Interview with Mikko Siren and Perttu Kivilaakso (Moscow, 26.02.2008)

We met Perttu and Mikko for an interview in the hall of the hotel where they had press conference.

How was the audience yesterday in St. Petersburg?
Mikko: It was fantastic. More than half of thousand people, it was really really great.

What do you expect from the audience here, in Moscow?
Mikko: The equally great, or greater than St.Petersburg.

What "World Collide" actually means to you? the album? What does it bring to you, personally?
Perttu: Bad memories.

Why?
Perttu: It was painful, to do it, at some point. It's the hardest album so far. And by far, I mean, really far, it took the longest period ever to make it, and it was really hard, lots of fighting...
Mikko: Yes, lots of fighting and arguing and disagreement and stuff like that but I think it was really necessary for us to do it because then we sort of had to be at the pretty bottom again.

What keeps you moving? what makes you want to work? and move on?
Perttu: Duracell
(laughs)

Ok, what is Duracell for you?
Mikko: I think it's the passion for music, really.
Perttu: Yeees.
Mikko: And the will to get better and better, explore things.

We heard about the "I Don't Care" video shooting. What will be the main visual idea of the video?
Mikko: The main visual point is when I'm sitting in the chair and there are 6 ladies like touching all over me.
(laughs)
Perttu: Sucking his fingers...
(laughs)
Mikko: Yeah, that's the main point. I think it's a sort of a story about losing love. The song itself reflects in the video. There are some sort of like....ghosts, images from the past. It's a really really strong visual image.
Perttu: I don't understand anything about this.
Mikko: But you loved it...
Perttu: Of course I loved it, but that doesn't mean that I understand it.

Will this song be used as a soundtrack for some movie? like, for example S.O.S.?
Mikko: No, at least not for now. it's not going to be used for a movie, but maybe in the future. But the video is really moving, it has lots of influences...
Perttu: It's like David Lynch...
Mikko: or Stanley Kubrick.

Where exactly the shooting took place?
Perttu: In Toronto.
Mikko: In the country side of Toronto, there was this old villa from early 20th century. It was a really cool place and for the first time we had so many actors involved in a video.
Perttu: And now that we saw some pictures of it, there is a little problem, because they all look so good, it makes us look so bad.
(laughs)
Mikko: Yeah, but they look really good.
Perttu: Yes. that is the problem.
(laughs)
Mikko: There were like a pare of dancers, one guy and a girl, and they are so incredibly beautiful. they were just stunning.
Perttu: I got my first lap dance there, I never got any.
(laughs)

With every album your number of collaborations is growing, with whom you would like to collaborate in the future, who is on your wish-list?
Mikko: The list is so long that your website will run out of space.
Perttu: I always like to say: Christina Aguilera, because she will be something really unexpected.
Mikko: Yeah, and I think it's always interesting to pull out something really unexpected.
Perttu: People would never guess, but we want to have a soul kind of song.

Speaking of music, what never goes off your playlist? what are you usually listening?
Perttu: Verdi

Mikko, I'm sure you've already heard some older Apocalyptica albums, what is your opinion about Apocalyptica without drums?
Mikko: I like it a lot. I'm the one that always tries to push this guys to play without me on shows. Even on this album I tried to insist that they should play one furious song without drums, because I think that the main idea and the sound that the guys have created it's so unique.
Perttu: I agree.
Mikko: It should be like that.
Perttu: We had this idea when we did the Angel of Death cover, to, whatever compilation it was.

About Worlds Collide, who had the idea to make the cover design for the album? I mean, purple colour, green leafs...
Mikko: It was a combination of people, and we really spent ages thinking about the cover design, which maybe wasn't wise but it took a lot time and there were tons of ideas from different other people and also this idea to have this metal colour, cool combination and a sort of unexpected thing as well, I like it a lot.

Actually I saw some hand written lyrics in the booklet, who wrote those?
Perttu: Eicca wrote them.

Wow, that's great! we didn't know that! And who had the ideas for the stage decorations?
Perttu: Mikki Kunttu.

All of them? We knew he worked on lights
Mikko: Yes, he is the guy who design the whole Eurovison song contest in Finland. He did the whole thing and we basically got to know him better on that occasion, and then we started to think to work with him, when he has time, if he could design the stage for us because he is the guy that doesn't do just rock stages, but also lots of theatre stages and opera stuff, and that kind of theatrical elements. And he designed our stage.
And now we have maybe the most coolest and the best lights, and there was also Pekka Martti who also contributed on this, he is one of the best lighting operators, he had a really huge influence on the stage design. He is also touring with us, he is like the sixth musician basically.
Perttu: He is modifying lights all the time.

We actually know Mikki, and he is a very nice person.
Perttu: Oh yes right, you know him (pointing at us).

Yes, he was really generous when we asked him to publish some of his pictures on our website.
Mikko: Yes, it's like his new hobby, he is always buying like this super expensive cameras and makes pictures of everything! (*showing how Mikki takes pictures, and also making the sounds*)
(laughs)
Mikko: Yes, he also made pictures of my drums for the promo stuff.

By the way, are the chairs comfortable?
Perttu: I don't know, I don't sit too much, ask Antero.
(laughs)

Have you thought of giving Antero a pillow or something to sit on?
(laughs)
Perttu: Yeah, we have pillows in the rehearsal room.

Mikko, when you were not yet an official Apocalyptica member, what you used to do while this guys were giving interviews and doing promo stuff?
Mikko: I was basically on the stage, rehears with drums and hanging out with the crew.

So these are the things we wanted to know from you guys, thank you very much, hope you enjoy the concert today, have fun
Mikko: Please don't go, we are left alone! Are you coming to the concert today?

All loud: OF COURSE WE ARE!!!

Right after this, we showed Mikko and Perttu some pictures of them which were taken 2 years ago at one of the gig they had in Moscow.
Laughs and comments can't be posted here, due to censorship :)

Special thanks:
to Perttu and Mikko - for answering our boring questions and for making us laugh after that,
to Ulysses and Isabel - for making our wish come true,
to Eicca, Paavo and Antero - for keeping us company and also making us laugh.
TO ALL OF THEM - FOR THE BEST SHOW EVER!!!