Nightwish Interview

Interview
Tuomas Holopanien
Nightwish

Lineup:
Marco Hietala - (Bass /Vocals)
Jukka Nevalainen - (Drums)
Anette Olzon - (Lead Vocal)
Tuomas Holopainen – (Keyboards)
Emppu Vuorinen - (Guitar)

Dark Passion Play Tour
Nightwish
Paradise Lost

House of Blues

10/27/07

Interviewer: Erika Kristen Watt

"Anette is down to earth, a warm storyteller. That’s the difference. Both are equally beautiful and passionate."

Tuomas Holopainen speaks like a man on a mission. He chooses his words carefully like a politician and just as diplomatic when faced with the trite questions that come with the territory. Along with that observation, I also gathered that just this very evening, new singer, Anette Olzon is not “polished perfection” as her predecessor but Anette is very real and was a pleasant treat. The band isn’t as “keyed-up” as they once appeared to be before. Today, they seem down right…friendly?!? Nightwish’s keyboardist wears his emotions on his sleeve. Lucky for us we can hear him sort out his inner workings on such tunes as “Whoever Brings The Night” and the latest, "The Poet and The Pendulum" off of their 2007 Roadrunner release Dark Passion Play. Tuomas is also a shy and reserved musician with a sly childlike demeanor. Lucky for me I encountered him when he wasn’t too afraid to let himself speak freely about some feverishly passionate conversation. Read on…

Erika: I understand you played Tel Aviv, Israel recently? So what exactly is the climate right now for your type of music at the moment?

Tuomas: They say that metal is underground over there but it was still like 3500 people there. A sold out show…

Tuomas: Yea, very nice passionate crowd. I guess that’s something to remember.

Tuomas: Well, one of them was that everybody was like, to the bone, shit scared because it was the first show we ever played with a new lead singer and with a new album. So there was a lot of excitement. Then the performance wasn’t the best possible one because it was the first but the people really liked the show. They were so awesome and excepting. I only saw one middle finger out of the 3500 people (laughter) so the percentage was pretty good!

Erika: Needless to say it was a success! So, do you find US gigs to be much more challenging due to the fact that Nightwish isn’t that well known here?

Tuomas: I take it on the contrary actually, because we are not well known here so it’s more relaxing actually. That’s why we wanted to start up the tour in the US for a couple of weeks so we can get the routine and not to be so scared because there are many loose factors still in the band; with the new songs, with the new singer, getting her in. So, just felt that it would be, safer to start it here.

Tuomas: It was definitely a good choice because everybody is having a wonderful time at the moment. The shows have been fantastic. The people here have been fantastic. And she’s [singer, Anette Olzon] clearly relaxing already.

Tuomas: So accepting, it’s over whelming! I mean it seems that the people have so much more faith in the whole thing than the band itself. [Chuckles] Because we were not sure at all but like the response from the fans and the shows, the record sells have been better than ever before. It’s really encouraging.

Erika: How much pressure is there to make a good impression on American audiences on a whole?

Tuomas: We really don’t take pressure out of anything because it’s a very simple fact, you just go there and do it the best you can. Just love the music and play and see how far it gets you. We’re putting much more focus and emphases on this tour US/North American because we really haven’t had the chance before and also I personally take it as a challenge because in Europe everyone says the US market is the hardest market in the world to conquer. So if you can accomplish even something here, you get a ‘pat on the head’. Challenge is always good.

Erika: So the audiences have been O.K., so far so good. With the new material?

Tuomas: Yeah, it’s really fun to see the reaction, you know when she comes on stage everyone’s like [wide- eyed stunned look on his face, laughs] especially when she sings the old songs, everyone is as silent as mice and you know after a couple of songs everybody’s singing along and excepting.

Erika: With each album there’s evolution and a more mature sound. Everything on Dark Passion Play seems so big and orchestrated, where will Nightwish’s musicianship take you? How do you feel you and your band have evolved as musicians to date?

Tuomas: I’m very proud about the fact that we have always been able to developed the music also without loosing the sole image of what the band was originally suppose to be. No album sounds alike but that you can always hear, this is Nightwish and I hope we can develop that progress for the future as well. Where we’re going to go for now, I really don’t have a clue. If you talk about the shear massiveness of the music, I think we pretty much hit the top with this album. [Laughter]

Tuomas: The album is a never-ending story. Really long and complicated songs and just full of, “stuff”.

Erika: How is it performing some of those newer tunes live considering how ‘big’ it needs to be to come across live?

Tuomas: Yeah, there’s only so much I can do with three keyboards and two hands! [Laughter] I wish I had fifty hands but thank God for technology. I mean it’s solely orchestras and choirs are there played from the tapes. That’s the only we can do it.

Erika: Snapshot in time, what have you learned about yourself and your band mates as musicians over the years since Nightwish’s conception?

Tuomas: Earlier you mentioned the word mature. I think everybody’s growing up. There are five very different individuals in the band. Being together for over eleven years, you pretty much get to know the person. You have to have, for example while on tour, you need to have a strong psychological eye. To say the right thing at the right time and something’s just shut up and leave the person alone. So you really need to read people.

Tuomas: It’s a marriage between five people and even more if you include the technicians, merchandisers and everybody involved. It’s like a fragile community. I say this once more, the psychological eye. You need to have that to keep the whole package intact.

Erika: [Mocking, laughter all around] Since you came in for a smoke now you have to be sucked in! What do you think you’ve learned about your bandmates since Nightwish’s conception?.

Marco: The basic thing is, to have a good bunch. For myself, at least for me, it’s really important to be good friends. We get to do what we love. And to last in this industry you need to have good chemistry with the people you make music with. That helps a lot. It’s good for the soul. [Tuomas agrees] And also to have a good sense of humor it’s essential. To laugh and get along with each other, it’s long lasting.

Erika: Thank you for that. Now, on to Anette, when did you know she was IT for Nightwish?

Tuomas: Oh yeah, we took our time. It took about 14 months altogether to choose a singer out of 2000 candidates.

Tuomas: It was basically two things [Serious] It was her personality combined with the voice. Then in addition to that it was practical things like good English speaking skills, being able to go on a long tour. Hopefully having the mentality for it. But basically it was the personality, the chemistry we all shared and the voice, which as always wins.

Erika: So, what kind of experience has she had in the industry before joining Nightwish?

Tuomas: Basically she has been seen all her life. She has been in this AOR band called Allison Avenue, which put out two full-length albums. A lot of like Prog/Tech bands, she has been in an ABBA musical singing Agnetha’s [Fältskog vocals] parts and a lot of wedding shows. Everything except metal, so it’s a new thing for her.

Tuomas: Yeah, I think it’s only an advantage that she hasn’t any pervious experience so she can start off a clean table.

Erika: And what a table to start off on. [Laughter] So, just how brutal were the fans/critics of the band when you had to part ways with Tarja [Turunen]?

Tuomas: [Sighs heavily] That era will remain as the worst nightmare of my life of 2005. I have to admit I was really, really childish thinking it would not start so much turmoil. I just thought okay one band member change is basic. But it was like a sledgehammer to the face when it came to people’s reactions, the media and everything. I mean, you can’t imagine what it was like in Finland for a few months [nervous laughter],

Tuomas: I mean the Prime Minister had a comment to say about it. It became a national tragedy!

Tuomas: Well, he was just saying something pretty diplomatic, I not going to take sides. It’s all really, sad. But on every single talk show they were talking about it. It was like the main headline on the news for many days. National news! I mean, people are dying in the Far East and other political news, we hit the number one news story! ‘Nightwish fires their singer!’ Ugh, it was horrible.

Tuomas: Writing the songs, it was really my escape from all of that because that was definitely the hardest part of it all, just to face the media, face the writings and everything. It was just really, really cruel. And I just like shut myself away from the world. Literally. I remember in December of 2005 there was a period of two weeks where I didn’t leave my house. I didn’t go outside. I was just doing the songs. And I really felt good about doing the songs. The song writing process has never ever been so easy. And I think it has to do with the fact that it was the only escape from all of that. It’s also the reason, I think that’s why this album is so dark.

Erika: I think that’s okay because in a way you’re exorcising your demons so to speak.

Tuomas: That’s what it’s all about for me. Writing songs for me is like my defense mechanisms against the world. Which drills a hole into my head to let those demons out of it. It’s also a way for me to cleanse myself because every morning I wake up and look in the mirror and see that I don’t like that guy at all. He has been given so much more than he deserves in the world. I have always had low self-esteem and don’t like myself that much as a person so… for example, the first song off the album, “The Poet and The Pendulum”.

Tuomas: It’s my favorite too. Thank you. It’s a song about being happy with yourself. And to actually kill yourself in a song is quite therapeutic! [Laughter] I would never ever consider doing that actually, I love life. I think the world is a beautiful place. But sometimes you just feel so bad about life and about yourself. I just feel really blessed that I have this channel to do that. It really involved me to get older.

Erika: Well, I’m glad. Onto more positive stuff… What does Anette possess as a vocalist/performer that Tarja did not possess?

Tuomas: I’m getting really, really careful about not comparing those two. One wrong word and it’ll hit the tabloids. [Laughter] but if I have to say something, I’ve used the metaphor that, Tarja was singing incredibly beautifully like a cold mountain stream but Anette is down to earth, a warm storyteller. That’s the difference. Both are equally beautiful and passionate.

Tuomas: I have to be careful. We’re still treading likely. There was like this really small Internet TV interview in Norway that I did. I said, ‘Sex is a really overrated thing.” During the next week it was in 17 tabloids.

Tuomas: Yes but it was ‘Nightwish says sex is an overrated thing.’ It was like everywhere! So I am a bit cynical about everything I say. People say you shouldn’t care but I always care. I could never not care, you know?

Erika: Good, you feel deeply about it. Remorse is a noble trait to have. There’s always a steady dose of symbolism in your lyrical content, a lot of romantic nostalgia if you will. Being the mastermind behind the imagery of the band, what inspirations do you pull from?

Tuomas: It’s very much an expedition for me. I’m just trying to escape the world and I’m in search of a perfect world, the most beautiful girl and in search of a perfect love. I’ve been looking all of these things for thirty years and never found them. So, the search goes on.

Erika: How difficult is it to introduce new elements of music in order to keep it fresh & awe inspiring for yourselves? It seems that when musicians try to introduce a new facets of their muse, the fans are so critical of what is you’re creating. How do you introduce new things and still keep it ‘old school’?

Tuomas: It’s actually quite easy. The key element to everything is not to calculate anything in advance. Calculating in advance alters the magic. I personally never think about the fans or the media when I write songs. I don’t even think about the other members of the band. That’s really, really selfish, I know but that’s also a way I keep the music pure and honest. So far it’s worked out.

Erika: Tell the truth, how intoxicating is it to orchestrate scores of musicians to work on YOUR music, something you produced? What was it choirs, orchestras…

Tuomas: Yeah, we had classical choirs, gospel choirs and an orchestra. Great musicians. It was so amazing. I really don’t now how to say it in words. Maybe I should write a song about.

Tuomas: [Serious] Yeah… Imagine 120 guest musicians and they were playing the songs that I had done and playing them so passionately and so genuinely into it. You could see there were people headbanging while playing violin! After every take we would listen and we would say this is good stuff. These are people who have played in the Lord of The Rings movies, Tim Burton movies, and James Cameron movies. They have seen a lot and still they get so thrilled about this heavy metal band from Finland. It’s the most flattering thing to have happen. It’s not so much the studio. Abbey Road is one of the most legendary studios in the world. There’s definitely an atmosphere over there. You can sense the spirit of The Beatles. But for me, what impressed me the most were the people and their musicianship and their devotion. The gospel choir sessions for example, you rarely meet such pure beings as those people were.

Tuomas: No, it was overwhelming. There was a strong sense creation in the studio. You could feel something big was going on here.

Tuomas: There was just one guy Pip Williams from London. He did all the arrangements for the orchestra and the choir. I really don’t know how to write much so we hired a team to do that.

Tuomas: It differs so much. Writing songs for an album takes about a year. For example from the new album Dark Passion Play I think I was doing Meadows of Heaven for months. I wasn’t happy with it. But I spent two hours on Amaranth. It really differs.

Tuomas: Yeah, like “Creek Mary’s Blood” the Native American Indian song from the pervious album, even though it’s like a nine-minute epic it was done in three hours. Sometimes it just takes you a while.

Erika: What albums and/or person influenced you to become the musician you are today?

Tuomas: Umm, I used to play the clarinet and the classical piano. My mom was a piano teacher so she was the one who started it all.

Tuomas: I was six but uh this is not a dream come true for me. It’s not like I wanted to be a musician all my life. The clarinet was not my cup of tea as well. I like playing the clarinet, I like the piano but I had my heart set on biology and natural sciences.

Tuomas: Yea, I always wanted to be this mad scientist. Traveling about the world and examining stuff. Charles Stalling was my biggest hero back then in a way. Then by accident I discovered that making songs was actually a lot of fun. This is something I’d like to do. No regrets.

Erika: Good. You chose well. Are you as passionate about every other thing in your life as you are your compositions?

Erika: You said earlier that some mornings are just hard. But what is it in your life that moves you to the next plateau. How do you bring that into your compositions?

Tuomas: Writing songs and playing them is a way of life for me. It’s all I want to do. That’s really all I can do. I breathe this all the time. That’s really everything I have in life. I have a mom and dad. Brother and sister and these guys around me. Other than family I don’t have anything else to be passionate about. Except Disney. [He looks shyly]

Tuomas: Yes [laughs] I collect Disney memorabilia and stuff. I’m a huge Disney freak. [Laughter]

Tuomas: Ah, let’s say I have really, really big emotions within. I feel the beauty and the love. I feel the world very strongly but I don’t really know how to deal with it. And many times I’m also really mad at somebody in haste and I really don’t know where to channel that either. The only way to do that is to write a song like “Master Passion Crete” or write “The Poet and the Pendulum”. If I fall in love with a girl, you know it’s really hard for me to approach her but maybe I’ll write a song. [Laughs] This is for you. So, that way passionate, yeah but other than that, no.

Erika: Have you ever composed anything for any other bands or do you solely write for Nightwish?

Tuomas: Two times. First one is the Finnish artist called Timo Rautiainen I wrote the song for his solo album Child of the Silent Winter [Hiljaisen Talven Lapsi] and it was in Finnish. The other one is from this new Finnish movie called Lieksa and I wrote like a theme song for it. It’s on the B-side of the Amaranth single. Those are the only two I’ve ever done.

Tuomas: I would like to do soundtracks. I mean, music for films is something I would really, really like to do.

Erika: If he could commission another band to cover a Nightwish song, who would do it and which song would it be?

Tuomas: I would like Vangelis to do “The Poet and The Pendulum”. Do you know him?

Tuomas: Well he does the theme song from that [Sings] and he has done Alexander. He’s like one of my biggest musical idols.

Erika: Okay, Finnish 101. Could you describe what "sisu" is to our American audience and does everyone possess it?

Tuomas: Yes that’s a very characteristic trait for a Finnish person. That should be translated like guts. We are very persistent people. Pretty much everybody has it.

Tuomas: Oh yeah, there’s this mentality, that I will do this by myself. Don’t help me. Don’t dare help me! Something between stubborn and persistent.

Tuomas: There’s like this book “Christmas Tails” by this very famous Finnish writer from the 19^th century. I remember reading his works as a kid. I’m also a Christmas freak. I love the season.

Tuomas: [Chuckles] I have to be really boring. It’s the most commonly used one, vittu. Fuck.

Tuomas: [Hearty laugh] I don’t know you’re asking the wrong guy! Really. Sorry.

Tuomas: Yeah for both. I’m the most unbalanced person in many ways. That’s what I’m also looking for all the time.

Erika: What’s the one thing that people wouldn’t know about you that you wouldn’t mind sharing?

Tuomas: Um, this is like interview 460-something in the past three months so I think I have pretty much told everything. [Laughs] It’s really hard to come up with anything new.

Erika: I’ll let you off the hook. What would you like the music community to remember about Nightwish?

Tuomas: I’d like us to be remembered as maybe something at least a bit original and unique with a strong sense of honesty and big, big none calculated emotions. We never want to be political or we don’t want to make a statement that’s nothing that we’ve ever done or will do. So I want us to be remembered as a band who makes music with big, big emotions.

Tuomas: Thanks for having the faith more than we ever did because like the last two weeks have shown us that they are still there. Stronger and in larger numbers than ever before. So really a sincere thank you.

Thanks to Toumas and the rest of the Nightwish camp for making this interview a possibility!