Interview


Interview with Viljami/ Heijaste by Lithium Kitten 
Tampere 18.03.2007 – Bar Passion


Viljami had to pick the questions out of a bag and we read it. Read his answers.

J: Ok so the first question:  What do you study actually?
V: Well it’s like marketing and trading stuff. Hm. Business and graphics. With computers.
J: Oh ok. And how long do you study?
V: Well. Four years now but I am still in the first year so it’s gonna be three more.
J: Oh really?
V: *laughs* Yes.  It’s horrible, I am awful with computers…

J: Do you listen to german music?
V: Which music?
J: Music from Germany?
V: Oh ok. Well, yes a bit. Hm. I think Scorpions.
J: *laughs* Scorpions?
V: *laughs* Why do you all hate them?
J: Well they’re not pretty good you know. That’s why we listen to your music.
V: Well. I like them.  When I was a kid I loved them.  And…Rammstii
J: Rammstein?
V: Yes. Rammstein.  I’ve seen them on Provinssirock.
J: They scare me! *lol*
V: Yes! But the gig was great. Usually I don’t like that. And Tokio Hotel! Some songs are good.
J: Ok. I know that they were playing here last summer. They had a festival gig. Antti from Negative told me, you know?
V: Ah yes.
J: But he hated them actually. He was always like “This Tokio Hotel” you know? *laughs*
V: *laughs*  Yes. But I don’t hate them you know? They have some pretty good songs.
J: Yes and they’re really talented for their age, I think.
V: Yes, yes.

J: Ok.  Would you watch your own gigs? When you wouldn’t be in the band.
V: (immediately) Yeah! Actually I was.  I mean before I was in the band I used to watch their gigs. I knew them somehow and always wanted to be in the band.
J: So they were like your idols or something?
V: Uhm no, no. I was playing in another band and we had the same practice place as they had and that was actually how I met them.
J: Ok. Nice.



Viljami looks at the bag which contains the questions: And this is a really nice idea!
J:  *laughs* Thank you.  Ok so…did you have a lot of sacrifices to make for the band?
V: *thinks* Sacrifices. Yes and no. Actually I decided straight to play in that band when they’ve asked me though it was really hard because I was always saying like “No, no, no…I can’t be in that band.” You know because I had five other bands…five other fu**ing bands and one was always playing in Finland and we played covers and stuff like that. And then…well actually I left all the other bands for Heijaste.
J: But I hope you still learn enough for university?
V: Yes, yes.

J:  Oh I like that question. You’re pretty popular among the fangirls…
V: Yeah?
J: Yes you are. You don’t know that?
V: Well…I don’t think so. *laughs*
J:  Yes you are but…are there moments when that fact annoys you?
V: *immediately* No!
J: No?
V: No.  Well you know it like I can easily go to some stores and nobody notices me.  Well sometimes they’re coming over but I think it’s ok.
J: Yeah well I think as long as they’re talking to you in a normal way it’s ok but if they start stalking you…
V: Yeah well right. That’s annoying.
J:  So they don’t?
V: Usually not but sometimes. Well I think the people here in Tampere are so used to bands and stuff like that and so you can walk here even if you’re in a band. Of course it’s different when it’s Friday Night or Saturday Night and you’re going out then it might be annoying. But usually it’s not during the day.  You know finnish people are really boring…*laughs* They’re just walking along the street with a bad face.
J: Yes that’s so true or they’re drunk! We’ve met a guy yesterday and he was completely drunk and he just said: Well we’re in Finland…what do you expect?
V: Yes. Friday Night what do you expect?
J: But it was Monday! oO
V: Oh ok. Well it’s the same! *laughs*  Really. If you walk around here at like midnight, no matter if it’s Monday or Tuesday or whatever, there are always drunk people.

J:  Would you say that being in a band  is like being in a relationship?
V: *thinks*
J: Like giving and taking?
V: Yeah, yeah.  You know you have to get along with the other ones in the band and stuff like that. I am usually the nice guy, I am always happy. *laughs*  I usually don’t piss them off but I can get annoying when I had some energy drinks. I run around and shout and you know…*laughs* But yes. It is like being in a relationship. It takes a lot of time. If I wouldn’t be in Heijaste I would be in the USA, Italy,  Germany or Spain or somewhere else.
J: Really? Germany?  Why?
V:  Yes. Somewhere. I don’t know When I was 18 I’ve decided to leave and go somewhere else to live there but then I found Heijaste. *smiles*
J: Then you find the perfect partner?
V: Yeah.
J:  Is there a hidden competition between finnish bands? There are so much…
V: You mean competition like…?
J: I mean like: We want to be the best and have more fans than you have.
V: Ah yes there is actually but I wouldn’t call it competition. I mean of course everybody wants to be famous and have success  but it’s not a competition because everybody is friends with eachother.
J: Really?
V: Yes.  Well you know there is sometimes some band who is using their reputation and who is  talking shit about the others. There is, really.
J: Yes. I just know one such band.
V: *laughs* Really? Who is it?
J: I can’t tell you but they don’t live in Tampere.
V: Oh. Ok. *laughs* Yes there are such people but it’s not what we’re doing. Actually every band from Tampere we know is just doing the best they can and try to be friends with other bands. Bands like Jann Wilde and Renoise…actually all the bands we had gigs with.
J: Yes well I ‘ve heard that Lovex and Negative don’t like eachother for example…
V: Hm…yes…well..
J: But I mean. Isn’t that stupid? I mean a band like Negative with a solid fanbase in Germany could help such bands like Lovex to become successful you know?
V: Yes yes. It is really stupid.  Well I don’t think that it is right, that they don’t like eachother personally,  they maybe just don’t like their music. I don’t know anything about that. *laughs*
J: Ok. Just heard that. *laughs*
V: Yes well but at least I don’t have any arguments with other bands.



J: Ok. So how would you describe your music?
V: Our music? Well it is like finnish rock music with weird keyboards and a punk attitude.  We don’t make any show on stage. We just go there and do what we do.  We don’t think about anything. We just go there and to crazy stuff and that’s the punk attitude.  I mean maybe it doesn’t sound like punk but our attitude is totally punk.
J: Ok.  I mean it’s completely different  as like Jann Wilde…with all that glam.
V: Yes.  But you should see some old pictures of Heijaste. We were even worse. *laughs*
J: Really?
V: Yes.  There is one picture on the internet…I wasn’t in the band but they look really funny.
J: Can you tell us about your line-up changes?
V: Yes. Our keyboarder left the band. He has his own thing now. He just chose to left.  And now we were searching pretty long for a new keyboarder.  We made the backing stuff which came from tape but now we’ve found Antti.   He’s a really nice guy and a good player.
J: Ok so imagine we don’t know you. How would you convince us to watch one of your gigs?
V: We’re really energetic on stage and our gigs are always really good! *laughs* And we have fun and the audience has fun, also. I dunno my friends from school were watching me for the first time at our gig at Klubi on Sunday and they told me that they really liked it. They just said that it was weird when the little girls scream and jump you know.
J: Yes. There are pretty much little girls always.
V: Yes there are. But there were older people as well. Really- lots of them. 

J: Do you have typically roles in your band? Maybe like one is the band leader and stuff like that?
V: Yeah well not so much like, there is no band leader for example.
J: Like writing songs maybe?
V: Yeah. A-J is making our songs.
J: A-J? Ok.
V: Yeah.  But there is not a rule like he is the only one to do that. We can all tell what we like and suggest things but usually he is making lyrics. Then he takes it to our rehearsals and I do the music for it.  And Juho is the mother of us.
J: *laughs* The mother?
V: Yes, our mother. *smiles*  He is always taking care of everything, like when something is missing than he’s the one who is worried.  Eero is like…
J: He is always in a bad mood, right?
V: Yea….no no no!
J: Well but I met him some hours ago at Amadeus and he looked really pissed, you know? He always looks like that. *grins*
V: Yes. He’s the rockstar. No…he’s a very nice guy actually.  And A-J…what can I tell about him? Hm. He’s the one who is talking to our management and stuff like that and I am the crazy one. *laughs*  I am…
J: You are the poplular one!
V: *faces Jessie* Nooooo. Am I?
J: Yes!
V: Well…*laughs* Well anyways. I am the crazy one. I don’t stress about anything.  Ok. Next one?

J: Yes. Ok…so …Do you think that bands like Negative opened up a door for Newcomerbands?  I mean what we were talking about before that they could help bands to establish?
V: Yes of course. Not only in Germany…also in Finland.  We had some gigs here with Negative and it’s obvious that if bands like Negative or Uniklubi, play gigs in Finland there a really lots of people watching.  So if we’re supporting them the people also see us.  So of course it’s helpful. And it’s really cool I am always happy to play with other finnish bands.  I know people who envy that stuff like when Negative won that award but I am really fucking happy for them and I think everybody should be.

J: Any international artists you’d like to perform with? Maybe Scorpions? *laughs*
V: *laughs* Noooo…not Scorpions. I don’t know. It used to be Guns n Roses but not anymore. Maybe Led Zeppelin. They are my influence.
J: Oh that would be a pretty interesting gig.
V: Yes. But I have to think. Maybe Misfits.  Or my Chemical Romance if it has to fit.

J: Would you ever consider dating a fan?
V: Why not? I mean they’re normal people.
J: Yes but maybe they just like you because you’re popular?
V: Yes that is true. But nobody is so clever to hide that forever and I have a girlfriend right now, so…*laughs*
J: I know but I didn’t ask because of myself.
V: Yes yes. *laughs* I know that, I know that.

J: So though you’ve never been in Germany you’re pretty popular.
V: Are we?
J: Yes you are. Can you imagine the reason? Maybe things like MYSPACE help you?
V: Yes maybe. Actually finnish bands are really coming up in Germany at the moment. A lot of people are saying that so we might should travel there.

J: Ok. Last question: How do you prepare yourself for a show`?
V: Ok. I drink beer. *laughs* No, no.  I just hang around and wait and shout. I don’t know. We don’t have any rituals. We were supposed to stand like in a circle someday but we are not doing this anymore actually.
J: Like praying?
V: PRAYING????
J: Yes. In a circle…some bands do.
V: No…no praying. Well you know. It depends on the gig. Sometimes you’re more nervous and sometimes you’re not and then you just sit there and wait.

J: Ok well…that’s it. Thank you for your time.
V: Thank you!

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