While it is now public knowledge exactly who is underneath the mask of Cardinal Copia, the frontman and bandleader for Ghost, and what he looks like without it, Tobias Forge has never given an on-camera interview as himself. That is until now.
This past Friday, Forge appeared on the French television show Quotidien for a rare un-costumed appearance where he talked about his long-running metal band and his decision to go before the cameras out of character. Looking much less scarier in a simple leather jacket and t-shirt, Forge told the host that, in part, he was “standing at a crossroads from a media point of view where everything I’ve done so far with the band…has taken the band to a certain point and that to go further” he would have to agree to show his face every once in a while.
“Throughout the years of touring with Ghost, I’ve never really felt 100% anonymous,” Forge said, “even though the characters in the band and the visual presentation has always overshadowed what I was and whatever I did. I felt very comfortable with that situation for many, many years. Then it just came to a point where so many people knew about it and there were so many pictures taken of me and there was so much exposure…if I was going to stick with the program that I set out before this band was even known when there were no inquiries about revealing anything…that will also put a limit on what I want to achieve. So I figure that I can do stuff like this once or twice.”
Watch the unmasked interview below:
While Forge and his Nameless Ghouls still have promotional work to do in support of their most recent album Prequelle, including tour dates in the U.K., Europe, and Australia, they are already looking to what comes next. According to a new interview Forge gave to Billboard in advance of this year’s Grammy Awards (Ghost is nominated for Best Rock Album for Prequelle and Best Rock Song for “Rats”), planning is already under way for the next album, with the idea of hitting the studio in early 2020 and releasing the new record later that year.
“Luckily this time around I feel very certain as to what I want to do,” Forge told Billboard. “I have tons of bits and pieces and stuff written, and I know that once I really start working that there’s going to be a record which feels very inspired. The dramaturgic nature of the records and the stories are getting more and more intertwined nowadays, which I like. It’s almost like working with a series, I guess; You have your characters and you can still f–k with them and add new things and take things away. You can do whatever you want, which is always enticing from a creative standpoint.”
[See Also: Ghost Turn Brooklyn’s Barclays Center Into a House of Worship]
As mentioned, Ghost will be out on the road for a good part of 2019, playing both headlining shows and a high-profile support slot on Metallica‘s European tour. See their full list of dates, as well as their their performance of “Dance Macabre” on the aforementioned French TV show Quotidien, below. Ghost’s latest album, Prequelle, is available at Reverb LP.
Ghost 2019 Tour Dates:
02/05 – Amsterdam, NL @ AFAS Live
02/06 – Antwerp, BE @ Lotto
02/07 – Paris, FR @ Zenith
02/14 – Stuttgart, DE @ Schleyerhalle
02/15 – Bochum, DE @ Ruhrkongress
02/17 – Hannover, DE @ Swiss Life Hall
02/18 – Hamburg, DE @ Sporthalle
02/20 – Gothenburg, SE @ Scandinavium
02/21 – Oslo, NO @ Spektrum
02/23 – Stockholm, SE @ Ericsson Globe
05/01 – Lisbon, PT @ Estádio do Restelo *
05/03 – Madrid, ES @ Valdebebas *
05/05 – Barcelona, ES @ Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys *
05/08 – Milan, IT @ San Siro Hippodrome *
05/10 – Zürich, CH @ Letzigrund *
05/12 – Paris, FR @ Stade De France *
06/08 – Dublin, IE @ Slane Castle *
06/11 – Amsterdam, NL @ Johan Cruijff Arena *
06/13 – Köln, DE @ RheinEnergieStadion *
06/16 – Brussels, BE @ Koning Boudewijnstadion *
06/18 – Manchester, UK @ Etihad Stadium *
06/20 – London, UK @ Twickenham Stadium *
07/06 – Berlin, DE @ Olympiastadion *
07/09 – Goteborg, SE @ Ullevi *
07/11 – Copenhagen, DK @ Telia Parken *
07/13 – Trondheim, NO @ Granåsen *
07/16 – Hameenlinna, FI @ Kantolan Tapahtumapuisto *
07/18 – Tartu, EE @ Raadi Airport *
07/21 – Moscow, RU @ Luzhniki Stadium *
08/14 – Bucharest, RO @ Arena Națională *
08/16 – Vienna, AT @ Ernst-Happel-Stadion *
08/18 – Prague, CZ @ Airport Letnany *
08/21 – Warsaw, PO @ PGE Narodowy *
08/23 – Munich, DE @ Olympiastadion *
08/25 – Mannheim, DE @ Maimarktgelande *
* = supporting Metallica
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