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| GUN/Supersonic (that's our label) announced that The Funeral Of Hearts hit number three in the German charts in its first week. The limited edition of the single is sold out, by the way.
And we came to an agreement with the Chicago-based jazz-band, so basically, we're allowed to be male now. Even if we have small peckers. | | |
| Image. We all hate it, of course we do. Beside the fashionable aspect of despising mass stupidity, we all hate our public image, because it's something that envelops you, smothers you sometimes.. but on the other side, it keeps you safe from public eye. With the book, we partly unveiled the Truth, but there are still a lot of things that shall remain unknown, and I'm definitely not going to give them away here, because it would taint the image.
As performers, we want to be loved... or wanted, and record sales quickly become a means to measure the degree of love that the public extends. Chart positions in place of sweettalk, because gentle words become deafening during concerts. It's like music videos and actually any kind of recoupables. The more people believe in you, the more money you get upfront, so it quickly becomes a way for you to know how much your record company appreciates you - and music videos are like commercials, so it's one of these things that don't really make money by themselves (although you do get royalties for airplay, of course): basically it's all about intriguing people enough for them to buy the single or album or whatever... merchandise. But it's not really just about money, it's mainly this inherent yearning to be loved. It's also what makes it impossible for me to keep my distance.
Because, honestly, it's important to keep your distance. Keep your distance from crazy fans who think they know you because they've seen pictures. Keep your distance from anorexic teenagers who think they need to be as thin as I am, which is pretty sick when it comes to my opinion at least. Keep your distance from all these people who try to lure you into their charms, just because you're a rock star now. Also keep your distance from the record company people who only want the best for your career, even if it kills you. There are a lot of ladies who want to get into my pants and it's not always easy to keep my distance from them... it's much better, basically, to stay close to the ones who were there before the fame; those who believed in us before we hit the charts.
I didn't mean to tell him that he is an asshole... he probably knows that very well all by himself. But what did he expect, telling me these stories? I was the child wrapped in cotton wool, really. I went to school and partied with my friends and maybe did a few things I'm not really proud of... or maybe even a lot of things I am rather ashamed of. But I always had my family to fall back on... and my friends, but what it comes down to is my family. Some people say they were homeless or they didn't have enough money to eat, things like that. I didn't have much money, either, but when things got rough, I could always go home to my parents. Who live in the same city as I have, all my life. It's hard to imagine that other people did not have this kind of security.
I did mean what I told him, on the other hand... only that it's really easy to say that, since he's not going to take me up on it, anyway. Another way to show love without being held responsible for anything, really. (Edit: Sweet Christ in Hell. Have you seen his journal layout? Makes me wonder whether he's actually done what he told me he might do for my own little pleasure to have.)
It's beautiful to at least fall asleep to somebody's voice, when you are desperate to be close to that person. And, no, I didn't actually call her. Not yet. I will, eventually.
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Love's The Funeral Of Hearts And An Ode For Cruelty
When Angels Cry Blood With Fires Of Evil in Bloom
The Funeral Of Hearts And A Plead For Mercy
When Love Isn't Done Separating Me From You.
Finnish national YleX is playing this at 7.15, 9.20 and 11.15... Hell time (GMT+2).
YleX is also streaming live 24hrs on their website <http://www.yle.fi/ylex>. (Select LÄHETYS from the navigation area on top of the page and keep listening to the funny Finnish radio DJs doing their morning rituals.)
And since I'm plugging already:
The German Gun/Supersonic sampler "CROSSING ALL OVER VOL.16" will have Beyond Redemption on it. Out February 14th.
My private life is to remain private until I have sorted the bloody mess from the foul crap. Stay tuned to see it tumbling down on Doom's Day. I changed my icons, but that's not really noteworthy.
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| The first time some band asked me to play with them, I must have been about 14 or 15. They were from school, I think... just called me up because their bass player had walked out on them in quite violent a manner and they had heard that I played in a couple other bands. Apparently I had a reputation of being quite docile and quick at picking up the right chords. We had one practice and then the night after a small gig, which was very shitty. Nevertheless... the fact that somebody actually approached me left a certain impression. I didn't have to audition. I didn't have to beg. And they were older than me. I got to play with the big boys and they took me seriously. Or maybe they didn't, really, but they needed me.
It's always funny when you realize success, whatever shape or form. When HIM finally started to get going, I was so naive that I didn't even have a secret number. Complete strangers called me up at three in the morning, drunk.
Every once in a while, it hits me. Hard. In Helsinki, I still go to the same bars and clubs and I have no problem whatsoever. Then, occasionally, somebody looks at me a little too long. Somebody asks for an autograph. Nice things, you know? Fans and such... oh well. That wasn't really what I meant... The times when it really hurts is when people whom I consider, well, maybe not friends. People I know loosely; maybe because they are friends with my friends and we might sometimes hang out. It's like when you come back from tour and those who stayed home just aren't the same anymore. Your girlfriend is mad at you because you didn't call her often enough; or because you won't tell the World about her. And you can't do anything against it, because you still believe that you should be single in the eyes of the World. Which is complete and utter shit. Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights is a shitty album. Not a bad album, but there are so many memories connected to the songs that it's difficult for me to just sing them. She left her mark. Scars that are deserved, as some would say; only that there are no scars. But even when finally you get over what you believe you should do or be in order to fit into your own stupid picture--- I forgot what I wanted to put here.
I could tell a million little lies and a few major ones, but people would still listen to me, wouldn't they. And that's funny because I don't take myself seriously, most of the time... so it's hard chore to think anybody else does.
Sometimes I hear about artists, who hate their management - and that's probably one of the most shittiest situations that can happen in this business. That's when I am almost humble from gratefulness. We had what seems to be impossible an amount of luck with Seppo. The mere fact that he was willing to make a contract with us, still means something to me, because after Hanoi Rocks, he really did not mean to sign with another band. I wouldn't say he's my best friend. More like a spouse to the band, and thing is that both are bound to get tempted, at one point or another, to cheat... "the band is good, but they would not be here without you" - "your music is what makes you successful, you should not pay him so much" The snake keeps creeping up from various sides, wearing all kinds of masks. But we are wise and we earned the scars to know who our friends are. He does not want to start over and we know we have the best manager in Finland.
Over the course of the last few years, I have spent more time with Seppo than with all the members of my family put together; I mean my blood relatives, because if obviously the band has become some sort of family, Seppo is the father-figure. Patting us in the back and giving us stern looks and sometimes forcing a curfew upon us. We oblige, because we know he wants our best.
Trust is a big issue, because this gentleman sometimes maps out my day down to potty breaks. I am what you may call a control freak; I like having input on every decision and being up to date on the financial as well as the purely operational parts. Sometimes, that means I will sit in Seppo's office and watch him go insane over spreadsheets in a patient attempt to explain them to me, until every single figure is crystal clear... just another example on how Migé is the opposite from me. He tends to trail off when it comes to business talk. It simply doesn't hold any interest to him. For some reason, he's the one up to par when it comes down to chaos. I don't have anything against maths and I have done a whole lot of it over the course of the last few days, weeks, months, years. It is my money we are talking about when making touring budgets and other funny statements, so of course I'm interested. So yeah. countdown for the pre-launch show: 30 days. | | |
| Congratulations to those who got tickets
From the Heartagram headquarters: Album release for Spain and Portugal: 21st of April, 2003. The registration for tickets to the Hamburg show is closed and confirmations have been sent to the first 600 registrants today. There are currently 400 names on the waiting list, and those people also get an email note from Leena. Confirmations for tickets will be mailed to them if we get cancellations or can secure more tickets. Reservations came in from many parts of the world. Just for fun, here is the list of the countries: Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Faroe Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Mexico, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, USA, Yugoslavia... | | |
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