One riff.
A movie trailer playing on television.
And an idea that would become inseparable from Running Wild.
By 1987, Running Wild had already released two albums.
But the identity that would eventually define the German band had not yet appeared.
There was no grand plan to become metal’s pirate band.
According to Rock ’n’ Rolf Kasparek, it started almost by accident.
THE RIFF
While writing material for Running Wild’s third album, Rolf was working on a riff at home with the television on.
A trailer for Roman Polanski’s Pirates appeared on the screen.
Something clicked.
The riff seemed to carry a pirate-like feeling, and the image on television gave Rolf an idea:
“Under Jolly Roger.”
He took the song to rehearsal.
The reaction from the rest of the band was immediate. They considered it one of the strongest songs they had for the new record.
Soon, the title of one song became the title of the entire album.
But the idea did not stop there.
THE IMAGE GROWS
If the album was going to be called Under Jolly Roger, the artwork should reflect it.
Then came another idea: why not photograph the band dressed as pirates?
And if they were going to look like pirates on the record, why not carry the concept onto the stage?
Piece by piece, the identity assembled itself:
the song.
the album title.
the artwork.
the clothes.
the stage.
There had been no meeting in which Running Wild decided that the band needed a new marketing image.
Rolf would later describe it much more simply:
It just happened.
FROM IMAGE TO IDENTITY
What began spontaneously soon became something much deeper.
Rolf developed a serious interest in pirate history, reading extensively about the subject and incorporating historical themes into later Running Wild material.
The pirate imagery was no longer simply decoration around one song.
It had become part of the band’s identity.
And Under Jolly Roger became one of Running Wild’s defining songs — the point from which the pirate association would follow them for decades.
The concept also helped establish a template that later bands would take in very different directions, eventually turning “pirate metal” into a recognizable corner of heavy metal culture.
But that future was not mapped out when Rolf first wrote the riff.
It began with something much smaller.
A guitarist was writing a song.
A television happened to be on.
A pirate flag appeared on the screen.
And one of heavy metal’s most recognizable identities was born.
Sometimes a genre doesn’t begin with a plan.
Sometimes it begins with a riff and an accident.
SOURCES
Metal Underground — Rock ’N’ Rolf interview
Metal Forces Magazine — Running Wild / Rolf Kasparek interview
Iron Fist Zine — Running Wild interview
MetalScans — Running Wild interview
Rocknytt — Rolf interview