Interview with Jyrki69 at M'Era Luna 2007 - English version

(The 69 Eyes)

12.08.2007 von Melanie Schupp

At M'Era Luna 2007 we got the chance to do an interview with Jyrki69 - singer of the 69 Eyes...

How long did the recording for Angels take and did something extraordinary happen while recording?

Jyrki: It’s always a long process. Because for example at the moment where we are talking right now I’ve already some stuff for the next album. We are planning to start our experiment soon. So next time when a new album comes out you can tell that at this time I was already writing music for it. But anyway it’s always a long process. I think the whole recording took about nearly a year. Like something close to 12 month. Mainly because we were changing a lot of songs during the recording and the slowest part is my vocals. What also comes over is like we had Apocalyptica playing on it. So it can happen if you decide to work with other bands if they are not able to come on the recording day maybe it takes one more month til they come.

If I say nearly a year it doesn’t mean that we worked at the studio every day. It’s just a long period from when you recorded the first song until the end.
Over the last albums the first song always became our first single. Like last time it was Lost Boys“. This time it was Perfect Skin“. Perfect Skin“ was something that I thought of 2 years before. It’s a long peroid we take everything quite low. Thank god we are doing everything in Helsinki. Well we are thinking about doing our next record somewhere else but I don’t know if we can do it. Cause when we do it were we live we have no deadlines. Maybe it’s good for us. Maybe next time we sit here I tell you that we went to another studio and it was good for us. But in this case we are very slow. I suffer a lot when we do the recordings because I’m always late. I often write the lyrics the same day that I’m going to the studio. Sometimes in the studio when I’m singing the last parts. Some songs don’t come easy. I have the idea and then something doesn’t match.

It grows

Jyrki: Yes it grows and it doesn’t match at the first time. But actually I enjoy this process and I wish it would never end. It’s cool to be in the studio and it’s cool to create songs. You know after 2 years I don’t remember anything. It’s strange we’ve done 8 records and I don’t remember the songs of the records but I remember what was going on in my head, what I was feeling or who I was dating with or actually what kind of clothes I was wearing. It’s sort of a diary from your life.

Mainly the process is very slow because you want to have it that way. This time - this would probably be one of your next questions – I have a bunch of ideas and I listen to some music which I think that grows my ideas. This time we’re actually trying to be faster. Because even though it seems like a long time we’ve had Devils came out orginially in 2004 and that’s fuckin long time ago. But on the other hand we’ve been touring after that and finally got Angels“ out. But now we are trying to hold the gap as short as possible.

What do you think of your album Angels“? Are you satisfied with everything?

Jyrki: I haven’t heard it for a long time. I hear some songs on the myspace page. How often is it played there. And do some fans comment it. Then I’m going to see which song is the favourite one.
On the other hand the songs become so different when you play them live. I have some ideas of some songs when we played them live. And I saw the reaction. I saw does it have any reaction on anybody at all. The songs gets a life. It’s like Geppetto from Pinoccio who was made of wood and then a fairy comes and gives it a life like I’m a real boy“ – I’m a real song!“.
I’m getting a meaning, starting to understand a song and to know a little bit what they are about. Some songs haven’t been played live yet and some songs will never be played live. But now I have understanding for songs. I mean the thing is even though you are part of creating songs I can’t explain where the ideas come from. It is in my case and I don’t know if they need an explanation.
It’s sort of like – I’m walking here and I get some ideas from nowhere and I pick them out and maybe somebody has similar feelings during this time. And like Wow, you were right I like this woman like you mention in your song!“. And there is some more purpose. Then I’m leading like my own crusade telling my stories to everybody. It’s more like I don’t know where these ideas come from. Sometimes I find some purpose for it and sometimes people give me purposes too.
And we have some songs on the new album like the song called Ghost“. We haven’t played that live yet on purpose. It’s time to start playing it live when it comes out as single. And it seems like it’s one of the favourite songs like record company people told us. We haven’t played that live. It’s some kind trying not to review the whole album before it comes out.

Honestly I think the album is like a really professional 69 eyes album. There’s loads of themes that I think are sort of new. In a way they are old because we recycle a lot of things but in a way they are new because we want to bring back old things or remind people of something.

The tourmanager comes up telling us that we’re running out of time. Jykri tells him that we started late so the tourmanager grants us 10 more minutes.

Jyrki: Yeah sorry cause we are playing pretty soon. If I’m talking too much

No problem. It’s okay.

The last two albums have gone back to a rawer sound like your early albums, Can you see any changes in the audience so far (because of that maybe)?

Jyrki: Well the career of the 69 eyes is not melting down or expiring. We are just moving a bit to a new level. I think that our fans still like our process and we haven’t made the ultimate 69 eyes album. Of course this one is also the ultimate Rock n Roll record which is going to be like some other classical records. It’s not the ultimate 69 eyes album we haven’t done that yet.
So with this record we have definitely taken the next step to the next level. And anther step is as well that we are making some noise in the UK. We were playing in Europe – especially in Germany – for years and now we finally have something happening in the UK. We have a record company and management there. We have this more Rock n Roll kind of songs on the album. The song Rocker“ - which we are not going to play here because it’s not a song for a Gothic festival – is our rawest Rock n Roll song with Frankenhooker“ we’ve done for many years. That’s a UK favourite. Like the Kerrang magazine appointed it to one of the essential songs of the album. That’s interesting. And here it was Ghost“. So we don’t change the audience. There are loads of people who know our past. Some people just like us to play our old stuff. But I think I really have this Rock n Roll feeling. I’ve had it already before now I feel it more.
You know when you remember the time when The Cult had the album called Love“ and then next record was called Electic“. So I think it was time for us to do sort of change. To have kind of more of That’s is how I feel“. You know we don’t plan but I’ve had this feeling. I’m happy that we have the loyal followers. I think we sometimes make them question or sometimes shock them. It was fun a couple of years ago but now I started to respect them and I don’t want to make them upset.
It’s not like we want to get weird. But it’s fun to shock them and to put a blonde girl on the album cover.
But we don’t regret what we’ve done. I don’t think that we’ve done anything wrong or that we missed something. I just hope that people have the power to trust because there are so many great ideas coming up. I think people were shocked of this Hollywood theme but we just had fun. It’s interesting to see what’s coming up from America now that we’ve done a few shows over there. I know that there are loads of people and even bands who liked what we were doing.

So I’ve thousands ideas and thrills as well. From the new album and what’s coming up. It’s not calculated or business. It’s like our own creative mind.

What was the best and worst memories of tour with Cradel of Filth in th USA? Just be honest.

Jyrki: Of course there are some personal things that could be the best time of my life. But I think this tour was the best time of my life. I enjoyed the whole period and I wished I could live that time again. Because it was so great. I’ve been thinking of it a couple of times recently and it was so cool to see Cradle of Filth every fucking night. Six weeks. Sometimes I didn’t go to watch the show. Seriously it was one of the greatest Rock n Roll dreams come true. Of course you want to tour with your favourite bands. There was a perfect spot for us and the tour was great.

3 Inches Of Blood was the 3rd band on the bill. It was the best time for the 69 eyes ever. First time was probably... I’m ashamed that we had this one drinking night even though it was a non alcoholic tour. But during the first show Dave came to our backstage room to have a beer. The hangovers were terrible. There were a couple of terrible hangovers.

I know that we can never repeat that. It would even be boring for fans to do the same tour. This is why it’s impossible and to be realistic that was a once in a lifetime tour. But it was so fucking cool. We are so thankful. And when we had the last Gin Tonic with them Dani said the same.

I was a Cradle of Filth fan I have the records and stuff. Honestly even the new record really grew on me and I became a bigger fan. I mean I actually ordered that they could get on tour.

So you did not know the guys before?

Jyrki: Well we met before but we didn’t know us well. It’s lame to talk only about positive things but there was nothing bad.
Probably I was a bit disappointed a couple of nights that Dave wasn’t able to come to party. Because of Dani couldn’t come.
I think the guys were laughing at me especially Dave. Because you are on tour and you want to go out at least every second night. And if you are on tour as a band the easiest way to go out is to go to a gothic bar. Because half of the audience is going to the aftershow party. And you get some respect there like Wow you came“. It’s nice. So I was surfing in the internet trying to find a page where you can find every gothic bar of the city. I was always checking out if there’s something going on and after all it became an inside joke of Dave and the guys. Because I was always serious and they didn’t care. They just enjoy having a beer whereever. But that’s how I am. I’m not ashamed of myself. I’m just like a hyperactive kid in this way.

I think that’s good, cause most bands won’t have gone to the aftershow party at all.

Is there any question you don’t want to be asked anymore?

Jyrki: Explain the name of the 69 eyes? And another one is: How come you guys have been playing so long together in the same lineup isn’t that unusual?

Where have you seen the most amazing audience?

Jyrki: The most amazing audience is always at the M’Era Luna or any other German gothic festival. Because you can’t stop staring at people. You come on stage like Fuck I should take my camera.“ Because it’s such an amazing and beautiful like movie kind of illusion. You don’t believe that it’s really happening. Hopefully this year, too.

The tourmanager joins us telling us that time is over. We like to thank Jyrki for the interview as well as management who gave us the chance to do the interview.