Carl Begai

By Carl Begai

From a marketing standpoint German bashers All We Hate could potentially be a much bigger deal than they are. Namedropping plays an important role in the business after all, and when a band member can boast about having worked with Arch Enemy vocalist Angela Gossow in her formative years the logical move would be to milk the past for extra attention. Guitarist Pete Rode is neither shallow nor desperate, however, so while he’s never denied or slagged working with Gossow as a member of Asmodina and Mistress through the ‘90s he doesn’t make a big deal of it either. Upon approaching Rode about doing this interview, I asked if he would be willing to discuss The Gossow Years of his career (1992 – 2000, give or take) figuring it was quite possible he’d prefer to let the old days remain buried in the interest of his current activities. Instead he agreed, stating rather unexpectedly that “Angela has a lot to do with my band.” Make no mistake, Gossow doesn’t have a hand in All We Hate beyond the moral support one friend offers another. Save perhaps a support show here or there from time to time when the opportunity presents itself.
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The following is an excerpt from the book I co-wrote with ex-BONFIRE bassist Joerg Deisinger, entitled Fire And Fame. His story, my words…

Peter’s Pop Show

November 4th – 6th, 1987: Peter’s Pop Show, Dortmund, Germany

The security people had plenty to do with regards to keeping the fans and autograph hunters under control. The Westfalen Hotel had been under siege for over 24 hours, with hundreds of teenies camped out in front of the main and side entrances in the hopes of meeting up with their favourite celebrities. It was a veritable belt of fans, primarily female and most of them having only recently gone through their first “welcome to adulthood” monthly oil change, subdivided into small groups so that news of the arrival of a van or limousine carrying a star could be transferred through the collective at lightning speed through a mix of hectic waving and screams of “They’re coming! They’re here!” And, of course, all hell broke loose each time a vehicle pulled up. Small wonder that the big stars like the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode opted to use an underground tunnel running from the hotel to the Westfalenhalle, where the actual festivities were taking place.
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