Interview with the band about The Rasmus’ history [Netherlands]

The story of The Rasmus can be read as a bad boys book. Who thinks it’s only one chapter is wrong. There was a life before the success album Dead Letters. With the action on Pinkpop on the way the time is to start reading a few pages back.

When I’m waiting for The Rasmus in the hall of Schiphol on a Saturday afternoon, I notice I’m not the only one who’s came to see the band. Two groups of girls walk around telephoning, looking at the Tv that shows the arrival times. One group looks alternative, the other more mainstream. Proud one of them shows one of her newest ring tones: the tune of First Day Of My Life. The manager cannot suppress a laugh. “Funny to see they always know when The Rasmus arrives.” But that isn’t so hard. There’s only one flight from Helsinki, so it would be weird if it didn’t have The Rasmus in it. As soon as the Finns the come out of the terminal, the girls politely request a photograph or an autograph. The other people at Schiphol don’t understand a thing of it; the band members look normal. Only singer Lauri resembles a rockstar with its sunglasses, black outfit and matching hat. Quickly the band walks, with the singer at the front, over to the bus that’s going to bring them to the TMF Awards in Ahoy.

Who once has been to Finland knows, that Finns don’t really show the Swiss lifestyle. The members of The Rasmus partly satisfy to the image of a rough Northling. Drummer Aki says almost nothing and only starts to talk when an old timer rides past. Pauli, the guitarist laughs every often and then and makes a note in the unintelligible Suomi. Bassist Eero doesn’t appear as a talker either with his pokerface. You never know whether he means an answer or is just an incredible sarcast. With an accent as a Russian bad guy from James Bond, he will answer the questions the most, along with Lauri. As on the question about why there’s such a great rock climate in Finland.
“The people over here are just more interested in rock music. I don’t know where that comes from. We also have a whole strong scene that traditional, Finnish music makes. But techno for instance, never really got through here. It won’t anyway. If you’re in the rock, you can go into a trained space, with your friends, play, and drink beer.” Must we see Finnish music as a social matter? Lauri nods yes. “We met each other at school. We looked the same and all had mad hair styles. When it showed that we also listened to the same music, we started little bands. Then played we all sorts of covers of Nirvana, Metallica and Pearl Jam.” Was that the most important motivations for Lauri to join the band? His eyes blink, while
he makes little circles with his index finger and thumb and with its other index finger copulating movements. “Getting girls was really easy all of the sudden, haha! But music, whether you’re at a concert or make it yourself, unites.

Music unites, but it doesn’t make the Finnish people who enjoy company at once. Bass player Eero, with an expressionless face: “Finns are just pretty closed. They don’t talk much.” That’s right, he stops talking. Fortunately Lauri continues. “It’s also the minority that chooses to play in a band. The majority plays hockey or another sport. The lost souls who don’t, like us, seek each other because af that. As a teenager you feel well, so lost. You go through many emotions, but on your fourteenth, fifteenth you’ll also meet your most important friends.” Eero: “De sports-loving types were the ones who were mainstream, at our school.” Massive disapproval when asked if The Rasmus also consists of sport loving persons. “I hate sports,” is the answer of Aki. Lauri cannot suppress a feeling of sweet revenge. “The roles now have been swapped. Before, the sportsguys were cool, but they actually were incredibly dull.” Grin: “Now everybody that plays in a band is cool.” Eero: “We’re now treated better by that kind of people too. When I see a dude like that on the street, they’re always like: “Hey, you play in a band, what’s up?”

Before the breakthrough in Europe, The Rasmus was a big act in their own country already. Their debut Peep from 1996 became gold, and every record after it would also get that status. A style change at the time of Dead Letters from 2003 has encouraged success elsewhere, according to Lauri. “I think we’re getting a lot from the eighties now. Guns ‘N Roses, Skid Row and the whole hardrockscene then. Those were also the first bands I discovered and I saw perform. In the beginning, we got more elements from the funk and I rapped as well. We were very young by then, fifteen and sixteen year. The lyrics were about school and such things.” Small laugh: “It’s always strange to hear those songs again. The lyrics nowadays are darker, moodier. But with a message that there’s light at the end of the tunnel.” The older songs that are a mix of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Metallica and older skate punk are still being played live, according to Eeri. “For introspection and to show that we do have a repertoire. Even though some of the songs are quite funny. I mean, songs about the modern life of a fifteen year old…” He still has a pokerface. “It’s very happy music as well…” Right.

The four are – even though they don’t like it – all celebrities in Finland. Drummer Aki sees himself in a Big Brother situation. “People pay more attention to you, what you do, where you are. And rumours spread through the internet quite easy. Not that it makes a difference to me, but it can sometimes be hard.” Lauri: “The weirdest rumor is that I’ve been looking for fights in all sorts of pubs, drunk. And am drunk on stage.” Aki laughing: “I think that actually might be true, haha!” Lauri doesn’t react and continues: “There now is stuff like: “Lauri was there in that store to buy food!” Then somebody calls some random tabloid and makes money off that. I mean, if you want to know more about my life, read the lyrics.” But it’s the lyrics that make you ask more questions. However, they don’t want to say anything about their personal life. The manager said that already, but there’s no harm in trying. In an earlier interview, Lauri said the ten songs on Dead Letters are excuse letters. Is the singer such an asshole? “Well, they aren’t all excuse letters. They’re wishes too. But I do say sorry to my friends that I haven’t seen for quite a while, for instance. That I get a rockstar attitude and am too busy.” The singer isn’t the only one who wants to apologize. Aki: “When I’m asked how I’m doing, it’s the Rasmus before and after. It’s about the band the whole time.” Lauri nods, lightly disappointed: “I’m only talking about myself as well.” Not too loud: “It sometimes looks so selfish.” It isn’t that strange. The boys never did anything else than playing in The Rasmus. Pauli, chortling: “We’ve never had a normal life!” Eero: “Right. I’ve been busy with The Rasmus ever since I was fifteen. I’ve never had a job. I just didn’t know something else than playing in a band.”

During the TMF Awards in Ahoy later on that evening the band plays two songs. The audience goes loose. The screaming of the teenagers, well, the girls even drowns out the noise made by the earlier performance of Frans Bauer. The Rasmus is popular, that’s for sure, but especially among the young public. “They’ll grow with us,” says Lauri. “Our first fans of when we were fifteen still come to our gigs. Every once in a while people come up and say they’ve been listening to us for ten years, from the beginning. We have a huge fanbase in Finland. Same places, same faces.” Eero emphasizes that it won’t ever bore them. “I wonder if we aren’t going to bore our fans, really. The view that we are only attractive to a young crowd isn’t right. By the club gigs in the Netherlands, next to the fans were also men that have reached forty. Leather jacket, long hair, the typical old rocker. It’s good to see we attracted a wide audience like that.” Lauri agrees: “You can’t pick your fans anyway. We just take our music and don’t think about it. The music is written by ourselves and for ourselves in the first place.” A “yes” agreed by all band members shows they mean it. Lauri: “How fans are going to react to a new song is very interesting. We’ve already recorded a few new songs that feel really good. It must remain a secret, but I can’t wait to play them live.”
The next record that is only going to be released next year, will be the sixth already. Questioned is what The Rasmus can reach after this. Eero wants to keep things fun. “From the very first beginning, we did this for the fun, and we still do. We don’t want to get caught doing anything we don’t want to do. If we remain to have this feeling I’m satisfied. As long as we have fun.” No mockery can be seen on his face. Eero means it.

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