Christmas Interview with Eicca Toppinen

Eicca Toppinen has been on the road all this year with the new Apocalyptica album "Shadowmaker", thousands of kilometers and dozens of cities have been left behind. We met Eicca in Moscow in the middle of December 2015, before one of the last two shows of this worldwide Apocalyptica tour, and asked why he actually enjoys Christmas holidays.

Soon you will be back home and enjoy the Christmas holidays. Which Christmas traditions do you have in your family?

Eicca Toppinen: Not really traditions... It depends. Different traditions depend on where we spend the holidays. This time we are going to Mexico for Christmas. Not really big traditions for that.

No Christmas trees?

Eicca Toppinen: No, no, no, but when we spend Christmas in Finland it is very traditional Christmas. Christmas tree and other stuff - Christmas sauna and food. Traditional Finnish food, but that would be only when we're in Finland. But when we travel, it's easier.

Which food do you consider to be "Christmas food" most of all?

Eicca Toppinen: Ahaaa... I have started to change the Christmas food, for me karelian pies (Karjala piirakka) is more... It's the most important thing to have, the karelian pie with rice and stuff.

What is the best Christmas gift you have ever got?

Eicca Toppinen: Ooooo... Hm... I don't like to get gifts. I don't need actually. Hard to know. (thinking for a long time) I can't remember, it's so long time when I had the Christmas presents last time, maybe 25 years ago. (laughing) In my childhood, but I don't remember now any special. Always something nice, always got good gifts, but nothing bombastic.

Do you make Christmas gifts for each other in the band?

Eicca Toppinen: No.

Why so?

Eicca Toppinen: I don't know. None of us is a really gifts person we are not to know... (chuckles)

I can't help asking you - do you believe in Santa? Or I'd better say Joulupukki.

Eicca Toppinen: Of course! Of course! It's a matter of minutes, Joulupukki exists.

Last Christmas I met one near Stockmann.

Eicca Toppinen: Yeah, yeah, they are fake ones, but the real Santa Klaus, of course, he exists.

Finally you released the Apo-Calendar a few days ago, can you tell us a few words about it.

Eicca Toppinen: Yeah, but I didn't know. I know that we made it, I saw it, but I didn't know it was already released. (laughing) It was some guy taking photos on our tour. This guy just sent us a collection of photos and we were like "these are great, let's make a calendar of them".

You collaborated with Toni Kakko for his Christmas project Raskasta Joulua. Tell us about this video and song.

Eicca Toppinen: Raskasta Joulua is Heavy Christmas. It's a traditional thing these guys are doing almost every year, I don't know how many times already. Many, many times. And the producer Erkka Korhonen called me, this was the song for my cello. And it just fit in my schedule, and of course I joined. It was fun because this Heavy Christmas project is great. It gathered together a lot great metal singers in Finland, like Marko Hietala and Toni Kakko and many many others.

They will do some shows?

Eicca Toppinen: I think they are out on a tour with that already.

We thank you very much and can you, please, say just some Christmas wishes for your fans?

Eicca Toppinen: Yes! Merry Christmas to all our fans and it's been a pleasure to tour in Russia, and we're really looking forward to coming back as soon as possible.

We wish you the brilliant show in Moscow and St Peterburg and safe trip home!
And very happy Christmas time with your families and loved ones.

We are thankful to Apocalyptica management and Melnitsa CA for accreditation and making this interview possible.

Special thanks for the help to:
Vordai Mercier, Michelle Schoofs and Yulia Bessonova

Photo:
https://www.instagram.com/eiccatoppinen

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