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It took nine years and four albums for the world to notice Finnish rockers The Rasmus. Now the band is a household name and their brand of melodic goth-rock is sweeping the charts everywhere. The Record talks exclusively with bassist Eero about their super single In The Shadows, Finnish weather and why the lead singer wears bird feathers in his hair.
The Record: What does the ‘Rasmus’ mean?
Eero: Rasmus is a name for a boy in Scandinavia and we actually chose that name just by accident because we were very young when we started and we didn’t think of the name so much at the time.
TR: Where are you touring right now?
Eero: We’re going to Switzerland and then Turkey. We even had some plans to go to India but it seems like it’s not going to happen in this month. We’re going to come in January.
TR: We look forward to seeing you.
Eero: I had a friend who was in Bangalore and he said that he saw our video on the TV and it was very surprising that it was there. I also heard that the album has been selling very well. I’m really happy because I like India very much – I’ve been there three times. I visited Delhi, Mumbai and also Ganpatiphule. I practise Sahaja yoga and there was a seminar by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in India so that’s how I came there.
TR: Do you have a favourite song off the album?
Eero: My favourite song is 'Still Standing' which is number three on the album. It’s my favourite to play live and it’s very deep because it’s actually about this one friend of ours who died some years ago and it’s about our memories of this person.
TR: Does writing about these personal issues make them easier to deal with?
Eero: Lauri has said many times that it’s like therapy for him when he writes about these things and it makes him feel better and sometimes some fans come to him and say, ‘Oh I find myself in this song so much’ and that’s really nice.
TR: What has been the most important song for you?
Eero: I think at least commercially it’s 'In The Shadows' because it’s played so much. When we play live, we try to play songs from all the albums, it’s like a retrospective. It’s healthy for us because we’ve been playing together for 10 years and it’s like we have a lot of history so it’s nice.
TR: The video for 'In The Shadows' is great. Tell us about it.
Eero: This video was made in Romania and the director is German and he had this idea of this girl who is living in a haunted house and then the band plays there. It’s a good rock video I think. Usually when we get the scripts from directors we go through them and try to find the best one and then also have discussions with the director and how to make it better and so on.
TR: Do you change your songs around a bit when playing live?
Eero: We try to keep the set quite similar normally. But I was just thinking that if we come down to India we should definitely get hold of some people who play Indian instruments like the tabla, or sitar and then be guests on the concert. It would be really nice.
TR: What’s the strangest place in which you’ve played your music?
Eero: There’s a lot of funny places but one time we were asked to play in a kindergarten. We just had to say we couldn’t. I think our music is to be played loud and it won’t fit so well. [Laughs]
You can read the rest of our exclusive with The Rasmus in the September 2004 issue of The Record Music Magazine available at your local newsagent.
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