novi intervju... za neki Astan casopis... @AngelsCryBlood hvala.... navratjuj cesche... ;-)
Beginning of the tour in Essen and Ville Valo is, as he says, glad to play again in Germany. Before going to the soundcheck our colleagues Swetlana Schwarz und Iren Meiyer had several questions.
Dark Light is a little bit more pop than the former CD´s. Will the next CD also be pop?
Many people say Dark Light is rougher and more rock than Love Metal, others say it is more pop. And some say it is something right in the middle of it.
If you would be a candy, which one?
I like these white mice. I like the look and the shape.
Have you ever thought about publishing a volume of poems?
No, my lyrics belong to music. Sooner or later there will probably be a book with all HIM-lyrics. But I always see my words in combination with the music.
If you should choose a band to cover a HIM-song, who would it be?
Bloodhound Gang have covered us, they did that very well. They are "little bloody bastards", I like them much. I don´t have a band in my mind, of whom I wish they would cover HIM-songs. I like to hear the results. A few of those have turned out very well.
If you could plan your own funeral, how would it look like?
A japanese funeral ceremony. Everything´s white - nothing black. Somewhere at a river with many flowers and candles.
Are there people who are not welcome at your funeral?
I would have no influence on that anymore - at this point I´m dead. I don´t care who comes and who not. It should be not a huge funeral, my friends and my family - no one else.
When you´re dead would you prefer to decompose in the ground or to be buried?
Both! I should be cutted in two halfs and then one half should be let decomposed and the other buried. But I don´t care anyway if I´ll decompose or if I´ll be buried.
Musicians always attach pretty much importance to their appearance. Isn´t it a unpleasant picture for you to decompose and to be feeded by worms?
No, that would be a nice thought (laughs).
Are there any finnish rituals?
It is a tradition in Finland that the coffin is half open until shortly before the funeral.
There is an artist in the USA, who had stated in his last will, that the decomposing of his body will be filmed as a video-art-project. Is that something for you?
A nice idea. That would be a good Black Metal Video.
Which female name would you give to yourself, when you would be reborn as a woman?
Venus.
Is there any difference between rock musicians and musicians who compose on a computer?
Rock musicians have to learn an instrument, I began with music at the age of 7 years. It takes time until you master an instrument. From this point of view it is a big difference. On the other hand many rock musicians work with sequencers, samples and computers today. It can´t be done completely without computers in the studio nowadays. But fundamentally it is a big difference if you master an instrument or not.
If you would use not your voice but the voice of an animal for your next CD, which animal would it be?
Presumbably a cow. That would be the biggest challenge.
If god would leave it up to you to choose:
-You die young and ill - but 250 years later you would be as famous as Mozart
-You live long and healthy, but one year after your death you are forgotten
Number 2. I prefer to live long and happy. I´m a human who lives in the present. I don´t live for immortality - I live for the moment.
You are 55 years old. During a gig in front of a 250000 audience you die on stage. Is that a thought which you experience as frightening or pleasant?
If you die you simply die. It doesn´t matter when and where you die. Of course it sounds cool to die right this way. But it´s not so unusual for a rock musician. There are many musicians who had an electric shock on stage.
There was this Texan guitarist, who suffered of electric shocks on stage and the audience thought that was part of the show. His wild contortions, the audience applauded wildly and the poor guy died up there.
There are not only a few heart attacks on stage, cause the electric wires are unsafe or it is raining onto the stage during an Open Air.
What is typical of Finnish rock musicians?
Finns are shy and very calm. Finns like to drink alcohol sometimes. That is what you can say about a Finn in general. Otherwise there is not much to say about Finns which would apply to most Finns.
I have read somewhere that Finland has Europe´s highest suicidal-rate.
Worldwide it is Australia and in Europe it is Iceland. It is even darker there than in Finland.
What is preventing you from such thoughts?
I travel much around the world. That keeps me away of the dark and depressive winter.
I just see what you are drinking. How can you drink something like that on your own will?
Red Bull? I slept only a little bit and I have a small cold. Red Bull keeps me awake.
That tastes like someone has taken the blood of the Haribo jellybears and filled it into cans!
True! That goes with me! Then I´m obviously a jellybear vampire. I like that!
Which animal is most similar to your voice?
I guess an owl.
What is your imagination of life beyond death?
Nothing Christian or Hindu or whatever. I wait for it and will see it then. Nothing nekromantic I hope!
You know the film "Nekromantik" of Jörg Buttgereit? Jörg is a friend of mine.
Sure, we have talked about that at our last interview. You remember? A very strange film, not really something for my taste.
Imagine a woman you have loved or you still love. Which instrument could she be?
A gipsy violin.
Why?
She has something gipsy like and when she screams, it sometimes sounds like a violin.
How does it feel to be on tour with Finnish musicians?
It´s a bit like a trip of a family. I guess the bands suit each other well. I often hear, that people listen to bands like HIM, Negative and The 69 Eyes or also The Rasmus. Therefore I believe that this combination is a good choice. Negative are tending to glam rock, Rasmus sound more poppy and we are tending more to rock. Of course there is always a struggle among each other who is the better one. But that is friendly struggle. We are not sprinkling poison into our meals (laughs). As I said, it´s a bit like a trip of a family.
An important message to the fan base?
It is nice to be here again and I hope that this tour with Rasmus and Negative will be successful. Also I look forward to the summer festivals.
Interview: Swetlana Schwarz