Interview with Jyrki 69 / The 69 Eyes

Finns are know as cool and quiet. In about half an hour inside the Astra Loung of Markthalle Hamburg, The 69 Eyes singer Jyrki assured us of the opposite. Nice and friendly he didn't stop talking that we haven't had a chance to ask ¾ of the prepared questions. And as well we haven't had time to answer this questions. But read on your own:


Finnbands: Angels is your 10th CD now.
Jyrki: - Well actually I think it's the 10th album but two of them are a compilation. So in that sense it's like the 8th real record.

Finnbands: Which of these 10 albums is your favorite one?
Jyrki: Well, of course "Framed In Blood" which is a compilation, which is the record you should buy after "Angels", so I mean "Angels" is my favorite naturally after that probably the compilation is pretty cool also. I don't know but everybody who is doing a record says always "the latest one is the best one" and "the favorite one" but you know... Why not? -It's in this case too. "Angels" is my favorite one because it's still fresh and I haven't even listen to it yet and by myself because we've been on tour when it came out so I haven't heard it that much even, I mean not at all completely, seriously. I'm a bit reserved about this and it's still really cool and exciting for us because we've only played about five shows now with the new songs. So that's really interesting. You know, it's fresh, it's new and it's the best!

Finnbands: I think it's an album about Los Angeles...
Jyrki: Oh, okay, you know, well not exactly. It is about whatever you want. You have to say something in interviews always so it's more interesting to come up with some interesting stories... You know interviews are entertainment as well. I just figured out that "Angels" could also refer to the city of angels which is Los Angeles. But it's not straight about that city or something it's just like... Some songs have got theirinspiration from there and we just happen to hang out there pretty much recently filming videos and playing shows and it's a funny place to party. So some songs definitely have got their inspiration from LA and precisely from Hollywood. In the 80's one of the big thing was like trendy ... a little bit like... a trendy thing actually was for instance the gothic scene, you know, these post-apocalyptic-world, like things after the third world war. In the 80's people were sort of afraid of WW III could happen soon and there were lots of science-fiction-movies and books and stories and about the world after that... So that post-apocalyptic-world was something what haven't been anywhere since that. I'm talking about like you know like movies, like men-mags or blade runner and so on. So those vibes created a lot of really cool music and also even the gothic scene and people started to dress black. Those vibes created all that theme. I just thought that what happened to those ideas and that those things and I thought that it would be pretty cool to bring those vibes a little bit back again.
Those were some sources of inspiration for this record. For instance for the song "Angels".
And I wanted the cover to be identical in a way to the previous record cover for "Devils". And I wanted also to represent a little bit of this apocalyptic feeling as well. So if you think what's the most decadent and apocalyptic city in the world that's actually Hollywood in many ways you know. And it has always been Hollywood, Babylon and so on. So there was something that I wanted to use in the cover of the CD and also as a source of inspiration. I think it's also gonna funny to have this.
If you think about the word Hollywood, it's maybe the letters on the hills but also maybe the next thing what comes to your mind or even the first could be like...what has been always symbolizing Hollywood are the blondes like actress or celebrity. In the 20's and 30's there has been actress like Mae West and then Marilyn Monroe and so on and so on. So I think it was cool to have a friend of mine "Mrs. Forbidden" who is the most famous MySpace personality on the cover of the CD... Like as the present face of Hollywood. And also it's a kind of inside joke that for me her face represents the apocalypse. I haven't talked about that with her but I think it's a kind of funny thing. I don't know what she thinks about that.
And at the same time when I had this idea like "Ok, Hollywood, ok that's the most apocalyptic place and that's a crazy place and that's a decadent place" and those kind of twisted symbols show the twisted sense of humor on the cover of the record.
At the same time, like earlier this year, just before the album came out Anna Nicole Smith died and also Britney Spears got crazy. She shaved her head bold, wrote "666" on her forehead and was running around and shouting "I am the antichrist". So I think I pretty much got the present tense in bringing that thing in the record.
Unfortunately all these things happened you know. Basically Hollywood loves its blondes even if they're dead. That's one of the topics there but you know... Loosely you don't have to know anything about that. It's just a Rock'n Roll record and there are a couple of songs you can party along and we're having lots of other songs where you can party along when we play them tonight. And there are just cool Rock'n Roll, Goth'n Roll, Gothrock, Glamrock- vibes for the year 2007 represented by the one and only Helsinki Vampires: The 69 Eyes. Make it this short. :-D
And on the other hand it's always fun to make people think and of course to shock people. The easiest persons or people to shock are the goths. So to put the blonde woman who is totaly out of the goth culture to the cover of a CD. Maybe some gothic people are expecting that of course. I think it's a funny thing to do. But you know it's my twisted sense of humor so... Never mind. I have fun!

Finnbands: You said you have Gothic-Style and a little Glam-Rock-Style. We talked about your stlye last saturday and somebody said you're Gothic and the other one said you're Glam-rock. What would you say, what you are?
Jyrki: Yeah, that's great, that's actually great. That's one of the things I heard the first time. I mean, it's kind of funny that now it's possible to say all these things. It doesn't really matter. When The 69 Eyes are still on the album there are 11 songs and every fuckin' song is so different from each other. But you still can say all this sounds like The 69 Eyes and you can tell which band it is. And there are songs, for instance on this new album called "Star of Fate" that no one else, no other band could do. We are not painted ourselves to some corner, staining that we are this and this style and have our fans there. We have our Glamrock... And we have fans in central Europe in the gothic scene when our record lable was rising us up there.
And now we're just doing what feels good and what's fun and it's just like The 69 Eyes. And I hope that we appear to Glam-people, Goth-people, Phsycabilly-people or Rockabilly-people or whoever, which subculture-people. Because there were other great bands and they're always been there. For instance like "Depeche Mode" or "The Cramps" or "Sisters Of Mercy" or "Danzig" which everybody likes. You don't have to represent only one style or subculture. You can still find your own vibes from them. So I hope that finally The 69 Eyes are also a sort of... taking a step little away from all these subcultures to stand just by ourselves not relying on the tomb of Goth or hanging from the lipstick of Glam or something like that just... Like having a place for our own but still our tale somewhere and otherhand a food somewhere and the other food somewhere and well... the third food somewhere else! :-D Nasty joke!


Finnbands: What would you say is your personal favorite song?
Jyrki: From the album? Erhm... I enjoyed playing yesterday in Bochum "Rocker". That was really fun to play and it's fun to see peoples reaction. That's of course cool but still I think that the new single "Never Say Die" is seriously my favorite song from there. It was fun to do the video and I just heard it's the 5th most played in all Finnish radio stations right now. So I mean whatever station you put on, you definitely will hear this song a couple of times. Whatever station you turn from station to another in 10 minutes or something.
So that's cool. We played right now five shows which means we played that song five times live. Tonight is the 6th moment to play so I've seen that the people... that it's not so normal for people yet I guess. But I hope it's getting more and more air play and more and more people will discover it. Because I think it represents The 69 Eyes the way I like to see us. It's fast but it has its sort of melancholy moments there. It has every element from The69Eyes like at our best. But I'm glad to hear also that there are other people who have been telling that there are so many other songs on the album that they want to hear us as the next single or they ask why they weren't singles before. That's of course really cool.

Finnbands: You did the song together with Apocalyptica. Who had the idea?
Jyrki: In Helsinki when the last call comes at four o'clock in the bar. Well, the last call comes like 3.30 actually. The bars are closing at four. So at 3.29 you are at the bar ordering the last drink and then you... There are all the other guys from the bands as well and then you start to talk "Hey, would you do a tour?", "Hey, whould you do something together in studio?" *plays drunk* You know... from these conversations. It has been happening so many times that we've been talking with the Apocalyptica guys like "Hey, when you guys come to play our album" or something like that. Okay, I'm glad it happened now, not earlier because it wouldn't be fair to have these guys to play on the album just because of... because like Apocalyptica is there.We would had have a song and some cellos playing without no better reason. So now this song called "Ghosts" really needed cellos there. They were the musically part of the song already in that state, so it was absolutely fantastic to have the Apocalyptica-guys play there and even playing a cello-solo in the middle of the song. So now it really made sense to have them and it's one of the most gothic-song of the album. Actually the most gothic song on the album. I have already an idea for the video for it and I think it might be one of the next singles. Most likely... So I hardly can't wait then... I want those guys to be in the video too. It's just have to find the right time... You know that they are in the studio right at the moment creating something spectacular as well.

Finnbands: What do you think is the sense of being a musician? Does it lay in record sellings or is it really life of a musician... the life for music?
Jyrki: Oh, okay, cool question! Well, you know... First of all it was like just getting the attention of girls... When you're in your late teens, 30s, 20s you want to be the king and The 69 Eyes definitely were the kings of our own world. We were the loudest and proudest band from Helsinki in the early 90's and it was fun to get the attention of girls. And then when we have played enough in Helsinki, we've played in other citys of Finnland and even did records but basically it was all about having cool times around and even in some point we played in some other countries.
Later on of course music even became a little bit important and then we started to have hits which were played on the radio. The rest is a sort of history, that's why I'm here right now.
So that was the main point. But I think actually the original meaning of Rock'n Roll is having sex. And Rock'n Roll should be something that your parents don't want you to listen to and the worst even to get involved with by doing it. I mean it's still devil's music like it has always been. My mother doesn't like that I'm in a band. So it's a little bit like the feeling of playing with fire. It's interesting. That should be there. That excitement like you are around the world and maybe somebody wouldn't meet you otherwise. We want to come to see you or have a chance to know that you exist. All these kind of things and also the sin for Rock'n Roll should be there as a base. I think so.
But also... On the other hand it's really a God's gift which is actually contrary. When you're doing devil's music but you have a God's gift to create something that makes other people interesting in of what you're creating or even enjoyin it of course. Whether it's like painting or movies or something or an other kind of art and in this case it's music. That's interesting and as you learned to make such a music that seems to interest people and give them emotions and something like that... That's of course the most interesting thing.
But it takes a while that you find out that that might be the main reason of doing it. I said the old, early reasons are of course there as the first thing but I also want to keep them alive. I think there's an exciting moment as well and it's also a little bit like playing with fire. And I think otherwise it's just like... it gets turned. I mean we're a Rock'n Roll band and I am a goddamn rocker and otherwise it turns out to be a progressive, in my eyes and ears, boring stuff. There should be something evil and something exactly what you want, what parents want you about.
So I hope The 69 Eyes will stay very long as a band that kids have to listen to secretly.

Jyrki: So, what's your motivation for this finnish-bands thing? Is it every finnish band or is it just like... Could it be finnish singing bands or...?
Finnbands: There are some finnish singing bands. Well... How did we start it? In the middle of a lonely winter night.
Jyrki: Ah, okay... Is it like the opposite, no not the opposite... But is it like some people are into b>J-Rock so you are into F-Rock. Is that the new term: F-Rock? *laughs* F-I-Rock?? F-I-N-Rock??? *thinks laughing* Maybe...
Finnbands: Yes... That's cool. Haha. We should call it like that!
Jyrki: F-I-N-Rock... Yeah, yeah!! J-Rock... F-I-N-Rock... "I like J-Rock", "I like F-I-N-Rock". :-D


Finnbands: What do you think is the biggest prejudice about musicians?
Jyrki: Prejudice?
Finnbands: Yes. And do you think they are true?
Jyrki: Oh... you mean that there are fucking groupies in the backstage and are always drunk and using huge amounts of drugs and things like that? Well... predjudices... I think one of the things is this wild backstage life. That's not true! *grins* It's the most boring place and we are thankful if there is a toilet, it's great to use before going to the show. :-D It can be surprising... No matter how big venus are, sometimes the backstages can be really surprising for somebody who never has experienced them. There might be not a toilet or even a thing where you wash your hands in.
So, that's the biggest prejudice, I think. I mean, the wild life at the backstage is... that's half, not always true... :-)

Finnbands: When you compare the German audience with audiences in other countries on a scale from 1-10 where would it be?
Jyrki: Oh, yeah. They are really silent.
Finnbands: Really?
Jyrki: Yeah! And they are really polite. Earlier, let's say eight years ago, when we started to play here, I think it was eight year ago, it seemed that they didn't know so much English. So, if you said something there was no reaction. But I think during this couple of years people... You know, there is a new generation that speaks English. That's actually something that really had happened and... I mean we played here last time two and a half year ago, despite a couple of festivals, I don't count them into this. So I think, we played only one show yesterday in Germany for two and a half years time. If I say from them and previous once I remember... They are pretty silent and they are really polite. Somewhere else there is always a moshpit when we play.
We just played in Russia and people are crazy. They tried to drag you into pieces, they want do drag you into pieces! And also in some other countries, for instance in South America, or when we played in the parts of the US where are lots of people with the Mexican background they are more emotional. They see you on the stage and they cry. That's amazing. That makes you think "Wow!".
And so, comparing to them the Germans are really polite and silent... So I mean, the behaviour could be number 10 and the wildness is like number 5. That gives us like 7.5, I guess. That's very enough!

Finnbands: So, I think we will cut it a little bit. If you knew the apocalypse will be tomorrow, what would you do?
Jyrki: Oh, ja, wow. (makes a short break and thinks) I mean... What should I do? Does it definitely mean that I will die? Maybe not... I don't know.... Probably... Apocalypse...Tomorrow... I would probably steal one of those "four horses" of the "four horsemen" and ride along... with them. And leave the... I don't remember their names... But... leave the fourth one instead of me.

Finnbands: Okay, thanks. I think that's it.
Jyrki: Okay, thanks.

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