a few months later that they wanted to quit the band. It didn’t take me more than a couple of seconds to know that I had to play in a new band. After all you are still called Captain Poon. And the name itself will always be connected to Gluecifer. Was that link intended or why did you choose to keep that name? I think I kept the name because everyone is so used to it. It doesn’t make sense to change it; if it’s not broken, don’t fix it. You already played a couple of shows. How did the audience react? Do they appreciate what you do? They hate us! No, just joking. The response so far has been really good. We just did a few shows in Spain, Germany and Norway. It seems like a lot of people in the audience seemed to be really nervous because they liked what I did before. And they did not really know what to expect this time and they always seemed so relieved to see that this is a great band, like ‘thanks for keeping this up’. What would you describe your sound like? I don’t know. A few extra kilos have gone. The band is not as physically heavy as Gluecifer has been. It’s a little bit more melodic and catchy. It’s a little easier to get. What is the biggest difference of being more or less “just” a guitar player and now front man & guitar player? What do you like better? I have to say that I was sitting around for a long time before I had put the band together. And I was thinking ‘how the fuck am I gonna do this?!’; in the beginning I was ‘God, I need to find a singer’ but after a while I had done a few demos and a few good friends of mine said I should really do this because they said that it would sound great and that it would be more interesting for the audience and a lot of old Gluecifer fans. They would probably take to the band easier if I got up front. And I really enjoy it! I had been really nervous about it thinking to myself ‘how is this gonna turn out’. But it turned out good and I like to interact with the audience. And also the way I write songs. It would have felt really wrong just to give it to someone else. What is your inspiration for the lyrics? I don’t do lyrics which are all about.. yeah, drugs, beer, liquor and all that. That’s just not the way I write lyrics. I write more personal stuff. I write a lot about how I feel about things, how I look at other people and how other people look at me. It’s honest and personal. I am not writing from someone else’s point of view. It’s me, you know. Do you already have a record deal? When can we expect a record? The record is coming out in September. It’s not official yet but the label I think we’re gonna sign with is coming to Oslo on Monday. They gonna meet us in the rehearsal room. The record is already done and now it’s just about getting the deal done and the record is gonna be out asap. What are your plans for the future? It’s gonna be a lot of shows, definitely. The only way a rock band can get attention is to get out there and play your ass off. We will definitely come back to Germany. One of my best friends is Nicke from Hellacopters and their record is coming out at pretty much the same time this year. And it’s gonna make sense to tour together. Ok, I got a question from a friend of yours, who asked me what happened 2002 with him, you and a paper bag at some place? It was actually when we were touring the States a few years ago. And that friend was with us for a couple of days. And you know, a tourbus, it’s not supposed to, you just can’t take a shit in the toilet. And that friend had big troubles so he had to shit in the bag. Why the fuck does he want me to ask that??!! He is shameless. He is horrible. Is there anything you would like to add? Any last words? No, no last words really. Just like, those people who know me and know my history should come and check us out. Like I said before we will do lots of shows and I hope that a lot of people will turn up and get into it. But keep in mind that it is a rocknroll band but it’s not Gluecifer. It’s my own thing. Thank you for your time!