Rasmus promises of a flaky experience [Estonia]

Maria Ulfsak talked with the guitarist and the author of many songs from The Rasmus – Pauli Rantasalmi. The band is giving a concert in Tallinn next week. The Rasmus is the most famous Finnish band. Energetic, dashing, quite dark. Next week they’re performing in Tallinn.
Last year The Rasmus was nominated “best Nordic Act” at MTV Music Awards, the last album “Dead Letters” has sold over a million copies. The guys of a nu-goth band that has grown from a school band to the toughest word in Finnish pop music are thrilled about their frantic career.

Pauli, lately you’ve only been touring. Have you had the chance to rest in summer?
Yes, we’ve been driving around for more than eight months. This summer has been great because we’ve been performing at the biggest festivals in Europe, for example Sziget Festival, Rock im Park and Rock am Ring. We can’t bring out one best moment because the whole summer has been so cool for us.

Are you tired?
Yes. We’ve been home for only a couple of days. But there will be a break sometime. Right now there’s just such an incredible situation in our life that we just have to play.

Have you been rocking sternly while touring?
A little, yes, but if we have so many concerts in a row then it’s hard to drink all the time. It’s been very fun. We don’t drink before a gig anyway, or perform being drunk because I think it is humiliating the public.

I read that you had a great concert in Rock Café in Kuala Lumpur. Have have you been doing in Asia?
Yeah, it was great, but weird. It was our first Asian gig, very interesting because the people were so different from European people. In Finland people are drunk at concerts and go crazy. In Asia people enjoy the music, but the partying-culture is very different. He are hoping to go back to Asia someday because the food and the people both are very enjoyable.

What do you think has been the breaking point of you career thanks to which you broke through in Europe and especially in England?
“In The Shadows” has been the breakthrough song. It proves that one song can make a miracle. Now we have to work hard to prove that we’re not a one-hit-wonder. “In The Shadows” is and unusual song in my opinion. It was very fun to make because it was created during just jamming and having fun in about twenty minutes.

Do you have plans of conquering America?
We came from America a few months back. We only had a couple of concerts there, now it’s hard to say how it went. It was more like a promo trip. We’re not going to try especially for America, we have a very good position in Europe right now.

In an interview you said that horror-movies and for example Alfred Hichcock inspire the whole band- What else makes you write songs?
For me the most inspiring things are my friends because most of them deal with music as well. Good company is always the most important.

What music do you listen to yourself?
I like music from Metallica to Cypress Hill. Sometimes I listen to techno. Actually I don’t care who the artist is – I like songs.

Which are you favorite songs right now?
Let me think…I think a song called “Kiss me” by a Danish band Carpak North.

How much do you know about your fans? Are they mostly men or women, how old?
I constantly observe forums from Internet, it’s a very good place to find out what the fans think. In Finland the fans really are from seven to fifty years old, European fans are mostly teenage girls, in England more men. So it’s different in each country.

You have performed at Beach Party in Estonia sometime, I think?
Yes, it was a few years back. It was one of our first concerts outside of Finland. The concert was very great, not to mention the nature around and the view.

Do you know anything about Estonian music?
Yes, but it’s hard to say concrete things. I’ve heard Estonian heavy and techno music.

For example you’ve baked pancakes during a performance. What else crazy have you done on stage?
More or less everything. Once in Finland we were all painted black but Lauri (singer Lauri Ylönen) was painted red like the Devil. Then some guy came on stage who played God and they started fighting.

Who won?
I can’t remember, the Devil I think.

What are you going to do at the Estonian concert?
It depends on the situation and the stage. But we have a very good feeling about the concert so we’ll think of something weird for you for sure!

Actually I wanted to ask about Lauri’s hair. Does he have the feathers in his hair only at public performances or do they decorate his hair for example while having a Christmas-dinner with his family?
As much as I know the feathers change with his mood. It doesn’t depend on public performances.

While touring you have to play your hit songs mostly every day. Doesn’t it get boring?
I like playing the hits most because the crowd like those the best.

Are you able to walk around Helsinki freely or do a lot of fans and autograph hunters pester you?
Yes, sometimes they come and talk but in Finland people are so shy and they don’t chase celebrities. So we have no problems in Helsinki.

Are what are your future plans?
Right now we’re touring all over the world until March-April, hopefully in Australia and Japan. And then we’re going to make new songs. But I have nothing to say about my personal life because right now the band is my whole life. But it’s very cool and I’m happy.

CAN’T REST YET: After touring at the biggest festivals in Europe the whole summer, The Rasmus is giving a concert in Hollywood in a week.
The Rasmus – Finnish rock superstars
• Started ten years ago as a school band. Members: Singer Lauri Ylönen, guitarist Pauli Rantasalmi, bass player Eero Heinonen and drummer Aki Hakala.
• First album “Peep” came out in 1996, six studio albums have come out for the time.
• In 2001 the band signed a contract with Playground Music in Stockholm, the singel “F-F-F-Falling” from the album “Into” conquered the Scandinavian charts and became the biggest hit of the year in Finland.
• So far the latest album “Dead Letters” came out last year, it has sold over a million copies for now.
• “In The Shadows”, a single from “Dead Letters” became a super hit in Scandinavia, England and elsewhere in Europe.

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