INTERVIEW WITH JYRKI69
FOR CROATIAN THE 69 EYES HOMEPAGE

AustriaVienna, Arena, 25.01.2010

Interview: Ivy
Photo: Jyrki69 & Ivy

What is between us populary named as "ex-Austro-Hungarian Monarchy" part of "Back In Blood" tour after concerts in Budapest and Zagreb continuen on January 25th 2010 in Vienna. And we took that opportunity to talk to Jyrki for several Croatian media, including the Croatian The 69 Eyes cave. Check below what it was abou.
Note: shorter version of the interview with Jyrki is published on Croatian music portals Soundguardian and Cmar-Net (combined with Bazie' answers for Venia-Mag), and T3 magazine will publish the interview soon! Thanks to editors!

IVY: The 69 Eyes is labelled as goth'n'roll band. Which part do you enjoy more, goth or roll? What made you interested in this kind of music?
J69: I think there wasn't our kind of band existing in the end or at the first place so that's why we nearly had to discover some kind of brand of music how to describe ourselves. And what I enjoy the most... I mean... of  course the both but the combination, I've never been limited. I mean, sometimes I listen only classical music or sometimes I listen to blues or sometimes I listen to gothic music, sometimes I listen just rock'n'roll and The 69 Eyes and the music that we do is something that represents the band and the sound and we always wanna create something new and keep people interested in what we are doing so we never stayed stable at some sound or some idea that we have created, we want to keep the interest up for the people and that's also part of the entertaintment  as well to be like one step ahead  before the fans, you know, always.

IVY: The band is important for the Finnish goth or rock scene. What do you think how would that scene look like if there wasn't The 69 Eyes?
J69: I don't know if we really are... For instance, Gothic scene in Finland is really underground and I don't know that much about it actually anymore. We used to go to the Gothic clubs like 20 years ago, even earlier then that like Archzie was playing in the Gothic band in the early 80's so on. And we started our band and Gothic scene is always, I guess, one of the most extreme underground scenes that tries to separate itself from any popular aspect. So, for instance in Finland, I have no idea what is going on with Gothic scene, I guess last time I knew something  was like 20 years ago. There is still a scene but it's not even in Helsinki, it's in the middle of Finland in the city called Tampere. In Finland I think we are more like.... Of course when we started we were underground band, over the years we were still underground but on some point when you get your music on the radio you are not underground anymore and of course you want to get your music on the radio if you are ambitious enough. When you get a little success for your band you can make your dreams easily coming true because then pop music industry or rock music industry comes to the picture and so on. I don't know if we are part of any scene, really. We're just rock band from Finland and we are in any magazine. I think we really don't belong to any scene in Finland in that sense. But , of course, for outsiders in Finland, foreigners  who seen Finnish music scene only as one piece we have, of course, our own place there. Somewhere, I guess, between Hanoi Rocks and HIM but little bit distant for other bands like Nightwish and so on but still there are still some similarities in the way of composing music between us all.

IVY: And what is hidden behind the frase 'blood is the new black'?
J69: Oh, nothing! It's just sounded good. But, I mean, if you wanna think it mathematically  and you wanna change blood into black, back in black, back in blood – blood is the new black. Hold on... you know it's sort of too mathematically like back in blood,black is... blood is the new black... you can play a little game and change those words so you get back in black which is, of course, AC/DC album but I wasn't thinking like that way but I learned that from some interview so .... I don't know. Seriously, I just write things, I write songs and lyrics for them and sometimes I'm surprised that I created something different from I had first in my mind. So this is one of the things that I probably subconsciencly created... this kind of interesting secret accusation.
IVY: But this certanly is interesting way to write lyrics... playing with words.
J69: Yeah, but  I never thought about it that way but later on somebody said... it's always like you learn about yourself by doing interviews. I don't have all answers but people think of that like people seem to think like there is always some dark misteries involved with The 69 Eyes. Maybe there is but sometimes I don't even know them so...

IVY: Although your music is often labeled as Gothic it's obvious that your whole universe is richer and much more diversified then the standard concept of Gothic...
J69: And it's the most boring in the world to deny that or to prove that we are Gothic. To deny or to prove that we are Gothic. I don't know... it's like endlessing questions all over. I don't know why the people always want to discuss on that topic, in friendly way or unfriendly way or whatever way. I don't understand what's the fucking importance. But there is. I think it's important that I wear red pants. But whatever...
IVY: Who cares?!
J69: Who cares, yeah! Exactly.
IVY: But the question was actually...
J69: Or Jussi is not wearing the T-shirt when he's playing...whatever that is, that other things, they don't really matters.
IVY:Well the thing is that the human nature is like that so people bother themselves with unimportant things.
J69: Yeah... but on the other way it's cool that we are registered topic and people are talking and discussing and scratching their heads. You know, it's cool.
IVY: So let's back to topic.... the question actually was, related to Gothic and wider aspect, what is the art in it's essence for you?
J69: What?
IVY: If we talk of Gothic and non-Gothic or whatever genre or, even better, if we finally leave all that labels and boxes aside, what is the art in its essence for you?
J69: I actually went to the art museum today here in Vienna. I went to see this Andy Warhol 'Cars' exhibition and also this impressionists exhibition.
IVY: Oh, that one is still opened?
J69: Yeah.... I went to see it, it's really cool.
IVY: Yeah, I know, I went to see it in November.
J69: Ok... no, the exhibition is just opened I think.
IVY: Andy Warhol is, but impressionist are opened since October I think.
J69: Aha... anyways I went to see it. And I think rock'n'roll is an art that everybody can join and take part. It's like big exhibition or big sort of like performance. It's that kind of art, the performance that everybody can take a part. Everybody can take their different ways of participate but the whole essence of rock is taking part... if you think rock'n'roll is art... the most important part is coming to the show. Live shows are the most important. They can come up dressed like as the part of the audience or show your respect for the band by dressing up like you think that they'd like you  to dress or if not that you can show appritiation by screaming, dancing, different things. So whatever emotions that the music, that the band arise in you... everything is possible, everything is free and that's why the music is played. On the other hand, sometimes I think it's art, sometimes I think it's not art. I don't know... it's different. It's not high art. Hight art is something like classical music, also like paintings and things like this. Rock'n'roll is not a high art because it touches your primitive instincts and gives you primitive reaction as well. It should be also very sexual so in that way it's not pure, it's a little bit dirty and it's not high art and it's easier to understand for people then the high art. But I don't know how to explain that. *smiles*
IVY: Ok. *smiles*
J69: But if someone want to know more about that they should take art lessons these days or  know study more.

IVY: And when we talk about art we cannot bypass the books which leads us to the song „Dead Girls Are Easy“ after the same named book. What attracted your attention in the book to name the song after it?
J69: I get inspired by many ways. It can be the name of the movie or it can be painting or picture in the magazine. Something that just got my attention. So one of these days I was walking around the book store and I noticed that Dead Girls Are Easy book and that was like. „Wow! The title is cool.“ I bought the book. Then in the same time we were writting the new music so that title really fit to that song. Then later on I had to think about what the hell that can mean as the song obviously is not the straight reference to the book. I actually have all Terri Garey's book which is pretty cool stuff and I can't wait if they come into the movie. But I mean, in general, Dead Girls Are Easy was like really cool expression and I just started to think what it could mean and what it could mean as a chours in the song so I started to build it up like that.

IVY: And that song leads us to the latest album „Back In Blood“. So, some Croatian media rated is as one of the best rock albums of 2009 underlining in the same time that the band is back on the right way because there is a thinking that with „Devils“ and „Angels“ you did a compromise in a meaning of a deal with the record company  and did albums for them more then for your fans. How much is that true and how much we can talk about your own instinct?
J69: When Devils came out we once again wanted to create something totally new for the band. But, actually, what I always say for that record is that's the record which takes us to Hollywood. Actually that really happened which was just like mine imagination by that time. We created something totally new with that record and then we got the producer Hiili Hiilesmaa aboard as well and, actually, we got a major label deal also which helped us a lot.
Angels, I think, is a great record and we just did the US tour for, there was a lot of people who just discovered us by that record. They are praising like listening to that album every day. I think we did Angels a little bit... pretty fast after Devils. Just like in the same boost and wanted to get things rolling in the US as well. But  I mean, when I listen to people who also who praise that record a lot so I just like... it's cool and acutally I miss some songs from that album to play alive also.
And this album has something to do with the fact that we've done 10 years with the same guy all our records.  And the same guy is Johnny Lee Michaels. And also all records have been done in Helsinki. So we wanted to get rid of Helsinki and like a clean table with somebody else. It could happen whereever but all sudden it happen to be that producer is American. We trusted him the most and we had the chance to go there. And, of course, it effected our sound, the American sound. Now is exciting on this European tour because we have also new record label, Nuclear Blast, which seem to have promoted us very well because, first of all, during the last two albums I didn't do that much interviews like when we had the box-set „Goth'N'Roll“ out  I did some interviews and that was imported by Nuclear Blast, so I did some interviews to some countries who said they talked with me 10 years before for „Paris Kills“ or something like that. So, that's already good because Nuclear Blast gives us a new start with a great promotion and all sudden I think we can see that on this tour which is in the half right now. Especially in Eastern European countries like we're really surprised with the warm welcome of people. Actually, there is also a fresh, new breed of fans all over which is like great, we are like: „Wow!“ and they seem to enjoy the old songs and also the new songs so that's cool. We are really, you know, I think this is the best tour we've done because we didn't know what to expect. I mean, it's cool to make records and we're doing what we want but then when it comes to fans now they totally surprised us. There is acutally more people on this tour then we've expected, especially with this depression. And we did less the year ago the tour with Tiamat which was headlining. We didn't have a new album out but we did the tour and it seemed like pretty quite. And all sudden it's.... Well, now we have a new record out, we've done a lot of press and all sudden there is a brand new excitement, there is a tons of new people. It's really amazing.

IVY: Cool. So when it is about tour, I need to ask you one question about last night. It was your second show in Croatia and the first as non-festival show.
J69: Yeah.
Q: What are impressions?
J69: We were amazed to see all those people. I mean, it was like, we thought that we are coming to do some small, tiny club show with couple of friends wandering around on the floor. And all the sudden we're playing  in this big hall with all this people who seem to know all songs, lyrics and everything. It was... Actually, it was fantastic! But also all this shows we've done during this tour, every show was like joy-opening for us, like: „wow, what is going on?!“It's great.  I guess we did something  right. Maybe it's the new album or maybe is just right time for the tour. I think it's the both.
IVY: Yeah, probably... Well, thank you for this interview!
J69: No problem!