Interview with The Rasmus [Finland]

You are all from Suutarila. I’d like to know about your family backgrounds.
Pauli: “I’m from a good family.”

Pauli is from a good family, what about Lauri?
“Yup, from a good family too. I have one sister, mother and father.”

And did you have siblings?
“Yes I had, I mean I have.”

And Janne?
“I have a family of mother, 2 sisters and one very mean big brother.”

And Eero?
“Eero is from a good family too. I have few siblings.”

What does your parents think of Rasmus?
“They are in for it!”

Do they like the music?
“Yup! They don’t dare to say otherwise!”

How did Rasmus get started, how did you meet?
Eero: “We went to same school. There was this pre-x-mas party, we played at once. That was November -94. The following summer Janne started as our drummer. That’s how it all started.”

Let’s get back to here and now. Last summer there was plenty of talk about Rasmus. As I have understood it, even older music critics liked you a lot. You went to London due to having a deal with Warner (music). What do you believe to be your realistic goals? Do you already have some visions as for what you want to be later on?
“Would someone else like to answer this?”, asks Eero.
Janne: “Personally I don’t have any goals, or it’s like I have some but wouldn’t really be prepared for anything. I hope all goes well.”
Eero raises his voice and says clearly: “Right now our realistic goals for our future can be that we want this and that. If we make our next album, naturally we try to get it published in as many countries as possible. Having our first record published around the world is bit uncertain atm. We haven’t gotten yes or no from different countries yet.”
“If the record is publishes somewhere, it should also be bought by peeps and we’d need to get to do some gigs”, says Lauri. Also the radio… “One goal is to make a good video”, says Eero.

When?
“Within couple of weeks we should be starting and we are trying to get it into bigger channels, like MTV.”

When you went to London, what did you talk about with the local Warner people?
Lauri: “The record company did take care of the records and bios from Finland. We just went to meet them. It was a “true” record company meeting. We sat down like this…and talked in English.”

What kind of peeps where they? Where they like tuff guys or like swindlers?
Rasmus laughs at the question.

Or generally interested…? Or what kind of people there are in the record companies?
They all talk into others mouths until Pauli gets to answer: “They weren’t that hugely interested, they were like normal people. Said they will see what they can do.”
Eero ads: “They were really nice, Warner Bro’s representer talked some sense with us, liked the songs and gave us some hints.”
“They wondered how come we have no singles. There’s a huge market in UK for singles”, says Lauri.

Well, are you about to make a single?
“Yes, we are making one for the foreign market.”

What separates you from the rest of the bands?
Lauri: “There isn’t that much of this kind of music in Finland.”
Janne: “And we do what we like. We also know how to laugh at ourselves.”
Pauli: “We are interesting.”
Eero: “And we are young.”

I was hoping to hear something like what you said Janne.
“We know how to laugh at ourselves. It’s important”, says Eero.

Who is the most ambitious person in the band?
“I am! They all say at the same time. I wonder what that honour means (kunnianhimoinen in Finnish is literally honour lusty)”

Well, I don’t specify it, but I mean wish to go forward.
Pauli: “Then we all are.”
Eero: “No one is dragging along.”

Eero wanted to make art to Modern Art Museum
Is your energy solely reserved for your music or are you generally creative? Do you have some other areas where you use your energy and talents?
Eero: “I at least have noticed that at times or when going home by buss I get all sort of ideas. I’d like to make some art to modern art museum.”
Lauri: “Not sure if I’m creative but I like to decorate. I have just moved to my own flat. Then I like to go and have a cup of coffee at neat places.”
Eero: “Life is not music only.”
Pauli: “I consider myself creative and use it elsewhere too.”

Do you have some certain passions?
“No.”

Sports?
Janne: “Don’t have much time to have hobbies. I was just to ask Pauli today whether we are going to start playing badminton or not. ”
“Snooker”, says Lauri.
“Truly sporty”, says Janne.
“Skate boarding”, mutters Lauri.

What about Eero?
“Don’t have time for sports. I have noticed I really can’t do sports anymore”, says Eero and makes the others laugh.

Have you been doing sports before?
Pauli: “Ice hockey.”
Lauri: “Tae-kwon-do.”
Janne: “Thai boxing.”
Lauri: “How many years?”
Janne: “Not that many.”
Eero: “They tend to have go at their skills during touring. Lauri is quite exited.”
Janne: “it’s fun!”
“Yes it is”, ads Lauri.

How many of you are dating?
“All!” Says Pauli.
“A whole lot!” continues Lauri.

Have people been jealous, like your school friends?
Eero: “No, school friends are nice.”
“Maybe the one, who threw a bottle at us”, says Janne referring to Kaivopuisto concert. Someone threw a bottle on his head. Some nag “why do shitty bands get famous”

Do people recognise you at the streets?
“They did after we had been in City-magazine”, says Eero.

Are you each other’s best friends?
“Yep”, says Janne.
Pauli: “It’s natural we like to hang around together.”
Janne: “After a gig we go home, have a shower and brush teethies. Then we meet at Corona and wonder if we should go and see Lauri and his new flat.”
Eero raises his voice, Not like we advertise Corona…”NOO says Lauri, let see at…” corrects Lauri. “Or why not advertise Corona. We might get free coffee”, continues Eero.

Do you read books?
“I don’t” says Pauli immediately.
“Neither do I”, says Lauri.
“I have read some novels”, says Pauli.

What novels?
“Like Kafka…”
“Me too!” Says Lauri.
“I like reading them. I have this novel book and I read them all.”
Eero: “I don’t read books, I read magazines.”

Which?
“City magazine and”…”a book by Stephen King was the second book I have read. I thought it was cool and I bought like 3 more of his books”, says Janne.

Have you read any philosophy?
Janne: “I like it.”
Pauli: “My fav. Subject at school. I just added it to my schedule today.”

Honesty is about not bullshitting
Your favourite food?
Eero: “Salmon soup made of salmons grown in captivity.”

How can you tell if it’s grown in captivity?
Eero: “By colour.”

Janne, what about you?
“The same”, says Lauri on behalf of Janne.
“ThinentrecotethirtynineFinnishmarks” on Eero (paid by)
“Right now I’d live huge steak at Ilves”, says Janne.
“My fav. is pesto. I had great pesto yesterday”, says Lauri.
“What’s that? A band?” Asks Eero.

Your dream girl or a woman?
After some silence Eero says “Pauli”, Pauli mutters something about “Michelle Pfeiffer”.

Pauli is Michelle Pfeiffer. Eero is Björk and Janne?
“Eero.”

What is honesty to you?
Janne: “Not telling lies.”
Eero: “No bullshit. Says as it is.”

What does it mean to you?
Lauri: “A lot. At least to me.”
Janne: “Me too.”
Pauli: “What?”
Lauri: “Honesty…means a lot.”

Let’s talk about pride and loosing it. Is it worth keeping?
Janne: “No.”
Pauli: “Not too much.”

What is the most important thing in your life at this point?
Janne: “That’s a bad one!”
Eero: “Freedom and happiness.”
Lauri: “Youth.”
Janne: “Quite a lot of being able to do what I want and this music.”
Pauli: “The age. I like living this age.”
“How do you know how nice it is to live some other age?”, asks Eero.
“I don’t, that’s why I want to live this age.”

Then about the skin and appearance. What does style or appearance means to you?
Eero: “Everything.”

Eero said it all with that. What is the biggest “aha” in your lives so far?
Pauli: “All die at some point.”
Eero: “One has to be oneself and have own opinions.”
Janne: “I was convinced last weekend one can travel in time.”
Lauri: “We had like 4 hours conversation about it.”
Eero: “Was that the biggest for you?”
Lauri: “Yes, and for me too.”
Pauli: “I have also rotten to realise joy is beauty. If you look joyful, you always look nice to others.”
Eero: “I agree with Pauli.”

Every time I listen to you or read stories about you, I come to think your quite something else that 17-years old boys. Why?
Lauri: “We are opinionated.”
Janne: “We are just bluffing you.”
Pauli: “We pretty much know what we want.”
Eero: “We are not that experienced, though.”

That was all.
Eero: “Thanks for the interview. It was nice.”

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