Rock 1 Radio Show with Daniel P. Carter
/May 2007/

DANIEL: HIM headline Friday night, Give It A Name (GIAN). I caught up with him in his hotel. Had a couple of beers, he liked to smoke, we had a chat. This is kinda what we came up with.

(Breaks into interview)

DANIEL: This is Daniel P. Carter from the Rock 1 Radio Show, here with Ville from HIM, who's headlining GIAN tonight. How's it going?

VILLE: Oh, I'm tired. I did things I shouldn't have. Things I never ever...kids don't try those things back at home. I did all the wrong things...um...I got only like four hours of sleep.

D: So then, you are prepared for tonight?

V: I am beat.

(They both laugh.)

D: You looking forward to it?

V: Of course, I am. Yeah, never been to that particular venue.

D: Ah, ok.

V: So, it's exciting, also you know there's Juliet and The Licks. I haven't seen Juliet in a long time.

D: So, you are a single man, at the moment? Is that right?

V: Uh, kind of.

D: OK, A large part of your audience is female and they are obviously very vocal...

V: (interrupts) I got really bad eye sight, so I actually don't know...see that much.

D: Right, just a very large blur of things, a blurred mass...

V: Blurred GOTHIC mass. Uh, infected violence here, as they say with Carcass. (Ville's classic laugh)

D: You are here, quite a bit, aren't you?

V: I was suppose to be living here.

D: Yeah?

V: I was supposed to move here, but the all of the sudden love happened.

D: Yeah.

V: So, I couldn't do that. It would have been inspiring, but let's just say to fall in love with someone, it's a lot more inspiring.

D: Yeah.

V: So, I guess, I will stay where my heart is.

D: Yeah.

D: I read recently you are good friends with Lee from Cathedral.

V: Yeah, they are amazing!

D: Do you have a saying about writing, you know, out of interest. Do you ever collaborate with other people?

V: Collaborate? That's for rappers, but...

D: You know what I mean!

V: We do tend to...uh..., for example, with Lee, I love his lyrics. We always talk about (inaudible) and poets and stuff like that. It's kinda cool especially when, ya know, like twelve pints of lager...

D: Yeah.

V: ...and you are trying to act (inaudible), and trying to be so eloquent, it's...it's ridiculous. It's fun.

D: You looking forward to, what's the other show? Outside Birmingham.

V: Birmingham and Black Sabbath. That's the only reason I exist.

D: Yeah.

V: Yeah, to be the messenger for Black Sabbath.

D: You're a huge fan of Black Sabbath.

V: Uh, Yes! (Stumbles a little) I can't put it into words. Ozzy is great. I met him once. He taught me a few tricks.

D: So, you said, about Juliet and The Licks, earlier...it's quite a varied bill.

V: And Kill Hannah, from Chicago, we toured with them, back in The States. They are playing as well. They are beautiful. The guitar player...(stumbles). Unfortunately, I'm not gay! (Both laugh) They are really, really good friends of ours.

D: The thing is, your band is...the bill is more along the lines of punk and hardcore and those kinds of scenes, as a rule, for most of this over three days, but lots of those bands constantly sight you guys as influences and just love you.

V: Well, of course. We're good at what we do. (Inaudible sentence.) I started playing when I was seven and now I'm 30. I'm really happy about it, ya know? As a musician, so many (inaudible) they just need their egos rubbed. And that's a kinda good reason as well.

D: Do you wanna chose a track from one of the other bands from the bill?

V: Yeah, play anything off a Kill Hannah./p>

D: OK, cool. This is Kill Hannah.

*****Song Plays*****

D: This is Daniel P. Carter from the Rock 1 Radio Show. I'm here with Ville from HIM and that was Kill Hannah, one of your picks./p>

V: Right.

D: The new record (inaudible) Venus Doom?

V: Venus Doom.

D: Is that confirmed, is it still gonna be Venus Doom?

V: I think it's gonna be called Venus Doom. Uh, it's recorded, but not mixed. So, basically, after I finish these gigs, I'm flying off to Los Angeles, where our producer (inaudible) and he has his favorite studio, we're gonna go there. Flying in on Monday.

D: And where did you record that?

V: Back in Finland, 'cause like our keyboard player...he just had his first opportunity to be a dad just a few months ago and we that it's probably better for everybody if we record back at home so they can spend time with their girls and families and everything....um...

D: Yeah.

V: We recorded the previous one, ya know, back in L.A. and it was good, but I was away from my mom and my dad for five months and that's a long time, at least for me.

D: Do you get homesick much when you are touring?

V: No, I get sick. The beer...something...

D: Yeah, flying...busses...

V: I hate flying! I hate flying still, which is funny.

D: So let's talk a bit more about Venus Doom. You said it's a bit rawer and little heavier that the past stuff. Is it similar, sort of themes you write about, 'cause you know (inaudible) it covers like sex and death.

V: Well, I am a romantic bastard...

D: Yeah.

V: I'm (inaudible) , but I can't help it. And this will be my genius. There's been some rough stuff happening. Once of my really good friends killed himself, ya know, back in 2005. I have been talkin' 'bout that, yeah. Not a lot of pretty stuff. most depressing album we have ever done.

D: OK.

V: So far. It's cathartic (sp?), plastic. Parts of it sound like Metallica. Parts of it sound like COC during the Deliverance Era. Sabbath, all the bands I love.

(During this part there is a chunk I could not understand a few sentences, but he was still comparing sound to other bands.)

D: Yeah, Have you found that you have gone back to a lot of older stuff...

V: No, I would not say that I am, we're not re-inventing the wheel.

D: Right.

V: What we are trying to do is show the kids I'm proud to be a fan. It's what I do with the music as well. I have all of the influences. (Inaudible) of all time. That's my main goal, been succeeding well in it. Guess I am able to pay my rent.

(Another amazing Ville laugh.)

D: Well you mentioned Metallica earlier, you're gonna be doing some shows with them?

V: Yeah, we're doing a few. Uh, playing a couple in Scandinavia, then there is one I can't talk about yet, but it's gonna be very creative.

D: When is it? (Short pause, seems to be talking to someone other than Ville.) Uh, OK.

(Another chunk I could not understand, but it seemed to be Daniel asking if Ville was looking forward to meeting someone. And with context clues, it seems that he was asking about Metallica members, but that is not certain, so I could very well be wrong.)

V: No, I haven’t.

D: Are you excited about meeting them?

V: Um, no.

D: No?

V: (Sounds like, though this does not make sense.) If they are fellas, they are fellas…

D: Yeah.

V: I grew up with Master of Puppets and the Black Album’s HUGE! That’s the first time I smoked pot.

D: Do you want to pick one of your own tracks?

V: Buried Alive By Love, I love….it’s a good one. I know it’s not new, but it’s a good rockin’ track.

D: Yeah.

V: From Love Metal, the first track.

D: OK, well thank you for this, thank you for your time.

V: Thank you…um…very much. I am still pissed off that you drank all my beer.

(Both laugh loudly)

D: And the track’s called Buried Alive By Love.

(Ville laughs)

*****Buried Alive By Love Plays*****