German Orkus Magazine Marh issue 07

This interview was translated by Katja

It´s late evening, even one hour later in Helsinki. After2 dialing tones an exaggerated deep “Good evening!” can be heard on the Finnish end of the line. The 69 Eyes frontman Jyrki Linnankivi better known as Jyrki69 is a master of self irony. So it´s not really surprising that the self appointed “Helsinki vampire” remarks somewhen: “It´s already after midnight and I still have to go out on the streets and find some fresh blood!” Also the youngest work of the quintet, called ANGELS is full of this self irony. But even an experienced artist can still be nervous about the near release of an upcoming album as Jyrki admits frankly.

O.: How are you?

J.: Very well. I´m as much excited as at the last time. This excitement becomes worse every time. At the moment it feels like we´re on top of a rollercoaster riding it down in a high speed. Currently the album will be mastered. I heard a few of the re-done songs yesterday and found out that there are still alternatives. I haven´t yet heard the final version of the album and I am still working on the artwork for the cover. We´re stuck in the production phase. (sighs) I hope you´ll have the time and patience to listen to the final product again as soon as it´ll be released.

O.: Oh, I think so!

J.: When DEVILS came out I was a little upset and pissed about our fans because I kept reading in the internet that BLESSED BE would be our best album and that we couldn´t do anything better. But in the end it only counts that we made at least one album that the people liked. That´s the only matter. And if there are people who think BLESSED BE is our best album then that´s okay, because at least we did one good record. The 69 Eyes have their roots in rock ´n roll but we always wanted to sound contemporary. We don´t even see us as a gothic band.

O.: You´re going on tour with Cradle of Filth in the US soon. What do you expect from this tour?

J.: Exactly 10 years ago Cradle of Filth had their very first gig in Helsinki and I was DJ-ing on the aftershow party. That´s how I met Dani Filth. We hang around and stayed in touch since then. It was my idea to go on tour together because I don´t like the plan that only bands who play similar music could tour together, esp. in the black metal scene. That´s simply boring to me. Now the plan, which already excists since ages, becomes reality.

O.: You´ve already mentioned that you´re a DJ aswell. How about a DJ tour in Germany?

J.: I already DJ-ed in many places like recently in the Bar Sinister in Hollywood and I´d loved to do a little DJ tour in Germany. I´m hyperactive and my engagement as a DJ is like one would give a toy to a child and tell it: “Now stay here and play with your toys!” If someone tells me: “Jyrki, go there, play the DJ and don´t move!” I´d be so busy with that that I couldn´t do anything silly. (laughs)

O.: On your US tour in March 2006 you´ve got huge support from Bam Margera. Can you tell me what´s his secret? He seems to be the lawyer of all Finnish bands in America.

J.: I guess he simply got a good feeling for cool new music. He´s full of positive energy and that´s what this world needs. He´s also hyperactive and whenever he´s discovering something new, for example a band, he needs to tell everyone how great this band is. If he´s really into something he stands by it.

O. : The pictures Ville Juurikkala took on the last US tour for your book “Route 69” give the impression that you really enjoyed being there. If you had the choice, would you like to live there?

J.: It´s the home of rock ´n roll and it inspires me in a way, but that has Berlin done also. I love to travel all around the world like for Christmas I was in Dubai and right afterwards I flew over to Sweden to do a video. You see, I´m always on the road and I love it. But I don´t want to leave Finland. Of course I could live somewhere else but Helsinki is my home. I need my regular dose of Helsinki.

O.: Back to the music. ANGELS and DEVILS belong together like the titles already say. DEVILS is the darker version of ANGELS and the other way around.

J.: It´s actually interesting that the exact opposite happened of what was planned. ANGELS became much more serious and dark than DEVILS. DEVILS is distinctly pop-like than ANGELS. The metaphoric angels on ANGELS have burned their wings and are fallen.

O.: Wouldn´t another title fit better in this case? Because now the complete idea obviously doesn´t make sense anymore.

J.: No! Both records are the perfect couple. Wait until you see the cover of ANGELS – the pictures complement each other perfectly. In the direct comparison both albums are a real good couple.

O.: On the cover of DEVILS you´re wearing a leather jacket with a painted skeleton on it. Now does that mean you´ll wear angels wings for the cover of ANGELS?

J.: (laughs loud) OMG! No way! Never! The art work on ANGELS shall be a surprise and I guarantee you neither angels wings nor my person have anything to do with it. The idea with the angels wings would be much too obvious … that would be dead boring. I won´t be on the cover anyway and thus no angels wings either.

O.: The ballade “Star of fate” tells a story that reminds of Peter Pan. Do you ever wanted to be like him and never grow up?

J.: The whole Peter Pan syndrome and everything that comes along with it isn´t new anymore and it would be kinda boring to make a song about it. Still this subject fascinates me. I love Disney movies and “Star of fate” reflects my enthusiasm for Peter Pan and Pinocchio. The story that´s been told in the song – that someone has to leave and that the second star from the right shows him it´s way – also fits into the world of vampires aswell as into my own life, because I always have to leave.

O.: Do you see yourself in the character of Peter Pan?

J.: I wouldn´t say that. It´s quite easy to assume I´d have a Peter Pan syndrome also because of the common prejudice that men would never grow up. I have to admit that it´s true in a way, but it would have been very boring and foreseeable to write a song about it. The line “Star of fate”, which means that the person in this song has to leave before it´s getting too old or before sun rises, applies to different fields from vampires to Peter Pan, even to the life of a rockstar.

O.: Many of your songs are inspired by movies. What´s so fascinating about it?

J.: I´m not a collector. I don´t like to collect things. But I can see myself or elements of my life in movies. For example if I am travelling to exotic countries like for my work as an UNICEF ambassador, then I see myself as kind of “James Bond” character, who´s on a mission. If I look back on my life it was beatific and romantic, which fits good to movies. Of course it could be books aswell. I buy a lot of books but I don´t have the time to read them. Therefore I prefer movies. Thanx Katja for the translation