Negative
1000 Nails In My Heart

24.10.2007

Although this six-piece from Tampere, Finland, has managed to make it big in many countries around the world, until recently many rock fans disregarded it as playing “sweet music for teenage girls”. However, most of the criticism came from the people who never saw Negative live, and even most of those had to cool down their temper when singer Jonne Aaron and his bandmates released their third record strangely titled “Anorectic”. This wasn’t Finnish love rock anymore, the album had more to do with edgy and sometimes even dirty glam rock of the 1980s, and even though Jonne doesn’t have such a striking visual resemblance of Skid Row’s Sebastian Bach as he used to do in the early days, the band is now tighter than ever and aiming for a much bigger audience. Shortly before Negative’s third visit to Moscow we managed to get Jonne on the phone and question him for a while regarding the band’s current status, further plans and his impressions about Russian women…

It’s been a year since you played in Russia last time. How much will the upcoming shows be different from the ones you played here before?

When we were there the last time, we had just started the tour. Our first gigs were in Japan, and then we came to Russia. Now it’s gonna be a bit different – the band is the same, but I think we’re much better. We’ve done quite many shows this year and last year, so the band is a bit tighter, and we can also do something special for Russia. But I’m not gonna tell you what it is, because then it’s not gonna be special. (laughs)

What are your brightest memories of Russia?

I only have great memories, what can I say? A lot of wonderful women! I heard a lot of stories about Russian girls, but I couldn’t even imagine anything like that. (laughs) I love Russia! And I’m honest, totally honest! I love Russian girls, because they are so correct. They are not too rude or anything like that, they have a great sense of humor – at least, most of those I have met.

Speaking about different countries, I heard that Negative are very popular in Japan. How did you manage to make it big in that country?

It was a dream for us before we signed a deal here in Finland. I remember that we had a conversation about becoming big in Japan some day yet around 1999-2000 or something like that. Especially when Larry (guitar) came into the band, we had the same kind of dreams. And I don’t know how, but it just happened. Normally bands from Finland go first to Germany and start to build up things over there, after that they go to the UK and Russia, but in our case everything went totally upside down. It was a nice coincidence when we got signed with JVC Japan, they made a lot of promotion for us, a few tours over there, it was nice in that way. We got great offers from Germany and Europe as well, but I felt that we weren’t ready in those days. Everything started to happen too fast, and I wanted to slow down a little bit, concentrate only on Japan and Finland. But after “Sweet & Deceitful” (2004) came out, we felt more comfortable with ourselves, we knew where we were going.

You were also supposed to play three gigs in China in early October, but two of them were cancelled. What was the reason?

It was fun. Actually one was cancelled, and we eventually played two shows. There was some confusion about the first venue, it was changed just one day before the gig.

What impression did China leave on you?

It was great, of course! It’s so different, everything there is different from Europe. But when you get on the stage (laughs), it doesn’t matter to me where I’m gonna be.

But what about the Chinese government? They often try to censor the performers and tell them what they can do and cannot do on stage…

No, no, they checked our songs if there’s any political message, but there’s very little to find. We were able to do whatever. I love to do whatever I want on the stage, I don’t have any prescriptions for the shows. So I took my shirt off onstage, and there were these police officers, and they weren’t really happy. But I just felt great, I love to do it onstage, but only when I’m having a really great time. The police were really funny guys, they didn’t do anything. In China, there’s some kind of censorship for sexual things, they don’t show any porn on television. It’s a weird place. (everybody laughs)

And how much are you famous in your home city Tampere? Are you able to walk the streets and go to bars freely, or do fans recognize you everywhere?

It depends. In the summertime, when there’s more people outside, or on holidays, when you go to a bar or a restaurant, it can be hectic. But I think in time people are getting used to it if somebody’s more known for his or her job. It’s not any kind of exception here. Of course, there are some fans, and you can feel those eyes behind your back, when you walk on the street. But these days I’m fine with that, it’s part of my job, it’s part of Negative. Most of the people know me, but I don’t know anyone. (laughs) That’s how it goes. Now when some stranger approaches me easily and says, “Hello!” – I just say, “Hey!”, and that’s it. Of course, there are some stalkers, but hopefully it happens mostly on tour.

Speaking about popularity, you are nominated for “The Best Finnish Act” at MTV Europe Music Awards. How much does this nomination mean to you? And how do you personally estimate your chances of winning this award?

First I have to say that I really appreciate that we are nominated. It’s an honor, because I belong to the generation that was grown up on MTV. I used to watch MTV all the time, when I was a kid. At home, we didn’t even have satellite channels, but I used to watch it a lot in the neighborhood, at my friends’ places. I believe I’m gonna be invited to the award ceremony, I don’t think we can win, but it’s gonna be a great evening. (laughs) We can have great parties. I don’t know about the other guys, but at least I’m going there. We’ve been around for three albums now, and it’s great a nomination from that kind of channel. It feels great, you can’t deny that, and it would be nice to win that award, but that’s not the most important thing. The most important thing is to be nominated.

How would you react if you were invited to take part in the Eurovision song contest? And what do you think of this competition in general?

(sighs) I would do that as a solo singer. I would never do it with Negative, it’s not our cup of tea. I believe our thing is to grow up the fanbase through touring, to play great shows, and not to participate in contests of this kind. I believe it’s not about rock’n’roll, I don’t like that format. Of course, it was good for Lordi, it was a great chance, and they brought a lot of rougher side for that format, but still it’s not for me. As a solo singer I would… no, not even that! (laughs) Fuck that!

You will soon have a DVD called “In The Eye Of The Hurricane”. Can you say a few words about it? What material will it contain? Where did you film the live material?

We shot two live shows for it, and we’re not sure yet which one is gonna be on the DVD. One was recorded at Pakkahuone here in Tampere and the other one was recorded at Nosturi in Helsinki. At Nosturi the audience was great, but the band wasn’t so tight, we had a few weeks’ break that show. I’m more like a perfectionist, you know. Whatever I do, I like to do it as good as it’s possible. There’s gonna be a historical part on the DVD, there’s a lot of backstage material from the entire history of the band, from 1999 to 2007. Let’s see when it’s gonna be out, hopefully in January. It’s like our “Chinese Democracy” (the mythical upcoming Guns N’Roses album that has been in the making for about 10 years – ed.).

It’s obvious that when you play a lot of concerts you are bootlegged a lot. What is your attitude to illegal live audio and video recordings of your performances? I know that some bands hate it, but others collect such material and even encourage fans to tape their shows…

Of course, it bothers you in some way. If they’re gonna sell it, I don’t think it’s right. But if it’s for private use, it’s OK. It’s like having sex and taping it for private use – if you get yourself hornier by videotaping it, then you should do it. The same is with our shows, I don’t want people to be able to find recordings of our show the next day after we play it. There are two sides of the coin when it comes to piracy. Bands need money to be able to make tours, and I hope people will understand that. Original ones are the best ones.

I checked the tour schedule on your webpage, and I found out that you’ve been on the road constantly since June. How do you manage not to burn out from such an intensive touring life? Are you able to compose new material on the road?

Yeah, I’m able to compose on the road. For “Anorectic” it was the first time I wrote anything on the road, it was during the “Sweet & Deceitful” tour. And addressing your first question – I love doing live shows, I love to be on the road, I love working, I love music. It doesn’t taste like working, it’s more like a lifestyle to me. I’m trying to make a balance between Negative and my private life, it’s really important to be able to spend some time with your friends and do some normal things, like going to movies and getting drunk in a bar. And I also love running, it’s weird, but it’s one of my hobbies. I found it out about eight months ago, and I’m totally hooked with that.

It seems that on the last album “Anorectic” a lot of songs are about frustration and an end of relationship – how much personal are they?

Of course, they’re really personal, but for the lyrics for “Anorectic” I was spying on other people’s lives, for example, my bandmates’ lives. My own life is so boring! (everybody laughs) Oh, I’m just kidding. My lyrics are always very private, and this time they’re gonna be even more private. As I said many times, it’s like writing a diary. But at the same time, I’m also trying to decorate the songs with my lyrics, it’s like an Yin-Yang kind of thing with melodies and lyrics. The lyrics are always more difficult to me than melodies.

By the way, what inspires you for writing lyrics in general?

It’s life itself. It’s the four seasons we have in Finland – you have them in Russia, too, but there’s quite a big contrast. It’s nature, relationships, moods… whatever. Hopefully I will get inspired by something soon, because I only have some ideas for the next album.

The cover artwork of “Anorectic” was quite surprising to me – for the first time it wasn’t a band photo, but a picture of a crying clown. What message did you want this cover to convey?

We wanted to make people think. The entire layout for the album is spookier, but I think it’s the best layout from our side so far. It would have been too obvious to put a band photo on the cover, but we wanted to try something different. It’s also the first theme album from our band. If I take an LSD kind of circus trip, it’s really difficult to explain, but you can see the circus violence theme really strong in the layout.

“Anorectic” is quite heavier than your first two albums, and usually when bands get heavier, it is a big risk in the sense of sales and popularity. What made you choose a heavier direction? And weren’t you afraid of losing the fanbase?

No. I believe that the band is the same, it’s just that the sound is rougher this time. We wanted to reach a lot of new people with this album, and I think we made it pretty well. Of course, there’s always a risk to lose your old fans, but I think that people will stay patient and give us some space. These days music industry and the audience are giving space for bands to develop, become better and tighter. Hopefully our fans will stay patient, because we don’t want to make the same thing every time. We want to be like Queen, for example, it was a band that was impossible to put in any category.

In your opinion, what represents the band better – live shows or studio recordings? Or are they just two sides of one personality?

Everything goes hand in hand. If you make a shitty album, you need to live with that and tour with that. It’s really difficult to make great shows. But if you make a great album, it’s much easier to play a great show. One thing supports the other.

For “Anorectic” you signed a deal with Roadrunner Records in Europe. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but for Russia the main result was that the album is not available officially here at all, only as an import. And are you personally satisfied with this record deal?

We’ve had some problems with Roadrunner, I think all the bands do, especially when we’re not the kind of band like Slipknot or Type O Negative. I can say that the Roadrunner deal has done a lot of great things for the band, but there are always things you need to do better. When you are satisfied with everything, you can quit.

By the time you signed your very first record deal, you played together for six years. Do you regret not getting signed earlier, or do you think the deal came in time, when the band was mature enough?

I think everything has been like it was meant to be. Every step leads to another one, I like to believe in that way. I don’t have a crystal ball or a time machine, so I don’t know whether everything would have been different if we had been signed in 1998 or 1999, but I think the timing was the best.

What kind of music were you playing in the early days? I heard that back then you were very much influenced by Nirvana…

Yes, we were more of a grunge band in the early days. I think you can hear those grunge influences if you listen to “Anorectic”.

So far the only cover version that you recorded has been “Hey Hey My My” by Neil Young. Why did you choose this particular song?

I love it! I was actually in a restaurant when I heard this song, and I thought, “This is the song I wanna record.” I was never a big fan of Neil Young. After I heard “Hey Hey My My” I bought a few of his albums, so now I’m more familiar with his music, but back then it was more like, “Let’s do it!” Probably it was a stupid idea, but it worked. I love the message of this song: “It’s better to burn out than to fade away.” Actually this line was written down in Kurt Cobain’s suicide message.

I’ve also heard that you did a cover version of Queen’s “Too Much Love Will Kill You” with Jann Wilde (Jan Wilde & Rose Avenue) and Christian Fjader (Dead By Gun). Can you say a few words about this project?

It was the idea of my big brother Tommi (the band’s manager – ed.). I decided to join these guys, because he wanted to record a single with every artist he’s working with.

There are many famous bands on the Finnish rock and metal scene at the moment. Do you have many friends among musicians, or is there a strong sense of competition?

Yeah, I have a lot of friends here in Finland. We’ve made a tour with HIM and The Rasmus in Europe, for example, so I know guys from these bands. I also know the guys from The 69 Eyes, so it’s not like we’re enemies or anything like that. Within the band everyone should think that they’re the best, but in the end it’s not about life and death. (laughs)

As far as I understand, you are a full time musician and don’t have any other jobs. Do you still enjoy listening to music by other artists? Have there been any songs or albums that really impressed you lately?

I love Mikko Kuustonen, I don’t know if you know him, he’s a singer-songwriter, and he’s doing most of his stuff in Finnish. There are many great albums around.

What are your plans for the next studio record? Have you already composed anything for it, and when do you plan to release it?

Yeah, we’re gonna rehearse for two months, and after New Year’s Even we’re gonna get to the studio. I think it’s too early to speak about any details, but there’s gonna be more of everything on it. (laughs) Put our three albums together, and you’ll get the fourth.

To round up this interview, please say a few words to the Russian fans who will come to see you in Moscow and St. Petersburg in two weeks.

I would like to say: let’s make a great show together!

Negative on the Internet: http://www.negative.fi

Special thanks to Vera Dmitrieva (Spika Concert Agency) for arranging this interview.

Interview by Victoria “Ewigkeit” Bagautdinova
Questions also provided by Roman “Maniac” Patrashov
October 15, 2007
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