H.I.M. Frontman VILLE VALO: 'Touring In The States Is A Pain In The Ass'

Live-Metal.net recently conducted an interview with H.I.M. frontman Ville Valo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Live-Metal.net: You have had a slow build in the United States. As you have toured the U.S. for the past few years, how has touring changed you?

Ville: "Well, to be brutally frank, touring in the States is a pain in the ass every now and then, because the travel is really, really heavy, especially on this tour. We just flew in from Seattle, tomorrow we are flying to New Orleans, so it is like zig zag, zig zag, zig zag. The distances are so long compared to Europe. Europe is a lot easier. It is like maybe 200 miles a night. You have a bit more time to hang out and sleep better and stuff like that. This is heavy duty traveling all the time. With 'Dark Light' being the first album properly released here, we have been doing some press for it and it's being played on the radio now, thank God. Of course it has changed the vibe. A lot more people know who we are."

Live-Metal.net: What is the typical songwriting process for H.I.M.?

Ville: "I have a hangover and sit down on my bed, I have an acoustic guitar and start strumming and pretending that I am Neil Young. Then we put on the distortion pedals and we rape the song. That's what we do!"

Live-Metal.net: How many songs will you normally write in preparation for an album?

Ville: "Only the good ones. I hate songwriters that write 100 songs for an album and pick the 10 best, because it is a fucking waste of time. We try and write the stuff that feels really good and we are sure that we want to record it. So if there are 12 tracks on an album, maybe 14 all together."

Live-Metal.net: What does the future hold for H.I.M. as a band? I have heard that you have contemplated some solo work in the future.

Ville: "Well, no, no no. I have a few more PINK FLOYD-ish things that I have been writing in the past, but we will probably incorporate that into H.I.M.'s music, as well. Because at the end of the day when I start writing a song, it always ends up being on our album."

Live-Metal.net: What do you think about the state of rock music today?

Ville: "I think that the state of rock music is really good. I think there are a lot of good bands that we have had the pleasure of touring with, like a band from Seattle called AIDEN on this tour and they're great. KILL HANNAH's new album is really good. THE STROKES' new album is really good, the latest one. I think that there is a lot of good happening, but people think that rock is dead. But it has never gone away."

Live-Metal.net: You guys have been on the road for a while now, and toured relentlessly. How has life on the road affected you and your music?

Ville: "The more you tour, the more liberating it becomes. You don't think about the technical aspect of it anymore. You just have fun. It is a bit more loose, and the hangovers are worse. That is what it does to you! [laughs]"

Read the entire interview at Live-Metal.net.