Entrevista a Tuomas para la revista Terrorizer

http://www.terrorizer.com/content/interview-tuomas-holopainen-what-next-nightwish

INTERVIEW WITH TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN: WHAT NEXT FOR NIGHTWISH?

Submitted by Louise on Mon, 02/11/2009 - 22:23

Last month, symph nymphs Nightwish bowed out with a huge extravaganza at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, an 11,000 capacity stadium on the outskirts of the city, usual home to ice hockey and erm, Tom Jones, who was playing there the night after.
After racking up a mighty 190 shows around the world it was time to hang up the fingerless gloves and get that break the band so needed, the last few dates really taking their toll on the band, especially on newest member Annette Olzon.
After the fake snow had dried and the confetti swept up I caught up with Tuomas Holopainen, the band's mastermind and composer to ask, what next?

You've done it. The show is over. You're officially on 'holiday'. How do you feel?
“I didn't sleep on the night before and I didn't sleep last night either. You know it's a weird thing, two years on the road and then the final show that you're like shit scared of and really excited as well. And then it goes as well as it did it's just such a relief and such a sensation of sadness at the same time that you don't really know how to be. It's like you have been in the nicest prison on earth for two years and finally you're free and you don't know what to do. Yesterdays show, I think it was top three we ever did.”

That's the second time you've played the venue – the last time was slightly more sensational and headline-grabbing, was last night the easier show of the two?
“I think the previous Hartwall Arena show we did for 'The End Of An Era' DVD, that was equally good so I would say those two were the best shows we ever did. Just like the sensation of it being the last show, my whole family was there, everybody you know, my friends, record label, everybody.”

So Annette is safe then? After the last time you played there some us were expecting the worst? You didn't think to give her a 'letter'?
“Actually we were planning to, you know before the last song, hire a postal officer or somebody dressed-up to bring a letter on stage to Anette and then she would open it on the stage, but we thought it would be a bit of tasteless joke or then fill up the confetti cannons with letters, that would've been nice as well.”

Did the show last night bring back any memories of that fateful night? It must have been weird being back there, backstage with the band waiting to go on, remembering the show four years previously?
“Nah, we don't think about the past times any more really. I mean it didn't occur to me, not even once last night what happened four years ago in the same place, so it doesn't matter it's just I enjoyed every second on stage last night. It was a fantastic experience.”

In this time of recession so many concerts are seeing declining audiences, what was it like to look out and see a sold-out arena? Breath-taking right?
“The amount of concerts this year has been amazing and many thing's have like flopped big time in Finland, festivals and some big names in Hartwall with like 3000 people there, so we were really scared that people at these hard times will have money to come and that they're still interested.”

You're lucky to have such a dedicated fanbase!
“I've noticed the same thing. It's such a big thing for them, it's their passion and their way of life so recession doesn't mean shit.”

What's your secret? How do you prepare for a huge show like that?
“We were really relaxed and for the first time, maybe last time, on this tour we made an agreement, absolutely nobody before or after the show comes backstage. We kind of wanted it to be the moment between the band, so we were there for four hours before the show just chatting, thinking about the past, with a glass of wine, resting. Jukka was playing net poker, just you know kind of like calming down before the show, but everybody was so nervous. Annette was incredibly nervous, I was, I couldn't sleep the night before.”

Was it the biggest show of your career?
“Yeah, well it's the second biggest of our own shows. We did one show in Zurich, Switzerland, which was 13,000 but this was the second biggest of our own shows.”

So you're all chilling out together backstage? Do you feel like you have a tighter unit with Annette, I know Tarja often kept herself to herself.
“Very much yeah, I think this band is very much based on friendship. Annette though always needs to have her own room c'os she has her own things and eh, everybody smokes so she needs to have her own room in that sense as well, yeah we are friends.”

But that goes beyond the band right, you have the same crew, same managers – do they feel like extended band members?
“Absolutely, I mean the technicians are like I would say equally good friends to me as the band and the managers as well, so it's really one big happy family. We know each other, we hang out on our free time. In about three weeks me and three of our technicians will go to Australia for six weeks on a road trip.”

You're kidding – that's so cool – proper backpacking style?
“We're going to fly to Perth, rent there a camper van and we're going to drive to Canberra, it's about 4000km. So it's just how close we are with the technicians, they're my best buddies. This is something that I wanted to do for the past fifteen years, I love Australia to the bone and I just want to see the whole country in my free-time and this is the time to do it.”

You're gonna do the whole Crocodile Dundee stuff?
“Absolutely, I have to go to shark diving, you know, when you go into the cage and they lower you down. I love scuba-diving and I love going outdoors I love hiking all this kind of Indiana Jones stuff.”

Wow, I'm kinda jealous. So, then it's back into the studio right?
“Yeah, well first, in about two weeks I'm going to go to the Mediterranean to do a sailing trip with my dad, with my uncle. Kind of like a family thing, yeah the boys at sea that's it. It's going to be fun, in the Mediterranean, in Turkey and Greece and after that it's going to be a week and then we go to Australia for six weeks, after that it's almost Christmas then in January I'm going to go to Orlando to visit Donald and Goofy and Mickey and the pals again after that...”

You're kinda obsessed with Disney, right?
“Aww, I'm a fanatic. It's going to be my seventh time in Disney World. I have to do it once a year, it's like a fix for me, I just love this world and I'm a professional Disney collector of memorabilia as well. I have film cells yeah I have a lot of books, comics, art, just crap [laughs]. I have a whole room in my house just dedicated to Disney so it's nothing but Disney stuff there.”
[I look at him with a raised eyebrow – this is so not metal]
“I am a child, yeah!”

So... after the annual cartoon intake, then what?
“Yeah after that I start working on the next album 24/7 and we have already booked a rehearsal place. That's going to be happening in July/August next year then we'll have September off and we're going to enter the studio beginning of October so that's the plan.”

Last time around you went into the new album with so much up in the air, who would be the vocalist on it being the biggest hurdle you had to get over. Does it feel like a different process this time around? Are you happier about heading back to the writing desk?
“Much much happier, so much more light at the end of the tunnel. I have a very clear vision of the next album already, which feels really weird but I have all the song titles. I know how many songs there are going to be. I have four songs done already even though it's still pretty preliminary, the whole album, but I have a good idea what it's going to be like and uh, it's still going to be metal but I thinks it's going to be a bit brighter than 'Dark Passion Play'.”

Brighter – more pop songs? No more long epic symphonic compositions? They must be a sod to write.
“No, they come much easier for me. I remember 'Creek Mary's Blood', that's eight-and-a-half minutes, that came out in two hours. 'The Poet And The Pendulum' in just a couple of days, same thing with 'Ghost Love Score', they just come up naturally, I don't know. But then again a song like 'Nemo', I couldn't get it together. I worked for months and months and it's only four minutes.”

That's surprising!
“I guess. You need, to make a song which is only four minutes and make it interesting and timeless, that's the ultimate challenge. And ballads, also I think ballads are the hardest thing to do because to make a really genuinely touching slow song, which is not cheesy, that is incredibly hard. I think 'Walking In The Air' is a good example of a perfect ballad, that's beautiful, I think the best song ever written, by Howard Blake, and it's not a bit cheesy.”

Well it is, a little bit. Actually it was suprising last night when you played it live – we'd not heard that for years.
“That was Annette's choice, she really loves the song and she just asked 'is there anyway we could do 'Walking In The Air' acoustically in Hartwall?' and I thought that's a really good idea, lets give it a try. And we tried it out and it was the highlight of the show for me last night.”

The snow was a nice touch, it was certainly memorable.
“The silence and the tension, it was 'cos everybody was so quiet it was magical.”

You played for a good few hours, how do you keep up that level of intensity and energy throughout a big production show like that?
“I've always thought that the most important thing is to keep the setlist interesting for yourself cos then you enjoy playing and the energy goes to the audience but, I also think that, even though I don't enjoy playing 'Nemo' or 'Wishmaster' any more it's good to put them in because the majority of the people mostly still wants to hear it.”

What songs do you think go down the best?
“'Ghost Love Score' and 'Poet and The Pendulum'. People still like this, it's nice.”

Are there some of the older songs you would love to bring back to the setlist? Maybe some that wouldn't suit Annette so would never be played again?
“I think she could do almost anything. We won't do the old stuff because that's, that just wouldn't be right for some reason. We tried 'Elvenpath' in the rehearsals but it just wasn't right.”

Any of your personal favourites you'd like to dust off?
“'Gethsemane' is one of my favourites, I'd like to try that, or 'Stargazers', something from the 'Oceanborn' album.”

The one thing to say of the show last night was that it was pretty spectacular, snow, confetti, guest musicians, rain, actual rain – what does it take to pull a show like that together?
“Well, it was the last show we'll do [on this tour], it was like the ending of a two year tour so we just wanted to make it look really good as well and it cost so much that we ended up having nothing from the show itself but it was definitely worth it. It's not cheap but it just needed to be done and we have the best technicians in the world so they made it happen really smoothly.”

Will it be available for a DVD?
“They filmed the whole show so maybe we'll use some songs as a bonus track or something but there will not be a DVD released.”

So, the tour is ending, and so is the decade, if you can believe it. It's been a pretty insane ten years for Finnish metal – what do you think the secret is to the success of yourselves and other bands from the country; Bodom, HIM, Lordi, Apocalyptica etc?
“I couldn't give you a reason, I wish I could. I think this is the most often asked question that I've ever tried to answer in an interview and I never was able to give an answer. Why Finland? Why now? I don't know but what I know is that Finnish metal bands succeed because they're unreachable, there's madness. Think about Apocalyptica; three cellos and drums playing metal, it's insane. Finntroll totally insane and just fantastic band you know. Finnish bands just have this way of creating madness and they're creating new styles, not being prejudiced at all, they're just doing it their own way. People during these times, they seek for originality and something genuine and maybe that's what they find in Finnish rock 'n' roll bands. I really think so because these bands are not copycats of anything.”

Ten years on did you guys think you'd be headlining Hartwall like you did last night?
“I never thought it, none of us did, for anything like this to ever happen. I was studying biology in university and I was supposed to be a mad scientist. Jukka was doing computer studies in the university and Emppu was working in a carpet factory or whatever. Everybody was doing it just for fun and we had our own pace and then everything just got out of hand. We dropped out of school and started doing it 24/7 and this approach has had its advantages and disadvantages, disadvantages being that we have always been really naive but the plus side is that it's always been really sincere at the same time because we haven't had any expectations there has never been any posing. You know it's not like we try to achieve anything else than just the pleasure of playing and free booze.”

Do you ever get pissed off with the fame?
“Yeah, I actually do, you have to be a bit more careful here than in other countries with what you do. I can't piss in the street publicly. Well, you can always say it's a matter of choice of career but sometimes, it's like two weeks ago there was a three-page story about my house and they had actually hired a helicopter to fly over the house and photograph it. This kind of stuff bothers me a little bit, and they have the directions of how to get to the house.”

Is this something that has affected a lot of metal musicians in Finland?
“I think that HIM and the Rasmus maybe, there was a big story about Rasmus getting a new car yesterday. But no the media has been quite kind to us actually, sometimes it hurts a little bit, especially this house thing when they had actually come to my house to film it with directions and everything, so that's a bit too much.”

So, the show's over, there's a big end of tour party tonight, are you ready? You bailed on the aftershow last night, you wimp.
“Doing a show is like running the marathon, you know it's a really exciting experience but also I just don't have the strength and I was saving my strength for tonight, tonight I'm going to party big time. My Mum is going to be there.”

Will she be queen of the dancefloor?
“I've never seen her dance actually.”

Are you a party animal?
“Every now and then but not so much any more. I never ever go to festivals though, I hate festivals. I like to party but as long as I know the people and there's not too much noise. Being in a noise with a load of people I don't know, that's hell.”

Entrevista a Tuomas: Savon Sanomat

This Time Nobody Will Be Fired

Nigthwish's two year world tour will be over on Saturday. The band has played 196 concerts. Dark Passion Play was released two years ago and with it the band has reached a peg higher stages.

Audiences came bigger as did the amount of fans. Tuomas Holopainen has got new fans like Lemmy Kilmister from Motörhead, Steve Harris from Iron Maiden and Ozzy Osborne from Black Sabbath.

They have seen among the audience, for example, the Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. And Britney Spears have used Nightwish's music as an intro in her gigs. She didn't ask the composer's permission, but this time it's not a problem.

- We're just flattered that they wanted to use our music, says Tuomas Holopainen.


The Abyss Was Passed

The now ending two year world tour has been both rewarding and tough for Nightwish. The tour has reached North and South America, Australia, Europe and Asia. Only Africa was missed. The new countries in the tour map are China, Latvia, Luxemburg, Ireland, Serbia and Croatia.

- These two years went fast. I remember it like yesterday when we went to the first training concert to Tallinn, says Tuomas Holopainen.

At that point Holopainen was slightly worried about how the audience receives Nigthwish and the new vocalist.

- Uppermost I now have a proud and happy feeling that we survived from the maelstrom. I'm happy that our audience was so open-minded that they gave us the second chance and that they arrived to concerts. It's a deep relief that we passed that abyss.

By abyss Tuomas Holopainen means changing Tarja Turunen to Anette Olzon. According to Tuomas Holopainen, Anette is now completely integrated with the band.

- I feel that during the last few months she has realized what this all is about and how to deal with it. Anette has improved all the time towards the end of the tour. The future of the band looks excellent.

And when the future looks good, this means that there won't be any dramatic news after the last concert in Hartwall Areena. All band members will continue in the band.

- This time we're going to have better feelings after the tour. After the Hartwall concert we have decided to have a huge party. Then we're going to reset the situation, go to separate ways and return together in the beginning of the next year. We want to take some distance to Nigthwish.

Holopainen himself goes sailing to the Mediterranean Sea for one week in the beginning of October. Soon after that he is going to spend a few weeks in Australia with his friends.


Heavy Price

Of course there are some bad moments too in the two year world tour.

- Some band members and technicians had mental breakdowns, because of the certain sad things in private life. In two of these about 200 concerts we had severe technical problems, but in the end we managed to play in those concerts too, says Holopainen about bad moments of the tour.

- Heavy tour will always have its price. In a big group of people there is always someone who have some problems. These things happen when you spend a lot of time on the road. People don't seem to be able to resist it. Some long-term relationships have ended and it's always sad. But despite the problems I'll grade this tour A-. These two years were an unbeliveable journey.

One thing Tuomas Holopainen promises to his crew.

- We will never again have as hard a tour. The next tour will be planned a bit easier.


The Band Has Been Prepared For Setbacks

The journey of Nightwish has been quite a fairy tail compared to many other bands. The band has become more and more popular after each album.

How would a band, that has always become more popular, even react if they had some setbacks?

- At some point we will have to face some setbacks and we have been prepared for it. So far, we've made six studio albums and we've always went forward. We agree that it's unbelievable, says Tuomas Holopainen.

- We've also been able to take new steps in the evolution of our music. We've always entered to some new territories without losing the soul of the band.

Tuomas Holopainen doesn't believe that Nightwish would be in a crisis if the later albums didn't sell as much as Once and Dark Passion Play that have sold about one million copies each.

- I would be more worried and depressed if I listened to the new album for the first time and realized that it's crap.

Dark Passion Play sold more than Tuomas Holopainen expected.

- It feels unimaginable that in this digital era it has sold 130,000 copies in Finland.

Globally the latest album has sold a bit less than one million copies. The previous album Once has sold a bit more than one million. Totally Nightwish albums have sold about 4 to 5 million copies.


Four Songs Ready

Four songs are ready for the new album. The album should be ready in autumn 2011 if everything goes as planned.

- In July we will begin to work with new material. Then we will have about ten months to finalize the songs. Now I've got a huge drive, all these ideas are making me crazy. I've never before been so excited about the new album, says Holopainen.

Tuomas Holopainen keeps the content of the new music a secret, but he is willing to open the curtain a little bit.

- One of the four new songs is something completely different for us. I've never done anything like that before, says Tuomas Holopainen.


Random Facts

- Each Nightwish album has been released as a vinyl version too.

- During the two year tour the band played 27 different songs and the maximum amount of songs in the one concert was 18.

- Tuomas Holopainen's own favourites are The Poet And The Pendulum and The Islander.

- The album's first hit Eva was played just few times because, according to the band, it works well only on the album.

- According to Holopainen, the highlight in this summer was Olavinlinna.

- The tour ends on Saturday, September 19 in sold-out Hartwall Areena in Helsinki.

- During the break Tuomas Holopainen will compose new Nigthwish music and play keyboards in Kotiteollisuus every now and then.

- Anette Olzon will start making her solo album.

- Marco Hietala will work with his Tarot band.

- Emppu Vuorinen will work with his Brother Firetribe band.

- Jukka Nevalainen will continue to manage the business side of Nightwish and the online shop.

Entrevista a Tuomas por Cecilia Molinero

Ceci es una conocida del foro argentino de Nightwish que hace un par de meses tuvo la posibilidad de realizar una etrevista vía e-mail a Tuomas Holopainen.

La comparto con ustedes! :)

Ceci: ¿Podes comentarnos algo sobre el próximo álbum de Nightwish? Se que es difícil componer letras mientras se esta de gira, pero quizás tenes algunas ideas susurrando en tu cabeza…
Tuomas: “Hmm..Tengo la sensación de que mi cabeza va a explotar porque tengo muchas ideas para el Nuevo álbum y ya tengo 20 canciones listas…=)”

Ceci: ¿Podes describirte en tres palabras?
Tuomas: “Introvertido, irónico, creativo, demente”

Ceci: ¿Estas leyendo algún libro en este momento? ¿Cuál? Me da curiosidad, porque me gusta leer.
Tuomas: “Estoy leyendo "Twilight", la primera parte”

Ceci: ¿Podes contarme una buena y mala memoria que tengas de tu infancia?
Tuomas: “Tuve una infancia feliz, así que no tengo malas memorias, pero si demasiado buenas. Me gustaba la escuela y hacer música con mi familia”

Ceci: ¿A que le tenes miedo?
Tuomas: “Hmm...a perder a la persona que es mi vida. Y por supuesto, a perder a alguien de mi familia o de mis amigos”

Ceci: ¿Cómo pensas que el mundo (Planeta Tierra) va a terminar?
Tuomas: “Esa es una difícil, pero creo que las personas alrededor del mundo harán que el mundo termine….muy mal =(“

Ceci: Leí que te gusta mucho la naturaleza. Puedo imaginar que en la naturalaza encontras la paz que en una ciudad grande no podes encontrar. Entonces, mi pregunta es la siguiente: ¿A la hora de la gira, disfrutas visitar las distintas ciudades? Tenes tiempo de salir y recorrer los lugares?
Tuomas: “Eso es diferente…. Me encanta ir y visitar ciudades y diferentes países y cada ciudad tiene su lado hermoso....el tema es que, me gusta vivir en la naturaleza y tener paz alrededor mío, pero también me gusta salir y recorrer grandes o pequeñas ciudades. A veces, tenemos tiempo de hacer algún tour, pero a veces no tenemos tiempo…eso es diferente.

Ceci: ¿ Qué personaje de Disney te gustaria ser? ¿Porque?
Tuomas: “Hmm...Yo creo que seria Peter Pan...No se porque, pero creo que es un personaje que a menudo se escapa del mundo y yo también”

Ceci: ¿Se han hecho realidad todos tus sueños? Bueno, creo que vivimos de sueños y nuestra misión es hacerlos realidad. ¿Has hecho realidad muchos de ellos?
Tuomas: “Tengo una linda familia y amigos y tengo la posibilidad de hacer mi propia música y de escribir mis propias canciones, y contarle a la gente lo que siento. Ese fue un sueño mío, pero nunca me gusto llamar la atención. Me gusta estar con mis fans, esa no es la cosa, pero no me gusta salir en muchas revistas y leer historia estupidas y ver fotos mías. Pero mi sueño mas grande, no se ha realizada…hasta ahora…tal vez, en algunos años =)”

Ceci: ¿Esta enamorado Sr. Tuomas Holopainen ?
Tuomas: “Si, en este momento estoy enamorado y espero que dure mucho, no como mis relaciones anteriores =)”

Ceci: ¿Alguna vez pensaste en escribir una canción sobre Disneyworld? ¿O bandas de sonido?
Tuomas: “Hmm...sobre lo de Disneyworld...tal vez lo haga. He pensando en esa idea, pero todavia no lo he hecho. Espero tener la oportunidad de escribir una banda de sonido

Ceci: ¿Que cosas en la vida consideras injustas?
Tuomas: “Toda la vida puedo ser injusta a veces, pero si las personas mienten o matan a otras personas o sino aceptan las distintas religiones o maneras de pensar….eso es injusto para mi.”

Ceci: ¿Que pensas de los fans argentinos?
Tuomas: “Me gustan mucho los fans argentinos porque son amistosos. Es muy loco en Argentina, pero lo digo de una manera positiva”

Ceci: ¿Practicas o practicaste algún deporte?
Tuomas: “Jugue tennis por mucho tiempo, peor ahora no tengo mucho tiempo, asi que cuando tengo tiempo me voy a caminar entre la naturaleza…”

Ceci: Además de Disney, sos un gran fan de algo más?
Tuomas: “Soy un gran fan de Mac Gyver. =)”

Besos y abrazos desde Argentina. Julio 2009

(pueden encontrar la entrevista también en inglés en: http://nightwishmaster.com.ar/foro/index.php?topic=4232.msg169317#new )

Entrevista en Rumania

Hello, Tuomas and welcome back to România!
“Hello!”

I know that you’re a big fan of Stephen King’s novels. What else do you like to read?
“I read a lot of fantasy; Tolkien, Robin Hobb, David Eddings… And I love Agatha Christie too… I like fact books like history stuff, fairytales books, Donald Duck… Everything which is not too real, so to say…”

I know that you have a house isolated, in a forest, somewhere. Are you hiding?
“I do my best…”

Can we say that you are running away from something? If so, from whom or what?
“From society…”

OK, can you be more specific?
“I’m running away from the stupidity of people and the stupidity of myself. That’s basically it…”

One of your dreams is that you’ll compose a soundtrack for a movie. What kind of soundtrack it will be? Something like The Fountain or something like Trent Reznor (NIN) did with Natural Born Killers?
“I think the most important thing is not the genre but that the movie will inspire me in a way. I wouldn’t mind to do a soundtrack for a nature documentary show on Discovery Channel or something…, or a fantasy movie like the upcoming Hobbit, for example. It would be a dream come true. A drama or something… I think the only thing I wouldn’t go into is comedy, because that’s the hardest form of art and I could never ever think that I would be able to do a soundtrack for a comedy…”

Do you feel a sense of lost when you lose fans due to your music evolution?
“It’s just a natural thing. No matter what you’ll do, you’ll always lose but I also think that you gain. The most important thing is to be sincere. Try to be innocent and follow your heart. I think this is what we’ve done with the change of the singer and with the new album and I think that’s why the album has become the biggest succes so far…”

What’s your opinion about silence?
“Silence… Hm… I absolutely adore silence. The most beautiful music comes from silence. People of today are in such a hurry… They need that one day to stop from running and just be quiet, do nothing… Let’s say for a day or for a week… They have this mental hangover that «I should be doing something! I need to work»”

A syndrom of the modern world?
“Yes, of modern world. People should just come down and accept to do nothing, in complete silence. People would change then…”

Thank you, Tuomas…
“Thank you! Nice stuff…”



Paul "Movu" Petre

Graspop Metal Meeting 2009

Acá les dejo una nota en video para que disfruten! :)

De Vuelta!!

Si!

Estoy una vez más intentando poner lindo este blog.

Fotolog por suerte funciona bien hace bastante, pero de todas formas no quiero abandonar el blog.

Seguramente quede más que nada para subir entrevistas a Tuomas y cosas por el estilo.

Como verán, volví a cambiar el diseño de la página.

Qué les parece?

:)

Saludos a quienes pasen!

Entrevista a Tuomas en metalreview.com

This first question I gotta ask because I am very curious. On your bio on the Nightwish site you have The Dark Tower series listed with your favorite books. What did you think of the ending after all these years?
I really liked the ending but I felt so completely empty because I knew that this was it. I had been reading it for years, waiting for the story to go on. When it ended, I was sitting in a hotel room and when I read the last page I got the shivers. This was it. I felt really sad it was over although I liked the ending, I thought it was really good. I heard some rumors that they are making a movie out of it or like a mini series?

Yeah it is on for sure but they haven't decided on a movie or an HBO series thing. Have you heard about the comic books they're doing? One's called The Long Road Home and it's an original story about Roland and Cuthbert going back after Wizard And Glass?
I've seen some of the comics. Just seen them though, I haven't read any. I think that The Dark Tower series is Stephen King's best work, one of the best stories ever written. That, The Talisman, and The Lord Of The Rings are all three on the same level for me.

I have a question for you about The Sound Of Nightwish Reborn. This was a digital only release and I'm curious as to why you guys decided to do a digital only release. Was it because the material was b-sides and demos or was it supposed to be your first foray into a digital only outlet?
You know, this was completely the record label's idea. I haven't sacrificed a single thought on this release and I haven't seen it, never heard it, I don't even know what songs are included. I've just heard that this kind of release exists, that's all I know about it. Really! Honestly, I don't know. It seems that record labels these days are putting out all kinds of stuff and when they asked us, it was "Ok, go ahead."

What are your thoughts on digital only releases? Do you see yourself going that way in the future or do prefer to have the actual hard copy as long as its possible?
I detest digital stuff to the bone. Maybe it's the thing for the future and that is a scary thought. I don't even own an Ipod and I have never downloaded a single thing from the internet, I don't even know how it's done. I want my cd in my hand so I can seei the cover and read the lyrics, everything. Just my opnion.

You seem to be a person that is very in touch with nature. I remember on the End Of Innocence DVD you spoke of your family's cabin with fond reverence. When you were down and out in 2001 between Over The Hills and Century Child you went to the woods with Tony [Kakko] and that was a very rejuvenating experience. How do you think that being in touch with nature and having an appreciation for nature affected your songwriting in the early days, and then how do you think touring the world and seeing all sorts of difference cultures affected your songwriting if at all?
I think that everything you see and experience in life affects your songwriting on a subconscious level. But the fact that I've been living in the middle of nowhere in the woods all of the thirty two years of my life, that has certainly affected what I am as a person and that way to my songwriting. I'd like to think that the songs I do are quite organic. I take alot of inspiration from the beauty of the world, the beauty and the purity of nature which I have witnessed my whole life. If I was a city slicker I think I would be doing something like industrial metal. I think that there is a strong connection with nature in everything we do.

This question is one my friend Damien brought up which is, have you written all your songs while home in Finland? Or have you composed songs in various places like the beaches in Japan or down south in Australia? Not just riffs or ideas but whole concrete songs.
I have never completed a song anywhere else other than my own room in my house. I'm gathering ideas all the time wherever I am. Right now I have a notebook, actually, two notebooks because one is full already, and they are full of ideas, lyrics, riffs, melodies, little lines. Touring the world I get inspired all the time by people I meet, different cultures and experiences. I feel the world so strongly and it feels good. But it is impossible for me to find the mood to complete a song in an environment like this. [touring] I need my peace and solitude at home for a few months to be able to put it all together.

Since Wishmaster, Nightwish's popularity has been on an increasing upward slope and with that comes more and more obligations. Do you still find time to practice as a musician, not just your songwriting but your technique such as scales, patterns, and stuff like that?
I don't have the time, but that's no excuse, I don't do it anymore. I used to do it alot earlier on but I don't do it anymore. To be honest I have seen my technique going down. Seriously! There are certain songs from Oceanborn like Pharaoh Sails To Orion or Stargazers that I still think I can do... but not so easily like I used to. I'm getting older and lazier. Just doing the technique, it's so boring. I would rather spend all that time and energy on the songwriting. But you do have a point. I've been thinking because I've seen when I play live that the technique is not like it used to be like it was ten years ago. I should get a hold of myself.

Oh, well hey man it's not a critique on my part...
Oh I know, it's just I've been thinking that myself and I've noticed it so it was a good point.

This is kind of a personal question but when you were growing up, did you feel like you were a bit of an outsider from most of the other people you knew such as your peers or the people you went to school with?
Very, very much. I had a nickname, "The Lone Wolf" when I was in high school. The thing is though I was never bullied or teased, I was just different. I had some friends but I really enjoyed being by myself. I spent alot of time at home with just me, my mom, and my dad. I would read alot and I watched alot of movies, or I'd just go out into the woods. I really like to be by myself. It wasn't like I was an outcast though in that sense. I did really well in school, I had friends, and I had my hobbies.

What was the first song that when you got done writing that felt accomplished with because it tested your limits as a writer and performer and what has been the most recent song that made you feel this way?
It must have been one of the songs from the first album, Angels Fall First. When I finished with the song The Carpenter, even though it feels a bit corny to say these days, but I felt really proud of it because of the theme of the song and how it goes. That was also the first single that Nightwish released in 1997. Now when I listen to it I hear all the flaws but there is still something in there that I am really proud of. Of the recent doings, about a month ago, three weeks ago before we came on this tour, I got a song finished at home. Well, it's more like an interlude, three and a half minutes long, and it is going to be on the next album. I am just really, really happy with it. It's something really simple but I got the story that I wanted to tell into that song. This was song number three that I have got down for the upcoming album.

That's kind of a segue way into this next question. I know that alot of your songs are based on personal experience but I also know that you are a fan of Disney, a fan of the fantastical, with songs like Fantasmic, and The Pharoah Sails To Orion. What are some of your favorite fairy tales that you have written? The fictitious stories for Nightwish as opposed to the personal stuff on Century Child like End Of All Hope, Dead To The World, and Slaying The Dreamer.
I like the whole concept of The Poet And The Pendulum. It's related to Edgar Allen Poe's Pit And The Pendulum and I put myself onto the altar with the swaying pendulum on top of me. I really got the shivers when I thought that yes, this idea can work. The Poet And The Pendulum, there's that word play but also it had alot of symbolism because of what happened a few years ago. I felt like I was beneath this swinging blade and that it was going to come down any minute now and split me in half. I was really excited with the whole metaphor and symbolism of that. That is still my greatest achievement in music so far I think. I actually got the idea to put myself into that song, there's actually the word Tuomas in the song, from The Dark Tower series. Stephen King wrote himself into Song Of Susannah and when I read that I thought, "This is so cool, I have to do this with Nightwish." It's such a wonderful idea and it's so crazy that it really worked. It was a bit of a rip off but that's where I got the idea.


Since you are the main composer and lyricist, what do you find easier to express yourself emotionally within the music? For example if you are angry and write an aggressive song like Slaying The Dreamer, does the aggression come out in the music first and then the lyrics afterward, or was it easier to get the aggression into the lyrics and then compose the music behind them?
I think that when you talk about aggression and negative feelings, it is much easier to start with the lyrics. I still have my notebook from the Century Child era when I was writing Slaying The Dreamer. There a dozen pages of this written down [motions angry, hard, handwriting in the air]. alot of "f" words, I was so pissed about something that I wrote down all the stuff, pages and pages. After that I started to clean it up and it became the lyrics for Slaying The Dreamer. It's the same thing with The Poet And The Pendulum. When it comes to aggression the lyrics are far easier.


Earlier back in the day I remember reading interviews from the Wishmaster and Century Child eras and I remember you commenting about how it would be a dream of yours to work with a full orchestra and choir. Well now that that has happened with Once and Dark Passion Play, what is next on your wish list of life goals to accomplish, not just in Nightwish but life in general?
First of all when it comes to music and Nightwish I have a huge dream and we are doing everything we can to fulfill it on the next album. I am going to be a bit mystical here because I can't reveal to you anymore but there is going to be a big twist so to say, on the next album. I just hope we can realize that because it is going to be the all time dream come true if we can pull it off. It is going to take alot of time, effort, work, and money. We will see what happens, I am really looking forward to it. Overall in life I feel really happy because I am living in my own house in the woods by the lake. It is a perfect scenario. When I go back home in about a week we are going to plant some potatoes, some vegetables, and all that and I am going to go fishing. My all time dream is to be able to live from nature so I will never have to go the grocery store again.


At what point did you realize that Nightwish and your dream of writing music that this was it, this was going to be your life. Alot of people will get together and jam and maybe say, "Hey let's write some stuff," but how old were you when you realized this vision was your life and nothing was going to stop you?
It was during the songwriting of Oceanborn in 1998, early on. I was studying in a university back then and when I was studying I was writing the songs for Oceanborn. I felt so ambitious and so good about it that I couldn't care less about the studies. I think at that point I realized that I really wanted to give this a shot to see how far we could get with the band. Angels Fall First had already hit the charts so there was some interest from people and we had done a few shows. It just felt so good and the studying thing felt so wrong. I quit everything and just did Nightwish as a full time job. I would say the first three months of 1998 was the crucial time.


What is your favorite aspect of the music industry and what is your least favorite part? This could be anything from the songwriting process, to touring and seeing cultures, record label politics. Basically, what is your favorite part of being a professional musician and what is your least favorite?
By far my most favorite aspect is the songwriting process. The part where I get to be by myself at home and do the songs and then introduce them to the band and rehearse them. All of this, bringing the ideas together and creating music out of nothing. That is by far my most favorite part. Of course I like touring, I like meeting new people, being in different countries and seeing the sights, but that's secondary. The business part is by far the worst. I have taken a really naive approach to all of that. I don't talk about that and I don't want to hear about it because it takes all of my energy away. I am such a child when it comes to all this business stuff. People around me and even in the band, they criticize me a little bit that I should know where I'm going with the money and I just say that I can't deal with it, that's why we have the managers. We have two of them and our drummer Jukka takes care of all the business. I trust him completely. I have no idea how much we get for these shows, I don't know what the ticket sales are, I don't know how much money we are making and I don't want to know. It really gives me the creeps.


Does not knowing all that stuff and not stressing about it, does it feel like it allows you to be more pure?
Yeah exactly. Because I know myself. And I know my limits. Not dealing with that stuff in a way helps me to make better music. It sounds corny but that's the way it is. I even quit my email so I don't even have that anymore. Whenever I would wake up and check my emails there would be twenty new messages and it would all be record label crap, money business and all that. I just can't do this, sorry. So we made a deal and I stay out of it. Let other people who have the understanding and the interest to do that do it.


Do you have a specific time of the day that you enjoy to write during? Or a specific place like a writing room in your cabin? Something like maybe dusk at sunset is a great time or do you just write more or less when inspiration strikes?
Whenever inspiration strikes and it can happen at any time. But I have also noticed that mornings are the best time by far. The moment when you wake up, drink your morning coffee, and after that you sit in front of your keyboard. The next five hours from that moment are the best. For some reason this really works for me. I have talked about it with my colleauges and almost everybody in this business they say that night is the best time but it is the worst time for me. I don't know why, I get tired and woozied out. It's just not a good time for me, mornings are the best.


Your lyrics are very open to interpretation and complex. Do you think that your approach to English and writing lyrics is because English isn't your first language and that Finnish is your first? Cos the way that like you , Tony Kakko, and Timo Tolkki, the way you guys write lyrics are pretty profound and are a bit more in depth than "typical dumb American metal lyrics."
I know there are alot of grammar mistakes but I think that that is part of the appeal. I don't want it to be perfect because I am not a native English speaker. I guess it makes it a bit more charming even in a way. It is easier to write in English for some reason but I really don't know why. I try to avoid cliches to the maximum because I am writing about stuff that all the musicians in the world write about and that's love, dreams, hopes, fears, all that stuff. But you don't have to be so obvious. You don't have to go Bon Jovi, "baby I'll love you always, I'm just a man." That's crap. I mean it's a good cause because it's about love and relations but it's total crap. You just can't put it so direct there has to be some interpretation. That's what poetry is about, interpretation. It's giving you the images and not telling you everything straight.


Were there any particular writers or poets that influenced your writing style in terms of usage of metaphors or phrasing?
One of my biggest inspirations, especially in the early days is the guy from My Dying Bride, Aaron Stainthorpe. I still adore his lyrics. As a metal music lyricist he is still my biggest idol. I read alot of poetry and lately I have found these old American poets like Edgar Allen Poe is one of my favorites and especially Walt Whitman. His book Song Of Myself has kind of become my personal bible. It holds a life philosophy that I can truly relate to. It is the greatest piece of poetry ever written and I think that this will show on the next album very strongly.


Well I definitely have to look this up when I get home.
Please do.

I know you've done a million interviews but what is a question or topic that you would love to talk about but it hasn't been brought up yet in an interview?
I just counted that I've done something like eight hundred and fifty interviews during this past tour so almost everything has been answered. I love to talk about personal interests like Walt Whitman, Disney, movies, literature, and about music and how songs are made. I don't want to talk about the past of the band. I still get this every now and then. "Ok so here's Tuomas of Nightwish. Could you please explain to me the history of the band from the first album up to this day?" (laughs) And then it's just like," Oh fuck!" I couldn't name just one topic. Things that matter, that is what I like to talk about. This interview is a perfect example of that in every aspect. It's been a good talk about really interesting stuff. Stuff that matters, that fans want to hear, and stuff I like to talk about.


Because you write such very profound lyrics and because Nightwish's popularity is growing more and more do you ever feel that someone might have misinterpreted a deeply personal song that you have written in a horrible way and also in a sense do you feel that you have a bit of responsibility for these people who do take these songs in and think the world of them?
It's a really scary thought. I have thought about this alot in the past few months about the responsibility. It's an immensely scary thought. Some people have taken the songs that we do and the lyrics so deep into them and they are almost reading it as a bible. Sometimes you meet the fanatic fans and you see what it means to them and it's like... it is important, it is music and it's poetry but it isn't the whole world. That's something that I have a hard time coping with because I feel the responsibility on my shoulders and I'm not so sure if I can take it always. I've seen the effect that I or another band member can have on a fan. It takes one minute of your life to go and see somebody and take a picture with him or her, sign an autograph and chat a few words. And they live five years longer because of that you can see it in their eyes, it means the world to them. Sometimes you simply can't though, you don't have the time or the energy and you just can't do it. Later on you feel like "I could have done it." I have that power to influence people and make them feel really good or really bad by not meeting them or doing something wrong unintentionally and that I have a hard time coping with.


What are your opinions on the modern Disney movies as compared to old school ones? Like do you like the Pixar ones or do you find yourself more drawn still to the classics like Sleeping Beauty and Fantasia?
In a way I hate to say this because when you are a big fan of something you always say the older stuff was better. We get that all the time, "Yeah the new one is ok but the old stuff is really good." With Disney its the same way for me. I am not really into Pixar at all. I've seen some of the computer animated movies and they are good for a laugh, to see once but they just don't have the magic that I am after. I am still very deeply into the old stuff, Sleeping Beauty, Fantasia, even Beauty And The Beast. They did make some really good stuff in the nineties but after that they just didn't do the trick for me.




Ben

Cambios en el diseño del blog

Si...hoy se me dió por cambiar los diseños de mis blogs, así que ya que estábamos, cambié este también.
En breve voy a agregar otra vez los banners de las páginas amigas y lo que falte :)
Espero que les guste!

Entrevista a Tuomas, Anette y Marco en Rocksound (abril 2009)

(Traducción de partituradeamorfantasma)

Si pudieras pedir cualquier deseo sabiendo que se hara realidad, ¿Cuál seria y por que?
Tuomas: La vida eterna…
Anette: Eso es exactamente lo que estaba pensando.
Tuomas: Amo la vida, vale la pena vivir y seria una pena morir.
Anette: Digo exactamente lo mismo - No quiero morir.
Marco: Una buena vida – Puede ser únicamente eterna a medida que es buena.
Si la vida fuera un perfume, ¿Cómo seria tu olor?
Anette: El mio es realmente dulce.
Tuomas: El mio es agridulce.
Marco: Cerveza.
¿Qué tan duro es para ti dejar a tu hijo cuando te vas a un tour? Yo soy una mama y me imagino que es muy duro…
Anette: Es terrible. Marco sabe que tan difícil es también…
Marco: Si, para mi es el doble de duro porque tengo dos chicos, dos de 7.
Anette: La misma edad que el mio. Es muy duro.
Tuomas – ¿Cual es el color del traje de baño de tu abuela?
Tuomas: (Indicando su sombrero, riendo) ¿No lo ves? Aca esta!
Marco: ¿Ese es su traje de baño?
Tuomas: Si, y este es el color, como un color tipo violeta, solo me gusta usarlo como un sombrero cuando estoy en tour.
¿Has estado tentado de golpear a una celebridad en la cara? Si es así, ¿A quien?
Anette: Bueno, yo podría decir uno – George Bush. No soy una persona violenta.
RS: George Bush es una excepción a la regla.
Anette: Acordado.
Tuomas: Yo creo que podes causar mas dolor con palabras, entonces…
Anette: Nosotros no somos tan violentos como personas, somos muy buenos.
Marco: Ha habido ocasiones donde he sido tentado a atacar, pero siempre me las he arreglado para evitar la confrontación final.
Ahora que están cerca del final de un tour enormemente exitoso y van a sacar un álbum en vivo para mostrar a los fans que pueden entregar clásico y nuevo material en vivo - ¿Como recuerdan todo el ciclo de este nuevo álbum?
Tuomas: Como un excitante viaje de montaña rusa con un monton de giros y vueltas, subidas y bajadas, es la vida – te sentís vivo.
Anette: Cada dia es diferente y eso es muy divertido.
Marco: Si, ocasionalmente…
Anette – Habiendo pasado un par de años en Nightwish, ¿Qué arrepentimientos tenes en tomar la posición?
Anette: Actualmente ninguno, realmente no los tengo. Es como Tuomas dijo, “Es una montaña rusa y tenemos momentos de subidas y bajadas, pero tenemos un monton de diversión.”Con cada momento de diversión tenes que tener un momento de bajada también, es inevitable, entonces no, no hay arrepentimientos.
Si tu pudieras haber prevenido un porciento de las atrocidades de la Segunda Guerra Mundial teniendo actos sexuales con Hitler una vez al dia por la duración de la guerra, ¿Lo hubieras hecho?
Anette: Oh mi Dios! Bueno, creo que es difícil para estos dos actualmente!
Marco: Oh wow, tener sexo con Hitler…
Anette: Todos los días!
Marco: Ok, entonces quien va a ser la chica? Depende de eso.
Anette: Bueno, creo que podría hacerlo. Soy una chica pero no se…
Marco: Bueno, esto tendría que ser no muy heterosexual.
Tuomas: Mmm, si… Sin comentarios.
Marco: Bueno, no lo se, tal vez…Tu tendrías que evaluar esto realmente difícil. Cuanto podes glorificar este tipo de nobleza con esta especie de hazaña? Si, tendría que pensar acerca de esto realmente duro. Habria algún dinero involucrado?
RS: Podrias tener seis millones de Jevis.
Marco: Ok. Robinson, sos un pervertido.
Anette: Una pregunta realmente, realmente original sin embargo…
Tuomas: Si, realmente me gusto esta.
He escuchado de que tal ves toquen al lado de la Orquesta Sinfonica de Londres en el Royal Albert Hall, ¿Es verdad?
Tuomas: Es un rumor distante, teníamos algunos planes unos años atrás sobre esto, pero no tuve el dinero. No va a pasar en este tour tampoco, pero esto continua en un sueño. Tal vez en el futuro.
Anette: Seria increíble.
Marco - ¿Qué pensas acerca de la idea de la poligamia? Si piensas que es una buena idea ¿podría ser tu segunda esposa?
Marco: Poligamia?
Anette: Significa tener varias esposas…
Marco: Si, conozco el termino. Creo que es lo bastante difícil como esta.
Anette: Tal vez pudieran cuidar a ambos y tu solo relajarte.
Marco: No creo que resulte asi, creo que tendrían una…
Anette: Pelea de gatos?
Marco: No, creo que se pondrían en mi contra…
Anette: Las mujeres hacen eso a veces.
Tuomas – ¿Has tenido sueños recurrentes acerca de la misma mujer? ¿Como era ella?
Tuomas: Si, tengo este profundo y depresivo síndrome de mi madre cada noche…
Anette: Has averiguado de esto? Es la teoría de Freud.
Tuomas: No me importa.
Toco algunos instrumentos y cada uno tiene un nombre. Me preguntaba si ¿tu le pones un nombre a tus instrumentos también?
Marco: No, no realmente, quiero decir, lo amo pero no les pongo nombre. Han habido chicas que ame y no siempre recuerdo sus nombres tampoco.
Anette: No tengo un instrumento, solo mi voz, pero mi auto se llama Beta. No se porque, pero hablo con ella cada mañana. Ella es mujer y es un buen nombre.
¿Has visto alguna vez algo extraño pasando en la multitud desde el escenario?
Anette: No en esta banda, pero en otras bandas. Estaba con la banda de mi mama cuando tenia 16 y una pareja tenia sexo. Yo estaba como, “Oh mi Dios! Tengo 16 y estoy viendo esto, justo en el medio de la multitud!” Fue como un shock.
Marco: Si, unas semanas atrás vi algunos chicos en la audiencia bajarse lo pantalones y dejarle a la gente pegarles en las nalgas. Yo mas o menos les dije de hacerlo arriba del escenario.
Tuomas: Yo he visto cosas, pero nada que supere eso!
Anette: Creo que eso fue mejor que el mio…
Marco: Yo dije, “ Veamos si alguien tiene las agallas de bajarse los pantalones y dejar que la gente les pegue en las nalgas!” – Algunos lo hicieron!
Tuomas - ¿Qué piensas acerca de los dragones y compondrías una canción acerca de ellos?
Tuomas: Trato de evitar chiches lo mejor que puedo. Estar en una banda de heavy metal y cantar acerca de dragones bastante va a la cima de esta lista.
Anette: Creo que voy a escribir una canción acerca de dragones…(Tuomas mira a Anette fríamente) Ok, no lo hare, estoy bromeando.
Si pudieras crear otra banda con músicos conocidos, vivos o muertos, ¿a quien elegirías y por que?
Bueno, es difícil decir una banda, no soy muy buena en músicos porque mayormente escucho voces, pero me encantaría cantar con Andrea Bocelli, seria divertido. Ayer vi el musical de Queen, We Will Rock You. Me encantaria tocar con Freddie Mercury. Mi Dios, seria algo especial! Oh, y ABBA por supuesto. Tengo que mencionar a ABBA con mi formación sueca.
Tuomas: Me gustaría a Walt Disney para dirigir un video musical para nosotros. Seria interesante.
¿Cual es tu comida favorita y con que bebida y postre la disfrutas?
Anette: Filet mignon para mi, todo el tiempo. Nunca puede ser superado por nada.
Tuomas: Sopa cremosa de salmon con un pan de centeno caliente y vino tinto.
Anette: Si, vino tinto para mi también, de Chile. Tu solo podrías decir pizza o McDonalds
Tuomas: No, no.
Marco: A mi me gusta una salchicha de vez en cuando, y una cerveza.
Cuando visitaron primero los Estados Unidos tuvieron algunos problemas en lo que se refiere a sus Visas. ¿Qué fue todo y fue arreglado?
Tuomas: Fue hace mucho tiempo, no lo recuerdo ahora.
Anette: Fue antes que yo?
Tuomas: Si.
Marco: probablemente fue la dinamita que teníamos adjunta a nuestros cinturones.
Tengo pensado tener unos pececitos dorados y que sus nombres se deban a un miembro de Nightwish – ¿Les importa?
Anette: No, esta bien por mi…
Marco: Te vere en la corte!
Anette: Tal vez Nemo en cambio. Es un mejor nombre.
Tuomas: Si, Nemo.
Marco: Podemos acordar esto fuera de la corte si compro un orangután y lo llamo como vos.

Entrevista a Tuomas- Nightwish.fr

1-En retrospectiva, como te parecieron los primeros shows de esta etapa del tour?
Tuomas: Realmente bien, realmente, realmente bien. Este tour ha sido el mas relajado y facil en muchos aspectos. Londres fue
una explosion; todos los shows de este tour han sido realmente buenos. Principalmente porque tuvimos un largo descanso, por
lo tanto todos tuvieron la oportunidad de acumular sus niveles de energia de vuelta a un estado normal, y ademas tenemos un
nuevo escenario, algunas nuevas canciones y ahora tenemos a Troy con nosotros de manera que es algo relamente especial para
nosotros tambien.

2- Entonces no hay presion?
Tuomas: Presion? Ya no, no. Un poco entusiasmados antes de cada show por supuesto pero, tu sabes, el miedo de morir ha
pasado.

3- Respecto a las nuevas canciones, podrias decirnos por que elegiste estas? Fue una demanda popular o tu propia decision?
Tuomas: Fue nuestra propia decision. Actualmente, Romanticide es la favorita de Anette y fue su pedido, ella queria hacer
esta y nosotros dijimos " Ok, vamos a intentarlo". Ghost Love Score fue mi favortia personal pero ella tuvo prejuicios acerca
de esta cancion, ella tenia miedo porque esta está tan relacionada a Tarja, pero lo esta haciendo realmente bien. Y luego,
The Escapist fue una decisión en común, a todos nos gusta esta canción y queriamos tocarla en vivo. Esta no estuvo en el
album pero es un lindo reto. Y Dead Boy's Poem es solo por los buenos viejos tiempos. Y la nueva intro fue una cosa obvia
porque Troy Donockley tiene esta cancion en su album solista, el ha grabado Finlandia. Finlandia es casi un himno nacional de
Finlandia. Esta ha sido compuesta por John Sibelius, el es nuestro mas bien reconocido compositor clasico y esta es una
cancion que todos conocen en Finlandia, es como un himno nacional para nosotros.

4- Por que no queres tocar el final de Dead Boy's Poem?
Tuomas: Nunca me gusto el final. No se porque. Esa es la unica razon. Pienso que solo funciona bien de esta forma y nosotros
extendimos el solo de guitarra. Es solo un arreglo que a todos nos gusta.

5- Paris es la unica ciudad donde tocaron dos veces en fila. Por que Paris?
Tuomas: A causa de la demanda popular, supongo. El show de ayer fue agotado bastante rapido entonces querian tener otro dia,
esta bien para mi. Si la gente quiere venir y vernos nosotros estamos halagados.

6- En una entrevista dijiste que tenias planes con algunos proyectos paralelos, nos podrias decir mas respecto a ellos?
Tuomas: " Proyecto paralelo" tal vez es un mal termino. He estado haciendo un par de canciones para otros artistas en
Finlandia; luego tengo este pequeño proyecto de pelicula continuando, este tipo de cosas, pero ellos me dijeron no hablar de
ellas entonces tengo que mantener mi palabra. Pero hay pequeñas cosas continuando al lado de Nightwish todo el tiempo. Pero
nada grande. Yo no los llamaria "proyectos paralelos". Y tambien, he estado trabajando con Indica en el ultimo año y medio:
nosotros hemos terminado el album en ingles hace un mes y este ha tomado mucho de mi tiempo, pero es algo divertido para
hacer.

7- Arreglaste Vuorien Taa pero arreglaste otras canciones tambien?
Si, tomamos las viejas canciones y las reescribimos un poco. Algunas canciones cambiaron bastante, algunas no cambiaron del
todo. Y para 4 canciones del album, fuimos a Londres, usamos la misma orquesta que usamos para Nightwish, The London Session
Orchestra y Pip Williams hizo los arreglos para las chicas. Y esta el mismo coros y Troy esta tocando algunas gaitas en una
de las canciones.

8- Hubo algunas canciones que ensayaste con Anette y no las hicieron en los shows?
Tuomas: Actualmente no. En algun punto tratamos Elvenpath pero no funciono, por alguna razon no se, pero esa es la unica. Y
hay algunas canciones que abandonamos totalmente como nosotros no vamos a tocar Bye Bye Beautiful otra vez, eso es seguro.
Porque se siente muy cursi, a causa de el contenido lirico de esta cancion y hemos tocado esta cancion otra vez y otra vez
entonces esta muerta y enterrada.

9- Hay alguna chance de que tocaran Aramaan Viimeinen con Jonsu?
Tuomas: Si, hubo algunas charlas acerca de esto pero no lo se, veremos. Hay una posibilidad y actualmente ella nos dijo que
le gustaria hacerlo.

10- Y que hay con esta noche?
Tuomas:No, nosotros no las hemos ensayado nunca, no hemos tocado esta juntos por lo tanto tomaria un monton de practica pero
tal vez. Pero funciona tan bien con Troy, entonces...

11- Y Anette no quiere cantar Follow Me con Pain?
Tuomas: No lo se, tal vez lo hara en algun punto.

12- Estara Troy ahi para todo el tour?
Tuomas: Si, para todo el tour europeo.

13- Crimson Tide esta terminado?
Tuomas: Si, Crimson Tide esta terminado por ahora.

14- Por que decidiste tocarla de vuelta porque la usaste para el Wishmaster tour inicialmente?
Tuomas: Bueno este tour es llamado "Euroipean Deja Vu Tour", ese es el porque.
Es porque trajimos de vuelta Dead Boy's Poem y las viejas cosas, y todavia pienso que es la mejor intro que tuvimos.

15- Elegiste ser el unico en el bote, como el capitan de la banda?
Tuomas: Esta fue actualmente las idea de nuestros pirotecnicos: " Necesitamos ponerte en un bote". Y toda la idea de la
nautica, el tema del oceano, viene de el: "Pongamos un ancla, un bote y algunas rocas" pero no fue mi idea estar en un bote
en primer lugar. Yo disfruto estando ahi porque me puedo esconder siempre, cuando voy abajo, nadie me ve y puedo beber mi
vino.

16- No tocaste el "The Piano" tema la noche anterior, e incluso en Made In Hong Kong, es una cuestion de derechos?
Tuomas: No, no lo es, es solo porque ahora tenemos a Troy aca y esta es su parte del solo. Cuando Troy no esta ahi siempre la
toco.

17- Que son las primeras cosas que vienen a tu mente cuando esuchar la palabra "Francia"?
Tuomas: Disneyland Paris, vino, este sombrero que la gente usa...boyna! Baguette, Thierry Henry, la copa de los campiones del
mundo del 2004 o 2000..oh 98 si. Y asterix, me encanta, tengo cada album! Y no he estado nunca en el parque de diversiones
pero he escuchado de el. Y tambien tengo que mencionar lo bastante groseros mozos en restaurants, tal vez es algo cultural!

18- Conoces algunos artistas franceses?
Tuomas: Mylene Farmer. Tengo un DVD, es uno de los mejores DVDs que he visto. No estoy muy metido en la musica pero la
organizacion y todo es "waow".

19- Que bandas o albums has estado escuchando ultimamente?
Tuomas: Un monton de Indica desde el año pasado a causa de este tema de produccion, relamente trato de meterme en las
canciones.Ademas, un monton de soundtracks, un monton de James Newton Howard ultimamente. El nuevo Delain es realmente bueno,
Apenas tuve el CD unos dias atras cuando conoci a los chicos en Rotterdam. Entonces estos han sido los albums que he estado
escuchando mayormente las semanas pasadas.

20- Cual es el ultimo concierto en el que has estado como un miembro de la audiencia?
Tuomas: Fui a ver Sabaton en Helsinki, me encanto. Es como el power metal sueco realmente tradicional, con una buena actitud
y una gran sonrisa en sus caras, una banda maravillosa!Y voy a ver a AC/DC en Junio en Helsinki, esta va a ser una explosion.

21- Cual es el ultimo libro que leiste?
Tuomas: Insomnia de Stepheng King. Este habia sido el unico libro de el que no habia leido. Los lei todos.Y pienso que es
probablemente el peor de Stephen King que he leido.Este igual estaba bien pero a sus estandars no estaba tan bien.

22- Cual es el ultimo articulo de las noticias que te sorprendia de algun modo?
Tuomas: Bueno, esta mañana estaba en el encabezamiento en los periodicos finlandeses otra vez. El encabezamiento era como: "
Tengo un mal autoestima y soy la persona menos sexy en el mundo" (risas). Ellos seguro saben como poner en esos titulos.

23- Reaccionaste a esto, escribiste al diario?
No, nunca. No acostumbro.

24- Cual es tu espresion o frase favorita, algo que has estado diciendo un monton ultimamente?
Tuomas: (Algo en finlandes): " I don't fucking care". Pero no significa que no me importa, es solo una frase que usamos, por
ejemplo "cual es tu opinion respecto a esto?" "(Frase en finlandes)"

25- Si pudieras ser cualquier persona en el mundo por un dia, quien seria?
Tuomas: (Pausa larga). Me gustaria ser la Bestia, de la Bella y la Bestia, porque Bella es siempre mi Personaje favorito en
mi pequeña fantasia entonces no me importaria cambiar lugares con la Bestia por un dia.

26- Cuales son sus fortalezas en el escenario?
Tuomas: Emppu esta siempre feliz. No se como lo hace pero esta siempre feliz. Aun si el tiene un mal dia el consigue una
sonrisa y da energia a los otros. Anette es una perfeccionista; ella realmente realmente da de ella lo mejor y nunca deja
nada por la mitad por lo tanto es ralmente estricta sobre su condicion fisica. Diria lo mismo para Jukka, El siempre es asi,
el siempre tiene la energia. Y Marco es un fenomeno natural porque aunque el este enfermo, tiene una resaca o se siente mal
por alguna razon, el siempre se presenta perfectamente. Yo no se como diablos lo hace. Nunca lo he escuchado cantar una nota
equivocada no importa que tan malo fue su dia.

27- Cuales son sus fortalezas fuera del escenario?
Tuomas: Solamente los mejores amigos, todos ellos.

28- Cuales son sus frases favoritas?
Tuomas: Un monton de finlandesas y suecas groserias y "A que hora deberiamos abrir la botella esta noche?" la cual es
acordada a las 8:30 pm de esta noche.

29- Si estuvieras en sus zapatos por un dia, que harias?
Tuomas: Pienso que seria una oportunidad realmente buena para realmente ver como se sienten estando en esta banda, y como se
sienten respecto a mi como lider de la banda por lo tanto realmente revisaria sus pensamientos internos para informarme
porque honestamente no se.

30- Te gustaria tocar sus instrumentos?
Tuomas: No... Amo mi piano y mi teclado. Deje el tocar a aquellos quienes actualmente pueden tocar sus instrumentos.

31- Cantar no?
Tuomas: No! (Risas) No mas. Actualmente cante dos lineas en el nuevo album en ingles de Indica, cante de fondo "oohhh".Tu
puedes actualmente escucharlo, esta tan fuerte en el album. Pero no me gusta cantar, solo no disfruto la idea de cantar, ese
es el problema.

32- Cuales son sus mejores caracteristicas y sus mas grandes defectos?
Tuomas: Para Anette yo diria que su perfeccionismo es una virtud asi como un defecto; ella a veces esta realmente molesta
porque todo necesita ser perfecto.Jukka es el que trabaja mas duro en la banda. el mantiene toda la organizacion junta, las
cosas financieras lo cual yo nunca podria hacer. Su mayor defecto es que el es realmente estricto y perfeccionista. A veces
es dificil con el respecto a este tipo de cosas porque el es tan " esto necesita ser hecho asi, eso es todo". A veces es
bueno, a veces es un defecto". Marco es la persona mas fiel en el mundo y un tipo realmente sensible por lo tanto si
necesito hablar con alguien en la banda, seria el, el es la primera opcion. El tiene un gran hombro en el que tu puedes
apoyarte.Y sus defectos...no lo se. Se esta poniendo viejo, no se si podra llevar esto por muchos años (risas). (En el
microfono) Lo siento, era una broma. Y Emppu; el es como Marco, el es el amigo que tu necesitas. El es siempre el que
pregunta "Estas bien? Todo esta bien? Quieres hablar de algo? entonces el es realmente enfatico. Pero el es tambien
probablemente la eprsona mas distraida, lo se. Si no practicamos algunas canciones por una semana el las olvida y no puede
recordar lo que ha dicho el dia anterior, el puede decir el mismo chiste una y otra vez asi que es realmente distraido, pero
de una forma linda.

33- Que respecto a ti? Cuales son tus defectos y mejores caracteristicas?
Tuomas: Erf, necesitas preguntarselo a alguien mas!Yo pienso que soy amable, trato de ser bueno con la gente y tambien soy
creativo y enfatico. Pero ademas soy realmente impaciente: Yo quiero todo bien ya mismo, no puedo esperar. Y soy tambien
completamente egoista para algunas cosas.

Entrevista a Tuomas: Metal Hammer. Greek version. 03/2009

Nightwish keyboardist and mastermind, Tuomas Holopainen, shares with us thoughts and confessions, with a shocking honesty. But, anyway, don’t be hurry to forejudge anything…

Journalist: So, eventually, women are a big trouble, aren’t they?
Tuomas: (laughing) I won’t blame anyone who’s gonna say that referring to Nighwish.

J: But you push your luck too! Touring for 2 years? With a new member?
T: Yes, you’re right. To be honest, I confess, this decision was wrong. We scheduled 160 gigs for the first year and it might be overmuch. We made this decision because we couldn’t just hold it back, we wanted to get out there and perform. We had a new vocalist and a new album, we had been working very hard, we wanted to see if we could make it. We couldn’t hold back ourselves from touring. We wanted to see the reactions, to understand if we won the bet or lost it. The truth is that the very first months of the tour were amazing…

J: Where are you now?
T: I’m in Helsinki. We returned home but I haven’t been yet to my hometown. I live in Kitee, you know, it’s a place far away from here, close to Russian borders.

J: Are you alone there or with the other members of the band?
T: I’m all alone. The other guys are already to their families and occupy with their own matters. We need that more than anything else.

J: Are you in touch or you belong to this category of musicians who’s getting of the hook of each other?
T: No, we’re not like this, we are a family. We communicate all the time, SMS, calls…


J: What are you doing when you get home?
T: See my beloved ones, family and friends. Work on music stuff, not on Nightwish but on my own side-projects.

J: So you have any side-projects?
T: Yes. So do Marco and Emppu. At this moment, Marco is on tour for Tarot’s DVD.

J: Do you want to speak about your side-projects?
T: No, I can’t reveal anything. You’ll find it out on time. I am sorry, but really it’s impossible.

J: Ok. Are you in touch with Anette? She’s in Sweden, I guess, with her son…
T: Yes, she’s there. She needed to be there. She’s resting.

J: The tour will carry out?
T: Of course. At the moment, we are taking just a 3-month break. Next month we will take again to the roads. The tour ends in the middle of May but we arranged some summer festivals too.

J: So, you insist!
T: What can we do? Those performances had been already arranged. Plus we can’t ignore the invitations for the summer festivals. Besides, I guess this long break will benefit us. We will be back stronger and much more responsible.

J: What about the cancelled US shows?
T: We have already arranged new ones. Same places.

J: Which was the peak of the tour so far? And which was the worst moment?
T: I can’t pick up the best moment, because the whole beginning – I’m talking about the first 5-10 gigs – was a dream. We were full of energy and enthusiasm, even anxious too. The fans fulfilled the venues and it was a feeling of deliverance. Yes, it was deliverance to see the fans being still there! Of course, some of them left, but we gain new ones. Then, we could comment to each other ‘’yes, we made it’’.
About the worst moment, we can’t speak only for some moments, but a whole period, the last one before this break. During the last part of this tour, in South America, we all have reached our dead-ends. Our psychological condition had reached the bottom. Not only when it comes to nightwish members, but the whole crew as well, technicians, sound engineers, managers. We couldn’t hold on any more. Everybody missed their homes, their beloved ones. Tour-bus, hotels, changes, life on the road…it was too much.


J: Nonetheless, amongst the situation you just described, you will release the live CD/DVD ‘’Made in Hong Kong’’. Strategic action, I must confess, in many aspects…
T: Actually, the original idea was not mine. This concept comes from our company. Besides, I don’t like live cds that much. I don’t know if I can thump this release as much as they expect me to do, mainly because I don’t feel I gave any part of myself on it to be produced. I haven’t been devoted to this project, I haven’t put anything in, artistic or creative. I thought a lot about this decision of our company, I found it ‘’fishy’’.

J: The title is ‘’Made in Hong Kong’’ but it’s nothing to do with, right?
T: Indeed. Only the first song was recorded there and you can hear the classical ‘’Good evening Hong Kong’’, that’s all. The other songs were recorded to different venues, around the world. Don’t ask me where because I can’t remember! It’s in Germany, in Finland, in Chile which was our last show before the break…But I can’t remember nothing more nothing less.

J: The songs were chosen from the DPP cd. Was it on purpose, to avoid the comparison because your latter live DVD was released just 2 years before?
T: Not at all. I don’t have any problem with Anette’s performance – if I have had doubts, we wouldn’t have started our cooperation all along. I would like to have some old stuff but the problem was the bureaucracy. We would get along with a long term routine to get the green light. So, to make things easier, it was decided to use those songs that we wouldn’t have any problem with, and those songs were DPP’s.

J: There is also a documentary where we can find mainly your interview/narration. When did you shoot this stuff?
T: I think this documentary is the most rememberable stuff of this release, by far. And the most interesting. We shoot it during the last period of this tour, during the last shows. My narrative parts were shot in Chile. You can easily understand how the things have already changed, you can feel how tired we were, how exhausted we were…

J: So, South America is a fatal place for you..
T : Maybe. But the truth is that the fans, there, are amazing. You can’t imagine what is going on. We are very lucky to have travelled around the world and have the chance to hear people tell us how important Nightwish is for them. And this is something beyond my sight. I mean when I’m at home, writing music, I want to share it with the fans and I am happy to see that you like my music, but I feel I can’t fully understand what is going on inside them, the connection between them and my songs. In South America, wherever we’ve been, the fans were following us like shadows! They were waiting for us in the hotel, they were standing and screaming to us, talking to us. I don’t have the right to say I feel upset with that, because it’s a great honour but it is something that brings embarrassment to me. When you are exhausted, you feel like you have just to deal with a daily routine. Of course, it’s nothing to do with the gigs but with all the others, the personal fight with yourself and the communicative skills with the others. This devotion and love of the fans is something I wasn’t sure how to hand it out.


J: In my opinion, the smartest moment on this DVD is the reference to the Brazilian gig and Anette’s walk-out. The way it was shot, including her explanation and your support declaration, I think, is the unnegiotiable, official answer for all that rumours…
T: What kind of rumours?

J: Many rumours. About walk-out,dismissal, stuff like that. Don’t tell me it’s the first time you heard that!
T: OK, let’s make it clear that for the moment Anette is the vocalist. Now, as far as the incident in Brazil is concerned, oh my God, I don’t believe people still fuss about that…

J: Anette said that she walked out because of the smoke-machine. Is that what really happened?
T: I believe her. Since she said that, it’s true. But, for sure, this was just the visible reason during a period which was very difficult for us. And it’s totally reasonable. People break down, it happens. But the smoke-machine is not the only reason. We were all tired, we were jaded. We were nervous and fed-up. Especially Anette, it was unfamiliar for her all that. We dropped her into the ocean and she made it really well. Lots of times we said each other ‘’I would never expect she could hold on for so long!’’. But she did. She disproved all the predictions. She made it very well with such a long tour, and she had a lot of times the crown against her. Her break-down at the end was normal. And let me tell you that during that gig, there were guys with middle fingers in front of her who were shouting many things…If you keep in mind all that, then you can’t be surprised with the incident.
J: How did you react when you saw the incident? Which were your thoughts?
T: I was anxious if it was an injury or something. We kept on playing waiting for some news. A technician came and told me that she wouldn’t return on stage so I thought ‘’That’s it. Finally it happened’’.

J: You kept on playing?
T: No, how could we? We played 2 songs and then walked out of the stage.

J: Would you do the same, if you were at the same condition?
T: I don’t know…I can’t answer that question.

J: As you have big experience on stage and you know the difficulties, do you think it was proper for a professional to walk out of the stage?
T: Well, I guess, due to my experience you just mentioned, I wouldn’t have done the same. But I can’t be sure. I think it’s impossible for someone to understand singers’ feelings while performing on stage. For the rest of us, it’s easier, we hide behide our instruments and play. The singer is a different matter. She’s responsible for the communication with the fans, everybody’s staring at her. She receives the biggest pressure, and the voice is something that can’t ‘’work’’ under any conditions.


J: Did you discuss each other about it backstage?
T: You can’t deal with words during those moments. We all understood what had happened. We didn’t bother her. She needed time, like all of us. Next day, we were all just fine. We could communicate and go on, the incident belonged already to the past. Eventually, not for all of us, huh?

J: Besides, you had to cancel some shows, because of Anette’s severe illness. Of course, health is unnegiotiable but did you feel a little depression?
T: You can’t do anything in such cases. We are human beings and we have all that difficulties. She did had a severe illness and the doctors couldn’t do anything. She had got the worst virus these period. She just needed to rest. And I have to tell you, it wasn’t only Anette, we were all ill these period. But, as I’ve mentioned before, for the musician is a different situation. You can play the guitar or the keyboards even when you are ill and nobody notice that. But when it comes to the voice, it is important to be in a good condition.

J: Do you think it is accidental that you were taken ill when you’ve had enough?
T: No! I think we were corruptible with all that and it was easy to come down. It was about physical and mental balance. For me, that’s why we came down.
The last news we had from Anette have been very shocking. She decided to hire a personal manager to cover the needs the rest of the members can’t occupy with. If I got it right, it’s about woman stuff.

J: You said it cool! But, tell me, honestly, how did you react when you got informed?
T: I won’t lie, I was shocked! I had this déjà-vu that freaked me out!

J: Why she decided to hire a manager?
T: We met each other and she explained us the reasons, in a way I understand her. She’s a woman so she has different needs from us, clothes stuff or something. On the other side, even though she speaks English fluently, it’s hard to communicate in a language which is not her mother tongue. A Swedish company assumed the management so she can use her mother tongue. For now, we are in a break, so I don’t have any experience from this mater.

J: So, Nightwish agreed with this decision?
T: For now, yes. We will see…

J: The fee of this company will be paid by Nightwish?
T: (little pause..) It’s Anette’s personal matter…

J: But since you are a team, shouldn’t the members’ needs get covered by the band?
T: Yes…I understand what you mean…(big pause)

J: How do you feel Nightwish will be after this tour?
T: We will be stronger and much more experienced for sure.

J: Do you have any ideas on the new album?
T: I have already started preparing some things. We have much time to work on the new album though. When all this comes to an end, we have to meet each other and discuss, to see who wants to stay in the band and who don’t. I hope everybody in the band understood that too.

J: Are you referring to someone special?
T: Yes…

J: Not to Marco?
T: No…

J: Not to Emppu?
T: No…

J: Then, to Anette?
T: I don’t want to continue the discussion on that matter.

J: Ok, last question. I guess your last show in Athens is among the worst moments of the tour, right?
T: About that, I wanted to say that there’s nothing to do with the fans who have been waiting to see us and welcomed us with warmth, which I won’t forget. But the promoter fuck it up! I’ve never met anywhere anybody worse. He put in danger our gig. There have been some statements (he means Anette’s statements) that we won’t return to Greece and I want to say that it’s not true at all, in no way! We love Greece and we know how warmly the people there support us. Of course, we will come back to Greece as soon as possible, when we have the chance. But we will be careful with some matters which have nothing to do with the people. And we will have a show that the Greek audience deserves.

J: You don’t want to tell me about the promoter?
T: No, it would be non-professional and at the end, it’s nothing to do with the fans…

J: Ok, thanks for this discussion! Do you want to add something?
T: I want to thank you too for giving me the chance to explain to the Greek audience my feelings and Nightwish feelings for them. I hope to come there as soon as possible!