available as a single and on the cd "The Heart Of Everything" (not available yet)

Ruud Jolie

Geboortedatum: 19-04-1976

Instrument on stage: Gitaar

Andere intrumenten: een beetje drums, basgitaar en keyboard 

Andere muzikale projecten: Vals Licht en wat sessies (Rosemary's Sons, Lieke (Starmaker)) Hij werkt ook aan een heavymetal suite met Ivar.

Favoriete muziek: Spock's Beard, Pain of Salvation, Incubus, Tori Amos, Ryan Adams, Renaissance, Cynic, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Nine Inch Nails, Tribal Tech, Lucinda Williams

Favoriete films: Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, God's Lonely Man, the Virgin Suicides, the Sixth Sense

Zijn leven buiten muziek: hij is een gitaarleraar op een muziekschool in Tilburg, maar hij geeft ook thuis les. Hij houdt van lezen en hij gaat graag naar de fitnesszaal en daarna naar de sauna.

Meest vernederende optreden: hij had eerst lang haar en op de een of andere manier raakte dat vertstrikt in de microfoon tijdens het headbangen. Hij deed ontzettende pijn maar hij bleef doorgaan. Hij voelde zich idioot omdat het meisje waar hij verliefd op was recht voor hem stond. Ze hebben nooit wat samen gehad.

Opvallend feitje: hij is geen familie van Angelina.

geliefde: niet bekent

Vragenlijstje WT:

Waarom ben je fan van WT:
Ze zijn gewoon fantastisch, zalige muziek en ze zijn zo meelevend met de fans! ze behandelen ze echt zeer fantastisch!! ^^

Hoelang ben je al fan:
Ho nog zo lang niet, maar ik ben toch reuze grote fan! Mijn vriendin was al van haar vijfde leerjaar grote van van wt, en ze liet me dan eens horen, en op slag was ik fan, voor ik echt vele liedjes kende heb ik direct The silent Force dvd gekocht, (die ik nu al zkr van buiten ken! ^^) Ik ben nu echt reuze grote van van WT geworden! en nadat ik ze live zag vrijdag 28 juli 2006 op suikerrock kan ik er niet over zwijgen ^^

Wat was je eerste gedachte bij WT:
Ruud Jolie ^^ en Respect!
 

Sta je ook met ze op de foto en heb je handtekeningen:
jammer genoeg niet! maar ik hoop dat dat ooit zal veranderen!
 
Waar ben je het meest trots op:
De playlist van Ruud ^^
 
Wat heb je allemaal van WT:
(live) foto's, zot veel foto's van Ruud en WT, T-shirt van The Silent Force, DVD van The Silent Force, (deluxe edition) en Mother Earth dvd, The Heart Of Everything (cd), What Have You Done (single, special edition^^), 2 suppergrote posters ^^ oh dank u muziekwinkel! ^^ en bijne tickets voor secret gigs maar ik was te jong, ik had ze wel gewonnen maar ik was minderjarig dus lieten ze me niet gaan...

Meest favo bandlid:
Ruud !!!! ^^ maar WT is opzich gwn goed! maar ruud is gwn kei grappig, lief enzo^^
 
Waarom:
Hij is gwn kei sexy enzo, en lief, en grappig, leuk! ^^
 
Wat vind je van de live shows:
Onbeschrijfelijk, echt ongeloofelijk!! dat wil je voor geen geld van de wereld missen! spectaculair! en hoe ze met hun fans bezig zijn! echt fantastisch! respect! en zo mooi live!!
 
Herkennen ze je bij optredens:
ben maar 1 keer geweest, maar als ik oud genoeg ben! dan zullen ze mijn hoofd geregeld mogen zien tijdens concerten ^^
 
Heb je nog iets wat je altijd doet bij optredens:
half headbangen, meezingen, lekker zweten ^^, ...
 
Wat was je leukste concert:
Suikerrock 2006 ( vrijdag 28 juli^^)
ik had ook tickets gewonnen voor een secret gig met wt, maar omdat ik minderjarig was mocht ik niet gaan, ik ben het nog steeds aan het verwerken!!

Hoelang van te voren ben je er voor een optreden:
ik was voor suikerrock meer dan een uur op voorrand, de echt wt fan die je echt overal tegen komt, op de dvd's enzovoort, was er eerder, maar ik stond helemaal vooraan, en na acht uur wachten stond ik helemaal vooraan, recht voor ruud ^^ geweldig zeg ik je!! ^^
 
Wel eens door WT op internet e.d. gekomen:
Neej, jammer hé ^^

Favo nummer live:
Running up that hill is echt zalig ^^ maar hoe ze het publiek meekrijgen bij Ice queen is gwn kei goed !!! respect!
 
Favo clip:
Ho, uhm even denken, kzie ze wel allemaal graag hoor, nuja
mother earth voorlopig ^^

Naar welke optredens ben je geweest:
Suikerrock 2006 (vrijdag 28 juli)

1. How do you see Within Temptation developing in the future?

 We never look to far in the future. Every time we find new challenges in writing music and doing live shows. We have the feeling that we can make a lot of progress both live as in writing. I think that's what's giving us a lot energy and fun in it all.

2. How far have ideas progressed with respect to a new album?

Up till now it is only in the sketching stage. We have some very basic structures for some songs. However the good thing is that the ideas are flowing like water. It feels at the moment we have never had so much fun in writing before. We already feel this is going to be a special album and it is not going to take that long to make (compared to our last albums -)

3. When you and Robert write songs what comes first, the lyrics or the music?

Almost always the music. However during writing we very often use lyrics which come up spontaneous and don't really make a lot of sense. But they do very often translate an emotion. Most of the the times this 'writing' lyrics turns out to be the inspiration for the final lyrics.

4. Who're your biggest influences?

I don't think you could just name one. We like really a lot of different kinds of music. Metal, Classical music, pop, reggae, you name it. I think you are always under influence of all the music you are hearing. It is only in the end very hard to track the things you write back to particular artist. A lot of times it doesn't even have to be music which influences you to write something but it is a book, movie or something which made a great impact on yourself.

5. After doing a version of a cover of Kate Bush, does WT plan to do any more covers?

We don't plan to do new cover at this moment. However the Kate Bush cover came as a very spontaneous idea so you of course never now, but at this moment we certainly don't have plans to do a new cover.

6. If you could get together and play with any band/artist alive or dead, who would you choose?

That would definitely be Nirvana.

7. Apart from Jillian is what other WT songs are inspired by books?

The title of our latest album 'The Silent Force' is actually taken from the title of a book from the beginning of the 19th century from a dutch writer (who lived in indonesia when he was young) called Louis Couperus. All the songs on this album are in some way related to that book (or at least the title -)

8. Has any band member been in another band?

Sure we all have been in other band. However no one anybody would know -)

9. Has anyone in the band studied music?

Yes, Ruud has done the 'musicuniversaty' for guitar and Martijn has a master degree in I believe Music Technology.

10. Do you prefer singing in Dutch or English, and why?

In English. Dutch just doesn't fit to our music style. It is also not the nicest language to sing in. Italian or Spanish would then be better options.

11. Did your parents support your career?

Absolutely. They have always been music fanatics. I was brought up by them with music like Alan Parsons, ELO, Pink Floyd, The Eagels, Journey etc... So they have always loved it that their daughter was singing in bands.

12. When did you discover your talent to sing?

I never really did. I have always sung and never really thought it. Of course when I started performing with bands people start telling you that they like your voice (or not -)

13. Have you had professional singing training?

No not really. I did learned something when I was singing a short while in a choir. Most I just learned by listen to other singers and simply singing a lot.

14. Besides the music, what else do the members of WT do?

Stephen is doing some sound-engineering and Ruud gives guitar lessons. However there is not much time besides Within Temptation to do other things.

15. What has been your favourite moment with Within Temptation and why?

The list is countless. If there would be only I would certainly do something else. Every-time there are new highlights. That's why we have so much fun with the band.

16. What's your favourite track to perform live on stage?

That's really different every time. It depends a lot on your mood that day, how a song turns out at the moment, if you haven't played a song for while and ofcourse the reaction of the audience.

17. Where have you most enjoyed touring?

Hm, that I guess depends on a lot of factors, not only the country. If you just feel great and healthy and the audience is great it is always fun to tour. So there is no specific country where that happens. In every country there were good and less good shows.

18. Which band have been the best to tour with?

We didn't tour that much with other bands but I can say in general it is always fun to tour with other bands. The more people the more joy and it is always interesting to talk with other bands as you can relate to a lot of your experiences with them.

19. If you could take one person and one thing with you to a desert island, who and what would you choose?

Of course it would be my boyfriend and a guitar so we could still make music :-)

Q: What's in common with the women you've ever loved? A: I've loved only one woman in my life. There have been crushes and they've been very different, some have had a regular daytime job and some have been artistic type. One thing in common is long hair. Short hair isn't sexy or feminine. But of course there are exceptions. I like sensitive and strong women. A woman should be extremely patient with me because half of the year I'm away from home. I'm so jealous of a person that an open relationship doesn't work. And I've never had one-night stands.

Q: How has your image of women changed since your teenage years? A: When my friends started to get interested in girls, I concentrated on music. I thought girls were scary and kinda useless. I don't think like that anymore. But my image of women changes all the time. Women surprise me every day.

Q: What has the life as a rock star taught you about women? A: That women can be vulgar beasts, just like from some rock legend. Because of my status lusty, high-heel chicks are trying to drag me to bed. They're trying to bolster their self-esteem. But I'll be strong.

Q: Lies that women believe? A: "Our band has to practice!" No, I'm pretty direct: if I want to stay in a bar with my friends or just be alone, I say it.

Q: How does a woman change when getting older? A: Everyone's got their own way. I know 50-60 year old women who are younger than teenagers; their whole being glows. Living the life routinely can kill you at a very young age, a little bohemianism is good. Of course physical changes are unavoidable. Debbie Harry and Faye Dunaway are good examples of beautifully ageing women. I understand plastic surgical acts, not the absolute value. But they're OK if they bring self-assurance to somebody and that way make people glow. It seems like every other woman has a complex about breasts. However, I like small boobs.

Q: What in a woman you pay attention to? A: I always notice long hair that's in a good shape, angel curls. I don't like hydrogen peroxide blondes. In some level I'm also a shoe fetishist. If the most beautiful woman in the world had awful shoes, it'd be a major turn-off. And it bothers me if a woman can't walk naturally. The voice is also very important. The catwalk people and a face in a magazine don't necessarily impress me. You can't build a relationship only on physical qualities.

Q: What kind of woman's behaviour makes you confused? A: A woman can go to the bathroom and leave the door open but a manly, an overflowing sexuality in a conversation makes me blush. Only one sentence can completely ruin my interest. I got really confused at a gig when some lady grabbed between my legs.

Q: What's your worst experience with a woman? A: All the unpleasant situations have only educated me. Even fighting is natural, although it is a pain in the ass. And it doesn't mean that after the first argument we'd break up. One horrible experience was when as a teenager I was at a party and I ended up making out with my crush. I had drunk a few beers too much and I threw up in the bed. I don't think it was a right way to show my affection. It happens.

Q: If you were a woman, what would you be like? A: I"d spend a hell of a lot more money on clothes than I do now. Guys only have boring suits, jeans than don"t fit well and ugly underwear. I"ve sometimes bought women"s pants (=trousers). As a woman I could spend money on useless things also. Spending is wonderful. Although I"ve always wondered about how women spend so much money on their appearance. I don"t understand these terrible expensive facial lotions that you put on your face at night. It"s useless. You can take care of yourself by not smoking and not drinking too much alcohol and by doing sports.

Q: What makes a woman un-erotic? A: Moustaches and long armpit hair doesn"t turn me on. Perfumes are also un-erotic, as is make up that is too strong. Nothing is more erotic than the smell of skin and it"s softness. Touch. But eroticism (is that a word?!) depends on the case. If the right woman carries her hair rollers the right way with a cucumber mask on her face, it can be the sexiest thing in the world.

Q: What"s the worst way to hurt/offend a woman? A: I don"t know about worst, but it"s offensive to ask a woman"s age. Age seems to be a taboo. I think it"s interesting to find out how old people are. I also have a bad habit of being ignorant, which causes hurtful situations. I don"t always necessarily notice if the other person needs or wishes for something. I have a moody and selfish personality: I prefer to take than to give. I don"t always remember to phone when I"ve promised to do so.

Q: When is a woman at her most wonderful? A: When she is sleeping. Unprotected, no roles.

Q: What is a wise/smart woman like? A: One who doesn"t go out with me. I"m completely incompetent of taking care of someone. Wisdom is having found a balance and being at one with yourself and the world. I don"t know anyone like that though. Everyone has some kind of a battle going on.

Q: What has been your worst mistake with your relationships? A: Not having a normal job and never being at home. It"s extremely difficult to maintain a relationship when you"re away half of the year. The phone is not enough. You can"t take your loved one with you to do nothing.

Q: When do you find it distracting to be around women? A: If my honey is at a gig I"m doing, it"s distracting because the telepathy starts to work straight away. Also, writing songs is a sensitive moment. I listen to the resonance (<-- not sure about the word here) of the highest strings of the guitar and wait for those to lead me into something. I don"t want anyone to be near me then. I also don"t want to be seen when I"m looking at Internet porn.

Q: For how long can you go without female company? A: Physically, for as long as it"s necessary. Women aren"t objects that you look at only on weekends.

Q: What have your parents taught you about women? A: I"ve had a liberal upbringing. My parents' still being together is a good example. My mom is a pretty eccentric character. I"ve inherited her temper. She"s an organized hippie: free mind and ways, but she has the ability to work according to rules. She takes care of me, she still buys me pillows and blankets. If I"m having some kind of relationship blues, we can talk about everything openly. Just like I can with my dad. I"ve gotten my verbal acrobatics from my dad, and that"s how I win people over.

Q: What life advice about women would you give to your own son? A: Look at your dad and do the opposite. Treat women better than your dad does. Take showers and change your underwear that can impress women.

Q: What about to your daughter about men? A: I"d be an overprotective father who wants to see every single potential boyfriend. To my teenage daughter with raging hormones I"d say that sex is not love.

Q: What couldn"t you forgive a woman? A: If she forgot my birthday. Seriously: I haven"t come across a situation that extreme yet. You must be able to forgive mistakes and inconsideration. I could even forgive cheating, but something as cold as that would make me paranoid about my own abilities. After that it might be hard to be in physical contact with that lady. The relationship would die out. So far this hasn"t happened.

Q: What"s the biggest compliment you"ve gotten from a woman? A: That despite my moody pseudo-artistic nature they still want to hold me again and again. It"s impossible to repay a compliment like that. I often hear something positive about my singing voice and that I look better in reality than on TV. But those compliments don"t really do anything for me since I know that I"m a good singer. It feels good if they compliment my songs.

Q: When is a woman most scary? A: In the morning, if she"s still got last night"s make-up on her face.

Q: In female company, when do you feel like a real man? A: What is a real man? Those words remind me of a macho man who boasts with his physique or wit.

Q: What do you talk about with women? A: A lot of the same things I talk about with men. On the tour bus with the band guys I go to this Freudian anal stage, and that stuff I can avoid with women. But tour life isn"t normal life. Talking about fucking can be an enlightening discussion with a woman.

Q: What words do you use most often when describing women? A: Whatever. I can call my female friends bitches or hags (note: it"s hard to think of correct translations for these words). It"s a bit harsh, but it"s meant in a humorous, friendly way, not as insults.

Q: Is there something about you that is true, but that you wouldn"t want to hear a woman say? A: I think it"s all been said out loud. In that way I"m decorated with bullet holes. I"ve gotten remarks about being narrow-minded and stubborn. I"ve also heard that in many ways I"m a terrible person, and that really hurt me. When I was younger, I took myself too seriously, now I can laugh at my weaknesses. Even in serious situations I get a bit tongue-in-cheek.

Q: What do you need a woman for? A: I need soul mates so that I can be who I am, naked. It"s not a question of gender. I want there to be someone who picks up my heavy, bleeding heart and takes it somewhere safe and warm.

Q: How do you know when a woman is pretending? A: In her eyes, words, actions. I"ve developed a sixth sense, I can read people. Everyone fakes. And there"s nothing wrong with it, as long as you don"t base your whole life on it. Sometimes you must fake, because this hollow and hard world is full of hunter animals who can rip you apart. You need to watch out for your heart

Q: Can a woman be treated like a man? A: Women don"t have any special privileges in this sense. You can just as well ask a woman for a beer or to a car show.

Q: Is there something that a woman can"t manage without you? A: I believe that I"m a good listener. I also like to do physical things even though I"m not very good at many of them. I can hammer nails into a wall or pour plumbing cleaner down the drain, but these are things that girls can do also.

Q: What personality trait can"t you stand in women? A: When they"re too proud or self-assured. I also don"t like it when they do nothing: I love people who are constantly doing things.

Q: Have you ever cried over a woman? A: I don"t cry a lot, but the last tears I shed were over a relationship problem. I started to doubt whether I had given my heart to the right place and if I had in a way worn out a dear person and I should just let her go away. These issues of doubt and insecurity are heartbreaking.

Q: How would you describe a Finnish woman? A: Familiar and safe. I can describe my feelings best in Finnish, which makes it a lot easier.

Q: Are women deceitful? A: Both men and women cheat. I can"t say if men cheat more than women, it depends on the individual.

Q: What"s the most difficult thing about living with a woman? A: I find it difficult to live in any kind of commune because I like to be alone. I find it restraining to be with someone all the time. I like to get involved in the meditative feeling of making music whenever I want to. That"s something that can"t be done nine to five, because it"s not routine. It"s routines that make it difficult to live with someone. It"s also difficult to close a door behind you knowing that the next time you open it is four months away. Music takes away time from the first love. Right after a long tour it"s hard to get comfortable at home because that"s the time when I need to be alone. In hotel life the service is good and your mess is cleaned up for you, and it"s easy to get used to this, and this creates problems at home. In my wildest years I maintained this illusion that everything is easy. All I need to do is play guitar in my underwear and go for a beer with my friends. But at home my clothes and CD"s have always been lying around on the floor - I find them more easily that way.

Q: Is it possible to be just friends with a woman? A: Of course. You don"t always need romance. I have a lot of female friends.

Q: Is there something that you wish women remember you by? A: The smell of my skin

V: Ah! Well, you know... it was about time. I'm getting old & miserable already so why not get married and get like, even a bit more miserable, you know.

Have you set a date for the wedding?

V: No, there's no time for a honeymoon so... I haven't had a decent vacation since '91 so it's been a while

When you proposed, were you down on one knee?

V: er, I proposed to her several times, on several occasions and she always said yes, but it was a long time ago and we kinda like had these things tattooed. One of our friends, who is a tattoo artist, was in Finland and she did them so... it wasn't a big deal

I'd just like to ask a few questions about the new album

V: Of course - have you heard it?

I haven't yet, no

V: Oh Merda! - you should come to the office, I think they've got a copy...
whatever, yeah

This time around, it seemed to some of the fans that you had a tough time making the album, with a few ups & downs - is that true?

V: No, it was actually the most relaxed time of making an album ever for us. We've been together more than ten years, and it was the first time that eyeryone seemed to enjoy recording. I keep on stressing myself when working on an album.

I'm always like pissed off and grumpy.Because you want it perfect?

V: Not perfect, but you know, it's like, you want to be able to grasp the abstract. Sounds kinda phsycadelic, and it is, but it's just like you want something to happen in your mind that just feels right. And it's something you can't work on physically or mentally, it just happens. You've got to have everybody in the band in the right mood and all of a sudden everything links and then your like "Ah! That's the way we're gonna go!" and this time around it took a while, for me, it took a FREAKING year and half to get into that. I was really p***ed off myself, I was like depressed and all that, but when it happened, it did.

Which songs from the album gave you the most trouble in the writing process? For example, did you suffer any writers block?

V: My second name is writers block. there's a song called "Killing Loneliness" which is going to be the second single, which we thought was something really new for us. It's kinda like "The Sacrament" meeting My Chemicals Romance's "Helena" and it's very sad but uplifting at the same time. I don't know how to describe it, but we just couldn't get it right. We had the drum parts and we had the guitar parts but the keyboards and the vocals weren't there. It took us the entire 2 months for recording it and 2 or 3 months of rehearsals to finish it off, and at times, it is like that. Sometimes you write a song in a second, sometimes it takes 2 years, so we're use to those troubles.

What was the inspiration behind the video for "Wings of a butterfly"? It's very dynamic and almost Tim Burton like..

V: Oh, is it? Cool! Well we were mixing the album in New York and meeting a couple of directors and having their ideas on the song and we met the Irish man called Meiert Avis and he's been doing all the classic U2 like "With or without you", the black & white one and, of course, I tend to respect old people and er, well, he's not that old, but he was the first guy not putting scantily clad latex ladies into the video, he had something different in mind, and we actually gave him alot of freedom. You know there's that building? That building is on the cover of the album and that's the whole idea, when you get the album, you'll understand where it's coming from. So that was the main idea I had, and then there were a couple of things we didn't want to do. We didn't want to act and we didn't want to have ladies in the video, because I think that's so boring - rock videos with a pretty chick doing nothing.

It's all been done before?

V: We've done it before, many times. Y'know Bam likes to do videos like that and it's been great fun, but you can only do it so many times otherwise it becomes terribly boring. So we left him to work on the idea of the funny lenses and the reflections and stuff like that. He's a great man.

There have been alot of comments about your new hair! Is that a concious decision to tie the new image in with the new album?

V: Yeah, we have like a great department back in Los Angeles telling us how to look with each and every single and every album... No, I've always been actually cutting my hair while we're recording an album. And this is the first time they've recognised it - why? I don't know it's like what they say about ladies, when you go through a big spiritual or physical transformation, you tend to cut your hair just because you're leaving something behind... and it was in bad condition and it looked horrible and I just cut it off back in the studio, nothing more. It's very simple indeed.

Did you & the band make a concious decision with the sound for Dark Light, or was it a natural progression from Love Metal?

All these things just tend to happen. You have always an idea. What I had in mind was to have it a bit more straightforward, a bit more fast and a bit more cinematic, so a bit more "soundtracky" kind of a vibe. Having like big keyboards and stuff... You know there's millions of knobs, and I'm not talking about the peckers, you know, millions of knobs on the mixing consol. You do that (turns imaginary knob) and it changes everything. It's always good to leave alot of creativity for the studio environment aswell. We had the basic ideas, but of course it changed. We wanted it to be textured, wanted to have that U2 kind of a quality -Achtung Baby for example, it's got loads of ear candy, so there's loads of little stuff happening and wierd pans and all that...this is just me talking Stronzata!. It's the same old same old basically.

We've got a few questions from some of the fans on the HO forum...

V: Oh! Cool! that's nice. How is HIMonline by the way? How's it doing now?

Yeah, ok!

Katie: We're (the fans) holding it together

V: thank you so much - it's just a FREAKING hassle, with the band being on tour all the time and all that. It'd be lovely, finally to have a GREAT website. We've had good ones with people working on them, but it's always a hassle with every being... somebody being here, and somebody there. It's such a hassle, but it's so important.

Ema's doing a great job running it

V: excellent - thank you Ema!!

Right, some fan questions... will Bam be directing any more videos?

V: we're talking about Bam doing something, but I think it's good to have a pause and do it a bit later because he did so many back to back that we thought that he's maybe, in a positive way, repeating himself, but it's important for us to do something different. it's a new step in the career of the band and it's important to do something that not just... repitition.

Album covers - do you have much input into the album cover itself?

V: I'm the one designing the album covers. I've always done since the beginning. I'm not the one taking pictures, I'm the one usually working with an AD, just like sitting down and saying "that's wrong" and "that's right". I like albums being different colours - the new one's a blue one. There's a big high-rise Gotham City kind of building with a HIM logo on top and then the windows being lit, or the only windows being lit form the heartagram, and then it's in the middle of a raging sea so it's like post-apocolyptic, like a "Day After Tomorrow" kind of thing. We wanted it to be really cinematic, as the music is, so it looks more like a movie poster than an actual artwork for a rock band, because most of the covers look like Merda! nowadays. The don't spend time, effort or even the money on it. It's just horrible.

After playing together for so many years, how have the dynamics and the relationships within the band changed?

V: Let's say I got Mige washing his teeth after 13 years, so that's about what's changed.We're just like really close friends and, of course, that helps.

After playing older songs so many times, do you find it hard to play them with the same enthusiasm?

V: When i get asked that same question, I tend to quote Ozzy by saying "How can you be bored of playing Paranoid?" It's great that we've been able to write a couple of songs that people really like. We tend to do it a little differently, change the arrangements a bit just for our own amusement, but no, definitely not - it's good fun. Of course, playing "Join Me In Death" and "Wicked Game" can be stressful, but that's only on a bad day.

Katie: Can I put in a request? Can you play "Razorblade Kiss"?

V: We will play it now. We will definitly play it now - you're coming to Shepherds Bush? Then we'll do it, yeah.

When you see you fans with heartagram tattooes, how does it feel knowing that people will have a thing associated with you permanently on their bodies?

V: I'm happy about it because, for me, the heartagram stands for something bigger than just a band. it's a whole vibe and it's the people around it. It's everybody involved. I've met a lot of people
that are not neccessarily big HIM fans, but they just like the motif, they
like the idea so much...That's like my Nike swoosh. That's my only stroke of genius in that sense. It's such a simple symbol and it's easy to cover up easily so... it's not a problem. it's like masonic - you meet people all around the world having it somewhere on their bodies and it's like a secret kinda thing...

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given and who gave it to you?

V: It was my daddy saying to me "don't ever call your mother a Fregna!" and he made me write that on a blackboard a thousand times.

If you could go back in time, would you give yourself any advice?

V: No. I think it's very important to be bad and to be unprofessional at times, because that's how you learn to be a professional, whatever you do so... I'm happy with that.First of all, I'm standing in for Ema from HIMonline She sends her love
(Ville: aww.... sweethearts...) and will catch up with you in September nearer the gig.

V: Definitely, at the Shepherds Bush, yeah... I'll get to meet everybody

We've got our tickets too, so we'll see you there

V: Cool! That's fantastic. Thanks!

Congratulations on your engagement.

V: Ah! Well, you know... it was about time. I'm getting old & miserable already so why not get married and get like, even a bit more miserable, you know.

Have you set a date for the wedding?

V: No, there's no time for a honeymoon so... I haven't had a decent vacation since '91 so it's been a while

When you proposed, were you down on one knee?

V: er, I proposed to her several times, on several occasions and she always said yes, but it was a long time ago and we kinda like had these things tattooed. One of our friends, who is a tattoo artist, was in Finland and she did them so... it wasn't a big deal

I'd just like to ask a few questions about the new album

V: Of course - have you heard it?

I haven't yet, no

V: Oh Merda! - you should come to the office, I think they've got a copy...
whatever, yeah

This time around, it seemed to some of the fans that you had a tough time making the album, with a few ups & downs - is that true?

V: No, it was actually the most relaxed time of making an album ever for us. We've been together more than ten years, and it was the first time that eyeryone seemed to enjoy recording. I keep on stressing myself when working on an album. I'm always like p***ed off and grumpy.

Because you want it perfect?

V: Not perfect, but you know, it's like, you want to be able to grasp the abstract. Sounds kinda phsycadelic, and it is, but it's just like you want something to happen in your mind that just feels right. And it's something you can't work on physically or mentally, it just happens. You've got to have everybody in the band in the right mood and all of a sudden everything links and then your like "Ah! That's the way we're gonna go!" and this time around it took a while, for me, it took a FREAKING year and half to get into that. I was really p***ed off myself, I was like depressed and all that, but when it happened, it did.

Which songs from the album gave you the most trouble in the writing process? For example, did you suffer any writers block?

V: My second name is writers block. there's a song called "Killing Loneliness" which is going to be the second single, which we thought was something really new for us. It's kinda like "The Sacrament" meeting My Chemicals Romance's "Helena" and it's very sad but uplifting at the same time. I don't know how to describe it, but we just couldn't get it right. We had the drum parts and we had the guitar parts but the keyboards and te vocals weren't there. It took us the entire 2 months for recording it and 2 or 3 months of rehearsals to finish it off, and at times, it is like that. Sometimes you write a song in a second, sometimes it takes 2 years, so we're use to those troubles.

What was the inspiration behind the video for "Wings of a butterfly"? It's very dynamic and almost Tim Burton like..

V: Oh, is it? Cool! Well we were mixing the album in New York and meeting a couple of directors and having their ideas on the song and we met the Irish man called Meiert Avis and he's been doing all the classic U2 like "With or without you", the black & white one and, of course, I tend to respect old people and er, well, he's not that old, but he was the first guy not putting scantily clad latex ladies into the video, he had something different in mind, and we actually gave him alot of freedom. You know there's that building? That building is on the cover of the album and that's the whole idea, when you get the album, you'll understand where it's coming from. So that was the main idea I had, and then there were a couple of things we didn't want to do. We didn't want to act and we didn't want to have ladies in the video, because I think that's so boring - rock videos with a pretty chick doing nothing.

It's all been done before?

V: We've done it before, many times. Y'know Bam likes to do videos like that and it's been great fun, but you can only do it so many times otherwise it becomes terribly boring. So we left him to work on the idea of the funny lenses and the reflections and stuff like that. He's a great man.

There have been alot of comments about your new hair! Is that a concious decision to tie the new image in with the new album?

V: Yeah, we have like a great department back in Los Angeles telling us how to look with each and every single and every album... No, I've always been actually cutting my hair while we're recording an album. And this is the first time they've recognised it - why? I don't know it's like what they say about ladies, when you go through a big spiritual or physical transformation, you tend to cut your hair just because you're leaving something behind... and it was in bad condition and it looked horrible and I just cut it off back in the studio, nothing more. It's very simple indeed.

Did you & the band make a concious decision with the sound for Dark Light, or was it a natural progression from Love Metal?

All these things just tend to happen. You have always an idea. What I had in mind was to have it a bit more straightforward, a bit more fast and a bit more cinematic, so a bit more "soundtracky" kind of a vibe. Having like big keyboards and stuff... You know there's millions of knobs, and I'm not talking about the peckers, you know, millions of knobs on the mixing consol. You do that (turns imaginary knob) and it changes everything. It's always good to leave alot of creativity for the studio environment aswell. We had the basic ideas, but of course it changed. We wanted it to be textured, wanted to have that U2 kind of a quality -Achtung Baby for example, it's got loads of ear candy, so there's loads of little stuff happening and wierd pans and all that...this is just me talking Stronzata!. It's the same old same old basically.

We've got a few questions from some of the fans on the HO forum...

V: Oh! Cool! that's nice. How is HIMonline by the way? How's it doing now?

Yeah, ok!

Katie: We're (the fans) holding it together

V: thank you so much - it's just a FREAKING hassle, with the band being on tour all the time and all that. It'd be lovely, finally to have a GREAT website. We've had good ones with people working on them, but it's always a hassle with every being... somebody being here, and somebody there. It's such a hassle, but it's so important.

Ema's doing a great job running it

V: excellent - thank you Ema!!

Right, some fan questions... will Bam be directing any more videos?

V: we're talking about Bam doing something, but I think it's good to have a pause and do it a bit later because he did so many back to back that we thought that he's maybe, in a positive way, repeating himself, but it's important for us to do something different. it's a new step in the career of the band and it's important to do something that not just... repitition.

Album covers - do you have much input into the album cover itself?

V: I'm the one designing the album covers. I've always done since the beginning. I'm not the one taking pictures, I'm the one usually working with an AD, just like sitting down and saying "that's wrong" and "that's right". I like albums being different colours - the new one's a blue one. There's a big high-rise Gotham City kind of building with a HIM logo on top and then the windows being lit, or the only windows being lit form the heartagram, and then it's in the middle of a raging sea so it's like post-apocolyptic, like a "Day After Tomorrow" kind of thing. We wanted it to be really cinematic, as the music is, so it looks more like a movie poster than an actual artwork for a rock band, because most of the covers look like Merda! nowadays. The don't spend time, effort or even the money on it. It's just horrible.

After playing together for so many years, how have the dynamics and the relationships within the band changed?

V: Let's say I got Mige washing his teeth after 13 years, so that's about what's changed.We're just like really close friends and, of course, that helps.

After playing older songs so many times, do you find it hard to play them with the same enthusiasm?

V: When i get asked that same question, I tend to quote Ozzy by saying "How can you be bored of playing Paranoid?" It's great that we've been able to write a couple of songs that people really like. We tend to do it a little differently, change the arrangements a bit just for our own amusement, but no, definitely not - it's good fun. Of course, playing "Join Me In Death" and "Wicked Game" can be stressful, but that's only on a bad day.

Katie: Can I put in a request? Can you play "Razorblade Kiss"?

V: We will play it now. We will definitly play it now - you're coming to Shepherds Bush? Then we'll do it, yeah.

When you see you fans with heartagram tattooes, how does it feel knowing that people will have a thing associated with you permanently on their bodies?

V: I'm happy about it because, for me, the heartagram stands for something bigger than just a band. it's a whole vibe and it's the people around it. It's everybody involved. I've met a lot of people
that are not neccessarily big HIM fans, but they just like the motif, they
like the idea so much...That's like my Nike swoosh. That's my only stroke of genius in that sense. It's such a simple symbol and it's easy to cover up easily so... it's not a problem. it's like masonic - you meet people all around the world having it somewhere on their bodies and it's like a secret kinda thing...

What's the best piece of advice you've ever been given and who gave it to you?

V: It was my daddy saying to me "don't ever call your mother a Fregna!" and he made me write that on a blackboard a thousand times.

If you could go back in time, would you give yourself any advice?

V: No. I think it's very important to be bad and to be unprofessional at times, because that's how you learn to be a professional, whatever you do so... I'm happy with that.

Interview that Ville gave on the year 2001 for Croatian TV. He was answering questions from the fans:

Can you describe yourself in three single words? V. – Finnish, miserable bastard.

What are characteristics that you value when it comes to the people? What kind of a people do you like? V. – mmm, well, people that are open minded, that keep their eyes and ears open, people that don't follow any leaders.

Who is the most important person in your life? V. – I have a couple of good friends. I am fortunate in that sence you know. Aaa..my best friends are in the band, and I've got my mamma, and I've got my daddy, I've got a dog and I've got a little brother… So, I have a plenty of people to love, so..there is not just one, single one, that would be the most important.

What about your first kiss, who was the other person? V. – It was horrible! Uh…I still don't like, huh, you know, french kisses. You know, with the tongue. And, well, she did. So, I wasn't very impressed.

What is your most interesting experience with fans? V. – Well, strange was that one polish girl attacked me with a pair of a scissors, and cut one good flock of my hair out. So one of a half had to go… It was very, very strange though exciting in a sence. But strange.

What would you do if you could be a woman for one single day only? V. – mm. That's pretty cocky…so..I don't know. I just don't wanna be a lady, you know. I'm fine.

On what gig you enjoyed yourself the most? V. – Every gig is very different, and you can't really pick like, the best one or the worst one. There are bad gigs, and there are good gigs, but usually, there is beauty in every gig, any one. And that difference is what makes it all interesting. We don't have any routine, like some dance bands or like some boy-bands, it's all pretty improvised.

What is the most beautiful female name to your opinion? V. – Aaaaa….Madonna..hahahhihi!

What is your favourite book? V. – I mean a….The lord of the rings by Tolkien. That's pretty good. It's my favourite at the moment.

If you weren't be a musician, what would you do for a living? V. – I probably would be a roudy or something like that you know, like helping the bands out. I don't know. I've been in the music since I was seven years old, so it's hard to say. Truly I would be an Indian. You know, like kids, they are playing indians and cowboys. I'd probably be an indian. If possible.

what is that you would like to change from your past? V.- The name of the band. HIM. It's pretty stupid. So, it's the probably one thing I would change, but I don't know into what…but…

Is it better to be famous or not? V. – Oh, it depends of how you handle it. It's.. Oh, I'd say that I had the best time when we didn't have any money at all, and when we didn't have a record contract because it was the time of..sort of like working for the dreams to happen.

Are you enamoured? V.- Yeah. Of course, I'm inloved in a lot of people. I'm not talking about that classical «a boy and a girl» relationship, not in that sence. There is a lot of people who I love and…I'm happy about that. Are you addicted to your passions?

Are you slaving them? V.- I think everybody is. And growing up is a sort of..like a…as you grow up you sort of try to learn more about your passions and how to use them more profitably as you go on.