Do you learn things by ear or do you have to follow sheet music if playing covers? * It`s all by ear. At least with the songs that we have covered so far. The only time I`ve ever really followed sheets was when I doubled the orchestral parts for Imaginaerum & DPP & Once with synths. They needed to be exactly identical so I had to dig in deep into the scores to get every note right. Now that most of you have families, I guess touring is harder. But still, do you enjoy the time of the show as much as in the beginning? Is there anything that has changed? * It`s still a lot of fun, and the 1,5 hours on stage is the best part of touring. But things tend to change during the years; a decade ago it was pretty wild and I had more stamina when it came to partying and staying up late. These days we mostly enjoy the comforts of a lobby bar, solitude of a hotel room, a good book in a bus bunk or a fine curry. The occasional fooling around is still alive `n well, though.
You said there was no other option but making the movie. What if you really couldn´t have found the money. What if there had been no way. Would you have put the band in stand-by or something until you had found the means, or would you have resigned to another conventional album. Or would you have done the 12 clips? * There simply was no other choice than to get the money somehow and do the movie. No discussion there. Anette said the set list for the new tour is 90% set. Do we have any pre-once songs to look forward to? * There are some, yes. The main thing is that we play the songs that feel comfortable to us, especially to Anette. There`s no point in doing e.g. Wishmaster again and again when none of us really feels happy performing it. These things shouldn`t be forced or it will show in the performance. And only after a few shows you know which songs work out best, you can`t really find that out in the rehearsal room. We saw a glimpse of the making of Imaginaerum on the Storytime video, do you anticipate a 'making of' feature when the movie is released? * We absolutely will, it`s in the making already.
What was your favourite game to play as a child? * I`ve always enjoyed board games! Never owned a Playstation console or similar, not really my cup of tea. I was a chess fanatic as a kid, even belonged to a chess club and went to a few tournaments. Monopoly, Trivial Pursuit, Backgammon and Scrabble were in constant use, too. Lately I`ve been totally hooked to Carcassonne, which in my opinion is the best board game ever invented! Rappakalja is also loads of fun, especially after a few teensie weensies. Whats your favourite song in the whole world? * No surprise here, "Walking In The Air" by Howard Blake. What is your most embarrassing mistake/moment on stage? * "Singing" years ago. I didn`t even have my own microphone, Tarja was holding hers in front of my face. Looked and sounded incredibly goofy. You mentioned in an interview once that it was a past girlfriend who taught you how to apply eyeliner. Was there any reasoning behind you actually wanting to try or was it just for fun which actually ended up suiting your look? * It was just an idea that felt worth trying back then. Took a while to get used to it but eventually I learned to like looking like a panda in distress. Can you still play some of the more complex keyboard arrangements such as Gethsemane and Stargazers etc? * Yeah, whenever I do some technical rehearsing on my own, I always play through Gethsemane, it`s a nice `n simple exercise for the fingers. Have you ever forgotten how to play onstage? * There have been some occasional blackouts. It`s weird, for example once I forgot where the modulation of "Nemo" goes to in the end of the song, and just ended up play nothing. After performing that song for 300+ times it still happens. The brain works in mysterious ways. No, it wasn`t the wine.
After a long and exhausting tour, of constantly eating out and on the go, what meal do you most look forward to when you get home? * Rye bread! The white, mushy thing that some people call "bread" will not do. But I don`t mind eating out at all. There`s nothing like a tasty, spicy vindaloo and garlic naan for lunch after a long night of life`s celebration! I would like to know how do you keep your workplace and mind organized when your writing and have you ever thrown away or deleted lyrics that you wish you hadn't? Do you have any advice for an aspiring lyricist? * Writing lyrics is 5% inspiration and 95% work. What you need is an inspiring story or a vision, and a large wastebasket. For me it takes dozens of hours to get the lyrics for one song done. I toy around with them, try to find alternative ways of saying what I want to say, avoid cliches and try to come up with believable rhymes. In the end I question every sentence I`ve written, if there was a better way of telling the story after all. The key to everything is to find new and interesting ways of writing lyrics about the matters you want to write about! Songs about love and longing is the ultimate cliche, but also the most beautiful one, and you don`t need to sink your head into molten American cheese and go Bon Jovi / "Always" with this subject. Underestimating yourself and the listener is the biggest mistake you can make. What does Gar tuht river ger te rheged mean? * It`s a secret incantation, an ancient water ritual of regeneration and purification. On Song of Myself in the section we call the "Now, Voyager" inspiration (sorry just reminds us) we hear Troy and Pip etc. Who are all the people reading the poem? * Haha, it`s no secret I got the idea for the poem from "Now, Voyager". I thought it was such a beautiful idea that I wanted Nightwish to do its version of it. I carefully asked Troy what he thought if we borrowed his idea and he was cool with it. Troy and Pip are among the people reciting the poem, yes, but we shall keep the identities of the other immortal loved ones in secrecy. On Scaretale Anette’s vocals are very different to her usual style. Was singing like this her idea, yours or a bit of both? When you write a song do you have an idea of how the vocals should sound? * A bit of both. She truly blossoms in this song! Well, she shines in every song but her versatility really shows in Scaretale. I put a lot of emphasis on the vocal lines from the beginning of the songwriting process and then work with them together with the vocalists. Are you keeping your same keyboard setup this tour or altering? * Pretty much the same setup. We decided to dump the 4th synth and added the new Korg Kronos into the set. Also, on the DPP tour I had two Macintosh computers running my keys but this time we will go back to manual. Btw, the cult figure Tero "TeeCee" Kinnunen will return as a keyboard / bass tech for the tour. If you were to base a concept album on a book, which book and why? * Don Rosa`s "The Life And Times Of Scrooge McDuck". It`s already on a planning stage. (Not under the name Nightwish, though) This classic is such an inspiring, touching and multi-layered story beyond any basic comicbook. It`s a story about Life itself. Have you ever been so overwhelmed at what a fan has done for/gave you, you wanted to do something special in return? * Every day. Occasionally I feel inadequate about it, unable to pay back. But then again, it`s all about unconditional appreciation, as I see it. And my way / the best way of returning the favor is the Music itself. Why is the rum gone? :) * Because the UK fanclub came to town with a vengeance.
What is your most embarrassing mistake/moment on stage? * "Singing" years ago. I didn`t even have my own microphone, Tarja was holding hers in front of my face. Looked and sounded incredibly goofy. 哎哟喂