INTERVIEW: Happy Metal Geek talks to LORDI

Lordi is dropping their latest album “Limited Deadition” this Friday 21 March and it is another superb offering from these Finnish metallers. You can read the review on this website.

Then came the opportunity to have an short interview with Mr Lordi himself, and this was not going to be passed up.

Listen to the interview now about the band Lordi, influences, ‘that’ documentary, and the new album.

It may just be 30 minutes but its packed with new things I had not come across before. Mr Lordi may be a gigantic metal demon, but he is one of the nicest people you will ever get the chance to speak with.

The Interview with Mr Lordi 

Happy Metal Geek

Hello and welcome to the Happy Metal Geek podcast.

And this one is very special, especially to me, because I’m talking to none other than Mr Lordi. Welcome, Mr Lordi. And thank you very much for coming on.

Mr Lordi

Thank you.

Happy Metal Geek

We’re so nice and civilised.

Mr Lordi

Yeah. Distinguished gentlemen.

Happy Metal Geek

I have you on and we will get to your latest album, but I just wanted to go through a couple of little questions at the very start now. Lordi itself was born or came into being in about 1992. What kick started you to go “I’m making making a band”.

Mr Lordi

Well, I was a singer in another band, local, you know, with my friends and the thing was that our musical tastes changed around that time, you know, in the late 80s, early 90s and I was still a KISS, Twisted Sister and Udo fan. And the other guys in the band, especially the guitar players, they started moving towards speed metal and then later on to grunge and stuff. So it wasn’t any more the style of music that… I  still wanted to be in the band and I was until I think ’96 or ’97.

But I needed to get it out of my system. I needed to get the songs out of my system that I was writing because the band that I was in, they refused to play my songs anymore. You know that the songs that I was writing because they were too Twisted Sistery and it was like so dated because that’s when they wanted to do the new thing, the speed metal, thrash metal thing, all of a sudden.

And I was not a fan, at the time, of that music. So that’s why I started making the demos under the name of Lordi, which is my nickname. That’s how it started, just to get the get the stuff out of my system.

Happy Metal Geek

Brilliant. And I was. I was reading a little bit up because I thought I need to do a little bit of research and not come across as a complete *******. And I was so pleased. And it’s, I think it’s absolutely amazing that you, you organised a kiss cruise.

That’s absolutely like I I I love kiss. I grew up. I live in Northern Ireland and I grew up in the countryside on a farm. And it was all Irish country music that I got to listen to on an AM radio.

And my cousins when I was about 7 or 8, was visiting my auntie and my uncle and they took me down to the one of their bedrooms and I got to try on their leather jacket. And it was there that I became enamoured as it were with Iron Maiden, KISS, Judas Priest, Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, it was a whole new world opening up and it’s one of those little things that you can go oh, he loves KISS too.

Mr Lordi

I can relate to that. Really I can. Yeah.

Happy Metal Geek

Would you have grown up in the countryside more or would you have been within a city?

Mr Lordi

I grew up in like suburbs of the city. I mean I live in the countryside now. Yeah, like with no neighbours. And just like reindeers and snow. That’s my neighbours. I live in the middle of here, on the on the Arctic Circle in Lapland. So, so. And this is where I was born and raised. But I also lived in Helsinki for quite a few years. But where? But where I was, you know, where I spent my childhood was like the suburbs.

Happy Metal Geek

So apart from what I could obviously see as KISS and Twisted Sister, what other sort of musical influences were there when you were young?

Mr Lordi

Alice Cooper, Alice Cooper, anything that, anything that Desmond child wrote. Desmond Child is is is absolutely my favourite songwriter of all time. Like hands down. I mean, pretty much everything he wrote is pure awesomeness. To the maximum to me.

Not maybe everything but, but I would say 99% of what what he’s written. Udo. And I’m not saying ACCEPT because for me accept was cool. But then when he went solo with the band Udo.

That’s when when you know, I became a fan, you know it it was. It’s a slight difference there, but but it was a little bit more melodic and a little bit more. You know, harmonic. The music can accept. So I dig, accept but. But you know, Udo absolutely. King Diamond King Diamond for sure. Wasp. Absolutely.

And and and and. Yeah and yeah. Well, you mentioned Judas Priest, you know same for me. Judas Priest was, you know cool and and I was never that big on maiden I mean. But I mean I’m I still, you know, I dig them, but I’m not like a big fan. I’m a fan of Eddie. Yeah, I love Eddie. But but Maiden is touch just a tiny bit too complex for me. I am a simple minded dude. So for Maiden is a little bit too complex and the songs are too long.

Happy Metal Geek

Well, I have to say one of my favourite Iron Maiden songs is actually very, very long. I absolutely adore the “Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner“.

Mr Lordi

Yeah. Ancient Mariner. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I remember. When I had that on cassette.

Happy Metal Geek

Oh, those were the days of cassettes.

Mr Lordi

The mid parts gave me the goosebumps. Yeah, but but not in a good way. In a scary way. And it’s like this it. It feels like that. And remember, I was always, like, fast forwarding.

That part to go because it was so long, it felt like that, Oh my God. Get to the song. What you do? And it was both scary and annoying as hell that part .

Happy Metal Geek

Oh, that’s right. Yeah. Now, absolutely and kind of when I was looking at, you know, the background of Lordi, and when you started. And I have to say I also watched the the the documentary. Absolutely adored it.

Mr Lordi

Oh well, that one. I mean, if you are aware, it was it’s kind of an illegal documentary. And it was released without the band’s, mine the label’s and the publisher’s consent. Yeah, because of what happened there, I tell it really quickly because this gets me cranky.

So me and the CEO of Sony BMG at the time, who was a good childhood friend of mine. So we decided that, hey, let’s try to do a documentary of Lordi and and show people how much work is being done behind the scenes and you know what’s happening and you know, let’s show it like the others have. And we decided to ask our old childhood or teenage friend of ours, who later on had become documentarist.

So we did and so he filmed us for, I think, three years. And during the shooting, our drummer died.

And what happened then? He changed the film. He started changing it. And so it’s like my lawyer said that it’s a documentary. No, it’s a fictional film made out of documentary footage. And that’s what it is, because it’s not that it shows. It’s not the real story. I mean, everything that happens in the documentary really happened, but the the truth isn’t all there because he left all the positive things out on purpose.

And then he also screwed up the timeline. You know, in a very strange way, to look like that my best friend and my mom are the only ones that I ever meet. They are the only ones that I discuss about the band, which actually are the only two persons that I never talk about the band. It’s such a twisted image of what was going on.

And when it came out, the fans were really puzzled by that. “How the hell is it this this film like showing only this small weird like private gigs somewhere?” And while you were actually at around that time you were making a full long European tour and why isn’t that shown?

Well, ask the director who will forever remain on my blacklist, you know. Because he he just decided that “it’s my movie” and we spend like almost like a year behind the scenes. You know that I do not approve this. Why are you changing the reality? It’s my movie. It’s a better story like this. F*** you really like.

Happy Metal Geek

Well I think that I totally get it. Totally get it now, now that we know the truth as well, and hopefully we’ll get that spread out a wee bit more too. But it kind of reminded me a bit about the documentary on Anvil.

Yes, I get. I get your angle on it and that would totally piss me off as well. But for me it felt even slightly more connected because it’s a story of an underdog. But seeing all that you have done and where you are and what you are today. Well, to be quite honest, you weren’t really an underdog. You were doing well enough and you were doing all of these albums. You were doing all of these tours. But I get it, it wasn’t the right sort of image, as it were of what the truth was.

Mr Lordi

Yeah, and it because it was pretty much like the opposite that we wanted the film to be. Because we wanted to show all that is in the film, all the hard times. But we also wanted to show the good times and the things that because he left the good times out on purpose.

To make it more sad and make it more like depressing, and then only in the end, he put all those things over the three years that he was filming in the end. Like oh, now they got back into, you know, whatever fame or something and are successful again. Even though all those things that is like this little montage in the end. He put it in one minute or something. Everything that should have been there in the film, like in between.

And so he screwed up the timeline. And he did did things like, for example, we were going in the studio in the film to the states, to Nashville to record an album. So he made it look like it was like a matter of life and death, to go to the States to record the album, but it was already our second album that had been recorded in the States.

So he made it look like that we really wanted to go to the States to record it, but we had already been there recording the previous album with the same producer. But he made it look like “It’s better for the story that you know”. Like as that never happened and shit like that and it’s really annoying. Almost like reading a book, but only reading every other page.

Happy Metal Geek

Well, kind of on that. I was really interested when I was reading up and I thought it kind of showed the steeliness of your purpose. With the very first ten years. Or what has been reported as the first ten years of Lordi, where there were so many “almost moments”. And you know, if it was me after one or two I would have just gone “You know what? Nah. This isn’t for me”, but it reads almost in the different reports that you have this almost steely determination. That you’re saying “No, I’m saying this through to the end”.

Mr Lordi

Yeah, I did. I did. And I still do. You know, I wanna do what I wanna do. And I would be doing this even if I would be working at the cash register somewhere in a local shop.

You know, I’d still spend my free time doing this. I would be doing this kind of music and I would be making masks and that’s what I would be doing and I would be painting horror theme paintings. i would be doing exactly the same thing. I would be still doing it.

So because I had no question in my mind that it wouldn’t go forward at some point, but I didn’t think it would be a Decade. And many of my band mates from the from the 90s.

Life got in the way, you know? They moved to other countries and they moved because of studying or work or they had kids or whatever. They grew up and they quit the band because they got bored of waiting for something to happen.

And yeah, I took a long time, but as I was saying, like 20 years ago, I just kept kept hitting my head to the wall and hoping that the wall would break before my head does. And luckily the head, you know, the head was stronger than the wall.

Happy Metal Geek

I have to say the very first time I ever heard of you was in 2006.

Mr Lordi

Oh, not the Eurovision, eh?

Happy Metal Geek

How did you guess? We decided to have a Eurovision party. I’m not big into Eurovision, but this one year we all decided let’s have it.

Mr Lordi

Well, rarely do the people with a background like yours, you know with Judas Priest and Maiden and Black Sabbath. You know they rarely are the biggest fans of Eurovision.

Happy Metal Geek

We decided to let’s see what crack there is this year. And, oh my Lord, when Finland came out. Wow. Absolutely. We we even voted. We were so delighted whenever it came in that you’d won it. And it’s such a catchy cracking tune to sort of like spring out onto the wider European and UK stage with “Hard Rock Hallelujah”.

I couldn’t stop humming it for for ages afterwards. And then I got your albums and whatnot and just every single time, it just felt new but familiar, and I think that’s where a lot of success can come in. Who was it? ACDC. Angus was interviewed one time and they said, are you not sick of people saying that your last 11 albums all sound the same and he jumped in and said “You’re wrong. It’s the last 12.”

People can say you repeat yourself but it’s kind of why we like the music. If you changed so drastically, it’s a question “What are they doing now?”

But every every album you have is different, but it’s it’s familiar. There’s that familiarity with it. How do you how do you go around the process of making something different from before, but keeping that familiarity?

Mr Lordi

It’s both a conscious and unconscious decision because they are not really decisions in a way. I write whatever I feel like at any given time, so when it’s time to start writing for the next album, I might have an idea that I want the next album should be vaguely this or that, you know, direction or something. It’s like that.

Whatever comes out naturally and without forcing, you know, that’s the thing that you should be doing. And I think it should be for any artist. You should be doing the kind of music that makes you feel good and you feel like that you need to get out from your system, at any given time, when you’re writing something.

So sometimes, with Lordi, it has even been disco or thrash metal, and sometimes it’s, well, mainly it’s like this 80s orientated hair metal or AOR or classic rock or whatever. But sometimes you feel a little bit different and you do something either on purpose or unconsciously, it depends.

Once you start making music or any art, for your fans or any other people, that’s where you go wrong. That’s where you’re being dishonest in a way. And and I have always tried to write to my target group. And this target group is one person, myself. And if anybody else likes it, it’s a plus. But i really don’t care in the end. Of course, I care financially and shit like that, but I just hope that that other people care too.

Because the thing is I need to do what I need to do. I need to have the things out and some fans are coming saying “You should write another more metal album”, ” You should do this”, “You should do that.” Yeah you you know what dude? Go form your own band and do that. This is my band. This is what we’re going to do. And don’t tell me what we should do or should not be doing. Form your own band and do what you want to do.

And and if you like what we do, God bless you. If you don’t, no problem with that either. Because I need to do what I need to. Do you know it’s not a choice? My target audience is me. And I’m doing everything just to please myself.

Happy Metal Geek

So that underlying drive is what do you want to tap your foot to, bang your head to, or just freak out too. And that’s what drives you along. And if other people come along for the ride all the better. And it’s just gone to prove with your albums as well, that an awful lot of people out there love exactly what you’re doing.

Mr Lordi

And which is, of course, I’m eternally grateful for that. You know? But then again, without without the people who dig what we do in the band, we couldn’t be doing it. But on the other hand, also, like I said, we would be doing this anyway.

I wouldn’t quit doing it. If everything goes well in the future, this band won’t stop until I’m dead, pretty much. Because I think that I am the only irreplaceable person in the band. You know, so I’m giving my full permission for the others to continue after I’m gone. But I don’t think they have the the skill set for everything. I don’t think so.

Happy Metal Geek

Yeah. It’s kind of, and I don’t know how you feel about others, but like Alice Cooper. It’s like you’ve created a personality around Mr Lordi. And that is the core of what the band is just like Alice Cooper has his band, but it’s Alice Cooper.

Mr Lordi

Right.

Happy Metal Geek

Just like in in a slightly bizarre way, because I love them as well, with Tobias and Ghost. You know it’s very much a tight band because it has a singular vision because the vision is from a single person.

Mr Lordi

Yes, yes.

Happy Metal Geek

And this this is this is you doing with your paintings. Maybe people are bringing, like the band members, are are kind of like helping as artists in certain parts of your big painting. But it’s you that is putting out that painting itself.

And I have to say “Limited Deadition”. We’ll have to get onto this now because I could talk to you for ages and ages. It’s coming out on this Friday 21st of March. I was very lucky I got a review. And I loved every single song.

Mr Lordi

And then when you got this album, that’s when you got disappointed.

Happy Metal Geek

No, Dude. When I was looking at it, well, we are near the same age. We grew up throughout the same period and to me the 80s was the golden period of horror, schlock horror and the weird stuff that people were able to put out. I have to say it straight off, having listened to the entire album, all I could think in my head was that movie “Trick or Treat“. I don’t know if you’ve seen it.

Mr Lordi

Oh hey, come on, dude. Come on. “Trick or Treat”, you know, I even have at shirt of that. It’s such an underrated movie. Because it’s like not that much known, but the production value alone is very good and it’s like much better than most of the majority of the horror films of the year around that time it’s on the better third in production value wise, the script is good for an 80s horror film and of course the appearances by Gene and Ozzy

Happy Metal Geek

Yeah, yeah. Absolutely.

Mr Lordi

Yeah. And the idea is cool. The music is awesome. You know and all that you know it it it’s a great goddamn movie. And to tell you I was “Trick or Treat” that I was watching while writing this out.

Happy Metal Geek

They’ve rereleased it now in 4K.

Well, it kind of explains it to me because it’s exactly those chills, those Memberberries but in a good way, were going up and down my spine. Because it was just all of the songs on the album, even the very first one, I couldn’t stop, not laughing at it but laughing along with it. And nodding with “Legends are made of cliches”. And when you look at a lot of horrors these days, it’s “Yeah, seen that before. Yep. That’s been done.” So it was a wonderful little song about just encapsulating how, yes, they are cliches but….

Mr Lordi

I wrote the lyric because I think cliché has a negative ring to it as a word for no reason, because cliché is actually something that is proven to be good. And that’s why you keep doing it again and again and again. And the others are doing it also cliches. It’s a blueprint or a formula of something that works. Whether it’s movies or music.

It’s something that works. And yeah, it’s a cliché, it is a good thing. And now, if I go full circle back, even on “Gets Heavy”, our first album, the title track, the pre-chorus ends with the line “paved the way for the Grand Cliché”. So already there I was very aware that we are cliched. But but we’re proud of it.

Happy Metal Geek

Yeah. I also had in my mind, because of how your lyrics were throughout, it felt a little bit like this album is, to me, almost the musical version of “Cabin in the Woods”. Because it was full of cliches, but they just twisted them. It was almost meta, which was refreshing in its own way.

For all of your albums, you have some general theme, whether it’s really cooked into it or whether it’s a very light little sprinkling throughout. How did you come up with the theme in and around “Limited Deadition?

Mr Lordi

I only had visual themes in my mind, you know? All the inspiration was visual, like Rubik’s Cubes and neon lights, and that’s kind of hard to put in the lyrics and music. But then I started thinking about like 80s TV. Knight Rider and stuff.

And TV commercials, wrestling, Masters of the Universe commercials and shit like that. So that kind of like set that set the right tone and set the right mood.

I got to tell you something that when this theme was kind of hard to put this whole thing together. For example, to come up with the title for this album. Because for the longest time it was called “Syntax Terror”. Then it was “Retropolis”, maybe for half a day, then “Kill Harmonic Orchestra” and shit like that.

But I think “Limited Deadition” wraps up and creates an umbrella of the whole album the best I think. But while that being said because many times I have already had the title for the album before I start writing. And that title guides me through like the album’s called “Sexorcism”, “Scare Force One”. I already had those titles in mind before starting to write, and now I don’t have the title for the next one. That probably will come out in two years, but I already have the theme, I already have the the idea for it,  so i hope that it will be a little bit easier.

Happy Metal Geek

I could just talk all night with you, to be quite honest, but you’re under time pressure and I just want to end by saying thank you so very much for taking this time out to to talk to me. And I hope your tour goes really well. And we will await for you to come back to Northern Ireland, to come back to Belfast, hopefully not too long.

Mr Lordi

Yeah, we would love to. We would love to. Yes, you will have to talk to your local promoters.

Happy Metal Geek

I’ll do my best and I would love to see you live in concert. That would be brilliant. So thank you very, very much, Mr Lori and all the very best.

Mr Lordi

My pleasure. Thank you so much.

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