Who would have ever thought that when I first purchased all of the albums by HIM, I would have the chance to speak with the lead singer of HIM, Ville Valo. Certainly not me. It is said that their music is like poetry and can touch the deepest part of your soul. With this, I have to agree. HIM's music is about life, love, heartbreak and suffering. The originality of their music prevents the listener from fading into a monotonous state. Ville writes and composes all of the songs, making them even more special. He is one of the most talented men on earth. When I arrived at the restaurant, I caught my first glimpse of Ville and thought, "There he is. I'm finally going to meet him." He was sitting at a table, with his back to me. I saw his unmistakable hair and cigarette in hand. I took a seat at an empty table next to his and patiently waited as he finished his business meeting. About ten minutes later, Ville picked up his beer, pack of cigarettes and jacket and joined me at the table. He introduced himself, then immediately apologized for the meeting running late. Of course I didn't mind, because I would be spending the next hour with this hot, talented, green eyed, Finnish man. To think just a few blocks away, fans anxiously waited in line for that evening's concert and were hoping to catch a glimpse of Ville arriving at the club before the show. Little did they know that he was with me, having drinks and conversation. At times I felt I needed to pinch myself, to make sure I wasn't dreaming. It was such a surreal experience. During my conversation with Ville, before and even after the interview, I learned that there is more to the man than just music. He is sensitive, charming, passionate, sensual and has a great sense of humor. Ville has a deep inner beauty, that exudes when you take the time to get to know him. After spending time with him, I understand why his music holds so much meaning and why so many female fans all over the world are in love with Ville. I truly enjoyed every moment I spent with Ville and appreciate him taking the time to speak with me. I look forward to his return to the states for the next tour.


Celebrity Close-Ups: How do you feel about the US tour, so far? Were you expecting such large crowds to attend?

Ville Valo: No not really. We weren't expecting it. Let's say because we come from Finland, we've got the Finnish mentality as well so we weren't really expecting anything. We just thought it would be cool taking a 12 hour flight and coming here and see what happens. Then right before the tour started, we had heard that most of the shows had been sold out. Which was, of course, great! We've waited ten years to come over. But no, I really didn't think that all the kids know all the stuff going on in Europe because the only feature release here, for an album, is called 'Razorblade Romance' and it's an old album for us. It was released back in 2000 in Europe. So we thought people would only know those songs, but quite the opposite happened. So we are pretty happy about it.

Do you prefer performing in small clubs?

I like it better that way. I like it when you really see the people. When they can smell our sweat and we can smell their sweat, it makes it a bit more interesting. Big festivals are really cool. It all depends. I don't consider myself to be a really really good performer. I used to be a drummer, a bass player, a guitar player. Always used to have something in my hands. Now it's just a mic so I don't know what to do. So I'm not really super comfortable with performing but a beer always helps.

Do you think when you return to America to tour again, you'll still be playing small clubs?

I don't know. It's all depending on the people. The only thing I'm interested in right now, is to write the songs for the next album. To work on that. Try to get a good label working on that over here. Get a decent release but I don't mind. It's great to play bigger places. It's cool. It's a totally different vibe. You can't compare.

How do you choose the set list for each show? I know it varies.

It varies because...[pauses] The basic skeleton for the set list is the same. The basic idea is because a lot of people travel around. I met a couple people who are going to see all the gigs in the West coast and we've met people who saw all the gigs on the East coast. So it's boring for them if they've been spending a lot of time and effort to get all the tickets, traveling and all that stuff. Then seeing exactly the same show every night. So that's one of the reasons we tend to change the list a bit. And you know, whatever feels good.

How did you decide to tour over here this year?

Well, we've been thinking about it for a...well, all of the time. For our friend, Jimmy Pop from the Bloodhound Gang, he has a label under Universal and he wanted to release 'Razorblade'. So that came out October 26th of last year...or 23rd...or 24th or whatever. He got that album released, so he felt natural that there's a product in the shops. We heard that, you know, people were liking the album and stuff like that. So we wanted to give it a shot.

I've noticed you seem to always use the same microphone at your performances.

Yeah. I've got two similar, you know. I customize them with Jesus Christ and Mary stickers which I got from somewhere in Europe. I've been using the same stuff for years now.

Do you find using the same mics as good luck?

It's something about holding it in my hands, a hundred days a year...or a hundred nights a year. It's comfortable to know the exactly the same weight and the same kind blah blah blah blah blah. It's nothing more. I can do without that particular piece of technology. I'm a collector, so I grow fond of those things.

From your point of view, what's the difference between European fans and American fans?

We don't have mosh pits in Europe anywhere. And people don't stage dive. Or crowd surf.

So America is a bit more wild?

A bit, it seems. England is pretty wild too but with this years tour, we've had so many different people attend the show. Like Goths wear their black stuff, then there are skater kids and all sorts of kids. It's nice. What we do is, we can reach out to different sorts of people

Not just one particular crowd.

Exactly. We're very happy about that.

When did you know you wanted to be a musician?

When I saw a picture of Gene Simmons when I was seven. That's when I started playing bass guitar.

What kind of music are you into?

I like the solo album from John Frusciante, the guitar player from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The latest one called, 'Shadows Collide With People'. Loads of old stuff from Cat Stevens. Then loads of reggae. I'm a huge reggae fan.

How would you describe the music of HIM to someone who has never heard of the band?

We've been describing it in a way...well. There are a lot of rock bands out there who really truly think that they are reinventing the wheel. Which we are definitely not. We're just drawing inspiration from all the great musicians that we've been growing up to. Black Sabbath and Zeppelin and 80's hair metal and pop and Neil Young and Elvis Presley and all of it! Well...you know those space probes they send in space because of aliens one day? The basic idea is about what is the human experience. So let's say we'd be a great way of introducing extra-terrestrials to be all the different sides of popular music. In a way that I consider we've built the sentimentality of Elvis Presley. Then again, we also have the macho side of AC/DC. Then we've got bits and pieces of classical music and everything. We're just a crazy cocktail. We're like a Long Island iced tea. Musically speaking.

What inspires you to write? Do you light candles or go outside? Personal experiences?

Hmm...well, there are so many weird and crazy things happening in the world today. That's enough for me. I don't need any special place to write stuff. Just a good mood. You know, to be able to concentrate and stuff. Like mathematics, to a certain extent. You've got to be able to concentrate. It's always been different. That's what actually makes it really interesting to me, personally. But it's never like I have to have six black candles and three red candles and a certain kind of guitar or whatever in my hands. That doesn't matter. It's just having the mood and having whatever in your hands at that moment.

Which of your albums are you most proud of?

They are like pages of a diary. They all have a reason to be there. If we hadn't done the first album, we would have never done the second album because you always bounce off. Same with like, cooking. You know? It takes a long time to be able to do the pasta, correctly. Then when you know the basics, then you start to spicing it up and wondering about different ways of doing it. That makes it more interesting for yourself as a cooker--as a cook and more interesting, hopefully, for the guests as well. They are going to sit at the table and wonder whether they are going to eat exactly the same pasta again and again, even though it might be great pasta.

What's the weirdest or scariest fan encounter you've had?

Well, we've always had pretty good relationships with the people who've been loving our music. There has been a couple of people who have attacked us with scissors and cut bits of my hair out. There's been weird letters. But it seems that even though we do, for some reason, have a really fanatical following in certain places it seems like those people are pretty intellectual for their age or whatever. Those are the people who really go through all the lyrics. It's extensive problems, what they go through. Just wondering why they are here and stuff like that. So I think we've been treated fairly well. We've never had a really bad experience.

Have you received marriage proposals?

Proposed to me? Yeah, but not because of the music. [smiles and laughs]

What's the weirdest rumor you've heard about yourself?

I was wearing this woolly hat for a long time. It was like my sacred little thing. I got it from a friend. I was keeping my hair in the woolly hat and there was some girl thinking that I have cancer and I'm going through chemotherapy. You know, that I'm bald and stuff like that. That's probably one of the weirdest. Then the fact that I've been impregnating almost everybody on this planet. [laughs]

What would you like to say to all of your fans?

This is always the hardest question. To be behave themselves. And to think before they do anything. That's always the best thing. And to know that where the phrase, 'ladies first' comes from is not as it seems. [laughs]

Thank you so much for your time, Ville.

Thank you!