Spotlight report. Greetings everybody! It’s Ville Hermanni Valo from band called HIM and at the moment you are enjoying this particularly thing “Sportlight Report”. See you later.
-Hi! I’m George from “Sportlight report, I’m here with evolution HIM. So how’ve you been so far, man?
- Hello-hello! Oh yeee, well, it’s a crazy festival, isn’t it? You know we just flew a couple of days before, played our first gig last night, flew in here in Sydney just a few hours ago . That’s so many things are going on ,that’s so many cool bands and so many of our idols, you know, I’m hoping to see Rob Zombie tomorrow when they do their side-show here in Sydney . It’s fantastic. We are a fan-boys. It doesn’t feel like a tour, it feels like we are just, you know, looking around and there is so many people who are so inspiring to what we do. It’s a good fun!
-Fantastic! And also you have a strong fan-base like I’ve seen a lot of heartagrams walking around, tattoos. So how do you feel when you see all those fans with wearing on skin what you created?
- oh, you know obviously it’s a special thing and something that when you start a band you don’t have a slightest idea how people are going to react to the music or to the visuals or whatever it might be. So, and it’s not in our heads, it’s in the people’s hands, you know. So we are in a blessed position that so many people seem to find something special in what we do. And it’s great and it’s amazing, it’s like travelling around the world and... It’s so funny, we’ve come from a little tiny country behind God’s back and after all these years to be able to travel around and see that happened is mind-boggling and mind-blowing and mind-bending.
-Also, well, you latest release “Tears on Tape”. We were reading that you had some issues while doing that album because Gas had injury and stuff like that. So how you guys managed to pull that album out and are you proud with the final product?
- ye-ye, we are happy with it. Of course we are proud. If we wouldn’t be proud with the album, we won’t release it. Gas had the problems with his hands and that was one of the reasons that it took a long time to finish the album, because we were to take a break for nearly a year and everybody was heart-broken. And did you know, we are a school-friends? and we….you know, it’s like you can’t just call another drummer. It’s not the same band, you know. So we were to wait it out and he really had to work hard to get his hands working, working again. It was stressful, but I’m so glad that we’ve got the album done, because otherwise it would be like.. Oh Lord, it would be terrible. You know, let say, that was a positive outcome of something that was really-really stressful. So that was a cool thing.
- What comes first for you: the melodies or the lyrics?
- ammm, usually it’s the melodies and the riffs, but I do write stuff down, but very.. A lot of times there are just ideas. I’ve never used the ideas and the finalized lyrics so it’s a bit different from song to song and I think that it makes it interesting too that it’s not exactly the same every time around.
- also “Poison girl” was a game changer, but personally which song you think was a game-changing or what album was a game-changing for you guys to make it on the industry?
- Oh, I think that the game-changer for us was a song by Chris Isaac called “Wicked Game”. It’s one of the first songs we played together as a band and through that song we found out the sound of HIM. And than also it was one of the first songs that got played on the radio back home and it gave us kind-like first kick in the butt. So yee-yee I’d say that “Wicked game” is probably the one.
- We actually like your version more than original. Sorry Chris, but this is true.
- Well, you know, I’m happy to hear that too. Our idea was not to destroy the original in any sense, it’s just our interpretation . We wanted to combine something hard-rocking with a sentimental heart of the song. Not just to make it ugly and dirty and just heavy because of it, but to maintain the kinda the feel more or less. But yes, I guess it’s easy to bang your head to that than the original.
- You also did “Don’t fear the reaper” as well. So I wonder, if there is any cover-song in the world or any cover-song that you might surprise Australian fans?
- To be honest with you, no clue. We’ve played so many covers in the past that it becomes boring after a while. And so it’s one of those things that I think, if we all of a sudden hear a song and it kind-like gets stuck in our heads, that’s when it’s good to do it as opposed to trying to figure out what cover-song to do next. And when we did “Wicked game”, when we did “Don’t fear the reaper”-stuff it wasn’t so often that hard-rocking bands were doing covers, so than it became like a norm and everybody was doing it. I’m not saying because of us, but it was like same time when Marilyn Manson did “Sweet dreams are made of this” and so there were a lot of hard-rocking bands doing dirtier, uglier, nosier versions of some pretty songs from the 80th. So it wasn’t as so surprising anymore. So…we are still waiting.
- And also, well, this is not your first time on this festival. We saw you before. What do you remember of your previous visit to Australia? Which bands did you get to hang out, which band did you see live?
- That was 2010, wasn’t it? Yeeee, I wonder, because I didn’t hang out with a lot of people on that tour, because I was working on some.. I remixed album I guess. We released this little odd remix-album after “Screamworks” and I think I was doing that more or less. It was enjoyable – yes, but it wasn’t like socializing. And than again finish people are not great in socializing. We like to keep to ourselves so we didn’t get crazy and go partying every night and stuff. So it was just about saying “Hi” to a lot of people and you know I still.. I don’t even know all the bands that are playing it so I haven’t seen the entire list. - Also how do you vindicate your personal life? Because I've been reading and doing my research for you, it's many tabloids going after you and asking you typical gossip-questions that personally (point at himself) hate. How do you live your life and how you avoid that?
- I guess, you can't avoid it. I guess it's a thing that If it happens you just have to laugh it off, just have some humour about it. If people find my dame-things so very interesting , so be, you know. It's better just to not think about it, because otherwise it will make or at least it would make me totally paranoid. Start reading about myself in like tabloids or whatever. And they had treated me fairly well, you know, it hasn't been so stupidly crazy.
- I have a bunch of fan questions here that we always take
- let's go for it
- otherwise they gonna kill me if I don't ask that. So, "Bloodhound gang" and "Cradle of filth". You colaborate with those two bands, other different styles . So how was the experience working with them?
- Well, with "Bloodhound gang" I was actually at Jimmy Pope's song-studio. It's a long story. He is one of early supporters of HIM in North America and great friends with Bam Margera, so we just met each other many-many years ago when we were touring Europe with Bloodhound gang. He just asked me, if I want to sing something. Than I flew over to this place, we partied a couple of days and end up with those vocals on it, you know. Than Cradle of filth. I was in-touch with Dany and than I sang some bits ot pieses he wanted different kind of vocalist for this particularly song and I just sang it at the studio in Helsinki and send bit some pieces. At times it works like that these days, you are not neccessary there. Saying, I did some backing vocals for Anathema - a band who I greatly and greatly adore. I've done many-many things but it's always a bit different. At times it can be like when you are a backing vocalist you just buy two cases of bear and you are going to the studio with bunch of friends and just have a party and that can be the thing. And than at times it's a bit more serious and freshen, you know.
- Also is there any events or activities you would like to collaborate with if you haven't had a chance yet?
- No, not really. Because I think that coolest stuff happens when don't know what to expect or you are not expecting too much. I don't have any like a list I want to cross names off. I think that the coolest thing is that you meet somebody by chance, by accident and than you just get along and than you do something together. That's the coolest thing.
- or Zombie around?
- well, sure, yeee. He is one of the many great people around here so will see. You know at times I think it's very important to when you're a fan it's important to be a fan. Not to get too close.
- I agree. Totally agree. What are you doing at your spare-time?
- Well, I haven't had too much spare-time. Whenever in Helsinki I'm usually hanging out with my family, with my little brother and with my mom and my dad. We've been rehearsing quite a bit and also when we recording and touring there are very-very little time that we get to spend with our friends. So that's usually tons of reunions, hanging out in bars, playing pool and getting shift-faced you know. The usual.
- ye, the usual stuff. How did you get to meet Kat Von D? Are you planning to have another tatoo with her?
- ooow, I went through aaaa...well, that's a long story too. Just a finish guy used to live in LA, he just... We were talking about tatoos because I was supposed to get it. Well, whatever, that's a long story but .. Ya, we've just met up and became friends and than she was friends with Bam Margera and she became friends with the whole band, bla-bla-bla. You know it just one of those things, we get along and as simple as that.
- and speaking about tatoos. You have poets on one of your arms, you have moovie star on your chest as well - Maya Deren, so how did that people inspire you in your life for you to get inked it?
- Well, it doesn't necessary have to be anything earth- shattering, you have to come up with the crazy idea and just do it. Cause I think that what life's about. If you sit on an idea and think about an idea too much, you'd probably.. you killing it. The best thing is to go with the flow and you get inspired by something and than in my case , you know, getting inspired by Klaus Kinski or whatever than I wanted to get his face tatooed on my body. As simple as that. For me it's fun. And it's not too serious. You know, in that sense. It's just ink.
- ok. What is your favourite HIM- song?
- uuuum, I think it's gonna be the one we played last tonight which is "When love and death embrace".
- and why?
- after "Wicked game" it's one of the first songs that we kind found the identity and the first song that we've got some respect . People really loved it where we come from. And it's been kind of a theme-song of HIM back in Finland. It is what we still all about. It still sounds to me, it sounds current. It's a simple lovesong, but it's still a bit twisted, crooked, noisy and it's got all the tween-peaksy elements we're so proud of.
- What's your favourite topic for a song?
- Probably the one I still haven't written about, you know. There has to be some new stuff. A lot of times my lyrics go through a very emotional lens , you know. I like matters of the heart. It doesnt' necessary have to be about boy- and- girl- love, but it's about being confused and trying to figure out why and where for and where to going next. I think it's very universal in that sense. So, yee, lost in the wheels of confusion. (* BLACK SABBATH SONG!!!!!!!! I WAS WAITING FOR THAT SIGN!)
- We always ask guests these two questions. The first one is can you share with us any fun-story while on the road with the band?
- That's one of the toughest question because obviously there are many but than again many of them you wouldn't probably find funny cause in our case we've been together for more than 20 years as a band so we know each other so well that 99.9% of all the fun-stuff is the inside-jokes. So a lot of people don't get them. I'm just wondering...well, you know, I think one of the classics things was our bass-player Mige - he was wearing like little pants that were like 2 sizes too tiny or whatever, and we had a national TV shooting live-gig somewhere and they actually cracked that he wasn't wearing any underwear. And the camera was there right at that moment and you should have seen the faces of the girls at the first row like "OOOYYY" (*make funny face). So that was pretty funny you know. And our bass-payer was just "whatever". It was some goffered tape on it than you should've seen his face at the backstage when he ripped it off. He gotta do something. It's wardrobe male functions, it just happens.
- Have you had any crazy fan-request? Like something weird to sign or some weird request from a fan?
- no, again I think for some reasons people seem to be, who are into our band, seem to be really loyal and really thinking about. They have like great imagination. We've seen great piece of art people painting and doing stuff. It's never ,let say not never, but it's very-very rarely it's negative. It would be crazy in a bad way. So, no. It's all good!
Spotlight report. Greetings everybody! It’s Ville Hermanni Valo from band called HIM and at the moment you are enjoying this particularly thing “Sportlight Report”. See you later.
-Hi! I’m George from “Sportlight report, I’m here with evolution HIM. So how’ve you been so far, man?
- Hello-hello! Oh yeee, well, it’s a crazy festival, isn’t it? You know we just flew a couple of days before, played our first gig last night, flew in here in Sydney just a few hours ago . That’s so many things are going on ,that’s so many cool bands and so many of our idols, you know, I’m hoping to see Rob Zombie tomorrow when they do their side-show here in Sydney . It’s fantastic. We are a fan-boys. It doesn’t feel like a tour, it feels like we are just, you know, looking around and there is so many people who are so inspiring to what we do. It’s a good fun!
-Fantastic! And also you have a strong fan-base like I’ve seen a lot of heartagrams walking around, tattoos. So how do you feel when you see all those fans with wearing on skin what you created?
- oh, you know obviously it’s a special thing and something that when you start a band you don’t have a slightest idea how people are going to react to the music or to the visuals or whatever it might be. So, and it’s not in our heads, it’s in the people’s hands, you know. So we are in a blessed position that so many people seem to find something special in what we do. And it’s great and it’s amazing, it’s like travelling around the world and... It’s so funny, we’ve come from a little tiny country behind God’s back and after all these years to be able to travel around and see that happened is mind-boggling and mind-blowing and mind-bending.
-Also, well, you latest release “Tears on Tape”. We were reading that you had some issues while doing that album because Gas had injury and stuff like that. So how you guys managed to pull that album out and are you proud with the final product?
- ye-ye, we are happy with it. Of course we are proud. If we wouldn’t be proud with the album, we won’t release it. Gas had the problems with his hands and that was one of the reasons that it took a long time to finish the album, because we were to take a break for nearly a year and everybody was heart-broken. And did you know, we are a school-friends? and we….you know, it’s like you can’t just call another drummer. It’s not the same band, you know. So we were to wait it out and he really had to work hard to get his hands working, working again. It was stressful, but I’m so glad that we’ve got the album done, because otherwise it would be like.. Oh Lord, it would be terrible. You know, let say, that was a positive outcome of something that was really-really stressful. So that was a cool thing.
- What comes first for you: the melodies or the lyrics?
- ammm, usually it’s the melodies and the riffs, but I do write stuff down, but very.. A lot of times there are just ideas. I’ve never used the ideas and the finalized lyrics so it’s a bit different from song to song and I think that it makes it interesting too that it’s not exactly the same every time around.
- also “Poison girl” was a game changer, but personally which song you think was a game-changing or what album was a game-changing for you guys to make it on the industry?
- Oh, I think that the game-changer for us was a song by Chris Isaac called “Wicked Game”. It’s one of the first songs we played together as a band and through that song we found out the sound of HIM. And than also it was one of the first songs that got played on the radio back home and it gave us kind-like first kick in the butt. So yee-yee I’d say that “Wicked game” is probably the one.
- We actually like your version more than original. Sorry Chris, but this is true.
- Well, you know, I’m happy to hear that too. Our idea was not to destroy the original in any sense, it’s just our interpretation . We wanted to combine something hard-rocking with a sentimental heart of the song. Not just to make it ugly and dirty and just heavy because of it, but to maintain the kinda the feel more or less. But yes, I guess it’s easy to bang your head to that than the original.
- You also did “Don’t fear the reaper” as well. So I wonder, if there is any cover-song in the world or any cover-song that you might surprise Australian fans?
- To be honest with you, no clue. We’ve played so many covers in the past that it becomes boring after a while. And so it’s one of those things that I think, if we all of a sudden hear a song and it kind-like gets stuck in our heads, that’s when it’s good to do it as opposed to trying to figure out what cover-song to do next. And when we did “Wicked game”, when we did “Don’t fear the reaper”-stuff it wasn’t so often that hard-rocking bands were doing covers, so than it became like a norm and everybody was doing it. I’m not saying because of us, but it was like same time when Marilyn Manson did “Sweet dreams are made of this” and so there were a lot of hard-rocking bands doing dirtier, uglier, nosier versions of some pretty songs from the 80th. So it wasn’t as so surprising anymore. So…we are still waiting.
- And also, well, this is not your first time on this festival. We saw you before. What do you remember of your previous visit to Australia? Which bands did you get to hang out, which band did you see live?
- That was 2010, wasn’t it? Yeeee, I wonder, because I didn’t hang out with a lot of people on that tour, because I was working on some.. I remixed album I guess. We released this little odd remix-album after “Screamworks” and I think I was doing that more or less. It was enjoyable – yes, but it wasn’t like socializing. And than again finish people are not great in socializing. We like to keep to ourselves so we didn’t get crazy and go partying every night and stuff. So it was just about saying “Hi” to a lot of people and you know I still.. I don’t even know all the bands that are playing it so I haven’t seen the entire list. - Also how do you vindicate your personal life? Because I've been reading and doing my research for you, it's many tabloids going after you and asking you typical gossip-questions that personally (point at himself) hate. How do you live your life and how you avoid that?
- I guess, you can't avoid it. I guess it's a thing that If it happens you just have to laugh it off, just have some humour about it. If people find my dame-things so very interesting , so be, you know. It's better just to not think about it, because otherwise it will make or at least it would make me totally paranoid. Start reading about myself in like tabloids or whatever. And they had treated me fairly well, you know, it hasn't been so stupidly crazy.
- I have a bunch of fan questions here that we always take
- let's go for it
- otherwise they gonna kill me if I don't ask that. So, "Bloodhound gang" and "Cradle of filth". You colaborate with those two bands, other different styles . So how was the experience working with them?
- Well, with "Bloodhound gang" I was actually at Jimmy Pope's song-studio. It's a long story. He is one of early supporters of HIM in North America and great friends with Bam Margera, so we just met each other many-many years ago when we were touring Europe with Bloodhound gang. He just asked me, if I want to sing something. Than I flew over to this place, we partied a couple of days and end up with those vocals on it, you know. Than Cradle of filth. I was in-touch with Dany and than I sang some bits ot pieses he wanted different kind of vocalist for this particularly song and I just sang it at the studio in Helsinki and send bit some pieces. At times it works like that these days, you are not neccessary there. Saying, I did some backing vocals for Anathema - a band who I greatly and greatly adore. I've done many-many things but it's always a bit different. At times it can be like when you are a backing vocalist you just buy two cases of bear and you are going to the studio with bunch of friends and just have a party and that can be the thing. And than at times it's a bit more serious and freshen, you know.
- Also is there any events or activities you would like to collaborate with if you haven't had a chance yet?
- No, not really. Because I think that coolest stuff happens when don't know what to expect or you are not expecting too much. I don't have any like a list I want to cross names off. I think that the coolest thing is that you meet somebody by chance, by accident and than you just get along and than you do something together. That's the coolest thing.
- or Zombie around?
- well, sure, yeee. He is one of the many great people around here so will see. You know at times I think it's very important to when you're a fan it's important to be a fan. Not to get too close.
- I agree. Totally agree. What are you doing at your spare-time?
- Well, I haven't had too much spare-time. Whenever in Helsinki I'm usually hanging out with my family, with my little brother and with my mom and my dad. We've been rehearsing quite a bit and also when we recording and touring there are very-very little time that we get to spend with our friends. So that's usually tons of reunions, hanging out in bars, playing pool and getting shift-faced you know. The usual.
- ye, the usual stuff. How did you get to meet Kat Von D? Are you planning to have another tatoo with her?
- ooow, I went through aaaa...well, that's a long story too. Just a finish guy used to live in LA, he just... We were talking about tatoos because I was supposed to get it. Well, whatever, that's a long story but .. Ya, we've just met up and became friends and than she was friends with Bam Margera and she became friends with the whole band, bla-bla-bla. You know it just one of those things, we get along and as simple as that.
- and speaking about tatoos. You have poets on one of your arms, you have moovie star on your chest as well - Maya Deren, so how did that people inspire you in your life for you to get inked it?
- Well, it doesn't necessary have to be anything earth- shattering, you have to come up with the crazy idea and just do it. Cause I think that what life's about. If you sit on an idea and think about an idea too much, you'd probably.. you killing it. The best thing is to go with the flow and you get inspired by something and than in my case , you know, getting inspired by Klaus Kinski or whatever than I wanted to get his face tatooed on my body. As simple as that. For me it's fun. And it's not too serious. You know, in that sense. It's just ink.
- ok. What is your favourite HIM- song?
- uuuum, I think it's gonna be the one we played last tonight which is "When love and death embrace".
- and why?
- after "Wicked game" it's one of the first songs that we kind found the identity and the first song that we've got some respect . People really loved it where we come from. And it's been kind of a theme-song of HIM back in Finland. It is what we still all about. It still sounds to me, it sounds current. It's a simple lovesong, but it's still a bit twisted, crooked, noisy and it's got all the tween-peaksy elements we're so proud of.
- What's your favourite topic for a song?
- Probably the one I still haven't written about, you know. There has to be some new stuff. A lot of times my lyrics go through a very emotional lens , you know. I like matters of the heart. It doesnt' necessary have to be about boy- and- girl- love, but it's about being confused and trying to figure out why and where for and where to going next. I think it's very universal in that sense. So, yee, lost in the wheels of confusion. (* BLACK SABBATH SONG!!!!!!!! I WAS WAITING FOR THAT SIGN!)
- We always ask guests these two questions. The first one is can you share with us any fun-story while on the road with the band?
- That's one of the toughest question because obviously there are many but than again many of them you wouldn't probably find funny cause in our case we've been together for more than 20 years as a band so we know each other so well that 99.9% of all the fun-stuff is the inside-jokes. So a lot of people don't get them. I'm just wondering...well, you know, I think one of the classics things was our bass-player Mige - he was wearing like little pants that were like 2 sizes too tiny or whatever, and we had a national TV shooting live-gig somewhere and they actually cracked that he wasn't wearing any underwear. And the camera was there right at that moment and you should have seen the faces of the girls at the first row like "OOOYYY" (*make funny face). So that was pretty funny you know. And our bass-payer was just "whatever". It was some goffered tape on it than you should've seen his face at the backstage when he ripped it off. He gotta do something. It's wardrobe male functions, it just happens.
- Have you had any crazy fan-request? Like something weird to sign or some weird request from a fan?
- no, again I think for some reasons people seem to be, who are into our band, seem to be really loyal and really thinking about. They have like great imagination. We've seen great piece of art people painting and doing stuff. It's never ,let say not never, but it's very-very rarely it's negative. It would be crazy in a bad way. So, no. It's all good!
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