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C: Have you got anything you want to say about your Life And Times project?
T: Well there isnt that much new.
The idea is that after we finish the tour, I will concentrate on that for half a year get the songs done.
Hopefully use the same orchestra as we have used on the Nightwish albums.
I have no idea about the release. Don Rosa said to go ahead he is okay with it, its something I definetly want to do.
I will use some guest musicians, but basically it will just be an orchestral score and piano and keyboards.
Maybe a couple of songs with some voices, thats the idea.
C: Would you get Pip to do the arranging or just doing it yourself?
T: I would love to do it with Pip, I have not even mentioned about this to him yet.
Thats something I should do in the next few weeks actually. Hes my man.
And defiantly Troy, because Uncle Scrooge is from Scotland so we need some pipes there.
C: Have you ever experienced a culture shock during your travels?
T: Oh definitely, like when I went to Egypt that was quite a shock how people behave.
How close to your skin they get and the whole bargaining thing, wasnt really my cup of tea.
Maybe the biggest culture shock was in Japan though.
Thats like out of Bladerunner, the whole country because
people there are so polite, really really nice but then I saw this vending machine on the street where you can buy womens used underwear with a photograph of the women who has been wearing them.
From a vending machine! Yeah this kind of stuff so its really really.
And the technology over there, its a country that was dropped into the Pacific Ocean from outer space. Thats the feeling I get.
C: What Nightwish song would you chose to represent yourself if it was the only way you could describe yourself?
T: Maybe Dead Boys Poem would be the closest one.
C: Any reason?
T: Well, or Ocean Soul thats another one. I was going to say The Poet And The Pendulum but thats a bit too dark for that.
"Im much better now" as Stan Laurel would say.
C: Would you rather be a superhero or an evil genius?
T: Everybody loves a bad guy, and all the best stories need a good villain. But defiantly a superhero.
Ive never been into the superhero stuff actually, its always been Disney and Moomins and stuff like that for me so Ive never read Superman or Spiderman or anything.
Im not really into that kind of thing.
C: Was there one particular soundtrack which started your love for film music?
T: I think it was the Lion King Soundtrack, 1996.
Its still the only score that Hans Zimmer won an Oscar for.
Crimson Tide was there at the same time, so those two.
C: How many days, or hours, can you survive not touching your keyboards when your not touring and at home?
T: I can go for a few days actually now and then. But they are always there in my room and always on and when I walk by I play a little. But sometimes maybe even 2-3 days I dont touch them.
C: So not weeks then?
T: Well when Im travelling for example, on tour or on vacation I dont take them with me. But when I’m at home its bound to happen.
C: What do you think is your greatest achievement outside of music?
T: Is there any?
Catching a 7 kilo Pike Perch.
C: Where, Finland?
T: In Finland yeah, at the lake where I live.
C: When you get a song idea do you have to sit down immediately and write it, or do you build up the ideas slowly in your head and than one day just sit down and put all the pieces together?
T: I usually always write everything down immediately. I have a notebook with me almost all the time, and if I dont I just use my cellphone.
Like just last night I wrote something.
Just an idea for a song title, in Finnish and a little storyline. So thats how it goes yeah.
C: What 5 movies would you recommend as must-sees?
T: Dead Poets Society for sure, I think that should be mandatory for all high school kids around the world to see.
Because its so meaningful and it can change your life, as it did mine.
Then definitely some Stan And Ollie, I would say Sons Of The Desert. Has to be shown to everybody in the world.
That would change their lives as well. Then they have to see The Village, because of the ideology behind that movie.
Then just good old popcorn fun, Raiders Of The Lost Ark.
The Mother and Father of all adventure movies.
And then one more. Well , Dances With Wolves just to remind us of something important.
C: Do you have a bucket list?
T: A bucket list!
Its really really funny you should mention it because a few weeks ago I drew this big map, its kinda like my bucket list.
Its a map of Islands I need to go to before I die, and visit these places and do this stuff and achieve these things.
I just put down all these things I still havent done or experienced. But if all these were to get done before I lay on my death bed, then I would die a really happy man. So yeah I have one.
C: If you could ask Walt Disney one thing, what would it be?
T: Disney is a funny illusion because, Ive only read two biographies in my life.
One is Walt Disney and the other is Laurel and Hardy, and I wish I didnt actually because there is a certain illusion attached to the name Walt Disney.
The stuff that he has done is miraculous, so beautiful but it ruins the illusion when you go into his head and see what person he actually was. I wouldnt want to ask anything
C: If you could live in any movie, other than The Village, what would it be?
T: Okay, that would of been really obvious.
I wouldnt mind living in Never Never Land, Peter Pan.
That was another obvious one. I do this to myself
C: Have you ever visited a place which you were skeptical about, but ended up being surprised by it in a positive way?
T: You hear these ghost stories about Russia, and things organised there and all that. And when we went there for the first time, it was about 8 years ago.
We have never been to a country where everyone is so well organised. People were so friendly, the fans were so beautiful everything just worked out like a charm.
But we were a little sceptical because of these stories about how things are in Russia. But that was a positive for sure.
C: Its said you cant understand someone till you have walked a mile in their shoes, wh’s shoes would you like to fill for the day?
C: Basically you cant understand someone till you walked a mile in their shoes. Whos life would you like to take over for a day?
T: Thats a nice expression.
Maybe yours.
C: Why?
T: Because its unbelievable what you guys are doing, Ive talked to you about this before. Its just something that really strikes me as...
*Marco enters*
its hard to understand all the stuff with computers and you being there and organising it and all that. Its just so phenomenal.
Id like to understand why you do it.
C: Okay, fair enough.
C: Is there any place in the world that you would like to visit but have not yet had the chance to?
This will probably go back to your bucket list.
T: Oh yeah definatly. Alaska would be the number one,
Id love to go hiking in Alaska.
Then also a safari in deep Africa is something that Id love to do. Madagascar for some reason
Isle Of Man for some reason.
There are dozens of places, but Alaska is number one.
C: With being born Christmas day, do you have a separate celebration, or do you combine.
T: I never had. I always get all my presents on Christmas Eve, thats pretty much it. Its been like this since childhood. Well my Mom always takes a couple of presents aside and gives them to me the next day.
But no Ive never celebrated my birthday, never really missed it either.
C: You said you write stories/poetry for yourself, but have you or would you ever let anyone read your fictional stories?
T: Yeah I would and this is also kind of a new hobby I have. I have written some stories, like short novels.
Maybe in 5 or 10 years I can put them together and come up with a book or something like that. Like "adult fairy-tales" stuff like this.
My sister read them, I gave one story to my brother and Jukka read a few.
I dont mind people reading them because I have no comprehension of fictional writing, writing stories.
I know something on poetry and lyrics, but writing stories is a bit like "how do you do this?" I have an idea for the story, but how much do I have to tell about the persons and how do I keep the interest and all that.
I just take some critical response from them, its been a big help.
C: What is your favourite curry and where have you tasted the best?
T: Baltimore. We have a Nightwish Curry Club.
It includes Troy, Jukka and myself. Then we have guest members like Anette, Marco every now and then.
But the three of us, we keep record of all the places we eat our curry and then we rate them. The food, the atmosphere and all that.
The best so far is Baltimore, I cant remember the name of the place but it was phenomenal. Our favourite curry house in Helsinki is Tandoor.
Its just next to Helka Hotel, we always go there. My favourite would be Saag Aloo. Which is potato and Spinach.
C: Are there any particular lyrics that you pride yourself on the most?
T: Well Im really really pleased with how Song Of Myself ended up being. Its really weird and in your face but I like the effect that it does.
So yeah, Song Of Myself
C: Have you ever got lost in some unknown town or city when you have been on tour or on holiday?
T: Loads of times. Theres this thing called, whats the word in English?
I dunno, but I just dont have it. I lose direction immediately. After walking two blocks I dunno where I am. So I have absolutely no sense of direction.
C: Do you have any hidden talents? Such as some people can wiggle their ears, roll their tongue, stuff like that.
T: Hidden talents?
I dont think so, let me think.
Well I said this in an interview I probably shouldnt of said. I was able to name all the capitals of all the countries in the world. I think I still could
If you just gave me one hour to go through them in my head.
This was a thing on the last tour because theres a lot of sitting at airports, sitting on the bus so I just took this little project to learn all the capitals in the world so well that I can answer them immediately
I was able to do it. Now I have forgotten a few, but I could still do it. So if thats a special talent then.
C: If you could spend a day with a celebrity dead or alive who would you choose?
T: I need to be careful about this one. I was going to say Stan Laurel, but it may break the illusion again.
I would go for Hans Zimmer. Just to ask him for some practical advice.
C: Have you tried to play Troys pipes?
T: Never tried it no. They look so so difficult as they are. No
C: As a Stephen King fan, have you ever read anything by his son Joe Hill?
T: I have read his first book, Heart Shaped Box I think it was. It was really good.
Then 20th Century Ghosts, is a collection of short stories which was phenomenal. It was incredibly good, I recommend it to everybody.
He is really following his fathers footsteps. Excellent writer.
C: After your experience with mechanical bull riding in LA, would you be up for doing it again and would you recommend it?
T: Ill never do it again, it was really painful. I dont know what happened but
we drank about a litre of Sake each, in a Sushi place just before we went there. We decided this is the place to do it, lets try it, we have seen it in the movies its going to be fun.
But it just tipped like this, the bull and I really hurt my nuts, really bad.
Its the most delicate part of a males body.
We have been laughing about it, and everythings okay now. But for a while it was really painful
Sake didnt help it either
C: Which is your biggest collection. Books, movies or music?
T: Ive never counted them. I have maybe 300 DVDs. 400 DVDs
Maybe 500 CDs & Few hundred books
I dunno for sure, sorry.
C: If you could start a hockey team made up of film, animation and television characters, who would they be and what are some of the positions theyd play?
Repeats
T: For goal tending we need someone whos big, right? and agile.
Whos big an agile?
Moominmama, Moominpapa
Thats good, lets go for that.
He has the nerves and the agility and the size for goal.
Then we need a good defense. 2 guys for defense
Hulk would be really good, Hulk on the left.
Who on the right?
Superman of course. Imagine trying to go through those two guys.
Then we need forwards.
On the left wing there should be...
People in Finland will understand, we need Tupu, Hupu and Lupu
Because of the famous trio from the 90s, so Huey Dewie and Louie as forwards
C: Do you enjoy visiting art galleries? Or art in general?
T: I dont mind it and I find it fascinating to a point but I am not really passionate about art. Its not a thing of heart for me.
I have been to a couple of exhibitions and they were really nice
But its not really a passionate thing for me.
When I see a beautiful picture I like to look at it, but I dont understand art on that level
C: Do you have a favourite one? Do you own anything?
T: Peter Ellenshaws Disney pictures are great. And I love Thomas Kinkade, though he attaches this religious stuff into it but I like his art.
There are some really great Finnish painters Gallen-Kallela and Edelfelt, the classics
But all this Monet and stuff, I just dont get it
C: You are leaving for a desert island,but you can only take three items with you. What would you take?
T: I live there?
C: You are leaving to go there.
T: I am leaving to go there, I see. This is a tricky one
I would take my Rambo knife I can hunt some boars there, fish and make myself a nice hut
So I have food and shelter Then I need something to entertain my mind with so I would take..
these book that you just gave me. That will occupy me for a while So there is entertainment
And then I would take A bottle of really good scotch, to end my evenings beautifully
C: How bad is your arachnophobia? How would you react to a spider in the bath?
T: Its known to happen I dont mind the small ones anymore, Ive kinda grown out of that
When I see a big spider, its a really paralysing feeling Every single hair on my body goes up and I just freeze. Its weird
It doesnt happen with any other bugs I think bugs and insects are fascinating, their beautiful
But when I just see this thing like that Theres something just so elemental about it
It feels stupid, because the poor thing is much more scared of you than you are of it There is just something so terrifying about spiders
C: Yet you like going to Australia
T: I love Australia yeah There was this incident when we were putting the tent down It was on top of a car this tent
In the morning I was packing it up and I was pulling the zipper, it came from under the cloth of the tent and just ran over my hand. It was huge
We have photos of it on our blog
Huge legs. And I just screamed like a girl, I couldnt help it I was just screaming and "get a hold of yourself"
Afterwards I felt really dumb
C: American English or British English?
T: I like them both Am I going to upset somebody now?
C: Probably T: Probably
In a way I prefer English English Especially when the dialect is really out there Like Scottish, or the Welsh or Australian
I think its really good, as long as you can understand something
But when you really roll the R like this
I love the Scottish thing, great stuff Thats my favourite
C: Is there any language youd like to learn?
T: I can manage pretty well with English and Finnish Then I know a few sentences of German and Swedish
I dont think I really need it I wouldnt mind learning, but maybe that time can be used to some more important things
C: Do you buy souvenirs when you visit other countries?
T: Very very little, if any.
Its all in the memories, thats my philosophy I never even take pictures, I dont own a camera
I just try to remember the image in my head, thats enough
C:If you could work or study with any composer past or present, who would you choose?
T: It has to be Vangelis
C: Last one: Are you nervous about the movie release and how it will be received?
T: Its more like being really excited to see how it ends up being Ive only seen a few effect shots now
Its being edited as we speak The guys are doing the additional score to it all the time
It should be read by the end of April So Im really really excited to see how it end up
But when it comes to the critical response, it doesnt really matter because we kinda made the movie for ourselves
Just wanted to fill one more ambition, thats all that matters
So not nervous, but real excited
Its unbelievable to think back 5 years and sit here and realise that its actually going to happen Its just unbelievable
C: Thats all we got, thank you.