Interviews The 69 Eyes - November 2009The 69 Eyes

The 69 Eyes: Lost Boys They Are Not…
Interview by Nerissa Alison
Virtual, the darker side of me….

To try to summarize all The 69 Eyes have done since they got together back in 1989 is close to impossible unless you say, for better or for worse, they have gone on their particular chosen path, progressing as a band and enjoying every step of the way. This chosen path leads them to what I feel is going to be one of those turning points which, hopefully, will take them to the next level in their music.

In a previous interview last year in Ruisrock, Jyrki explained, “The new record is coming along great! It’s exciting… It’s going to be like, well, you know, we want to make a record for fans but also for ourselves. It’s going to be like surprisingly dark, it’s going to be really bloody and a lot of vampires like theme songs which sounds silly but it just came out of somewhere. It’s not like I decided that. All of the sudden I realized that some of the songs are vampire songs, about blood and such topics. So here we go…” And as that brief encounter ended, I was left feeling somewhat curious as to what other surprises might the new album bring our way.

As curiosity killed the cat and Paris Kills, this feline went all the way to Paris to check out what was happening with the new album along with other important changes for the band. Before I knew it I was seated between a soft spoken Bazie and deep voiced Jussi, both serious but kind and ready to answer some questions with heartfelt honesty. The first to appear was Bazie so we began before Jussi arrived, after all, the clock was ticking and time was running out quickly! Nerissa: First of all, although we got into it a bit in our last interview, Devils, Angels and what’s coming now?
Bazie: I would say that we’ve ended a chapter where we are supposed to do some three album theme but then we just decided to move to a completely new period because we’ve just changed the whole production team and everything. So it’s going to be different people working for the album and what it does is a different attitude on music. So it’s going to be a different sound, combining all the things we have done. The music work is not that different, but soundwise, it will be because our producer Matt Hyde, producer for Slayer, Megadeth… he said that he’d listened to all our stuff and he wanted to bring more… not such green sounds, a little bit more like rougher, an eighty like hard beat. He wants to bring into the band a not so programmed sound.

Nerissa: It sounds like a positive move for the band, at least in my opinion.
Bazie: Yes, yes. That’s why David wanted to try something new.


At this point, Jussi, who got lost somewhere else while getting orange juice, comes in.

Nerissa: Well, here we have the other missing band member.
Jussi: Hey, how are you doing?

Nerissa: Just fine. So nice to see you again. (Returning to where I left off with Bazie) So, in other words, you are going to go a little stronger.
Bazie: Yeah, I hope. You never know how it’s going to end up. It’s always different to what you were thinking you had. But we’re trying to do something different.

Nerissa: (turning to Jussi) How are the drums coming into this album?
Jussi: We want to go more raw kind of thing. I would say more Appetite for Destruction than Chinese Democracy. We are not going after perfectly, computerized pop rock thing. Now we’re going to make it more raw, more hard hitting. I think that goes with everything in the new album, the whole idea is to make it more raw and not clean up things too much. I mean, I’m really, really proud of Angels and Devils, but some of the songs are a bit polished, but that’s what we wanted to do at the time. So there’s nothing I regret. But this time we want to make it a bit more raw.

Nerissa: Sounds good. Now for either of you, what about EMI, has it been a positive change for The 69 Eyes?
Bazie: Well, yeah we do have EMI, the new album is coming out through EMI Finland. Actually there have been many labels interested in us, so negotiation decided which label would list our new album. In general, EMI Finland has been very good.

Jussi: Let’s put it this way, there is nothing to complain about and it’s very nice to know you are very wanted. There’s like a lot of people from different record companies kissing our asses.


Nerissa: You like that then.
Jussi: Well, that tells you something, it tells that your so, I hate the word career, but your career is going somewhere.

Nerissa: Evolution? Let’s just call it evolution. Talking about this, either of you, how would you describe the band’s evolution?
Jussi: Our band’s evolution?

Nerissa: Yes, or history as you see it.
Jussi: Well, one thing I’m really proud of, I don’t think we’ve ever made the same album again, and I think we’ve done some very brave, ballzy decisions to go from this direction to another. That’s something that I really think is the secret for The 69 Eyes, like around the year 2000, 2001, we started to tour a lot around Germany and things just started to happen in Europe for us. All of the sudden they called us Finnish Goth Metal and we were kind of put there. We were proud of that but in our heads we are not the metal band. Then we started to see all these young bands like trying to be in that scene, I mean some of them were like really, really good, but some of them were like so bad, HIM rip-offs or Sentenced rip-offs, and we were like, fuck that shit, we don’t want to be in this thing with a bunch of wannabe pussy bands. So what we did, we did the Paris Kills album. We totally went away from that goth metal thing and I think that takes a lot of balls to do those kinds of decisions. Well, I’m proud of that album too. After that we changed a little bit too, so that’s how I see and use the word evolution. I don’t see or think of our evolution as how many albums we sell or anything like that.

Nerissa: No, I’m talking about musically. That’s what I like of a band.
Jussi: Yeah.

Nerissa: How do you see it Bazie?
Bazie: It’s like you’re always going around in circles, dam’ it, you take something from the past and you always want to do something new. We just want to take it one step at a time. We don’t really think that much ahead, we just do what feels at that point good and not like just building up some album that might sound weird when you listen and compare it to others. So that’s how we do the things we do.

Jussi: Anyway, if it were to be record companies to decide, I mean, we have lots of golden eggs like lots of hits from the radio and if they would decide they would want to have us write the same songs all over again because it’s like a good formula and it’s on the radio and it sells a lot. Instead of that we are all, or at least I’d like to think that, we always do something different and surprise people.


Nerissa: Yes, I think so, even when you experiment. Look at your last album, a bit on the light side, but different. OK, each one of you, in one sentence, could you describe The 69 Eyes? (Both are pensive for a few seconds.)
Jussi: Muppet show.

Nerissa: God, I like that one!
Jussi: Gothic muppet show!

Nerissa: OK, with Jussi at the drums.
Bazie: Uhm…

Jussi: No, no, it came to my mind. You know uhm… I am jumping from subject to another. I am a drummer and one of the coolest things I’ve ever seen is the drumming battle between Animal from the Muppet Show and Buddy Rich, and we did it last night with Tiamat drummer Lars Sköld on stage and Tiamat bass player on stage. We had this bump out old thing going on and that was so much fun! So there you go, Gothic Muppet Show!


Nerissa: Wonderful! So Bazie, your turn…
Bazie: Uhm…

Nerissa: A difficult one? So what comes to mind when you think The 69 Eyes?
Bazie: Sex! (We both start cracking up.)

Jussi: Sex, danger, rock n’ roll… All those cliché, cheesy things, but we are serious about being cheesy…

Bazie: It’s really hard to be honest, that’s how I said we do the music. It’s one of the things of how we do the music or at least that’s what I think. No plans, we try to give ourselves and…

Jussi: That’s the whole point. I mean, it’s no secret that we are not millionaires. I mean there is no other reason to do this apart from the fact that everybody loves what we do. That’s the only reason.


Nerissa: OK, before we run out of time, I want both of you to tell me your favorite 69 Eyes song or album and a brief reason.
Jussi: Uhm… Album… You know what? When you are doing interviews you are supposed to say the last one is the best but…

Nerissa: In your heart?
Jussi: In my heart it’s Devils. I think I’m not embarrassed at all to say it’s a classic rock album and it’s going to stand the test of time. It’s going to be an ass kicking rock album in twenty years of time. I’m really proud of that one.

Bazie: I’d say the same album, but you know Devils or Lost Boys, those songs…


Nerissa: Yes, that was a wonderful album. It had a lot of really good things.
Bazie: Well, that’s what I mean, you play those songs if they feel good. It’s really hard, you know, the music, like this quire bit, it works and feels good or not, that’s it.

Jussi: When it comes to songs I still get goose bumps every night when we play Brandon Lee. That song kind of defines the whole idea of The 69 Eyes. But if I would listen to The 69 Eyes at home by myself, I would go to the songs we never do live, you know, songs like the last track of whatever album. I’m not going home from tour and starting to listen to Lost Boys.


Nerissa: Ok, I guess with that, we are finished for this round of questions. Once again, it has been a pleasure and I am already looking forward to our next meeting after, hopefully, having heard the new album. Luck guys!

So, do you wanna rock? Well, get ready ‘cause Devils, Angels and soon to come, maybe, Vampires? No matter what, after all these clues, it is sure to make us rock and enjoy another of The 69 Eyes productions. So Devils & Angels of the world, rock on for soon we will be joined by a tenth Helsinki Vampire Child, still unknown, yet, much desired…