“I’ve been welcomed with open arms and so much love.”

It was a big surprise when it was revealed that Vanessa Warwick, music producer and moderator, would be joining Ghost’s European tour Skeletá. Ghoulbanger’s Ball is a remake of the well-known MTV television show Headbanger’s Ball from the 90s. For many fans, Vanessa’s videos from the various venues on the tour have certainly awakened nostalgic feelings.

It was a great honour for me that she agreed to answer some questions about the tour and her work for the fanzine ‘The Ghost Report’.

Dear Vanessa, thank you for taking the time to talk to me. So first of all, I would like to know: When did you discover Ghost? Have you known them since the early days? Have you ever been to one of their concerts in the past?

»When did I discover Ghost? I discovered Ghost a few years ago, and was recommended to them by my ex MTV producer, the wonderful Sarah Harding, and she told me about them, and I went and had a look. And yeah, I thought, wow, this is amazing. And the quality of the songs and the imagery and everything was just off the scale. So yeah, I was immediately hooked. And I think that’s the same for most people, that they feel that as soon as they’re exposed to Ghost, they’re just completely hooked in.«

In the 90s your TV-Show MTV “Headbangers Ball” was an institution in the scene for many metal fans. Nobody in the fandom expected the new Skeleta tour to be accompanied and the fans would even be integrated into the process. In my opinion, you are the perfect choice for that job. It would be interesting to know how the collaboration with Ghost came about? Did they reach out to you directly or did the collaboration come about by chance?

»The collaboration with Ghost came about very quickly, about five weeks before the Skeletour kicked off in Manchester. I had an email from the record company inviting me to attend a Zoom call, which I did. And they said that Tobias had requested me as the tour reporter. And was I interested? Well, of course, yes. And I was like shaking. I was so excited. I just couldn’t believe he even knew who I was. It was such an honor and a privilege to be asked. And just so many thoughts were running through my mind about what I could do to make this a wonderful experience and do right by the band and the fans. And, well, it was a complete no brainer to me. I said yes immediately. And then I really just immersed myself in how I was going to make this a great success.«

How did you prepare for the tour? Ghost fans are very different from the stereotype of a typical metal fan. Every group of age is represented. The fans are also very creative. Did you expect that?

»I prepared for the Skeletour by consuming loads of Ghost content, videos, gig reviews, magazine articles, album reviews. I went way back to the beginning and worked my way forward through the content. So basically, I just did a very deep dive into everything Ghost. I wanted to obviously know the music, understand the lore, the history of the band, the fandom. And yeah, I had to learn new terminology that I hadn’t really heard before. And I just did that by completely immersing myself in Ghost content for the five weeks leading up to the Skeletour to make sure that I was fully prepared and on point with everything I was doing.«

It was a great experience for the fans to be able to share their feelings about the band with you. You were a direct connection between the fan community and the band. What was your most memorable experience on the tour?

»I think one of my most memorable experiences on the tour was Scottish Jesus, because he was just so brilliant and iconic. And I was genuinely, genuinely worried that people might think it was a setup, that he was an actor or something. But he wasn’t. He was a fan. And also, I think, very memorable hearing the stories of the fans that had come through very challenging times and Ghost’s music had helped them. That was very inspiring to hear those stories. And also, I met an 82-year-old grandmother who attended the ritual with her daughter. And right down to, I think, an eight-year-old lad that… attended the ritual with his dad on his birthday. So, the whole gamut of fans was amazing to meet.«

What was it like to be on tour with the band for so long and travelling from city to city? What was your everyday life like on tour? What is it like to sleep in a tour bus? Have you ever done something like this before?

»It was totally awesome to be on tour with the band for five weeks. It was very intense. It was very hard work. There was a lot of travelling. I probably put in 13, 14-hour days every day. I had to get used to living on a tour bus and living out of a bag. But as my husband and I have a motorhome, I’m kind of quite experienced at that already.

But living on a bus with other people is a different experience because one thing on tour, you have zero privacy and you have to really just get on with everybody and they were such a wonderful crew and indeed the band themselves that uh I was just you know welcomed and got straight into the Ghost family on tour and that made it very easy for me to integrate with it.«

You must have had a team working with you to record and compile the videos of Ghoulbangers Ball. How big was your crew and can you give us some insights of the videos being finalized and published? Anything you would change in the process next time?

»The team that worked on the European Skeletour Ghoulbangers Ball was actually very small. Three people, me, a cameraman and an editor who was working remotely. So, at the end of every night, all the footage was uploaded to the editor and he started the edit. So, I actually had none or very little input into the edit itself. I just literally created the content with the cameraman and then we uploaded it to the editor and he made the editing decisions. And then it had to be approved by both management and the band. And that approval process often took a few days, which is why some of the episodes are a little bit delayed, just down to the complicated approval process across many time zones.«

Did you also have the opportunity to spend some time with the band and the crew or was the schedule too tight to keep the tour going?

»Yes, I did get time to spend with the band, often met them in catering or sometimes saw them after the show. And we were all on a 12-hour ferry ride together to Finland. So that was probably the most continuous time I spent with them. And it was great fun. We had a little bit of a party and I got to meet with Tobias on a regular basis to discuss the content and anything specific that he wanted us to cover. So yes, it was a very tight-knit community on the road and you would see people around the venue every day and you did get a little bit of a chance to hang out and get to know people and there were some incredible inspiring people on the tour and a privilege to meet them.«

Did you also have the opportunity to do some sightseeing in the cities? Try some food and relax a little?

»I didn’t get any chance to do any sightseeing other than when I was recording the intros to each edition of Ghoulbangers Ball, where we went to a local city landmark. I have visited many of the cities before while working on MTV’s Headbangers Ball in the 90s. But there were a few places that I hadn’t been to, so it was good to at least… have a little insight into what those places were like, but I didn’t do any sightseeing. I didn’t go out for any meals. And I mainly just spent days off in my room, relaxing or doing my laundry. So, nothing very exciting there. The days off were just really just to rest and relax and recharge my batteries for the next ritual.«

Have you noticed any differences between the fans in the different countries? We Germans are often said to be less passionate than fans in other countries. We are definitely working on it. 😉

»I did notice a difference between fans in different countries. Some countries are more reserved, others are more passionate. But I don’t like to make sweep sweeping statements like that, because at every gig, there were some fans who were incredibly articulate and expressive. And then there were others that, you know, just answered monosyllabically. But you know, it’s just the luck of the draw who I get to talk to, because obviously there’s 1000s of people there, and I can’t talk to all of them as much as I’d like to. So, I generally approached people that were waving at me or smiling at me or shouting at me, because I thought that they might be interested in saying something to the camera. But otherwise, it was a completely random choice of fans for each interview. Yeah.«

In recent years, filming and photography during concerts has increased massively. For this reason, the band has decided to take action itself and has banned mobile phones at concerts. What are your experiences and do you think this is a good decision? Was Ghoulbangers Ball some kind of compensation for the fans not being able to take photos themselves? Some kind of memory for them.

»Yes, Ghoulbangers Ball was partly to compensate the fans for the fact that there were no mobile phones allowed at the rituals. But it had another and bigger purpose, and that was to demonstrate to the fans things that have influenced Ghost over the years. So musical influences, cultural influences, things like sci-fi, comics, art, all of those things, there are little, I guess, hints within the Ghoulbangers Ball editions. that will lead you down a t rail to learn more about what influenced Ghost and their music and their imagery. And I have noticed that eagle-eyed fans are spotting these little hints and picking up on them.«

I don’t know if you’re allowed to reveal it in advance, but will you also be accompanying the tour in the USA? Would you come along again the next time Ghost go on tour?

»With regards to me coming on the US tour, it is just currently being discussed now and hopefully I can let you know in the next two to three weeks, I would say. But what I would say is obviously if I did get offered to go on tour with Ghost again, I would completely jump at the chance. It’s been probably thebest five weeks of my life in
 some ways. It’s been laughter, it’s been joy, it’s been emotional, it’s been fun, it’s been inspirational. It’s taken me out of my everyday existence and given me a completely new look on life and taken me back to my metal roots. So I’ve absolutely loved every single second of it. And I hope I’ll be there again in the future.«

Do you miss the (90ies) TV times or is social media something you think is even better to connect with fans and to spread news?

»I think a lot of what Ghost have tried to do with Ghoulbangers Ball is to take people back to the golden days of metal, to old school style, where there weren’t any mobile phones, there wasn’t social media, there was just pure enjoyment and engagement with the artist and also other fans at the event. So, it is an homage to the 80s and 90s, to the golden era of metal, and to the bands that were part of that golden era like Metallica, Def Leppard, Kiss, Judas Priest, all of these amazing bands that influenced Ghost and made them what they are today. So yes, it’s going back to the old school style of a gig with just total engagement and it worked
 incredibly well and the fans have loved it.«

What are your next plans? When will we see you again outside the Ghost Cosmos?

»My immediate plans are to rest because I’m extremely tired after the tour, and when I got home, I was just beyond exhausted, and I slept most of the day. I’m feeling more lively today, and I’m going to carry on with my Instagram, and I’m going to have my discussions with the record company about the American tour, and I hope to remain within the Ghost fandom no matter what happens, because I’ve been welcomed with open arms and so much love, and I’ve had so much support from the fans and indeed, the band and the crew, and it’s just wonderful to have been part of it, and I hope that I can remain within the Ghost family for the future, no matter what happens and cool bangers ball will be a wonderful legacy for me.«

Vanessa, thank you for giving us a little insight behind the scenes of Ghoulbanger’s Ball. I wish you a good rest now. I would be delighted to see you again on the US tour.

                                              km