Born from the passion that tore down the Berlin wall, Germany’s Cinema Bizarre is stirring up a revolution of their own with their singles “Lovesongs (They Kill Me)” and “Escape to the Stars.” The five-piece glam-rock band is currently on tour with Lady GaGa performing songs off their album Final Attraction, which is set to drop this June. myMag recently caught up with Cinema Bizarre frontman Strify in New York City to find out more about what makes the band tick.

New York is so intoxicating, Strify. How are you loving being in the Big Apple?
I’m excited to be in New York. I’ve always felt attracted to very big cities, and New York City is the city of cities.

Let’s start things off by learning a little bit about how Cinema Bizarre met…
We met for the first time in 2005 at a Manga convention in Germany, and we were all from different cities. It was a little process to get together and move together to Berlin. We had a lot of contact on the internet for one or two years. Without the internet we wouldn’t have been a band.

Now, I’ve heard that you guys all connected over something called ‘Visual Kei.’ Can you tell your fans a little bit more about what that is and how it’s shaped you?
It’s a Japanese youth underground culture; it got its origins in the 80’s. There was a band called X Japan, and their look was pretty androgynous. A big scene came out of it, Visual Kei. I became really interested in it because I was attracted to the androgyny. I’ve always felt attracted to people like David Bowie and Adam Ant. When I found out about Visual Kei, it was a big development for my own styling. In Visual Kei, boys wear makeup and have big hair. It’s a glamorous punk look.

“Escape to the Stars” is one of the big singles on your album Final Attraction. I’ve noticed a lot of references to outer space in your song lyrics. What draws you to the outer limits?
I think, what’s more far away than the stars? On the first album, we are dreaming a lot. A lot of the inspiration for the lyrics came into our mind when we were still in school. In school, I often felt like I wanted to escape. I wanted to get away because I was always different. I wasn’t a complete misfit, but I hadn’t been one of the most popular ones. I really had a hard time, which is why I wanted to escape. Which place is more far away and seems to be better than the stars?

Of all the songs on Final Attraction, which song resonates with you most?
“Dysfunctional Family,” I think everyone can relate to the song. Every family, no matter how perfect they pretend to be, has some issues. It’s like a kickback in the face to all the people who are like, “Why are you so strange?” It’s just like, call me a punk, call me a sinner, call me whatever. I just I am what I am. Meaning, maybe it’s because of my family, you know?  

Now that you’ve crossed the Atlantic to perform for your American fans, do you find that they’re much different from the ones back home in Berlin?
I love everyone, no matter where they come from. It’s great to have the friendship of people who love the music. I don’t care if it’s Berlin or New York; it’s just great to feel the love.

You’re currently on tour with the Princess of Pop, what’s it like to take the stage with Lady GaGa?
It’s very cool. We are huge fans of hers, so we asked to meet her in Berlin. She took the time, and we had a little chat with her. I still remember the first sentence she said, “You all look like my ex boyfriends.” Very cute. She’s got a great sense of style, we love her style. One of my favorite songs is “Poker Face,” oh, and “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich.”

Speaking of style, you have an incredible wardrobe yourself. Who are some of your fashion icons?
I really like David Bowie and Grace Jones. I also love Adam Ant and Siouxsie Sioux from Siouxsie & the Banshees. I’m a big fan of Madonna. I prefer the 80’s Madonna, but I really like the Erotica and Blonde Ambition styles, too.

You’ve said that “Style is War,” can you tell us more about this fight for individuality?
If you have a specific style, if you stand out, there are always people hating you. There are always people loving you. You’re doing something very strong; that’s the reason you always have to fight the war. There are always so many people trying to be enemies, so finding your own style can be a war.

Your band’s style certainly puts you guys in a category of your own. You’ve said that “we are all toyz,” is that in response to backlash because of your uniqueness?
From the very beginning, there have been a lot of people telling us that we are going to disappear after one album. They all say that we are marionettes of the record industry, which we aren’t. We are just kicking back in their faces and saying, “Yes we are toyz, but who is playing with you?”

Your use of language is very visual, where do you draw your inspiration from when songwriting?
I’m always looking for ideas; they can come from anywhere. I’m always writing everything down because you can use it later. When I start writing, I see an image, I see color, I see something like city lights. I’m writing about this, about what I see, about a vision, about a picture in my mind.

That fits perfectly with your description of your band’s sound as a “big firework.” You’ve said that you want to take your fans into another world when they hear your music, what world is that?
I think it’s just my world. It’s a world full of glitter and glam with a little touch of melancholy.