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Press Review

Articles of 2008

Lauri Ylönen (The Rasmus): “I hate bands like REM,
playing without love„

www.20minutos.es {Spain} - 17 September 2008

The Finnish Lauri Ylönen is small, pleasant and much more talkative than any of his compatriots. Only slashing thirties, but the next September 29 publishes Black Roses, the seventh album with The Rasmus.

What happened to your hair?
I don't know! Somehow we felt we had to go back and do things as before, with a style much more spontaneous. The hair reminds me of the time when we started, because too often take it well. It is a look at the past.

You are young, but have spent more than a decade playing, does it feel veterans?
Yes, we are a long career. They are together 14 years and seven albums, but sometimes neither myself I realize that. From the beginning we had so much to be done, so many countries where to go and so much music inside us...is something addictive as a drug. And always want more. I don't see the end of The Rasmus in the near future.

What is the secret of success?
The secret to success lies in knowing maintain good cheer. We know that maintaining good cheer. I hate those bands that are only together for the show, as REM, for example. It is as if they were only to work, because neither look between them when they're playing together. The curious thing is that thousands of people are still going to see them, and there's something that does not fit. For a concert goes well there must be love on stage.

"Black Roses" is a more pop album, did you want to do something different?
The sound is different if, although the songs are quite dark and deep, even more than before. We wanted to create rock without resorting to things as basic as the guitars come as close to the issues differently.

Are you prepared for what is coming over?
Yes, I'm ready. I am an addict, I want more! (laughs) No, I'm joking. In these songs there are many influences of 80. It was the music we hear from small and when we form the banda. And our producer, Desmond Child, is that time and participated in great successes of Kiss and Alice Cooper. And somehow the circle is complete now, because he has been a great inspiration for us and now we have worked together. No, I'm not scared (laughs).

Does being Finnish turns you into something exotic for the industry?
That is the issue. There is a lot of people who now likes many groups of my country, and our concerts can see people with T-shirts HIM, for example. There is a phenomenon with Finnish bands and is wonderful, because people go in search of music from there. Five or ten years ago, no Finnish group was known. Finland has much to offer, although perhaps look very similar to other groups. But I am very proud when I see flags of my country in the concerts.

How about the experience in Nashville?
We live a really strange afternoon. We went out there after a day spent in the studio, and everyone wearing those cowboy hats. Everyone, especially men, were exactly alike. It is a very boring people! In addition, all sang in the bar of the same country song, which I didn't know, throwing their hats into the air… Nashville is the mecca of the country, but is becoming very important for the industry in America. It has many studies. We came well be there in a strange environment, to realize that we did not want to be like them! Without offending, especially those cowgirls ...

And on the island of Greece, Folegandros?
Folegrandos is a very special site, we were about three weeks and wrote many songs. The island is very small, and got there by helicopter because it has no airport, and there is only one restaurant and a hotel, is like a small town. Time is stopped when we were there, as if we were in our own world. But we came very well to concentrate. We think and drank a lot.

What is about the success in countries like Mexico and Spain?
It's complicated. I'm not sure, but these countries have a very strong domestic market, and we do not seem anything to that, excel. You may want or hate, but we make people think.

Do you know any Spanish group?
Estirpe, did you know them? It is a rock band, but not very big. We played with them several times. They are very good. I don't know much Spanish rock or other music. Only...Julio Iglesias, is brilliant, a donjuán.

How did the collaboration with Desmond Child?
It is a person connected with 80. I love this music and I think we played the lottery when he met and came up the possibility of working together. He has 54 years, but we connected a lot, we like the same things.

Fans will throw black roses at the concerts, is not it a little tetric?
It is rather a gothic cliché. But it should have an album called Black Roses, behind the title because there are other things like a story based on my personal experiences that we created before we start making music on the disc. And the black roses are an important part. And the black roses are an important part. It was special to do this, as a soundtrack.

If the disc has a little structure of a screenplay, how it was conceived?
We had a good skeleton on the disk and then create the music. When we had already made history, we saw clearly that consisted of several chapters very defined, which basically related to popular Hollywood movies like Star Wars or ET. Follow the same structure, in four parts: the orphan, the vagabond, the warrior and martyr. It is a good skeleton and then create the music.

What was the first record that was purchased?
One of Status Quo, but I do not remember the name.

Tell me a place to visit in Finland.
There is a site called Castle Finnish, Suomenlinna. It's in the sea and I went this summer with a boat. It's an island, and has many caves and tunnels and things to do.

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