stefan86's offtopic random retard thread - post away!
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DarkGift
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stefan86
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hexwind
Creepiness Och Terrorism
Mike: I really never keep track of the sales to be honest. I always get disappointed when I hear that they haven´t sold double platinum you know, haha! I´m happy with it, especially the sleeve, the big nod to Deep purple. It looks amazing. I edited the camerawork with this bloke over in the UK so I´ve no sat down and watched it since. It sounds good I guess. It´s pretty amazing to see us on that stage with all these people watching, inside this beautiful hall. Still can´t really believe we´ve sold that place out. If you´re interested in charts, we got number 2 in the US-charts, squeezed inbetween The Beatles and Rush wich is alright. I think Wacko Jacko took the number one spot in the UK and we got number 2! What people have to realize, that the amounts are not staggering these days. We got a gold-record award for sales of a past DVD in Canada 5000 copies! That´s a great amount for one country, but I always figured gold records meant sales in excess of 25000 units or something. Whatever...we´re happy with it, yes!
FC: Earlier this year you got your own column in "Sweden rock magazine", the biggest hard rock-magazine in Sweden. There you write about special vinyl´s from your own vast collection. It must be hard to pick one out! How do you choose the albums?
Mike: Yes, it´s pretty hard. Even now I´m wondering why the hell I picked "that" record. But they´re all great LP`s to me and they deserve some recognition. I have to say I like writing that column. It´s an outlet for me of some sort. I wrote "blogs" before on my MySpace-page but I closed that one down. Kinda missed writing stuff like that, so I immediatly said yes when SRM approached me about it.
FC: How many records do you actually have? As a true "collector-nerd", how do you organize your collection?
Mike: I don´t know. 5000 maybe? Only I will find the records I´m looking for. It´s divided into rarities which in turn are divided into countries (where the band was from) and finally in alphabetical order. The I have a regular A-Ö section with 60´s and 70´s whatever style. Another one for 80´s hard rock and metal. The Last one is for 90´s records and beyond. This is fine and dandy for me, but it present a problem. Deep purple for instance, made records from 1968 and a few rarities on top of it. Their records are all over the place. I refuse to see a 80´s LP like "Perfect strangers" (great record) next to a 70´s spine, say like "Fireball". So their records are spread out. See my dilemma? I´m constantly thinking about the ultimate way to sort it.
FC: The First record I bought myself, was Kiss "Hotter than hell" back in -75. Do you remember what record your first time?
Mike: Yes, "Hotter than hell" in 1975. I was 1 and told my parents I "wanted to rock"! Actually it was "The Number of the beast" when it came out. I was very young. Huddinge, the place were I grew up, had a bookstore that also sold some LP`s. My dad took me there and I just walked straight up to the shelf and picked it. Shortly after I bought a Mexican pressing of "Lick it up". Awesome record, that one too!
FC: If you could listen to only one band/artist for the rest of your life...which band /artist would that be?
Mike: Probably someone like Joni Mitchell. She´s got plenty of records and I love most of her work I have to say. Or maybe the Beatles? Sabbath or Judas priest or Purple? Reliable, durable stuff. Not that it´s going to happen anytime soon.
FC: Recently we heard that you going into the studio early next year. Are all the songs written?
Mike: Pretty much. I have 11 songs done, and Fredrik is working on 2 I believe. We´ll record everything but perhaps leave som stuff off the record. We´re going into Atlantis studios in Stockholm. Same place where we did "Soldier of fortune", the Purple cover. It´s a legendary place where Abba recorded all their records up til 1979.
FC: In an interview in Sweden rock magazine you said that you are tired of the image of yourself and Opeth and that the next record will surprise a few...can you explain a bit more?
Mike: Yes I guess so. I´m tired of the shallowness of metal musicians. I want to show that we´re something more than that, which we´ve always been to some extent. I don´t want Opeth lumped togheter with any of those other bands. I think most of it is horrible these days. New records from professional bands sounds like bloodless unmusical crap to me. It´s not even metal. Might have all the ingredients, like the distortion, the heaviness, the screams, but it´s not "metal" really. Our record will have some heavier moments but calling it a metal release would probably be misleading. But the music has an energy, nerve and playfulness that I personally have been missing in the music scene of today. I know my tastes in music is pretty extreme and very diverse and a lot of metal fans probably won´t understand what the hell I´m on about...but, well, I started this band, and became a musician because I wanted to do what I loved doing. My music is not going to make me it´s prisoner. I feel in my heart I want us to take this direction now, it feels obvious and "right". I´ve tried to guide the band on those impulses throughout our career and so far it´s been pretty decent. To me the new music sounds like the very essence of Opeth, but that´s pretty confusing to say I guess, cause everyone has a (different) opinion what that is exactly. To put it like this, it´s this record or nothing.
FC: Where do you get your inspiration regarding your songwriting at the moment? We all know you love "older" music from the late 60´s and early 70´s.
Mike: Yes, that´s what I listen to and love. Right now it´s The Moody blues and a record called "To our children´s children´s children". It´s got a magic feel to it. Lots of Pink Floyd as well, especially the psychedlic era. Some straight rock like Bad Company and anything with Paul Rodgers. Lots of early Alice Cooper, his first 2 records right now. I constantly have music playing so it´s everchanging.
FC: A while ago, your friend Mike Portnoy, decided to leave Dream theater. Opeth has also experienced the loss of important band members. What do you DT can expect now?
Mike: Some type of rejuvenation I guess. It happens and change is usually good for a band andfor the individuals concerned. I always thought evere line up change we´ve had made us stronger and a better band. But surely there´s lots of fans who would disagree. But they only "listen" to us, they don´t "live" Opeth as we do, so their opinion won´t leave us with second thougts.
FC: Did you get the time you hoped for, when you shut down your MySpace-profile? Do you miss it?
Mike: Not the maintenance, no. Not at all! It was a massive relief. I want to close all our pages down to be honest. Protest against the cheapening of music as an art form that unfortunatly came with the advent of the internet. Not trying to be mystical, and I use the net for buying shit and for e-mails, but I mean, I think it´s sickening all these people who live their lives through Facebook and Twitter and whatever it is. It´s really sad actually. I thought I´d learn to live with the whole phenomenon, but I´m really starting to hate it, or certain aspects of it.
FC: Christmas is around the corner...what do you wish for christmas?
Mike: Stuff I never buy myself, like socks! And I always get them! I wished for a nice bottle of wine, Italian wine. Other than that, I like to just be with my family. Especially my kids of course. My dad is coming down from up north so we´re all gathered, all the Åkerfeldt´s, haha! We´ll do the usual, Donald Duck, dinner, presents and then some booze! And wild arguments and fight!
( To all foreigners: In Sweden almost everyone is watching Donald Duck at christmas eve...even the Åkerfeldt´s! "FC explain")
The Fan club thank Mike for taking time answering these questions!
Fuck you, I just wanted to post it here to read it, without hurting my eyes with the black ad whie contrast
FC: Earlier this year you got your own column in "Sweden rock magazine", the biggest hard rock-magazine in Sweden. There you write about special vinyl´s from your own vast collection. It must be hard to pick one out! How do you choose the albums?
Mike: Yes, it´s pretty hard. Even now I´m wondering why the hell I picked "that" record. But they´re all great LP`s to me and they deserve some recognition. I have to say I like writing that column. It´s an outlet for me of some sort. I wrote "blogs" before on my MySpace-page but I closed that one down. Kinda missed writing stuff like that, so I immediatly said yes when SRM approached me about it.
FC: How many records do you actually have? As a true "collector-nerd", how do you organize your collection?
Mike: I don´t know. 5000 maybe? Only I will find the records I´m looking for. It´s divided into rarities which in turn are divided into countries (where the band was from) and finally in alphabetical order. The I have a regular A-Ö section with 60´s and 70´s whatever style. Another one for 80´s hard rock and metal. The Last one is for 90´s records and beyond. This is fine and dandy for me, but it present a problem. Deep purple for instance, made records from 1968 and a few rarities on top of it. Their records are all over the place. I refuse to see a 80´s LP like "Perfect strangers" (great record) next to a 70´s spine, say like "Fireball". So their records are spread out. See my dilemma? I´m constantly thinking about the ultimate way to sort it.
FC: The First record I bought myself, was Kiss "Hotter than hell" back in -75. Do you remember what record your first time?
Mike: Yes, "Hotter than hell" in 1975. I was 1 and told my parents I "wanted to rock"! Actually it was "The Number of the beast" when it came out. I was very young. Huddinge, the place were I grew up, had a bookstore that also sold some LP`s. My dad took me there and I just walked straight up to the shelf and picked it. Shortly after I bought a Mexican pressing of "Lick it up". Awesome record, that one too!
FC: If you could listen to only one band/artist for the rest of your life...which band /artist would that be?
Mike: Probably someone like Joni Mitchell. She´s got plenty of records and I love most of her work I have to say. Or maybe the Beatles? Sabbath or Judas priest or Purple? Reliable, durable stuff. Not that it´s going to happen anytime soon.
FC: Recently we heard that you going into the studio early next year. Are all the songs written?
Mike: Pretty much. I have 11 songs done, and Fredrik is working on 2 I believe. We´ll record everything but perhaps leave som stuff off the record. We´re going into Atlantis studios in Stockholm. Same place where we did "Soldier of fortune", the Purple cover. It´s a legendary place where Abba recorded all their records up til 1979.
FC: In an interview in Sweden rock magazine you said that you are tired of the image of yourself and Opeth and that the next record will surprise a few...can you explain a bit more?
Mike: Yes I guess so. I´m tired of the shallowness of metal musicians. I want to show that we´re something more than that, which we´ve always been to some extent. I don´t want Opeth lumped togheter with any of those other bands. I think most of it is horrible these days. New records from professional bands sounds like bloodless unmusical crap to me. It´s not even metal. Might have all the ingredients, like the distortion, the heaviness, the screams, but it´s not "metal" really. Our record will have some heavier moments but calling it a metal release would probably be misleading. But the music has an energy, nerve and playfulness that I personally have been missing in the music scene of today. I know my tastes in music is pretty extreme and very diverse and a lot of metal fans probably won´t understand what the hell I´m on about...but, well, I started this band, and became a musician because I wanted to do what I loved doing. My music is not going to make me it´s prisoner. I feel in my heart I want us to take this direction now, it feels obvious and "right". I´ve tried to guide the band on those impulses throughout our career and so far it´s been pretty decent. To me the new music sounds like the very essence of Opeth, but that´s pretty confusing to say I guess, cause everyone has a (different) opinion what that is exactly. To put it like this, it´s this record or nothing.
FC: Where do you get your inspiration regarding your songwriting at the moment? We all know you love "older" music from the late 60´s and early 70´s.
Mike: Yes, that´s what I listen to and love. Right now it´s The Moody blues and a record called "To our children´s children´s children". It´s got a magic feel to it. Lots of Pink Floyd as well, especially the psychedlic era. Some straight rock like Bad Company and anything with Paul Rodgers. Lots of early Alice Cooper, his first 2 records right now. I constantly have music playing so it´s everchanging.
FC: A while ago, your friend Mike Portnoy, decided to leave Dream theater. Opeth has also experienced the loss of important band members. What do you DT can expect now?
Mike: Some type of rejuvenation I guess. It happens and change is usually good for a band andfor the individuals concerned. I always thought evere line up change we´ve had made us stronger and a better band. But surely there´s lots of fans who would disagree. But they only "listen" to us, they don´t "live" Opeth as we do, so their opinion won´t leave us with second thougts.
FC: Did you get the time you hoped for, when you shut down your MySpace-profile? Do you miss it?
Mike: Not the maintenance, no. Not at all! It was a massive relief. I want to close all our pages down to be honest. Protest against the cheapening of music as an art form that unfortunatly came with the advent of the internet. Not trying to be mystical, and I use the net for buying shit and for e-mails, but I mean, I think it´s sickening all these people who live their lives through Facebook and Twitter and whatever it is. It´s really sad actually. I thought I´d learn to live with the whole phenomenon, but I´m really starting to hate it, or certain aspects of it.
FC: Christmas is around the corner...what do you wish for christmas?
Mike: Stuff I never buy myself, like socks! And I always get them! I wished for a nice bottle of wine, Italian wine. Other than that, I like to just be with my family. Especially my kids of course. My dad is coming down from up north so we´re all gathered, all the Åkerfeldt´s, haha! We´ll do the usual, Donald Duck, dinner, presents and then some booze! And wild arguments and fight!
( To all foreigners: In Sweden almost everyone is watching Donald Duck at christmas eve...even the Åkerfeldt´s! "FC explain")
The Fan club thank Mike for taking time answering these questions!
Fuck you, I just wanted to post it here to read it, without hurting my eyes with the black ad whie contrast
BastardSonOfGod
Zombie
stefan86
invariably off-topic
Nanain
I don´t speak english.
- Sep 28, 2010
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- 38
what?
hi hi Hex, whar "arios" means?I slept crooked and it hurts my neck, but well, and you ?^^
DarkGift
ov Doom
stefan86
invariably off-topic
Nanain
I don´t speak english.
- Sep 28, 2010
- 4,358
- 5
- 38
good idea
stefan86
invariably off-topic
Nanain
I don´t speak english.
- Sep 28, 2010
- 4,358
- 5
- 38
Nanain
I don´t speak english.
- Sep 28, 2010
- 4,358
- 5
- 38
DarkGift
ov Doom
DarkGift
ov Doom
stefan86
invariably off-topic
DarkGift
ov Doom
stefan86
invariably off-topic
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