Jurki: Sorry for being late, I was just doing another interview it takes a little bit longer than I expect:

Fess: It's all right. I'm glad to hear you in live; it's a big pleasure for me to have a talk with you. And I'm glad to hear that your new album is coming up soon. By the way, how soon it will be finished?

Jurki: Well actually at the moment we are in the middle of recording it. It will be ready may be in the midsummer, and it comes out in October. And I mean that something that: it's going to be fucking cool, of course. The new single will come out in the beginning of June.

Fess: Fine, and what about the new album? It will be alike to an old 69 eyes stile, or it will be something absolutely new, new sound or new ideas?

Jurki: You know we got signed, like at the end of the year we get signed to big major label EMI and Virgin records so before that we were in a small record labels, and now we are in a big-big major label and that means that they put a lot of, you know, power for making this record. So, in that sense we got all the best possible ways to make the record. We have done the preproducing and some arrangement with Johnny Lee Michaels who has produced two earlier "69 eyes" albums ("blessed be" and "paris kills") so now we work with the songs, we have worked with him for the songs in the earlier stage and the rest of the record and the over or producing is by Hiili Hiilesmaa, whom you might know from producing The HIM albums and Moonspell. So now we have got the best possible guys to take care of producing the record. Which just really important. And naturally we have been writing the songs for over the year so now we have like really-really extremely cool songs, and the concept of the album is going to be:. I'm really exited about it. So thongs are going to be really cool, and the thing is like the "Paris kills" was like really soft record with lot of synthesizers, because we want it that way, we were really inspired by the 8-th, you know, dark-pop scene, like that kind of stuff, and that's why the record is like what it is. But now as we have less synthesizers this time of course, because we want it to make more, you know, albums that rocks:

Fess: Actually it was my next question. It was about the sound of "Paris kills" it's not so hard as "Blessed be" it sounds softer:

Jurki:Yeah, it was on purpose it was like what it is, and I really like it, and I think that is our best record, but now we want to... especially because we relised "Framed in blood (the very blessed of the 69 Eyes)" this compilation in the end of last year in Finland, so we toured in Finland for it and we played this old-school 69 eyes stuff on the sets too, ant it was really cool to play this old stuff for the audience who have never heard it, may be, for live in the mid-90'th when we last time played this stuff. So that was really rocky, rock-n-roll tour and we want to keep the same energy, put the same energy back to the record. Ant as I said we have done the preproducing with Johnny Lee Michaels but but because now we have Hiili Hiilesmaa as top-producer, so he make sure that there's more raw edge, and you know, more sound of the band, of the album, so that's something that he brings on. When someone is asked how will new songs and new stuff sounds we have been saying that it's like scold-rock you know: the scolly fest like for the Missfits or, whatever, and horror-punk-rock, all this thing, I've been also listening lot of old 50's rok'n'roll and psychobill y and rockabilly to get the not the sound, you know, to get this energy and this driving forces: So, I mean there's lot of things I can say that there's first time ever real string orchestra and thins like that on the album, but don't worry it's not like it sounds: it has the softer side but and fucking dark things it has also the raw edge, so it's going to be amazing, I know its going to be amazing record. I'm super exited all the time of it.

Fess: I noticed that you have a lot of common with HIM (with Ville Vallo, Hiili Hiilesmaa) Can we expect any common projects?

Jurki:: They are really busy at the moment. I actually saw HIM about two month ago in Vienna, I went to see the show, it was great: But we are friends, they are touring in the States, but I think that we are pretty busy at the moment on our own areas. So I don't think that there's something going to be. Any case we haven't plan anything jet. So no news about that:

Fess: Not so long time ago you had a concert in Russia. Did you like the country? How is the Russian people?

Jurki: Well it was really cool, really nice. Pleasure experience - to visit Russia. And we are very exited about coming back, cause as far as I know by now, I hope that this plans will come true, as we will released the new album in October I thing we will first coming to Russia than anywhere else. That's how the management has planed by now.

Fess: You're called a Goth'n'Roll band. What is the meaning of the word "gothic" for you, which place it takes in the band?

Jurki:: You know gothic is not a... of course we can talk about this for hours or couple of days or weeks. It's not like a style or the way how you sing, or the way how you put the keyboards in you song. It more like a lifestyle, it's a way how you see things. The difference is like: Gothic people they see that things are beautiful, than people who are not a part of gothic culture would thing "what's so beautiful in forests, in cemetery:?" I use my gothic vision (see world through my sunglasses in gothic way) just to make your ordinary life and normal days more like a interesting: For instance: like when it's raining it's not cool (probably) but you can always think "Wow! This is gothic weather! Why not?". I think gothic is like to see and live you life, pretty much romanticize every thing and use your imagination and make your life more interesting, make it more fantasy-like in many ways. And along with that there's gothic culture which is so huge this days, that it has so many different kind of music styles and ways. But what brings gothic people together it's like how to see thinks how to enjoy certain things and definitely, of cause, some movies, some bands. But for us it's: In Finland where we are pretty much like a Mainstream band, we're selling platinum amount of records, we're in teenager pop magazines I think guys who like a "true gothic people" (how they properly want to call themselves) they did not so much things like we are. But like you said we are Goth'n'roll band. So whatever it's always like that, when you earlier sister has some bands like our posters on the wall you can't like the band (cause you little sister like it) But I like to bring our ideas to gothic scene and music and it was the main thing when we first time started to play at German gothic festivals. I think that we brought some energy that was long ago missing I mean like lets say 5 years ago gothic-rock, or gothic music pretty much was only like this two guy's playing with the synthesizers, which is may be very cool but it's a different style there's really cool artists like that, but pretty much of those gothic festival seem to be a missing like a rock-n-roll things and energy. For instance I remember first time we played with Paradise Lost at some festival Nick Holmes (the singer) told me: "Hey Jurki, did you noticed that there was only two real drummers playing tonight at this festival (where was like 20 bands):?" The two real drummers was drummer of Paradise lost - Lee and our drummer - Jussi. So that keeps a picture And I think that we after that I mean there s of course coming up different kind of band more like rock-n-roll goth bands, but I mean that's something that I think we brought back, because like in the goth-rock bands witch are important for us (like Sisters of Mercy, Mission an even The Cult) they were like rok'n'roll bands, you know, we want to to bring that elements: and later on as we got in the central Europe and also in Russia this gothic audience I want to introduce new elements through the 69 eyes to the gothic music and for the gothic audience. For instance with this new upcoming record I was: a year ago I was a hole month in Africa in Benin to write some new material for the new album and also .. there's going to be some really interesting African elements in some songs on this record, so that something totally new:

Fess: Wow, I already want to hear it: Well, 'bout gothic music as we talked before there is a lot of electric gothic bands now (like Dark wave and Synth-pop) How do you think, want they will took place of Live bangs on Gothic stage:?

Jurki: Well, I mean, that's why we exist, and that was why the gothic audience in the central Europe was really getting in to us, because we were different, we were like party rock-n-roll band: also I think our reputation on the gothic scenes like peaty wild because we are: you know, when we started we where like we have a influence of all this "Gun's 'n Roses", and all this Glam-Rock bands: and we were started as a glamy rock-n-roll band so we still have the same kind of attitude in many things, especially in partying. So, I think, we have certain kind of wild reputation to.. but I mean what's gothic music this days? It's really huge: it's really big area, it's differs from folk music to, like you sad, dark pop electronic total noise stuff. And it's pretty hard to : because I've doing DJ-ing at the gothic clubs in more central Europe recently in Vienna, so I'm specialized only to the old-school 80-s gothic-rock, like a bands who are pretty more or less sounds like a "Sister.." or as a Mission and things like that. As a DJ, I mean, it's easier to specialize some area, gothic music it's so lost seen this days, it's hard to have all the records and to have knowledge 'bout all the things.. But I mean its something's produce really cool stuff, sometimes especially on this gothic festivals, I thing.. let's say 60% of the bands are extremely boring for me, and they are like.. when you can't tell the difference because they pretty much like similar to each other: But that's why we exist. We try brought the rock-n-roll back to gothic scene, and that's how we are.

Fess: What is music for you? Does it bring you some new emotions or it helps you to get ride of some negative emotions?

Jurki:For this new album I'm been recently listening lot of black-metal, Norwegian black-metal. Which I've been getting (I didn't have them previously actually) records from Darkthron, some new black-metal, for instance new Mayhem. I just saw Mayhem playing in Helsinki, and I think new Mayhem album is really great. So I mean, some times I really need to listen for some really hard stuff, even when I'm doing some ballad stuffs which have violins and some classical orchestra behind (which is going to be on some tracks on our record) sometimes I just need some raw stuff, and that's why I've been listening a lot of black-metal. Especially this old-school black-metal recently. It's like sometimes you want to watch like Splatter horror movies, but sometimes you just watch nature documentaries. So you know sometimes you just have to do something: listen to some raw stuff, and may be next week you want to listen to only... Johnny Cash records. So, you know, you always find new things there, and you can get a lot of inspiration from this stuff, and also it's interesting earn something new. I don't thing that I have any aggression really in that sense. Of course if you go to see some band like for instance this Mayhem show I went to see. It's really noisy and music is pretty aggressive in that sense or actually violent. And that seriously good once a while... You know I'm just a music junk and so I need to get some new stuff every now and than. And sometimes I have to get stronger and stronger stuff: sometimes I listen to black-metal only.. I like so many different music styles. And I fan of so many different kind of bands, so I'm not just limited, I like black-metal, I really like old 50-th rockabilly and rock-n-roll things, and this new rockabilly and also psychobilly. I think psychobilly which nowadays is pretty much raising getting big again. I was really big psychobilly fan when I was teenager in the mid 80-th, so I think psychobilly is really big thing this days, especially with the band called "Necromantics" and "Horror Pops" and things like "rat". I think in the way I saw something relatives between black-metal and psychobilly. I think black-metal is although rising again especially if you listen to the last Satyricon album or new Mayhem. I think the new Satyricon album is more rock-n roll, but that's one of the greatest records of recent years, but I mean I really like the new Mayhem record. And also not black-metal, but death-metal The Capitated is really cool.

Fess: About black-metal. There are some similar sides of black-metal and gothic music attributes like turned crosses, graves and so on: what do you think about it. What do you think about religion in gothic and black-metal music?

Jurki:Well, I think: A friend of mine wrote as university exam about subject kids have always have to rebel against their parents, and they want to shock their parents. Like in the late 70-th early 80-th, it was like people like punk rockers cut the Mohock hair, you know, and that was the shock for their parents and so on: So that when the black-metal comes, you have to shock your parents in some way, so it's like a rebelling against you parents, rebelling against church: I think it's a same kind of thing. And that goes hand in hand with the same some age you are. But always black-metal and gothic: you know in Finland if you go to see black-metal show there's lot of gothic kids and gothic girls :, Imean gothic young girls that like black-metal and they like gothic-rockers. But that's different, especially in German you know there's totally different scene, black-metal people are totally different than gothic people. But there is similarities and the darkness makes the black-mentalists and the gothic people walking hand in hand in many ways. Personally I think religion it's cool thing. And in Finland of course we are grown up in a Christian society, and that is one of things we just gone for hundreds of years, so I mean it's part of how we grown up and it's part of our life but I see no reasons to rebel against it. I like Christmas and things like that so anything I Had on have any reasons to rebel actually anything against. May be I'm too old for that. I think those things are created some tensions like in the mid 90-th, when they were kind of stimulating to create the art known as black-metal these days.

Fess: OK, lets talk about dreams: what do you think what is needed to 69 eyes to became an famous band for all over the world, to be a superstar?

Jurki:Honestly, it's just good producing of the record and the videos: its commercial things. But we are living in interesting times at the moment. Dave Wyndorf from Monster Magnet sad recently in some TV interview, I saw that there, all these big record labels are collapsing at the moment, and it's kind of situation, he said, the big record labels remind him a roman impair the grow really big and now they are like collapsing . And that's really cool, that actually really right way to say it. Now what comes up it's like it's big record labels they are in difficulties but the small record labels where it's all just because of the music, they are becoming important. Like for instance good example is Nuclear Blast which is only for metal, but it does come really important, one of the most important label at the moment. The thing is the big trans at the moment come from underground scene. The most famous band recently was Evanescence, it's not time to talk here is it a gothic band or not, but anyway lets say that it is a gothic band, but it is the underground style anyways, and now it's the biggest: Everything can happen and it just depends on if you got you stuff out and how you've got it out. But seriously I have no expectation for this kind of thing, I like the way that 69 eyes are at the moment, of course naturally I would be happy that the records would be able for people who want to listen to them, to get them I mean people in Russia, people in the South America would be able to get 69 eyes records, and we would be able to go to play for the people who want to see us, but I think it's cooler this way stay a little bit underground band from Helsinki. There's bands like HIM who are like have a leading role, but I'm happy for the role of 69 eyes at the moment because as far as people get to know us and they have chance to check us out they become "Helsinki vampires" themselves.

Fess: And what about your personal dreams is there a place for the 69 eyes in you dreams?

Jurki: Well: without band everything has so much to do to fulfill our old dreams. 69 eyes: when we put it up in the early 90-th we want to make it like a band that we would like to go to see ourselves so everything that we do is like something like if there would be a dream band it would do this and that. Sometimes we had succeeded especially with the last recent 3 albums we are really satisfied with them sometimes we really didn't know how to get things done, but whatever all this years we have learned: it's all about our dreams, of rock-n-roll and to be immortal in the way of you can be as a rock-n-roll band and pretty much they have happened. Our dreams have been fulfilled but of course you'll never get enough in that sense, and I know there are a lot of adventures for us waiting still. We are the bend. We are like a gyes who are doomed to play together, it's some kind of curse may be we are like a band that never dies, we just play year after year, decade after decade.. it just goes on and why not. It's been fuckin fun, and it's still is.

Fess: Some wishes for the Ukrainian fans of 69 eyes:

Jurki: All right! I Hope we definitely have a chance to come over for the visit. And like its said congratulations for you. You seem to have a lot of beautiful women in Ukraine and I hardly can't wait to for the Helsinki vampires to thin their teeth into your neck. So look your girlfriend when we come, and don't forget you sunglasses.

Fess: We'll be waiting for you in Ukraine..

Jurki: I hope we'll meet as soon as possible. I Hope our management will arranged our tour that we have a chance to visit somewhere else that only in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Hat would be very cool.