Having been present at the Tokio Hotel fan mob incident back in March, my younger sister knows only too well the horrors of the band and its overly enthusiastic fanbase. Which is why she was so taken aback by a sighting at her suburban Houston high school:
This is a photo of the actual vandalism (taken with her cameraphone (kids these days!)), which included no less than five Tokio Hotel stickers at various points around the school.
The TRL appearance was one thing, but now it’s official: Tokio Hotel have landed in the heart of America, and they are coming for any and all teen girls predisposed to sullenness and Hot Topic binges.
Just thought I’d give everyone a heads up.
Pedophiles are PSYCHED!
Actually, I’m not a real big Hot Topic fan. Only reason I’d shop there would be for TH merchandise.
Another case of fan-stereotyping? Check.
Actually, I’m not a big fan of Hot Topic. Only reason I’d ever shop there was to look for Tokio Hotel merch.
So.
Another case of fan-stereotyping? CHECK.
That photo of them is horrifying.
It’s Jim Henson’s Evanescence Babies!
There’s this big poster of them at the local record store, so fucking terrifying…
1. Find a more up-to-date picture, are you really that lazy that you’ve used the same one in two articles?
2. I hardly think a sticker, easily removed, can be classified as vandalism.
@.andante.: The newer pics are scarier.
@ Maria_VM - I’m surprised to see you write that about your friend’s daughter. I’m sorry for her and her family, but for anyone unfamiliar with Tokio Hotel and their message I’d like to point out that this is very unusual - despite the lead singer’s heavy use of eyeliner, they are by no means an “emo” or depressive band; on the contrary their lyrics are generally positive. ‘Spring nicht,’ or Don’t Jump, is an anti-suicide song. ‘Stich ins gluck,’ or On the Edge, is about a girl addicted to drugs - showing addiction in a very negative light. ‘Leb die Sekunde,’ or Live Every Second, is about just that - living, loving life, carpe diem, making the most out of it - very positive and upbeat sentiments! Ubers ende der Welt/Ready, Set, Go, as well as Schrei/Scream, are both about being true to yourself, following your dreams and breaking out of the mold that society sets for you. An deiner Seite/By Your Side is about true friendship and the bond it creates, when you know that distance can’t separate you from the ones you love and support. Wir sterben niemals aus is about how the act of creativity, of making music and connecting with the fans, is a kind of immortality - they feel that this shared experience preserves their spirit and feelings forever, and Bill generally extends this explanation when introducing the song, with the statement that this is true for everyone - everyone leaves their mark on the world in some way, and everyone is important and remembered.
I just think it’s regrettable that so many people, in the business of their lives, fail to take the time to actually research a band, its music, lyrics, history and message, yet feel entitled to make sweeping generalizations and statements about the band as if they actually knew something about it. Please, attention all knee-jerk guyliner haters - just because Bill wears makeup, doesn’t mean the world should ignore the music of Tokio Hotel. They are not poison. They are not dangerous, and they are not trying to brainwash your fifteen-year old daughters and take them away from you. They have enough older, rational and committed fans, who are not hysterical teens, who have been with them from the beginning, and are loyal forever.
Anyway, let’s say that Tokio Hotel becomes big enough in America to have a cultural influence. Is this a bad thing? I would hesitantly suggest that unfortunately many Americans still think that nothing comes out of Germany but swastikas and bratwurst. Could we please end this WWII-era fear and distrust, and start to realize that, sixty-some odd years later, Germany is a different country with many admirable qualities? They have a strong female leader, in the Chancellor Angela Merkel. Their capital city, Berlin, is coming to be seen as a burgeoning mecca of art and creativity, in not only music but the visual arts, architecture, etc. German restaurants are rated second only to France. Germany signed the Kyoto Protocol - can the US say as much? Honestly - we’re so resistant to the idea of anyone non-American, being more famous in America than our own artists - can we get over this arrogance? Personally I think it’s commendable that Tokio Hotel are inspiring young people, in America and worldwide, to learn foreign languages (whether German or otherwise), to take up musical instruments, to travel the world, to talk to people from other countries - how can this possibly be a bad thing? Would it be better if your daughters stayed at home, never applied themselves to another language, only talked to their friends in their little clique at their local high school, and watched Ashley Tisdale? Please.
And a bumper sticker is not vandalism.