Interview with Bazie (24/11/02)

Melamory: Ok, it`s not very usual interview =) We have an English alphabet here… 
Key: Yeah, and questions will be not only about your music and your band sometimes … but don` be afraid =)
Bazie: Ok!
M: So here we go!

A - Archzie

Bazie: I would say the first thing comes to my mind that he’s a biker, ‘cos he has always been a biker. That’s how he’s connected with biking. He’s always bought motorcycles. People think he’s kinda dangerous or aggressive. But he’s an opposite in a way. I think he’s the most musical in our band. I can go to Archzie and ask if this is ok, because he’s really good in that.
Melamory: What does he listen to?
Bazie: Kiss and AC/DC… Motorhead and stuff.
M: And when did you meet him?
Bazie: I don’t remember the year, but I remember when I met him. We had no bass-player at the time. I was in some bar. We’d had a bass-player before that, but it wasn’t The 69 Eyes then. We had a band with Jyrki. There was also Timo in that band.
M: What was the name of the band?
Bazie: *laughs* We changed it all the time. Different people were there. So… At the time we didn’t have a bass player, and I just asked him to come next day to our rehearsal place. He was a quite funky man, so I remember quite well that I was talking him. It was interesting to see him… But it went really great. It took us a couple of months to let the band go and take the name of The 69 Eyes.

B - Bazie

Bazie: I’m too serious. *laughs* 
M: In what ways?
Bazie: I don’t know. Sometimes I say something too serious. I’m a funny guy. I smile a lot - I don’t even know that. I’m not that happy all the time anyway.
M: And what should you do to become crazy? Maybe to drink something…
Bazie: I don’t become crazy, you know. If I drink I just become happy. *laughs* I like friends. Jussi drinks all the time. He’s full of fun. 
M: What’s your favourite music?
Bazie: When I started playing music the first music I listened to was punk-rock. Ramones, Sex Pistols, more hard-core punk. Then I got to like more original gothic bands, and The Cure and that kind of stuff. First I studied to play bass-guitar. Then I got more into hard-rock and heavy-metal. For example, AC/DC, Metallica. Then it was more trash-metal thing.
M: What do you buy now in the record shops?
Bazie: I was just thinking about that. It’s like Axl from Guns’N’Roses, LA Guns… with more rhythm guitars. Last one was The Hellacopters. They are one of my favourites. Just the same kind of stuff… I just bought new Disturbed… and Rob Zombie. I like Sheryl Crow even though it’s a different kind of stuff. It’s more varied. It’s good music. But the basic thing is I don’t listen that much to the stuff I grew up with. 
M: And what about your favourite literature?
Bazie: I don’t read that much. There were some books from Charles Bukowski, what I read much. *laughs*
K: Did you like Mummies in your childhood?
Bazie: Yeah! I have a couple or three books. But… it’s a shame, you know. I would like to read more.

C - Clothes

Bazie: Black! 
K: Oh yeah, we see! *all laugh*
Bazie: Black clothes... What do I have?.. Leather and jeans. 
K: More stylish or more comfortable? What do you prefer?
Bazie: It depends. When I’m on stage, I think it’s more stylish. I’m not that good at style. *laughs*.
K: Brutal?
Bazie: Yeah, maybe *laughs*
M: And what about rings?
Bazie: I have a lot of rings. I just wear them whenever it feels good. I use them for all the fingers, but now I’m concentrated on the right hand, ‘cos I play guitar. 

D - Drums + Jussi

Bazie: Actually I played drums in a band, before The 69 Eyes. That’s how I met Jyrki through the people I played with. Yeah, I like the drums. It isn’t music, it’s just drumming, you know.
M: Who’s your favourite drummer?
Bazie: I think Tommy Lee from Motley Crue.
K: I thought it’s Jussi *laughs*
Bazie: No-o… *all laugh* Ok, he’s on the second place.
M: But tell us about Jussi.
Bazie: I think he’s very media person in our band. He makes friends with everybody. He’s a sociable person. He’s very good at talking, you know. He takes care about everything. I don’t know how he does it, but it seems he used to know everybody. He’s very easy to go along, to get along with. But he has a strong opinion about things anyway. And the main thing when we write music… He’s the one like Archzie. I ask him. He has got a similar taste in music as me. 

E - Eyes

Bazie: Eyes…
M: Why?
Bazie: Why Eyes…
K: And why 69?
Bazie: Why 69… Eyes can mean many things. Eyes can be a symbol of… whatever you want it to be. I think you can see in people’s eyes lots of things. But we didn’t take the name because of that. It’s just sounded cool. It’s more from horror movies we like a lot. When we started we listened to Misfits a lot, the favourite band of all guys, and Danzig. They had a lot of connections with the horror movies in the sound. And we had posters when we started - horror posters, with zombies, mutants with a lot of eyes. We had a poster of mutant with 69 eyes. So, it refers to that. And 69… Well… It’s good. *laughs* It’s upside down or whatever. 

F - Fame

Bazie: I don’t know what fame is…
M: Does it bother you?
Bazie: No. 
M: Do you feel in Helsinki like a famous person?
Bazie: No. Nobody bothers you. Somebody can see our gig and then come and say that it was a good gig. But nobody bothers you that way. It’s more to do with Jyrki and Jussi, ‘cos they are more known, people know them. Of course, people know everyone of us, but… Jussi is in every paper and everybody knows him, he’s in teenie press all the time. ‘Cos I’m not doing that much interviews, people don’t get annoyed with me. I don’t talk any shit, so... *laughs* Well, it can bother you when sometimes you want to be alone. But when you have a gig, it’s not bothering you, ‘cos it’s your job. When it’s your free time, then it’s worse.
M: Don’t you envy Jyrki and Jussi that they are so famous and you’re not?
Bazie: No, actually no. I know a lot about it from Jussi. People can get mad at him. People are showing at him, screaming “Fuck you”…
M: Why not “Fuck me”? 
*all laugh*

G - Guitars

Bazie: My sister bought me a guitar. I was 12. First I got the guitar, I didn’t play it. I tried to play, but then I got bored. They I started listening to punk-rock. I got excited about it. Then it was my own will to play. Guitars I like… Actually that main guitar I’ve played for 10 years by now got stolen from the studio. But I got it back. I know I won’t ever give it to anybody. 
M: How many guitars do you have?
Bazie: Now I have three. Or four. It depends on tomorrow. We have negotiations on a new deal with one guitar company. But now I have three electric guitars and one acoustic guitar. But I had more. I had one Fender Telecaster, but it was stolen from the studio. Timo-Timo got all his guitars stolen. So we had to buy what we’d got stolen. But luckily I’ve got that old one, ‘cos it’s very good... that Gipson guitar… I think I always have the same model that I like. The one we’re gonna get is the same.
K.: Do you give names to the guitars?
Bazie: No… no.
M: Do you love your guitars?
Bazie: No, actually it’s more like something you hate them. *laughs* You always have the guitars, you always have fucking thing like recordings, rehearsals. It’s not that bad when you play live. I played bass-guitar, I played drums. You’ve got more to express with the guitar, than with the drums. That’s why I think singing is the most powerful thing in that way. I’m not that good at singing, but we have taken more things with backing-vocals. I don’t sing on the records, but I do backvocals on the gigs.
Key: Who is your favourite guitar player?
Bazie: Mmm… I think it’s something to do with… Angus Young from AC/DC. I really like his style. If I have to mention one, I think he is. 

H – Helsinki

Bazie: Small city. *laughs* I wasn’t born here.
M: Do you feel at home here?
Bazie: Yeah… Yeah, sure. The city is quite small, but it doesn’t matter. Actually, it’s quite good, ‘cos every musician knows everybody. It helps the things that way. But I think if I wasn’t playing in a band - now I get to travel, I don’t have to be here all the time, it’s ok - but if I couldn’t do anything, just do a normal job, it would be quite boring.
M: Where would you like to live then?
Bazie: Actually, I’ve lived for a while… for 6 months… in New York.
M: Did you like it?
Bazie: Yeah, I liked it a lot. But I didn’t work there, so… I could change, if I were working there. I think it’s quite cool to live there. It’s a shame it’s quite far away from Europe. You realize that the way you fly there and then come back - it takes ages. Like taking a ferry to Sweden. That’s the bad thing. Actually, once I thought I would move there.
M: Where do you like to go in Helsinki? Clubs, theatres, cinemas… 
Bazie: All the cinema-centers are at the same place. There’re two places with about ten cinemas at the same place. A lot of things happen at Kamppi, it’s where Tavastia-club is. I think there are all the bars in this area. Usually I spend time here - at this bar and… there’s Tavastia-club and there’s Nosturi. I lived for a long time in the Eastern part of the city. Now I think it’s enough of the East of Helsinki for me. Itakeskus… I lived there.

I – Inspiration

M: How do you get inspiration?
Bazie: I think something just comes to your mind. But you have to keep on working. If you have something, then more and more comes to your head. Writing music is never an easy thing. It’s not like you start to play the guitar and the song is ready. It’s weird.
M: But is it important? Or you can just sit and play and imagine something?
Bazie: Yes, it’s important. If you can sit down and write - it’s good. But sometimes it’s hard to say if it is good or not. We have the songs like “Wasting the Dawn”. We had so many verses for the song and it was long to record it ‘cos it wasn’t good. We kept working and working, we got frustrated, and it took a long time. But we have “Betty Blue”. It came very fast. Sometimes you can have a song title or a riff. It’s like a scratch. Then Jyrki tries to write a song and I try to write music… It’s never easy. 

J - Jyrki

Bazie: He’s weird. *all laugh* He has got the main wish. He is like our soul. He has started the whole thing, you know. I have a lot of respect for him. He had got a lots of visions. And we are like to pick up the crap and to make it real. He doesn’t know exactly what he wants and what he wants to do. He tells us everything. And we just have to get the things out there. Many things wouldn’t have happened if he hadn’t had them wished. Like with “Wasting the Dawn” song. We thought it’s not gonna work and it’s weird, but it`s insisted to work on that song. 
M: Can you say he’s the leader of the band?
Bazie: No… I think we both. Yeah, I would say that. We started, two of us. We made the songs, just the two of us. It was long before I knew anyone else. 
M: How and when did you meet him?
Bazie: I knew some people who knew Jyrki. Usually - in a bar. And we had the same taste, liked the same bands and that kind of stuff. And then we went to New York, I went there with Jyrki. Actually there we imagined the actual name of The 69 Eyes. 

K - Keyboards

M: Are the keyboards important for the music? For your music?
Bazie: Yeah!.. Erm… Well… When I started listening to the music I hated keyboards. I thought the music with the keyboards is shit. I think it just came to the point where we wanted to product music. We have always had keyboards. In every recording, actually. On demos most of the parts of the keyboards I play with the guitar. And then we have to change the arrangements. It changes the sound. I can’t play it during the gigs. That’s the one reason. And our producer Johnny Lee Michaels… he plays it at the gigs on last two albums. It’s a shame… We wanted to have the keyboards to play on stage. But we haven’t found anyone who is crazy enough to be with us on tour. Everybody in the bus is so different. We know everyone of us so well, we know how they are gonna react to some things, we know everybody’s faults. Everybody respects everybody’s opinion. It’s really hard that we have been staying for such a long time together. And Johnny Lee Michaels is in the same frame of mind as us. He’s a musician, he plays in the bands. These are different things - to work in a studio or to work on tour. 
M: You have to use playback on stage. Isn’t it difficult for you to play all together?
Bazie: Yeah, it was hard to play with the keyboards tracks for the first time. You have to be more concentrated, ‘cos if you make a mistake… *laughs*
M: Do you do it?
Bazie: Yeah, it happens once in a while. 

L - Lyrics 

Bazie: Wow…
M: How important are lyrics for the music?
Bazie: I think Jyrki writes good lyrics. The thing I listen in music at first if it all sounds good… I’m not that kind of listeners who listen to lyrics first. I check up the title. And if the music is good, the lyrics are on the second place. But I think the bad lyrics can ruin the whole song. 
M: Did you try to write lyrics? 
Bazie: Yeah. When we started I wrote a couple of songs - in The 69 Eyes and before that. Actually I was even singing in one band. But I know I’m not that good at writing lyrics.
M: Can you remember the song where the lyrics are the most important part of the song, the most touching?
Bazie: I think in the new album it’s “Still Waters Run Deep”. That’s more for lyrics and the vocals. It was arranged that way. 
M: And not from The 69 Eyes?
Bazie: Erm… I think about someone you don’t know.
M: Is he Finnish?
Bazie: No, I don’t listen to Finnish music that much. Well, I think people write really bad lyrics, you know. I mean, not that good ones. Like I said, I listened to Sheryl Crow. I think she writes good lyrics. If speaking about that kind of music. But anyway… If I listen to hard-rock, it’s more guitar stuff.

M - Music

M: You’ve answered already lots of questions about music. So maybe now you can tell us something about classical music? 
Bazie: No. *laughs* I can’t tell anything about that.
M: And why don’t you listen to Finnish music?
Bazie: I listen to Finnish music, but not that much…
M: Rauli “Badding” Somerjoki?..
Bazie: Yeah, I like him. There’s a band called Tehosekoitin that I like really much. They sing in Finnish. We’ve played a lot of gigs with them. They are good friends of ours. I think I listened to Finnish music more when I was a teenager. Of course I went to see the gigs of famous Finnish bands.
M: And what about Finnish bands nowadays? 
Bazie: Well, Children of Bodom are really one of my favourite bands. And HIM, of course. Charon… they are actually quite ok, but I don’t have any records.
M: Do you know young bands like Sara, Turun Romantiikka, Insomnuim?..
Bazie: I don’t know them personally. Turun Romantiikka were supporting us once. Like I said, Finland is so small. Everybody knows someone. Like… To/Die/For… Everyone knows someone in the bands. 
M: Do you know Sara? Do you like them?
Bazie: Yeah! Actually it took me quite a while to get they are singing in Finnish. *laughs* I thought they are singing in English. 

N - Nostradamus

M: Do you believe when people say something about future?
Bazie: No. Maybe a little… But…
M: Do you believe in astrology?
Bazie: Maybe… Checking horoscopes is a good way to believe in something. You have to have something to believe in. It’s in period… Sometimes you can write down your dreams and check it out. It’s a way to check what goes in your head. 

O - Online

M: Do you use internet?
Bazie: Not that much. Actually I go online every day.
M: Do you have it at home?
Bazie: Yes. But I’m really lazy in that way. I use the computer more for work. I’m doing some recording, producing. So, I use it more for that kind of things. But I’m really lazy for being in contact with people. I check our mail-boxes every day, you know. Sometimes I check our German pages to see the pics from the gigs and that kind of things. It’s good to see how you look. *all laugh*
M: Haven’t you tried to create your site?
Bazie: No.
M: Do you want to try?
Bazie: Well, I don’t have time for it. I want to be more in writing songs, playing keyboards, I’m more interested in these things. I want to learn more recording programs and stuff.

P - Paris Kills

M: Are you happy with this album?
Bazie: Yeah. Actually it was good. We’ve got the title before, when we didn’t have that many songs being ready. Jyrki had the title. 
M: Do you also like Paris?
Bazie: I think it’s good that it’s Paris Kills. I’ve been to Paris a couple of times. And it wasn’t that good. *all laughs* All my money got stolen. Bad things happened. And people were impolite. But it was a long time ago. So, Paris Kills is good because of many things. And - Jyrki says it in many interviews - it’s a place where many Finnish composers and writers had gone and done their great works there. And it’s kinda romantic place. And it sounds cool. 

Q - Questionnaires

M: A few weeks ago you filled the questionnaires for our site. Thank you a lot for that!
Bazie: Ah, it was for you! We’ve got them in Frankfurt before the gig. 
M: So, what do you think when people ask you about different stuff? For example, now we have asked you about many things. Something like “these stupid girls ask me again and again…”
Bazie: Well, yeah… but it’s maybe more that you can learn from that. I mean I think about the things you have asked. You can just think about some other things. And it’s just good ‘cos I’m actually thinking about the things. If you have it everyday it might go boring. But it’s quite funny actually, ‘cos if you do it now, on the next Monday things could be different. Not the main things, but… I know that after this one the thing comes to my mind and I [I'll?] think “Oh my god, what did I say”. *laughs*

R - Russia

M: Do you know that you will play in Russia soon?
Bazie: Yeah, actually we have worked on it for a very long time. I have never been there. I’ve been to Estonia… No, Estonia isn’t Russia. My relatives live on the North and Russia is like 5 km from them. My mother comes from a place called Imatra, it’s on the border. When I was a child I’ve always been near the border. That’s why I’m really excited to go there. 
M: Do you know that we’re waiting for you?
Bazie: Well, now I know. *laugh* We’ve been worrying about things how it’s gonna work. 

S - Sibelius 

*Bazie teaches us to pronounce the word “sibelius” correct*
Bazie: Well, actually I think he was in Paris. He’s got a very interesting statue there in the park. Actually I went last summer to see it close for the first time. *all laugh* 
M: Do you like his music?
Bazie: Yeah! He’s not like classical music. Everybody knows his most known songs and composings. He’s the figure for Finnish music anyway. He was great. 

T - Timo-Timo

M: Why twice?
Bazie: That has got a reason. When I say “Timo!”, he doesn’t hear. I say “Timo!”, he doesn’t hear again. *all laugh* “Timo, Timo!” That’s the true story. Well… he’s joking all the time. He’s a really funny person. 
K.: He looks so quiet.
Bazie: Yeah, he looks so quiet. But when he is in good company, he’s talking all the time. When he is drunk, he can get angry. Hot tempered guy. And he’s got strong opinion about the things. And his opinion is really reasonable. In general you can count on him on the financial things, you know. 

U - Unreal 

M: What is unreal for you? 
Bazie: Sometimes it’s just like today, ‘cos I was really tired and I had a hangover. *laughs* And it was fucking unreal to open the door. Unreal… What is unreal? Dreams can be unreal. Sometimes we don’t even know if it’s dream or not. Sometimes I think the whole life is unreal. 

V - Videos

M: How do you shoot videos? How do you get ideas? Does it come from you? 
Bazie: Actually that’s the bad thing about the videos, ‘cos videos are quite ok to do, but if to compare it with making music…Making music you have your own thing and you can decide how to do it, even if music never can be like you want it. Every record is not how I wanted it to be. Videos usually come from record company. They got some ideas for the director, director has some ideas for the songs. Jyrki is checking out the stories. He’s more responsible for the videos. Every time I think the video sucks, everybody likes it. But there’re some good moments about that. But we haven’t done the video which has satisfied everyone of us. I think “The Chair” video was quite ok. I didn’t hate it at all. But it was only the band. 
M: Jyrki’s favourite video is “Wasting the Dawn”. Do you like it? 
Bazie: Yeah! It was his idea for the video. The director was the one who did “Call Me” video, I don’t think you have seen that. 
M: What about “Mr. Pain”? What it also your idea?
Bazie: *laughs* Ask Jussi about that. I don’t know how everybody was watching that. It was scrapped). Absolutely got it finished? This is shit. Actually the guy who made some press-photos for us for the first three albums, he’s a famous photographer again. He wanted to do the video - a really cheap one. “I’m gonna do it, I've got the ideas, I can take care of this shit”. That’s about it. That’s really bad. 
M: But it’s funny *laughs*
Bazie: Argh! And the videos I like… Maybe we filmed it last night. It’s more to do with the money anyway. 

W - Women

Bazie: Erm…?
M & K: Women! *all laugh*
Bazie: Yeah, I love them. It wouldn’t have any sense to live without women. What more could I say? Actually, I like women who have their own life, who don’t follow us, who have own things going, opinions. You just like some people and some - not. Everything shouldn’t be that reasonable. 

X - Extreme

M: What is extreme for you?
Bazie: Nothing. 
M: Do you do any extreme sports?
Bazie: Nooo. I’m not that into sports. I was into sports when I was a teenager. I played football. Extreme… I wouldn’t kill anybody. Let’s put it that way.

Y - Youth

M: Do you feel yourself young?
Bazie: *laughs* Noooo. Actually, I’m quite happy I’m not a teenager anymore. Things are going smoother. I’ve learned a lot.
M: Don’t you feel depressed ‘cos you’re not that young?
Bazie: No, not at all. I was in depression, when I was young. I didn’t know what to do in my life, I wasn’t sure in the future. Now I know what I am and I have nothing to regret. 

M: Now it’s your turn to choose the point of speaking. So, just say what you want.
Bazie: Thank you for this useful and interesting interview. And see you soon in Russia. We’re really willing to go there.