In a new interview with Kati Rausch of Music Interview Corner, German metal queen Doro Pesch was asked if there is a moment, when she looks back at her four-and-a-half-decade career, that she would like to travel back in time to in order to see herself perform but from the eyes of a fan. She responded: “Oh, actually, well, I think I always try to make the best out of each situation, and sometimes we played in little clubs — no stage — and I’m pretty small, I’m pretty petite, and all these fans, they were so tall. And sometimes people were crashing the stage. And when I started, there was no security, nothing, there was no gap, so you could just really stage dive and then stay on stage. And I always wanted to make people happy.”

She continued: “I’m a big fan of many bands too, and I still go to concerts. And it always inspires me. And one moment, it was Ronnie James Dio. I went to his concert, and then the curtain opened, and I almost fell on my knees, fell to my knees because I was so touched. And I thought if I could ever do the same to the fans, then that would be good. So I could learn from the best. And I’m still a big fan, so, to me, the fans and the band, we are one. And, yeah, I think that’s the secret of doing it for such a long time. It’s the deep relationship with the fans. And I’m still a fan of many bands.”

Asked if she thinks heavy metal keeps her young, Doro said: “Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, totally. When you do what you love, there’s nothing, nothing better than that. No cream. Nothing. I went vegan. That’s another thing which I think it really helps the body. I think I’m more healthy (now) than I was in the ’80s. I started chain-smoking when I was 11. So I gave up smoking, and I turned vegan, yeah, maybe 10 years ago. Before I was, yeah, a vegetarian. And, yeah, I think vegan is good for your body, and I do it for the animals. But I think the skin, everything, yeah… But I think it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing.”