In view of the war in Ukraine and other current crises, Björn Both is “real worried”, as he explains to the news agency spot on news. The musician from the band Santiano from the far north sees “freedom at risk”, as he emphasizes. In the interview, Both also talks about sustainability in concert tours as well as the tenth anniversary and the future of Santiano.
Björn Both: I personally find it difficult to separate them. All my music projects in the past have always observed politics and society and taken a stand on them. We didn’t necessarily expect that with Santiano or even planned it. But time has overtaken us. And as a band that uses the word freedom as often as we do, given the current developments, you find yourself in a situation where you have to explain yourself.
Both: I’m glad you put the question that way. Otherwise I wouldn’t have known where to start. “My freedom? What is that? Do you mean this misunderstanding of claiming one’s own freedom lawfully while at the same time being willing to decouple oneself from any social responsibility? This is something that worries me greatly.
The phenomenon occurs on many issues in society and has been growing like an ulcer since Corona. Also because parts of politics and the media keep pouring gasoline on the fire. Above that lie the economy and the protagonists of politics, who in the past cremated constitutional principles and values such as human rights at the stake in lucrative markets, exploitative and environmentally destructive production and cheap procurement of raw materials. In this way, democracy based on the rule of law is exposed to ridicule worldwide.
We now see where this is leading. And also in the assessment of Putin and his war of aggression in Ukraine there are tendencies and voices that seem to have lost any orientation towards freedom. I see freedom as being endangered and that really worries me. And then I’m not talking about my personal freedom.
Both: By focusing on the people and organizations working tirelessly for a better tomorrow. It is often private individuals and NGOs who take on the problems that governments around the world are still not tackling. These are my beacons of hope. Such great people can also be found on Santiano’s “Beacon” website.
Both: No. I haven’t experienced that personally. And in general, I think it’s very okay that we check language and free it from unnecessary violations, if we want and can. As is so often the case, overly committed people tend to throw the baby out with the bath water. Therefore, there are certainly centrifugal forces here that we have to keep an eye on. However, as long as someone sticks to the rules in terms of language and moves within a non-offensive area, everyone should be allowed to say what they think about the content. And I think that in this country – contrary to all prophecies of doom – is given.
Both: As liberating and as the confirmation of our wildest hopes. We played almost 40 concerts and everyone was there. The houses were full as if nothing had happened and we were able to pick up where we left off two years earlier. An incredible happiness that was not to be expected.
Both: Since the last album and the concert series that goes with it deal with this topic – after all, we are traveling in the Arctic – we are of course also consistent: The complete CO2 balance sheet of the “If The Cold Comes” tour was comprehensively recorded and also the streams of fans that we trigger outside were determined by a voluntary survey among the fans.
That’s part of the whole package, so to speak. The evaluation is currently underway and we ourselves are very excited to see what will come of it. There is no question that the entire industry has room for improvement.
Both: Friendship, as far as that is possible in this business. We like each other and that’s what counts. And we can certainly all learn from everyone. I just don’t know exactly what right now. (laughs)
Both: Not by and large. Of course we reflect on ourselves and what we do in which way. But since we’re not wandering around unconscious and randomly controlled, we can pretty much stand by what we’ve done or said so far. It was always a choice. And there were always reasons for them that still apply to us today. In this respect, there is no point in subsequently taking things out of context and reassessing them.
Both: To be honest, I can’t think of the all-important highlights right now. Maybe there is. But maybe the last ten years were just such a long series of highlights that we no longer noticed them as a single event. And we prefer to look at the next ten years step by step. First of all, it is important to get through the next two to three years well and, above all, to stay healthy. Then everything else can be negotiated.
Both: Even if we had agreed as a band, it would have gone beyond the scope. Since we also prefer different songs, it was almost impossible. In the end we simply rolled the dice. (laughs)
Santiano’s best-of album “Longing is my helmsman – The best of 10 years” was released on October 7th. In 2023 the band will go on a big anniversary tour: from May to September the musicians will be guests in many German cities.
