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Thanks to Doris from Empik and Jarek from Mystic Production we had a possibility to make an interview with Tuomas Holopainen, the leader of a well-known band, Nightwish.
This is a bit modified text, as we couldn’t get it in the original, mainly because of lots of background voices and...laughs ;)))
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12.00-12.40 - Hotel Reytan
Aurinko:So, you’re in Warsaw since Friday, have you seen anything so far?
Tuomas Holopainen: The thing is that I haven’t seen anything, I’ve just came to the club “Stodoła” yesterday straight from the airport, and I’ve been doing interviews since on, so the only thing I have seen was the Italian restaurant around the corner. (laugh)
A:Are you going to Helsinki straight after Warsaw?
T.H.:No, I’m flying to Milan today, because it's a promotional tour of a new album.
A: All right, so now we have our planned questions here. We’ve listened to the mp3 pieces from the web-site and they are different from the previous albums, like a bit heavier, giving a symphonic feeling, reminding a bit of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana"...
T.H.:Oh, that’s a compliment, thanks! (laugh)
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A:You've worked with mr. Pip Williams, and some singing were done by an Indian from Lakota tribe. I've heard a few opinions, that because of these new elements Nightwish will loose it's "pure nightwishness". How would you reassure that it won’t happen?
T.H.: No, surely not. I think that this is definitely the strongest album that we’ve done in every way. There’s still like the old standard that we are doing, we have always had that symphonic style, and the ballads are still there, everything is just done over the top this time. There’s really heavy punch with the guitar and the drums, but on the other hand there’s also much more orchestra, there’s still the ballads and everything, so it’s pretty much more of everything.
A:So, it's like more sophisticated?
T.H.: Ok, that’s a nice world too. (laugh) But I understand it’s the most difficult album that we’ve ever done, so you really shouldn’t listen to it just once... ehm... you shouldn’t listen to “Once” just once, at least like five times to get the clear picture of all thing. It’s a challenge, not only for the band, but for the listeners as well.
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A: Do you think you will change your style in a few years?
T.H.: I have absolutely no idea. I’m just doing songs in a natural way, what feels good, like in every period of my life, and this time I just thought that it would be the most natural way to be a little bit harder with lots of orchestra. Maybe the next album will be totally acoustic, who knows?
A: But why has the cover changed?
T.H.: Yeah, you know, I don’t like to do the same things over and over again. The same goes with the whole albums, the songs, also promotional pictures and covers. I always wanted to search some new territories, and with the three previous album covers we used the same style of airbrush painting, so it’s time to do something different, time to take a step into some different direction.....
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A: All right, we have a question which is a comment of yours: "Both Tarja`s and Marco`s vocals were done at Finnvox during the first part of February. This process went very smoothly and both of them, again, exceeded themselves. We experimented a bit with Tarja`s voice and the result is fantastic. Except for one bonustrack which is the worst shit I`ve ever done." Why is it?
T.H.: Yeah, we recorded 14 songs alltogether, and 13 of them were really cool, but this one song, which is called "Live to tell a tale" - it just had a bad karma from the start, I don’t know, it just doesn’t work, it’s really, really the worst song I’ve ever done for some reason.
A: So why the hell are you going to put it on the album?
T.H.: It’s not going to be on the album, it’s going to be like the bonustrack of the second version of the first single or something like this, there’s always a huge demand for this bonustracks, so they can use it if they want.
A: And there’s going to be a Finnish language song on the album. There was already one on “Angels Fall First” called....”Lappi – Erämäjärvi”....
T.H.: Very good!!! (laugh)
A: Did you think of singing some more songs in Finnish, especially in the beginning of your career?
T.H.: It’s just an experiment...it feels much better to do the songs in English, for some reason or another, but this time again it was just an experiment how can a Finnish language sounds like and I was very, very suspicious about the whole thing .....It ended up being very good, I think one of the best ballads we ever did, but Finnish language is kind of....it can easily get really corny and comical when sang in this kind of music, so I have to be really careful with the lyrics. Anyway, it’s been an exotic touch to the album.
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A:We had the impression that Finnish is the best language for singing...
T.H.: Really? Maybe it’s for people outside Finland, but when you are a Finnish speaking person and you hear people singing in Finnish, it doesn’t always sounds that good.
A:Ok., so, back to the beginning. What made you form the band, what was the first idea of the band?
T.H.:First idea with the band was to do the acoustic campfire music, that was the whole basic idea of Nightwish, and the whole thing got out of hand in fact within two years....the guys in the band had a metal background, so that was a natural step, but what made me start this thing was just I wanted to try my abilities such as a song writer, and that’s a thing that I love in this thing the most - I love doing songs, that’s like a life-line, a way of life for me, to clear out my mind of this shit that’s going out there...
A: But you’re the only song-writer in the band?
T.H.: Pretty much so, yeah.
A: But somebody helps you probably?
T.H.: Yeah, with the arrangements – we do it with the whole band, I don’t know anything how to do this guitar basics, so they’re doing the whole ideas with that.
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A: What can you tell us about “For my pain”? It’s quite unknown in Poland, in fact.
T.H.:Yeah, it’s just like a therapeutic project, it’s not my project, the friends of mine from up-north of Finland started the whole thing. It’s nearly a project, we’ve never done any live shows...but whenever I have time I take my part and that’s pretty much it.
A: But what kind of music is that?
T.H.: It’s like gothic rock, really singful, easy going, just that way.
A: Have you ever thought of making a concept album - like one story album? Maybe something from Kalevala?
T.H.: Amorphis did that already. I've had that in my mind long, long time ago. Actually “Century Child” was kind of thematic album in a way. But making a concept album is something.... I don’t know, I just have this urge to do songs about so many different things, I just don’t want to concentrate on one particular story, I have really...... like ambition, you know, to make a songs about different things.
A: So it’s like rain of the ideas?
T.H.: Yeah, that’s right.
A: You have travelled a lot, could you tell us what is your favourite place abroad and what could you recommend to see in Finland?
T.H.: .: In Finland? Lapland definitely. That’s my favourite place in the whole world. I mean, I have travelled a lot, but I still haven’t met or seen a place which is as beautiful and as peaceful as Finnish Lapland. I go there at least once a year to do my hiking in the woods, you know, just backpack for a week or two, with the tents. We have this tradition with Tony Kakko from Sonata Arctica, we always go just the two of us over there, wander a lot, yeah, it’s really one of the most beautiful places in the world, so that’s definitely a thing I could recommend, but also Kitee, the town I come from, that’s really the best place in the world to live in.
A: It’s Karjala, yeah?
T.H.: Karjala, yeah, you just know everything! (laugh)
A: We have been in Finland once or twice.
T.H.: Really?! Where did you go?
A: Well, to Jyväskylä and Helsinki, also Turku, Tampere, Vaasa...but we want to take a car and go around Finland, we’ll use this jokamiehen oikeus (laugh) we’ll take a tent, another car full of food, and go to Lapland.
T.H.: When are you going to do this?
A: In the summer.
T.H.: Cool! Come to Kitee! Have you been to Karelia?
A: No, not yet.
T.H.: Oh, come on!!! You have to come there....it’s very nice ....
A: Yeap, we know it’s the cradle of Kalevala.
T.H.: Yeah, that’s right!
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A: Ok., and now a thing that probably a lot of people want to know –you had a gig in Katowice two years ago...
T.H.: .: We did?! No, we didn’t, we were supposed to have.
A: Really?!... Yeah, because we saw the date in the tour information – 17.08.2002.
T.H.: Yeah, there was supposed to be the show, and we already had everything planned, but there was this coincidence with the Pope, they cancelled the whole thing (laugh)
A: Are you going to have a gig soon?
T.H.: They are planning it at the moment actually....
A: There is a tour in the USA, so afterwards probably?
T.H.: Yeap, maybe, we have a very tight schedule, 2005 at the latest.
A: And now we have a freaky question from our reader.....What is the melody in your cellphone? (laugh) I think nobody asked you before about that?
T.H.: Nobody has ever asked, but the thing is that (while checking his phone) I never keep my phone like the voice up, it’s only shaking. Because I hate that “tidu tidu”;)
A: And this one is even more freakier (laugh) - Wishmaster was inspired by Dragonlance...
T.H.: Dragonlance and Tolkien and all of other stuff...
A: Do you have a favourite hero from Krynn?
T.H.: From what?!
A: (while writing the name) Krynn...
T.H.: Ok., yeah. It’s a Tasselhof, a little guy.....
A: And Raistlin Majerie?
T.H.: Raistlin Majerie is a cool one too.
A: The creativeness of our readers is...(laugh)
T.H.: Yeah, it’s awesome, do you have more questions like this?? This are the most fun. (laugh)
A: Well...you have a beautiful make-up. How much time do you spend on doing it?
T.H.: 5 min...max.
A: Ok., and our photographer wants to ask something...
photografer:) : I'm little behind in Nightwish music, but I’m a classical musician, so I’d like to ask if you have any particular inspiration of classic in your music, maybe Sibelius, Mozart...or do you just put some classical instruments together...how do you do it?
T.H.: The thing is that I used to play a clarinet and piano for 12 years, so you can imagine, I really have an overdose with that.
A: So, probably Tarja must have something to do with it?
T.H.: Yeah, she's really much into it, and the guitar player Emppu as well.
A: I’m just asking as I’ve played six years the violin and then seven years the saxophone.
T.H.: What kind of saxophone?
A: Alto saxophone.
T.H.: I used to play the tenor... (laugh)
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A: Ok., one another thing –could you please write some kind of a dedication in Finnish for us?
T.H.: In Finnish? Yeah, sure, no problem!
after a while...
A: And in the end...a small gesture of polish hospitality (while giving 0,75 l of Żubrówka :))))
T.H.: Ok.!!! This is the best hospitality I’ve ever seen!!!! (laugh)
A: Have you ever drank this?
T.H.: No, but I'll try it now!
A: NOOOO!!! You should drink it with the apple juice! It’s the best with it!!!
T.H.: ??
A: Well...of course you can drink it now...
T.H.: Great......Good! That's really good!
A: : Some time ago, a group of students from Seinäjoki came to Warsaw, and they told us that Żubrówka is the best polish drink.
T.H.: It's very good!
A: Do you have another interview after us?! (laugh)
T.H.: Yeah, one more...I think I should be a bit hurry with it ;))) (laugh)
A: Ok., Tuomas, thank you very much for the interview!!! See you in the Empik!
T.H.: Thank you very much!!! I wish we had more time!!!
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In Empik Megastore, 14-15.20
When we came to Empik, quite a big queue was already standing and waiting for Tuomas. He came around 13.30 and went straight to Empik’s office, where he had an interview with Inka. After some time he came back and started to give all of the autographs on Nightwish posters...there were really lots of people, lots of pictures, he seemed to be a bit tired at the end,
and also a bit confused sometimes (for example, while writing some strange Polish names ;),'), but also when he got a rose from one girl;))) After an hour and a while he finished giving the autographs, had a photo-session with guys from Mystic Production, Empik and Aurinko and after choosing a movie-track CD (a gift from Empik) he left.... and some fans after him ;)))
Our big thanks go to:
Doris from Empik
Jarek from Mystic Production
And last, but not least: Tuomas Yötoivelta :))) Kiitos kaikista!!!!
The journalists:
szpieg
pikku myy
sirkka
The photographers:
mestari
sirkka
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