APOCALYPTICA: Interview with Perttu - Stodola Club, Poland

The Perttu Interview @ Stodola Club 16th April 2009

 

With a couple of hours to go before the doors opened Perttu sat down with Terrë and Tone in a rather nice bar area and the following occurred:

 

Terrë: So, how are you?

 

Perttu: Not like, hilariously good.

 

Terrë: But you're coping.

 

Perttu: Trying to cope- yes.

 

Terrë: Has it been difficult to get back on tour after the break?

 

Perttu: It was quite interesting; I came straight from the hospital. So weak! Vomiting. I don't know what the f**k was wrong or what is wrong. I've been really feeling bad for a long time but they are checking.

 

Terrë: I hope they can sort it out.

 

Perttu: It's funny to try to play concerts that you haven't eating before the concert for the entire day and trying to be really energetic on stage when you absolutely have nothing left anymore and I don't know where it comes.

 

Terrë: You just want to collapse?

 

Perttu: It must be the bad spirit.

 

Terrë: Are you finding that you’re having to be a little bit quieter on stage and not running around so much?

 

Perttu: The first 30 minutes I try to take it easy. I've even tied my hair so I don't headbang or anything and I got bored that it's not the way it should go, so I've been basically as normal... just have power and I know that it's not wise.

 

Terrë: So you've got four more days and you have a bit of break?

 

Perttu: No, there is no break actually. I'm doing one project and the final recordings are in May.

 

Terrë: What project is that?

 

Perttu: I'm not allowed to talk about it (laughs). But basically it's an entire month of work before the festivals.

 

Terrë: Eicca said you haven't started on the new album yet.

 

Perttu: Not really.

 

Terrë: When are you going to start?

 

Perttu: Except that we have been doing some experiments and running some demos. We have once again like a wish and a will to somehow renew that thing. Of course the biggest difficulty will be trying to find something new, but now I guess that it's really a lot to do with the songs and everything that we... we need to find some new approach for the music, even the music which they want more or less the same.

 

Terrë: Maybe you should do an album of classical covers rocked up.

 

Perttu: Mmm.

 

Tone: I still think Cello Hero 3 myself.

 

Terrë: Yeah Rather than Guitar Hero.

 

Perttu: I want to have the Metallica version because I hate the songs basically in the..... well Guitar Hero Legends has some good ones.

 

Terrë: Do you play it?

 

Perttu: I don't play the pop songs, but I'm sure Metallica rocks, especially because they have the new album and you're not bored for those songs yet.

 

Terrë: I still haven't heard the whole album.

 

Perttu: It's really good.

 

Terrë: Yeah I saw them but I've not run out and bought it like I did with all the others. I think St. Anger put me off a bit.

 

Perttu: But it's so different from St. Anger. It's sounds good and the songs are good and there is a lot of variation, slow songs, catchy melodies actually a lot on "Death Magnetic". I would call it second best.

 

Terrë: What's you favourite Metallica Album?

 

Perttu: I can't tell. It always changes.

 

Terrë: Do you have a favourite Metallica song?

 

Perttu: (pause) At the moment "All Nightmare Long" from the newest. It's just so F**king weird and cool. And contains so many elements, I admire that kind of music actually. I've noticed that every year my taste of music goes more complicated maybe. It's going towards like Three Chairs, not like that but, for example, in metal music I like challenging guitar riffs, difficult stuff, not only fast, but when the music is doing changes. Of course sometimes, and in places, the album is really cool. I once listened to it when I had sex and it worked really well.

 

Terrë: Yeah, the rhythms right.

 

Perttu: Yeah but that's what I mean. In a different situations..

 

Terrë: The best song to have sex to is "Animal Magnetism" by the Scorpions.

 

Perttu: (Sniggers)But whenever I hear Klaus Minus (Meine's) voice my dick goes in.

 

Terrë: It's the rhythm of it.

 

Perttu: I was a Scorpions fan even in Elementary School.

 

Terrë: Bad memories?

 

Perttu: Nasty history behind every one of us.

 

Terrë: Do you get lots of songs that you immediately go 'oh my God I was doing this the first time I heard that'. You just get songs that give you so many memories it almost overwhelms you.

 

Perttu: Yeah, it's really fun to remember, for example, one of those first loves and how strong. ‘Still Loving You’, the song, connects to those feelings. I was maybe 10 or something, really flattered of some girl's actions or whatever. And then asking her to dance at kids disco to Scorpions.

 

Terrë: There's no other songs? I mean not by the Scorpions, but by anybody, have you got any?

 

Perttu: Then my first time when I touched female genitals was when I was listening to Lambada.

 

Terrë looks slightly confused so Tone hums first few bars of Lambada. Terrë laughs.

 

Perttu: You asked. There is strong like memories connected. But from my childhood I only remember those like erotic stuff.

 

Tone: Oh I'm going to have fun typing this up.

 

Perttu: That's something we don't want to remember.

 

Terrë: So what was the first ever record that you ever bought?

 

Perttu: Skid Row "Skid Row"

 

Terrë: Great voice.

 

Perttu: Yes, because "Youth Gone Wild" was the first song I basically listened from any kind of rock. In my family we didn't listen, Paul Anka was maybe something besides the classical that you sometimes heard. Skid Row was the first real rock track that I heard and "Youth Gone Wild" was the first song that I remember very well.

 

Terrë: Have you noticed that you are selling less albums since the downloading started?

 

Perttu: Absolutely, except that now we could talk about in a certain sense, there was a great success with the last album, because we have sold double more than previous, and when you compare it to the market, instead of the world it's really like...we can't be so cheerful that like, yes, yes, millions of records, but compared to what it has been. The USA opened us really like a new world with last years success, and now we have to hope that it will continue, that it was not only like one night.

 

Terrë: When people come onto the forum and say ‘I want to download "I Don't Care" or whatever, where can I get it?’ we always say 'go buy it'. It's a bit of a problem, must be a real problem if you're in a band?

 

Perttu: Last year I was really into downloading - I mean legal, Itunes and stuff. Downloaded a lot of stuff onto the laptop. It was nice but the laptop got broken.

 

Terrë: That's always a pain.

 

Perttu: And I remembered why I always wanted to buy the CDs. I lost all the albums.

Problem is if you download it to computer and move to ipod, remove from the computer and the ipod gets lost. Of course the CD can get lost as well.

 

Terrë: Make about 3 CDs, put one round your mum's place, one in your house...

 

Perttu: One thing that I think is really really good on the internet or actually a couple of things. Considering music. Myspace is really, really brilliant because it's so easy to find new artists presenting their music.

 

Terrë: And Youtube of course.

 

Perttu: And Youtube is the other one to watch all the videos. That's almost the only place you can see the videos any more, at least it feels so nowadays.

 

Terrë: Did you see the link I sent of the machinima film done with the Sims with an Apo soundtrack? It's about vampires. It's really really good.

 

Perttu: I didn't watch that.

 

Terrë: I'm really getting into it, especially the Warcraft Macinima, but I did find the Sims one with Apo and I thought Perttu might like this as it was very beautiful. Go watch it!

 

Perttu: I have only seen like... they had a shirt with my face in cgi.

 

Terrë: You make those. You can make it yourself and put it into the Sims game. I used to play the Sims, I don't anymore. I play Warcraft.

 

Perttu: I play Heavenly Sword at the moment.

 

Terrë: I've not heard of that. What's it on Wii or Playstation.

 

Perttu: Playstation, I don't have Wii. A couple of Xboxes. I'm selective.

 

Perttu: I think the graphics are insane nowadays. I remember I began to play games in the late 80's and the first formal game was that for PC like which moved, click...click...click... it was already so cool.

 

Terrë: I used to live with a guy who worked for Hewson that were the forefront of computer gaming at the time in the early 80's and the games they came out with were like "wow I didn't know you could do that" and six pixels would walk across and hit people with swords and things. It's come so far it really has.

 

Perttu: Next will be that we participate in the games. Somehow like the game is happening around us like real 3D.

 

Terrë: So what's your favourite game?

 

Perttu: Lately? Like in the last half a year I've been into first person shooters because... it's the first time, actually, but maybe it has something to do with my will of killing every f**king single person on this planet - er no I didn't say that (all laugh) I meant getting rid of frustration and that's a good channel.

 

Terrë: Oh it is!

 

Perttu: Get rid off. So all like... Killzones.

 

Terrë: You should use a Wii. You could really feel like you're doing it.

 

Perttu: I was surprised that I was not impressed at all with Halo 3.

 

Terrë: Yeah my kids have got it, but I've not seen it.

 

Perttu: It was too funny. I prefer more serious like kind of realistic, like Battlefield series.

 

Terrë: I've played that- that's fun.

 

Perttu: Bad Company rocks.

 

Terrë: I'm really surprised you're not playing Lord of The Rings on-line.

 

Perttu: I don't have a PC.

 

Terrë: How do you e-mail me then?

 

Perttu: I have a Mac.

 

Terrë: Oh, it's not compatible?

 

Perttu: I would have wanted to buy a PC because of that game, but then came Lord of the Rings Conquest for Playstation, last January. Disappointed with it.

 

Terrë: It's a bit predictable.

 

Perttu: Yeah, beautiful. And its cool to be a Nazgul.

 

Terrë: If you played Lords of the Rings online what would you be, a warrior or a bard or a...

 

Perttu: Is there a possibility to be a bad guy in that game?

 

Terrë: No, unfortunately. You have to be good guys.

 

Perttu: That would be probably my first choice.

 

Terrë: There is a point where you can play a bad guy in a dungeon area, but most of the time you play good guys.

 

Perttu: Well, I would like to be probably then a... ranger. Someone who goes to check the places before the real guys come. I try to avoid that kind of games that take too much time.

 

Terrë: It's too addictive.

 

Perttu: I love... last and actually almost only real role-play that I have played with those "Knights of the Old Republic". Star Wars, both of them The Sith Lords sequel, they are insanely good role play at least for my taste. Of course, I love Star Wars. But it took 48 hours for me to go through the game. It's a lot. I prefer 10 hour games.

 

Terrë: So that's what you do at home when you're not touring? Play games?

 

Perttu: Play games and watch movies. But I have to admit I'm a cheater in the games.

 

Terrë: Oh you have the cheat codes do you?

 

Perttu: I use cheat codes sometimes, but mostly walkthroughs. I don't want to spend too much time, but I want to see everything, and it's beautiful. For example my way playing Tomb Raider would be to print the work through and do everything they said, other wise it would take to much time, but I want to see her tits.

 

All Laugh.

 

Tone: Type in the right code and you get that! You were saying about movies, do mange to see any movies while on tour, do take DVDs onto the bus?

 

Perttu: Actually on tour, I rather watch TV series because it's also very difficult to find two - two and a half hours to watch a movie. I don't like to watch a movie for 15 minutes and then put it away and do something else, but TV series is always cool because you can watch them, and it doesn't matter really, an hour or twenty minutes. Or the coolest thing is that if you can't get to sleep you can watch the same. ‘Lost’ is one of my favourites, ‘Alias’. I think there was one tour, probably the beginning of the Worlds Collide tour, where I watched all the five ‘Alias’ series in less that two weeks and it was like ten hours in a row in the night... YES THIS IS SOO COOL! I love Jennifer Garner.

 

Tone: Alias was a lot of fun.

 

Perttu: Mmmmmmmmmmm

 

Tone: I know what you're thinking, God that girl could kick ass.

 

Perttu: Sigh! Yes! I don't watch TV at all really.

 

Terrë: I love Heroes, I love Lost.

 

Perttu: Heroes I have the box set and it's my next project. I watched "The 4400". But I have become a real film freak, like I'm waiting for some certain movies like a little kid, like yes, I need to live until I see Terminator Salvation.

 

Tone: Welcome to my world!

 

Perttu: Not only reason, but still I'm seriously so on fire for Stallone's next one the Expendables. Because it's the ultimate action star combo, everybody's there.

 

Tone: Even Schwarzenegger I hear might be making an appearance in that.

 

Terrë: Don't you think they're a bit old for it though?

 

Tone: Probably.

 

Perttu: But he's performing as himself. Appears somewhere in a lobby and chat for a minute, so still Jet Li, Jason Statham, Mickey Rouke, Stallone of course, Dolph Lundgrun.

 

Tone: All that's missing is Jean Claude Van Damme.

 

Perttu: Then there was like Eric Roberts, Danny Trejo and a couple of wrestling stars like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Randy Coultre, it like the most men movie ever.

 

Terrë: Testosterone overload.

 

Perttu: I loved Rambo 4. it was so brutal, horrible. Basically a horrible story, but who the hell needs a story if the violence is good enough. Now we could begin a moral conversation about needs for violence in movies.

 

Terrë: What do you think about this torture Porn stuff like Saw and Hostel and stuff like that that?

 

Perttu: Well, first of all I have to admit I haven't watched them yet. I dunno why...

 

Terrë: Don't you think that's going a bit too far, there's no point to it?

 

Perttu: I don't know what is the point, and why do we want to watch, but still if there comes a new nasty movie I'm most likely going to buy it and watch.

 

Terrë: Do you think it feeds something dark inside of us?

 

Perttu: I think I try to reach something with the movies because for example, all of those people who read this, they know that I don't drink anymore, so it's really difficult, like a burden for me because I need the f**ing dope from somewhere. Simply just too stressful and too demanding to be with the brains all the time. So that is a possibility that I want to watch really brutal movies, because they affect me somehow. Rhere was, for example, I remember that kind of movie... the title was "Murder Set Pieces" and I watched maybe 30 minutes of it and skipped the rest because I found it too disgusting.

 

Tone: It's a release, seeing those films. It's a chance to release the pent up frustrations..

 

Terrë: Get rid of all your darkest fantasies without actually going out and doing it.

 

Perttu: Yeah, of course. And we want to be scared and shocked. And brutal music with strong lyrics, they try to put us into the same nerves. But the graphic violence is something we can't escape, like when you see it on a screen.

 

Terrë: Are you looking forward to the Hobbit?

 

Perttu: Of course, but it's too far away. How about "Public Enemies" - the highlights of this year, I think, and Terminator.

 

Tone: Johnny Deep at his best again.

 

Perttu: Exactly.

 

Terrë: I love Johnny Depp.

 

Perttu: I would marry him... whenever.... without hesitation.

 

(The support band then begin to soundcheck)

 

Terrë: Do you go and watch support bands, or do you just ignore them?

 

Perttu: Not ignoring. They play in a really difficult place, when we have our own massages and prepare everything for the gig. Of course, if we have our own support for a longer tour, then we get the possibility. Sometimes we have brought from Finland some bands we like.

 

Terrë: You had Angelzoom for a while didn't you?

 

Perttu: Yeah! It was actually a good situation because it didn't... it wasn't so loud.

 

Terrë: I remember Paavo saying something like that. When you are touring with a support band you like something that's a bit calm, whereas a lot of bands especially guitar bands like a band that gets the crowd going.

 

Perttu: True... hmm.

 

Terrë: We've heard that the Polish people are a bit insane during the gigs?

 

Perttu: Ahhh yes, in a good sense. We already thought that we lost Poland completely like maybe 5 years ago. It seemed that people were not coming to the concerts but... I guess this must be our second time in the ‘Worlds Collide’ cycle here, but now we've got a lot of audience and that felt good again.

 

Terrë: What's the difference between club gigs and a festival for you.

 

Perttu: Well there's a lot of differences. In the festivals it's more likely that there is an audience that doesn't know us. Everything gives a different feeling, and a good feeling. Of course it's wonderful to go to play your music to a crowd who can sing everything and really participate from beginning to end. That's wonderful, but it's another kind of challenge to go to play to a Prodigy audience who don't understand anything what we are doing, and you only have maybe 75 or 45 minutes in there and you have to convince them that we are...

 

Terrë: You have to convert them.

 

All Laughs

 

Perttu: No matter whether you heard us but you have to dig it anyway. At least at this moment, show your fu*king hands.

 

Terrë: Yeah. We get so many people going ' We've never heard of this band but they're fantastic."

 

Perttu: Yes. That's the big difference in festivals, especially in areas where we've not been so active - England for example. And the Download festival last year was really an amazing feeling because it has the reputation that if they don't like it then they throw rocks, and we're scared of those kind of things.

 

Terrë: Have you ever been hit by anything thrown at you?

 

Perttu: No actually, except panties!

 

Terrë: Antero got all the panties last time. We threw about 50 at him.

 

All Laughs

 

Perttu: There has been a couple of glasses or plastic.. beer.

 

Terrë: No it's always pee. That's what they do, they're not going to waste their beer on you, they're going to pee in a bottle and throw it you.

 

Perttu: Of all the concerts maybe three times that happened. Once was in Poland by the way. I think it happened when we played together with Cradle Of Filth and Eicca made one speech like (puts on a high squeaky voice) "Rarrrrrarrr rarrrr raaarrrar". Suddenly.. (Perttu starts ducking from imaginary things)

 

Terrë: I want to pat Danni Filth on the head as he's only this big (T puts her hand about waist high) he's so cute when he hasn't got his makeup on he looks cute and he really has this posh English voice, I just want to pat him on the head and go 'There There' he's so cute.

 

Perttu: Danni Boy..(said as you would to a cute pet. P pats an imaginary small Danni).

 

T sings 'Oh Danny Boy'

 

Perttu: Yeah I like him as well.

 

Terrë: You like Cradle of Filth?

 

Perttu: You?

 

Terrë: I love the musicianship but I cannot stand the voice.

 

Perttu: I think the voice is funny.

 

Terrë: Oh it's funny but it's not good.

 

Perttu: Yeah but if it's funny, then it's already good because it reaches something, but for me the most serious music is... I try to approach it a funny way and in black metal or whatever metal, I don't mind the lyrics because they are just a necessary evil to be there.

 

Terrë: I mean I can't see the point of having lyrics for black metal bands because you can't hear them.

 

Perttu: Yeah, but that's a good thing actually.(laughs).

 

Terrë: I had a friend who invented black metal poetry and he'd just sit there during performances in poetry clubs and he'd go 'ARWRWRARWRWRARW' no words and people would just clap.

 

Perttu: My favourite of that kind of a band is Immortal because they have such texts that I even like to read, it's kind of deep philosophy.

 

Terrë: Oh yeah they have absolutely wonderful lyrics, it's just that I'd like to sing along to them.

 

Perttu: They sing about old forests, and maybe some things lurking somewhere, but of course everybody sings those kind of things and it's not really connected for our religions, they are not telling anyone that somebody is strong and therefore you should burn things. That's a good thing.

 

Tone: I always though that Napalm Death's beautiful love song in 17 seconds was a classic which went, "ORWWRWRWWR RARARWRWRARAR" and that was it, it was great, so touching!

 

Perttu: AWWWWW AWWWWWA AWWWW.(taps a beat out on the table) That is ‘Negative’.

 

All laughs

 

Perttu: But 'You Suffer' which lasts (taps a drum roll on the table) from Scum - it's less than a second. I believe that's the shortest song on Earth.

 

Tone: And then there's the other side of things - called Extreme Noise Terrier/Caninus which is a heavy metal band with a dog that barks the lyrics, "WOOF WOOF WOOF RARRRRRRRRRR".

 

Perttu: Ha ha ha ha. I have to hear that.

 

Tone: I'll send it to you. Extreme Noise Terrier it's superb, it's a bulldog! It's brilliant!

 

Perttu: Ha ha ha ha. Imagine him on a stage with a dog barking in to the microphone "Rarrrrrr Rarrrrrr" leaving a sausage there, and now the next song "Slurp rrrrrrrr".

 

Terrë: I should take my cat on stage.. meowwwww

 

A short conversation about pets, including showing of photos then begins.

 

Terrë: Are you looking forward to the gig tonight, or do you just want to go to sleep?

 

Perttu: I'm looking forward because, it's the job that has to be done.

 

Terrë: I know you're usually taking your clothes off. Don't you get hot?

 

Perttu: It is hot, yeah.

 

Terrë: When I saw that photo of you with your hair back I thought what the ****? Were you in direct competition with Antero? Who can look the poshest!

 

Perttu: Easily him!

 

Tone: Are you going to miss him when he goes?

 

Perttu: Might happen so. But there are some periods of time in our lives where we have to go further. Something ends, we take the next block, and leave that behind. With the band we need to know how to find a different approach for the live shows without him. Of course some things turn out to be a little more complicated and need to be rearranged.

 

Terrë: You'd never think about getting another permanent cellist?

 

Perttu: Actually not really, because there hasn't been anyone in our minds, and we would anyhow want to have a Finnish person there.

 

Terrë: It makes it easier doesn't it. Do you ever miss the orchestra? Ever sometimes think, Oh I want to go back to the orchestra?

 

Perttu: I don't feel like I want to go back, but I think really often that I would like to play there for like one week, some of the favourites works.

 

Terrë: Maybe you should have a project. Call in all your orchestra friends and just have one charity concert or something. That could be fun. That could be a week long project. Book a concert hall, get your friends together and do a concert.

 

Perttu: I've not been really able to work or do anything for the last couple of months that makes things complicated. I don't have the strength to do anything.

 

Terrë: You're just sitting there watching films, playing games, relaxing.

 

Perttu: I actually try to work, but not easy to concentrate.

 

Terrë: It must be difficult to do that.

 

Perttu: There has been surprisingly lots of stuff all the time. We have meetings or galas or whatever. All the time, every week something happens, meetings and then the record company likes to meet with us. Basically the beginning of this year hasn't been free at all. Only the six days when I was in hospital.

 

Terrë: Horrible being sick, especially in the line of work that you're in. You have go ahead and do it. You can't phone the boss and say ‘Sorry I'm not coming in today;.

 

Perttu: Yeah, in the end there isn't really a replacement.

 

Tone: Yes, you're irreplaceable!

 

At that moment the doors opened, so we had to end the interview. We talked to Paavo and Eicca later that night. Interview coming soon.