Thank you so much, Andre. ♥ Finally, we did it! Haha

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1. It took a while, but we’re here. Tell us a little about Andre Borgman!
Andre: Yes, considering the last AF show 7dec 2007…yes…damn time goes fast.
But my name is Andre Borgman, born 13 september 1978.
Raised by the parents I could possibly wished for. My mom and dad supported my interested for music from the very beginning. My dad bought me a drumkit at the age of 10 just because I wanted one and he managed my first real band and got us to play many gigs across The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. My mother was just my biggest fan and loved and still loves every thing I do music wish. Little inside about them. My dad loves Pantera and my mom is big Ozzy fan. Oh man, so many stories to tell. Together with my mom to a Black Sabbath show and she fainted in front of the stage just when I was getting some drinks. One of the people told me what haven’t and I got to pick up my mother at the backstage with security. First thing I said: Mom, you are just doing anything to get backstage aren’t you???…haha, we had a big laugh. My fathers anecdote was when he was managing my band when I was 15 during a show we did a big pogo-pit was going on, and suddenly, from behind my drumkit, I saw a crowd surfer… I thought, this is just getting great. What a party, then I saw who the crowd surfer was. My dad. Hahaha. We we’re laughing so hard. That was just awesome. Just 2 examples of how it started. To many to tell.
You’ll get bored haha…
Right now, I am very relaxed and happy things are going, I took a big break since a year from drumming and only play in 1 band, guitar, the instrument I started with. I am hired at a zoo near my home and have the best and rewarding job I can ever imagine. …and no, I am not feeding the animals, we are responsible for the nice incitement for the visitors and the confined for the animals and nice and suitable stays enjoying live so to speak.
2. After many years you guys worked together again. We got really happy, besides the huge nostalgia feeling. How was it, to work with Floor again?
Andre: If you are(and you are;-)) referring to the Northward project that was just after the break-up of After Forever. As you may know by now I guess. But working with Floor and in this case with John Viggo was great and something I regret not taking place when it was written and If I remember right it would have been recorded in 2010. With was called Floor-Inc by then.
3. Jorn said in an interview, that the ending of “Let Me Out” turned out to be really different from they way it had been thought in the beginning, even though its structure has remained the same. What was your reaction when you listened to its final version? Did you approve its development?
Andre: Well, the tempo is faster and Jorn changed the main opening riff, the rest is exactly the same as I presented it, I can show you a recording I made in 2006 way before it was recorded. But I think it’s about royalties perhaps… I don’t mind. It’s ok…
4. How was the creation process and development of “Let Me Out”, before being presented to Floor and Jorn?
Andre: It was based on the ending riff I wrote in 98. Huge fan of Pantera and the rest came later, over the years you write some stuff that suddenly fits together with old stuff haha.
5. With Nightwish’s tight schedule, we are aware that a tour for Northward would be something distant- but not impossible. Has there been a chance for you to talk about it so far?
Andre: No, I am not sure if they will do a tour. If I will be part of it I doubt it. But would love to do it.
6. How did your passion towards music began and what are your best references and influences?
Andre: As answer one revealed. From a very young age. My grandma gave me some sort of snare drum when I was a baby haha. (Can I show pics?). When I was 6 years old my a guy in the street we lived in had some guitars at his room. Think he borrowed from his dad. We could play 2 guitar riffs and I nearly managed to do 1. His father one day came home with a snare drum he bought from a flee market. It was clear my friend who could play 2 riffs will stay at the guitar and I was stuck with the snare drum… I still love playing both instruments. The biggest influences on guitar are clearly Zakk Wylde, Dimebag… Drumwise it’s Nick Menza, Randy Castillo, Tommy Aldridge en Vinnie Paul.
7. Back to the past: we still keep after forever alive in our days, and we believe you do the same since you sometimes post some old performances videos. Which songs are your favorite?
Andre: Oef, …. hmmm. If I have to choose one. It’ll be Estranged.
8. Do you still remember the creative process in After Forever? And your personal and professional development as a person and musician, all inside this experience of joining the band. What was it? What changed in you?
Andre: Nothing really changed in me:-) The creative process was different each album. IC was written all together in one rehearsal room. 2 rehearsals a week in some months. The last A.F. album was mainly written by Joost and Sander at there studio. Totally different way.
9. After Forever came to a premature end, and according to Floor, she believed that After Forever had much more to offer. Do you agree with it? Or it came to an end in the exact moment? Why?
Andre: I also think A.F. had more to offer but after the break we took all faces where at other directions and to put it all together again wasn’t easy in a lot of ways. I don’t want to go to much in details but it was clear some bandmembers will leave anyway after we will continue…
10. Today we know that Floor is an artist engaged in many projects. Have you ever thought about a possible AF reunion?
Andre: That will never happen…
11. When it comes about to your relationship with the other AF members, the possibility of a gathering, or even so a nostalgic concert, is still a fan’s dream or something that may be possible in a distant future?
Andre: If we would do that, all the band members needs to be there. All or nothing!!!
12. Many years have passed since your discovery for the drums, bands, projects, and others. How do you see your stability, when it comes to keep making a living out of the thing you love doing? What are your new goals, projects, and challenges?
Andre: I do not live from making music. That is to difficult. Especially for a drummer…..I have a very cool job at the zoo which I like very much! 🙂
13. In some kind of a “drum clinic” or even a specific drumming festival: Which would be the drummers you’d invite to join you?
Andre: I am afraid most of them died already.
14. We fans always try to meet our idols. What about you? What idol would you like to meet?
Andre: Blackie Lawless, although he seems to be a very unpleasant guy..hahaha… Just to make a pic together would make my collection of WASP stuff complete.
15. If you could ask something to the fans, what would you like to ask?
Andre: They are already ding what I hope they would do. Keeping the After Forever Spirit Alive!!! Thank you all for that and will forever be in my memory!!! Cheers!
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Português AQUI


7. Voltando ao passado: nós ainda mantemos o After Forever vivo na nossa vida, e imagino que você faça o mesmo, já que as vezes você posta algumas performances nas suas redes. Quais músicas são suas favoritas?

Nos meus primeiros anos eu toquei bastante e eu tive sorte em tocar em uma banda com uns caras muito talentosos que eram 5 anos mais velhos que eu. Isso foi como um curso intensivo e eu estava absorvendo todo o conhecimento que eles me mostravam. Eu comecei tocando covers mas eu queria escrever minhas próprias músicas. Então eu comecei a fazer isso quando eu tinha por volta dos 20 anos. Mas eu acho que o início de tudo foi quando formamos Pagan’s Mind. Musicalmente a banda tem algo único e todos nós aprendemos e desenvolvemos muito tocando juntos. Foi uma época muito especial da minha vida tocar com Jörn Lande. Nós escrevemos 3 álbuns juntos, ele e eu, e eu era seu “guitarrista principal” por seis anos. Nós nos conectamos muito bem musicalmente e trabalhávamos também muito bem. Hoje eu estou mais sedento que nunca escrevendo novas músicas. Coisas novas do Pagan’s Mind estão progredindo e eu também tenho outro projeto tomando forma que eu mal posso esperar para mostrar pra todos!
3. Você tomou conta da música e a Floor tomou conta dos vocais. Mas quando se trata das letras, qual te deu aquele sentimento de “woah eu consigo te entender totalmente” quando você leu/escutou pela primeira vez?
5. Desde o início da sua carreira, em todos seus projetos, você tem colocado um pouquinho de si mesmo em cada nota. Partindo disso, de todas as músicas que você já escreveu desde Pagan’s Mind até Northward, qual música seria a representação mais precisa de Jorn Viggo?
8. Apesar da percepção de cada canção do Northward ser singular, nós sempre temos uma primeira impressão quando escutamos a música, que muda conforme escutamos, absorvendo sua essência e descobrindo novos aspectos em cada canção. Como você descreveria essa sensação?
10. Na maioria dos trabalhos da Floor, há um Omega – mesmo que o estilo mude, sempre é um Omega. Northward é um projeto de vocês dois, mas nós notamos duas possíveis representações, na qual nós não temos muita certeza do significado (o veado e o “triângulo”, ambos presentes no merchandise). Partindo do conceito do álbum, há um significado mais profundo para esses dois símbolos ou foi algo “randomicamente nortenho” da escolha de vocês?
In my early years I played a lot and I was lucky and got to play in a band with some really talented guys that was 5 years older then me. That was like a learning fast track and I was sucking in all this knowledge they had and showed me. I started playing covers but I wanted to write my own music. So I started doing that in my earlie 20ties. But I guess that part first took of when we formed Pagans Mind. Musically that band has something unique and we have all learned and developed so much playing with each other. It was also a special time in my life playing with Jörn Lande. We wrote 3 albums together him and I and I was his ‘main guy’ for 6 years We click very well together musically and work very well together. Today I’m more hungry than ever writing lots new music. New Pagans Mind stuff progressing slowly and I also have some other really exciting stuff going on and I can’t wait to show it to everyone.



Jorn Viggo Lofstad – Northward