translation of the interview :
During the listening-session one thing became very clear: HIM changed their melancholic-pop of the past to harsh combination between metal and prog-rock.
Sonic: Ville, Venus Doom is an obvious change of direction going to harder, rougher sounds. How come?
Ville: Oh cool! That was exactly my idea! Because love and pain, the themes we’re concentrating on can be pretty tough as well sometimes. And somehow we’ve been in all directions of the spectrum already. Look at Dark Light the last album. It consisted of a lot of layers. So it wasn’t really direct and reminded me of U2 a lot which was okay. But you can’t do the same all over again you’ve got to try something different. Just as you use different coloured pencils to paint different paintings. And this time we just wanted an album that kicks their listeners asses! That was the idea. Plus I had enough of keyboards…
Sonic:So the album is a direct reaction to the one before?
Ville: Yes but it’s the same with every record. And we did a lot of them until today. So I just hope this is going to be a positive surprise. I’m conviced of it. And I’m very happy about it, just as the band. Imagine, we’ve got a real drum-solo at the beginning and a bass-solo as well. This is so naïve and so uncool that it’s damn cool eventually.
Sonic: Including your doom and prog-rock loans?
Ville: (proud) A great thing. I mean prog-rock is good for you. And I’ve always been a big fan of Yes, Jethro Tull and that kinda stuff. The funny thing with this album was that for the first time we didn’t have any insructions. We seriously were standing in our rehearsal place in Helsinki and were laughing our asses off and asking ourselves: ”Why not?” That’s always the best question. Of course I love pop-songs and we did loads of them over the past few years. But now the time has come to break with this and to do something different.
Sonic: This might be a serious problem for your younger female fans. A calculated risk?
Ville: Exactly. This album is more for adults- for civilized grown-up people. No but seriously it would be boring to repeat the same old thing that once has been successful. And this record feels awesome because it’s so aggressive and dirty. I’m a big fan of My Bloody Valentine and love their album “Loveless”. Just these massive guitars that still leave space for sentiment. It’s (Venus Doom) a great album that made my days brighter and happier and my depressions deeper (laughs). And it’s the 1st rock-album in which you can hear a female ejaculation.
Sonic: In which song?
Ville: You have to buy the record to find it out! But you can hear it very clearly. So if you want to find it out you’ll succeed. Unfortunately it’s not a live record of it just because for some reason finnish girls don’t ejaculate (laughs). We had to use an american porno, not a really good one by the way.
Sonic: May I ask what the label says to all this. Because with DL you just started being successful in the US?
Ville: They stand behind us, absolutely. The last album was the 1st we made for Warner and we didn’t expect anything, really. We were just happy that we could release worldwide, finally. I’m pretty excited and nervous what’s going to happen this time. Because I like to be in the States. It’s great to e in cities like San Antonio, to experience new places and new food. Or to fly to Japan or to Australia for the 1st time, such things. And all that just because of the record company.
Sonic:How come Warner postponed the release of VD again, to mid-september this time. Are you angry about that?
Ville: Yes of course I’m angry about that, really much indeed. I mean I could have taken my time with it, then. But they said they had 2 big releases of “Taking Back Sunday” and the “Smashing Pumpkins”the same day it’s been too much work for them. That’s why they pushed our date back. They definitely couldn’ve done that with Billy Corgan!
Sonic: how did you come to the title VD and what does it mean?
Ville: Well, it has got nothing to do with planets. I thought of the Goddess of love. And the title follows the tradition we got in every album- this yin and yang, black and white, whatever. The play of contradictions. But it happened that I woke up some morning and had the title in my mind- Venus Doom. For me it stand for a combination of the Goddess of destruction and reincarnation.
Sonic: 2 contradictory terms that complete each other perfectl?
Ville: Unfortunately, yes. It’s pretty crazy. But that’s exactly what love and relatinships are for me: you have to destroy yourself and then put the pieces back together to be even able to love!
Sonic: A kind of self-therapy- like the whole lyrics in which you deal with he experiences of a raven-black year?
Ville: Usually something like this should have a cathartic, cleansing function. But it doesn’t work for me. It still hurts so much- I can’t even listen to some of the songs. I almost have to cry because they are so honest. Though I know from other musicians that it is a thing that could work- just not for me: the one thing excludes the other!
Sonic: There’s this one song about your friend who died.
Ville: Yes. Kiss of Dawn is about my buddy Thurston who killed himself. That’s why I wrote a song about life is always going on even when it’s absolutely unbearable. But you are right, it’s been a hard time and so much bullshit happened to me.But it wasn’t the 1st time and it won’t be the last time…
Sonic: Including the cancelled engagement to MTV-moderator Jonna Nygren…
Ville: Fuck, yes, I still got the ring, though (points at his left ringfinger). That’s the problem with tattoos:It’s hard to get rid of them. I’ve been thinking about changing it. But luckily “J” can also stand for Jesus and that would be a way out of my own craziness: turn to religion. Who knows? Maybe I’m gonna do this: go to the monastery and live in asceticism! (laughs)
Sonic: How come it didn’t work? Are rock’n’roll and long-term relationships things that exclude each other?
Ville: Oh, no! it’s pretty tough but it can work of course. It’s not impossible you juast have to find the right partner. And I’m still looking for that person. Even though I’m getting the feeling that I’m not made for long-term relationships- that’s why it never lasts long for me. But you should never forget: If someone seriously means something to you it doesn’t matter where you are. When you close your eyes and go to bed you are thinking of the person you truly love! And that just wasn’t the case with us. We weren’t as close as I was thinking we were in the beginning. That’s why I ended it before it was too late.
Sonic: Plus you had some serious trouble with your neighbor…
Ville: When I was still living in that 8 apartement house I always had trouble with my neighbors because I was playing guitar at 2am. If I was in their position I would be angry, too, but hey, what should I do, it’s my profession!
Sonic: And you take it so seriously that you spent a night in jail for that because you were fighting and resisting against the police?
Ville: That was just stupid and wouldn’t have happened if I had been a bit more calm and stable. But 2006 wasn’t a good year indeed. That really touched me. Well, in that fight I flipped-out. Nothing really happened apart from a damaged door and some broken flowe-pots.
Sonic: And now you are living in an old tower in Munkkiniemi?
Ville: Exactly.That’s probably the onky tower in helsinki and I didn’t even know about it. It was built in 1842 and I like the fact that it has got 4 stories and a basement with sauna. Every story is a room. It’s like a museum, I really love it. That’s the 1st time I really feel like home. Unfortunately I can’t enjoy it now because we’ll be on tour for the next couple of months or maybe for the whole next year.
Sonic: The new songs are very comlpex. How can you perform them live? Will it be difficult?
Ville: We’ll see. We definately have to work on that because there’s a lot of songs with more than 2 guitars and backing vocals, and stuff like that. And the guys are no Pavarottis when you know what I mean. They rather sound like Family Munster, on their own sick way which is kinda funny.
Sonic: That means you are like lordi without the masks?
Ville: I think Lordi did steal their whole image from our bassist- and he doesn’t need a mask, honestly. But the emotional side on this album is very difficult, too. In former times writing lyrics had a cathartic, cleansing effect to me. Like freeing yourself from all your sins so that you become a new person. This album is more like a maelstrom of craziness. And to sing these songs is really hard for me because it’s very hard stories. I can’t even tell you everything, some things are so personal. But what am I doing here? I’m telling the same old shit like every rocker. So: “the album will be more personal, better, whatever” same old thing (laughs)
Sonic: How did you react when Lordi won Eurovision Song Contest 2006?
Ville: I was laughing and was happy for them. I’m a fan and know Mr. Lordi for ages. It’s not that we are close friends but he’s been president of the finnish KISS-fanclub. Once I played a gig with some friends in which we imitated KISS songs with “pet-sounds”, that’s how I met him. And I admire him because he’s a fan and doesn’t hide it, that’s very rare in our business. I always confessed that I was a KISS fan. I don’t reinvent the wheel, he doesn’t reinvent the wheel, we both just hail our Gods!
Sonic: Can you imagine to do the Eurivision… with HIM?
Ville: Never! (laughs) It’s been a good thing for Lordi, definitely but it’s also a thing that sticks with you for-ever. That’s something we don’t wont. We prefer staying losers.
watch the video interview here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPn1B2rBBmk
Subject: Ville Valo in Sonic Seducer Magazine 
Wed 4 Jul 2007 - 11:11
he is weird but .... 
