Hmm... You´re right about that, because it seems like old fans doesn´t like "Rock To The Top" that much, when people who never really digged us says it´s finally a good track from us. Magazines seem to like the album but as you know, journalists very rarely buy any albums so it doesn´t help us that much. But I´m happy with the whole album myself and that´s still the most important thing. I think it was a stupid but brave move to change this much in this point of our career.
MANNHAI have done a very funny video to "Rock To The Top" in which they´re acting like the band at a dance competition. You can download it from the band´s homepage. How did you get the idea to do this video? Did you have to watch old documentaries from the fifties and sixties or ask your parents what it was like to dance and play on such an occasion?
Nah, the idea came from the director and we were like "right, let´s fucking do it!". It was enough moron idea to do a video like that. Next one will be the gloomiest shot you can ever imagine, that´s for sure! We didn´t take any influences from anywhere, we just acted stupid.
Or is dancing still the cheapest way for a girl to get alcohol in Finland?
I´m not into dancing that much that I´d know, but I think you got the point. Myself, I always buy drinks for my friends anyway. Free booze always tastes the best!
Are you planning to play in suits in front of the audience from now on?
No, no and no. You cannot see me in suit anymore, hahhah!!
Former AMORPHIS keyboarder Kasper Martenson joined you, he´s added marvellous tunes to the record and he appears on the video. Why isn´t he on any of your pictures?
Because he still stayed in England, where he studied, when we took the fotos. And also, we were not quite sure yet if he´s going to join the band or not. Fortunately he did, and he will be with us in the next shots for sure!!
Your singer Joãnitor Muurinen has been writing all the lyrics on your last album, is he still? What is "Error 67" about? The year The Beatles released "Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band", the Rolling Stone "Their Satanic Majesties Request" and Che Guevara was killed...?
Yeah, and Jürgen Hendlmeier, our producer, was born that year! I hope he doesn´t think it´s about him. Actually it´s about the unlucky recording session we had; we got kicked out from the studio and Jürgen was threatened to be killed, my dear friend died, I hurt my right arm, etc… When we once again changed the studio and opened the computer where we had all the songs, it said: ERROR 67. Sounds nice, eh? Your theory was cool, though!
The elder Joãnitor gets the more at least some aspects of his voice sounds like Ian Astbury. Aren´t you afraid of loosing him to the always re-union-willing members of THE CULT?
No, since Joañitor is the most unwilling vocalist I know. He only wants to stay home and paint figures. He´s absolutely opposite from all those rock star singers. I honour him for this very much! He´d do a great job in THE CULT by the way…
You landed quite a coup when you hijacked the webadress of your conservative prime minister Matti Vanhanen earlier this year. Is politics coming back into music?
Well, at least it think it should. But I also think that USA´s moron president keeps musicians interested in politics. When you have a chance to bring up some important issues, I think you should use it. But what it comes to us, we are not that political band to be honest. I even think that politics blows badly, because I´m some sort of anarchist. I´m a vegan as well, hehheh…
Back to the recording process: This time you hired a "former german punk rocker moved to Helsinki for good". What was it like, working with Jürgen Hendlmeier?
Jürgen is a great guy to work with. He has great ideas and comes up with killer sounds. He´s also a nice guy, though he sometimes is hard as a rock if you think you have a good idea witch he thinks sucks. With The Exploder, he made us sound exactly how we wanted to sound.
This is your 3rd album. You just inked a new contract, so this question is not meant business-wise - but did you feel yourselves a kind of "make it or break it" with this record?
No we don´t. Our first goal is to make good albums and second is to play great gigs. This is something we´ve archived with every album. This is not that kind of music you could get into the billboard charts with, but we´re happy if we could reach some kind of cult-status in the long run. If we´d like to break it we would not stay in Mannhai, that´s for sure!
Can we expect to see you live here in Germany eventually, or do we have to organise a fundraising to get you over here?
I hope we´ll play Germany in future. If you start the foundation as soon as possible, we even might get there! But seriously, whenever someone asks us to come over, we will come. It also depends on sales and all that shit, but someday we´ll tour Europe for sure, even if it´s the last damn thing we do, hehheh! But for then, buy the album and get stonered!
