But instead everything has to be analyzed

Interview that you maybe know from the Christmas video blogs. Now you can read it whole here. Enjoy.

If somebody told you ten years ago that one day you would release a Greatest Hits record what would you have said?
We had a difficult time ten years ago because we didn't have a record deal but we were very anxious to get one because we have tried for 6 or 7 years. We asked ourselves each year and each month why nothing was happening. We were in a way in a depression because of this so I don't know what the answer would've been at the time. We didn't think about a Greatest Hits back then we only thought about releasing our first record. But I guess we expected the success that's why we were so depressed that nothing happened. We thought we'd slowly get too old for it. During this time music was something that was given from young people to other young people. That was the idea we had of music back then.

Which track is the oldest on the record?
'Mr Moon' was written by one of our band members in a child's room. I think it was sometime in 2001 so it has to be the oldest song.

How difficult was it to choose the songs for the Greatest Hits record?
We can't really judge songs. It's up to the fans which songs are popular. It's always like that. After ten years it's pretty clear which songs reach out to most people and these are the greatest hits. So it's not at all the best songs but simply the most popular ones. If we had picked an album with our personal greatest hits maybe there would've been only 2 singles amongst them. You can't judge what makes a song good. That's something every single one of our fans has to decide this for herself or himself with his/her destiny and story.

So there weren't any discussions concerning the choice of songs?
There were of course little discussions it probably took an hour or so to pick the songs. We knew which songs were the most popular ones amongst the audience which songs get played most in radios and stuff. That's why it was pretty easy. It was mostly songs that we actually didn't want to have on the record. (laughs)

Why do you release a Greatest Hits now?
The record is mostly for the music industry and the fans - not so much for us. We can't stop and think about what happened. We always have to think about the next record. I never listen to songs from the past. If we give a concert or if we recorded something we don't talk about it again it is as if it never happened. We just continue that's the best way. Because from the moment it has been written until it gets released we listen to it so often. You sing it in your head every day, you dream about it you wake up and immediately think about the song again. And if the song gets released it's a huge relief to simply let go of it. It's like letting go of a child. At some point you're not responsible for them anymore so you let them go.

What is Christmas Could Have Been Good about?
Well it's a christmas song however not a happy one. We just don't want to agree with the fact that christmas always has to be happy. If you're not happy during christmas everyone thinks that something's wrong with you. Many people don't understand that, like for example parents or relatives. But it is a lonely day for many people. People you should sing to. Because the happy people technically don't need it. We know many people who fear this day and that's why we wanted to write a song for them.

Do fans sometimes tell you that your music has helped them through rough times?
Yes, very often. And that's been the idea behind it all, our goal. And I think we achieved this. A band can be like a friend it can take on the shape of a person so you don't feel lonely when you're alone in your room. Many use our band as the only friend they have. And that's the reason why we do all this and the reason why music exists.

You grew up in Borlänge. Is there a music scene?
When we started with music, at the end of the 90ies there were mostly metal bands in any form. When we played our first shows there. So we had to find a way to impress them. The difficult thing was that a song wasn't measured by how good it was but by how technical it sounded. Which we hated as it didn't have anything to do with what we were doing. We never were big fans of this type of music.

How was the reaction in Borlänge after one of the bigger Mando Diao shows?
After every show there were a few people running into our dressing room screaming of how good we were. It was a relief for them that there were bands without 7 minute long guitar soli. Every show should last 25 minutes and there should be room for 15 songs. We didn't say a word to the audience and many liked that. We felt that this was something that people needed. But of course most people were jealous. There used to be a lot of jealousy in our home town. Meanwhile it's better now there is more acceptance for musicians.

Where did you play your first gig outside of Sweden? What do you remember of it?
That was in Holland. That was quite the experience. (laughs). It all was very chaotic the guitars were smashed we didn't even use plugs. That's why our fingers were bleeding as hell we looked like murderers.

When did you play in Germany for the first time?
I think that was in Hamburg. We didn't know what we should expect. Everyone threw beer around and jumped around wildly. We smelled like beer a whole week after it. We were totally surprised of how much they all danced that was really cool.

Young bands and the Rock'n'Roll life style. How wild was your life when the success started to kick in?
We worked so much with our music when we were young that we never really drank alcohol. Just at the beginning of summer vacation maybe or other special events. Then we suddenly were drunk every night. But that's just the things every 20 year old does, whether you go to university or whatever. That's something completely normal especially when you're in a band and done with your gig after midnight. There's not much left. You can't go to the movies, coffee shops or library. The bar is the only thing left. So we were always on the move until 5 or 6 am and you meet crazy people. I think it's very healthy for my personality it was anyways because I learned to accept different people and different destinies.

What do you think of first when you think of Germany?
I think that Germany became the beating heart of european culture since 2003 up until today. It becomes more and more the centre of artists especially in Europe. I have many friends who travel to Germany. Especially artists, musicians, writers, actors. It opens up new doors for them. If you play the violin for example there are about 5 or 6 job possibilities in Stockholm. In Germany there is an orchestra in every small town. There are so many people a lot of money which mostly is being spend on culture. From movies to clubs. They are not spoiled though like many english people are. There's something inside of them that has already given up. They gave up on music and art. Here however people are very open minded. It's a dream for us to play in Germany. If you go to London as an artist you have no other option but to work in a bar to earn money. In Berlin it's not like that at all. It doesn't cost you a fortune to live there. A part time job is enough and like this you still have enough time for your art. That creates a certain freedom for artists. It was so easy for us as a band to find a photographer or a director.

Are there german bands you like?
Yes of course. The problem is that if you think of german bands you think: 'Who are the german Beatles?' or 'Who is the german Bob Dylan?' That's the swedish way of thinking but it most definitely isn't a good one. The reason why Sweden has so many good bands is that they are the english part of the culture which you don't have in Germany. Sweden doesn't have an own culture that's why we copy the ones from other countries and make them our own. The german music culture is based on classical music where the best composers of the world come from. That's the german culture. The culture in Italy is completely different, the one in France is completely different and the one in Spain or Russia as well. But everything gets more and more 'americanized'. So the question wouldn't be is there good music in Germany but is there american music and there really isn't. Germany has the best electronic music of the world, the best DJ's - no matter if it's Techno, House or Minimal. And the Heavy Metal scene is also very good. We have good bands in Sweden because we simply copy. That's nothing i am proud of.

How do you manage to stay healthy when you play more than 200 shows a year?
We are not healthy you should see the inside of us that looks different. No idea how we manage this but there isn't another option.

How does founding a family affect the band life?
I am married for 6 or 7 years now so basically the whole time of my career. I have kids since I am 25 years old and nothing happened basically. (laughs). The passion for music is as strong as it always was. You don't become lazy all of the sudden and just sit around in front of the TV. I think music became even more important due to this. It doesn't matter if you work on music 200 days a year or only 15 days. The important thing is that writing lyrics and recording songs remains. And this is more a drive than a job. And this drive won't go away under any circumstances.

Did the family experiences make you better song writers?
That's hard to analyze. When you write a good song you mostly get a brilliant idea and then the song just blurts out of you. It's very difficult to say where this comes from. But everything you do in life even when you just miss your plane affects your life. A family changes your way of living but you don't know the difference you just continue. I think there isn't any musician who doesn't have kids. All those i know were dying to get many kids. (laughs)

Did your audience change over the years?
Not so much. They got a bit older but it's still very mixed. There are just more of them now (laughs). The more fans you have the less you know about them. I mean when you play in front of 50'000 people you simply have everything. it's mostly young people but I also went on more concerts when I was a Teenager. That's why there are more young people who attend our shows.

Do you prefer festivals or gigs in small clubs?
I like the atmosphere at festivals a lot when bands come together and mingle. Sometimes you see a great performance of another band which inspires you. But fundamentally we prefer the gigs inside.

How does the next chapter of the history of Mando Diao looks like?
We will see but we will release a new record of course. We didn't do anything since 2008. We released records but didn't produce anything. So it's been 4 years that's a  big gap. We recorded a swedish record during summer which is almost finished and which we will release soon. That's been a totally new chapter for us. It was a lot of fun to sing in swedish.

Who are your idols?
We were lucky to grow up in the 90ies when people listened to all kinds of things. There were so many different styles which were cool at the same time. There was the skating scene, the punk scene, the graffiti scene. Nowadays all of this is very divided. People often get confused when you play in a rock band but dance to electro music or hip hop on the dance floor. They ask you: 'How can you like that?' and i just answer: 'Why the hell not?' Many see this as a threat. We call ourselves the second Beatles - Generation.
Our parents were born in the 40ies and 50ies and passed the music of their childhood to us. Beatles and Rolling Stones were mostly played at home. As many others they were influenced by Black Music. In the 90ies there was no difference between NWA, the Ramones, Public Enemy or Nirvana. Nowadays the music scene is almost racist. That's a weird thing. Back then Tina Turner was played right after The Rolling Stones there was no reason to talk about the differences - it all was just music.

What do you recognize to be good music?
Now I feel like a criticizer and I think that they have the most useless job of the world by judging music. It's just a feeling that you get. You hear something and you feel something that's the only basic ground of pop music. Music can't be good or bad. Why is it good? I have no idea. I just have to love it and I can't know why I do. That's pop music for me. The thing is that people judge and rate music because everything has to be rated and judged. It would be fine with them if music was like sports: If you practice enough you'll get good at it. But it simply isn't like that. You can't describe why a song is good. But that's something people can't deal with they want to describe why they like the song. Even if you follow every rule that supposedly makes a song good it still is shit. Why is that? I don't know. That's the reason why music criticizer have the most useless job ever. You can simply take them off this planet and nothing would happen. If you removed bus drivers there would be chaos, if you removed nurses there would be chaos. It would happen to every job. If you took the musician's job there would be a huge gap in the system. But if you removed music criticizers nothing would happen. People react on music with their hearts. But instead everything has to be analyzed. Everyone does it.