Legendary King Diamond members Andy LaRocque and Pontus Egberg spoke to BraveWords recently about their current tour and they answered our always-popular Rapid Fire questions where we keep things light and have a little fun with some revealing responses!

BraveWords: Do you remember the moment that you looked in the mirror and said, “Music is going to be my life, that’s it.”?

Egberg: “I think for me, when I first heard AC/DC‘s live album If You Want Blood You've Got It, that was pretty much, ‘OK this seems like fun’. I mean that recording is just incredible. That really hooked me into music and hard rock and metal music. That’s what I wanted to do.”

LaRocque: “I think I was about 13 years old, playing with another guy, he was the bass player, I was a guitarist, and we were called Deuce - the song from KISS, you know the song from ‘75 or ‘76. And you know I said to myself, ‘This is what I wanna do.’ 13 years old. And I loved KISS back at that time. And of course, other bands too, but KISS was a great inspiration when I was really really young. KISS, Alice Cooper, T-Rex, all these bands back in the 70s.”

BraveWords: Who is your rock star?

Egberg: “Hmm, Andy LaRocque!”

BraveWords: Good one! That will pay the bills!

LaRocque: “I would say for me, oh, there are so many. One of my heroes was Randy Rhoads. And Michael Schenker, and you know, actually, talking about Randy Rhoads, a few days ago we met the producer of the first Ozzy album, Max Norman, who I’m a big fan of. Such a great guy! Totally down to earth. He told me some things about the recordings with Randy and stuff that was so interesting and so cool to hear, because I’ve got my own studio too of course, where I produce a lot of other bands. Very, very interesting to hear his side of things because he’s a few days older than me, and back in the analogue days, you know? Where everything was on tape, and all the tricks they had back in that time so, to me, he is also a kind of an inspiration. Max Norman, a really great, legendary producer.”

BraveWords: Have you ever asked for an autograph?

LaRocque: Yes! Phil Lynott back in 1980. I was like 17 or 18 I met Phil Lynott, and I was like, ‘Wow!’ I got his autograph. I was a big Thin Lizzy fan back then.”

BraveWords: That’s amazing actually. I don’t meet too many who met Phil or saw the band perform live.

LaRoque: “Yeah, great band.”

Egberg: “Yeah, really.”

BraveWords: What do you think about this vinyl craze and do you remember buying your first piece of vinyl? And what was it?

Egberg: “My first vinyl was KISS’ Love Gun. Yes, me and my dad drove to the record store.”

LaRoque: “My first album was a band called Status Quo, a British band. There was an album called Piledriver. You know it?”

BraveWords: Yes, I do. That was a famous record.

LaRocque: “That was a great album.”

Egberg: “But about vinyl becoming as popular as it was again, actually it’s a better format than the CD, it’s a little bigger and you can see the artwork, all that stuff. Which is nice.”

BraveWords: Tell me about the support system from your family, when they realized you weren’t going to be a doctor or a lawyer. And I’m sure your families have seen you perform. What do they think when they see you on stage? Are they running away (laughs)!?

Egberg: “No, my parents have always been, even when I was younger, supportive of what I wanted to do. And when we played Stockholm the last time, in 2019 I think, my parents came out and watched the show and they - I think they think maybe it’s a bit weird - but I think they enjoyed it. So, it’s a big spectacle.”

LaRocque: “Same here. When I was younger, my parents drove me to different rehearsal spaces, with the Marshall cab in the back and the amp and the guitar. I was like 13 or 14 years old playing with different bands or in different rehearsal spaces. They’ve always been very supportive, you know. Which was of course a great help.”

BraveWords: Do you recall a gig that you regret that you turned down?

LaRocque: “No. To be honest, not really, no.”

Egberg: “I’m not in the habit of turning gigs down.”

BraveWords: We know the icons, you’re one of them. Metallica, Maiden, Priest and King Diamond - where is the torch going to get passed? Give it 10 or 15 or 20 years, is it going to be the KISS hologram show with all these bands? Where do you think it’s gonna go?

LaRocque: “A few years ago, Sabbath called it quits, and it’s going to evolve. It’s hard to know now what bands are going to be like the icons in 5 or 10 years, but there are bands coming from underneath, filling up I think. It’s a tricky question, and I hope it’s not going to go to where it’s the hologram shows are taking over. I mean that’s a fun thing, but I have a hard time believing that that can replace the real live show.”

BraveWords: This is directed to you, Andy. Your studio Sonic Train, you obviously see a lot of new bands. Is there anything you see that you think would replace Metallica in a few years? Are you seeing a lot of nice talent come through your studio?

LaRocque: “I do. I really do. There are a lot of bands, actually. Nothing I can recall right now, but I work with maybe 10 different bands every year, you know? Some of them are really good, talented, musicians, so all I can say is that I really hope they can work their way through and, get a break. There are a lot of them. Really good bands out there. It’s just a matter of getting the right deal, the right contact, to get through. There are a lot of bands out there, that’s for sure. So what I can do in the studio, is that I try to give them the best possible tools – good sound, and try to help them every way I can to help them get through, you know? A lot of great talent out there you know. For sure.”

BraveWords: How do they get over the intimidation factor meeting you?

LaRocque: “That’s usually not a problem. Sometimes they think, ‘Oh how is that going to be, meeting Andy in the studio?’ and all that, but after just a few minutes, they will realize that, you know, it’s a very cool, laid-back kind of environment to work in. And they’ll realize that, I’m not like that, you know?”

BraveWords: It’s a reflection of your demeanour because I’ve met you a couple of times, and you’re a wonderful soul.

LaRoque: “I just try to take care of them the best possible way, to make them feel comfortable. That’s usually how it works out.”

BraveWords: Aside from your passport and your phone what do you always travel with?

Egberg: “Wow. My credit cards, ha ha.”

BraveWords: But that could be on your phone these days.

Pontus: “True. I don’t really have any special stuff that I always have to bring with me. Maybe a power adaptor!”

BraveWords: The right one for the right country! OK, you’re in a bar and there’s an empty stool beside you. Who would you like to sit in it?

LaRocque: “My wife. When we’re on tour.”

Egberg: “Good one, good one.”

LaRocque: “She’s going to see this.”

Egberg: “Yeah, I can’t argue with that. I will have to go for that, too.”

BraveWords: Andy's wife (laughing)?

Egberg: (laughing) “My own wife. But she’s always welcome to sit next to me, too.”

LaRocque: “They were just down for the weekend and it’s always good when they come out for a couple of days, to join on the bus and hang around do you know? They know most of the guests we have backstage, they know mostly all of them, so they host them and take care of them. It’s great to have them out once in a while.”