Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge confronts his exposed identity
[Photo by: Mikael Eriksson]
Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge is coming clean about his identity being known, the frontman and songwriter going beyond the heavy makeup, wardrobe and obfuscating theatrics of his Cardinal Copia or Papa Emeritus alter egos.
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In a new interview with Billboard ahead of the band's new album Prequelle, out June 1, and their upcoming “Rats! On The Road” tour, Forge admits that while he may not be “anonymous,” he contends he's yet to be “unmasked.”
“I've always tried to point out that there is a great difference between being anonymous and being unmasked,” he says of his real name and identity being uncovered, “and I still will put a lot of effort into preserving the latter.”
The Ghost leader points to the band's stage show as attempting to uphold a certain level of theatricality, the masks and costumes merely one component in an entertaining presentation akin to a hit Broadway play like Hamilton.
“The thing that I tried to achieve originally, and what I've been trying to maintain, is the sense of theater rather than a classic kind of rock 'n' roll (presentation),” Forge says. “My idea is Ghost is basically a theater show that you could come and see, like Hamilton, and you don't have to worry too much about the real stories. I guess I've become a little bit more of a normal rock artist, but now it's my job to do my darndest to preserve the aesthetic and the theatrical qualities, and I'm going to do my absolute best to do that.”
Further, Forge says the band's personnel has been beefed up for the coming “Rats!” tour—including background singers—and he explains that they group will no longer use backing tracks to fill out their live concert sound.
“We have a bigger band now, in terms of personnel, so it's way more live now,” he says. “Before, we were doing a little bit of the modern trickery, with backing tracks and stuff to make the whole sound a certain way. Now, we're taking that away so we're a little more like a Springsteen or Guns N' Roses sort of band with backup singers and everything. It feels great.”
Will you be catching Ghost on tour? Sound off in the comments.
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