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Hundreds of fans responded to our invitation to participate in a first interview with Burton, mailing their questions from all over the world, from places as far away as Brazil, Venezuela and Japan. Many questions concern the new album, but we are not going to go into that, to keep the excitement and anticipation building up.
When was the first time you found out that you were going to be a musician? - Christina G
I was very young, my mother put me into piano lessons and when I graduated from school I started to do music.
But, I'm lucky because I can do this.
How and when did you get into playing the keyboards? - Jessica
I got into playing the keyboards when I was 5 or 6 years old.
Can you play anything else? - Brzoza
Yes, I can play guitar, bass and drums, but just the basics.
What are your musical influences? - Siri
My musical influences are mostly classical music and also Pink Floyd.
What did you think about HIM, before you joined the band! - Maria
Well, I already knew the guys from before. Mige and I were together in school. It was funny and interesting to see the band's evolution, you know in the newspapers and all this stuff.
And of course, I was happy because they "made it".
Why did you decide to join HIM?
Well, the guys asked me to join them on a Scandinivian tour after Zoltan had left, it felt really easy and comfortable and so I joined the band.
How do you feel about the album recording?
This time it's really nice because we brought our own stuff into the studio: carpets, posters etc to make it more homely. But some days it's really a pain in the ass because you're in the studio for hours and you end up with only a few minutes of recording. This is frustrating but it happens really seldom.
How much insight have you put into the new material, and how does it sound like? - Anthony Hammond
I give my ideas to Ville. The keyboard sounds and some melodies are my major influence.
Can we expect more synth parts on the next album?
Maybe a bit more...
Do you arrange the keyboard tracks yourself, or has Ville made it out beforehand? - Einar, Norway
Ville has some stuff and I give him my ideas and we do it together.
How does the music reflect your own personal taste? - Teun van de Berg, Netherlands
I like the "power of rock n roll". Of course I like the music because otherwise I wouldn't have joined the band, but of course there are some songs that I like less than others.
Which do you enjoy the most: composing, recording, or playing your songs live? - Sandra, Brazil
Playing live - cause you get all this adrenaline.
Will there be more keyboard riffs on the new record, like in "Join Me" or "Bury Me Deep Inside Your Heart"? - Stefan, Germany
One of the new tracks has a piano riff which I really like.
Why did you take the nickname Emerson Burton? - Marina, Moscow
Well, Burton because it's close to my last name, Puurtinen, the drummer of Suburban Tribe invented it. And Emerson is more of a joke.
What does your cowboy hat stand for and why do you always wear it on stage?
I think it's just cool. It comes from San Francisco.
What have you decorated your keyboard with?
There's this Jack Nicholson sticker, and at one gig in Switzerland, we had a lot of spare time, so the guys drew all sorts of things on it. If think it's kind of ugly now.
What's your favorite HIM song and which one do you enjoy the most to play live? - Heidi Ekbom, Finland
My favorite song is "Bury me deep inside your heart", it has beautiful melodies and nice verses. It's also my favorite to play live. I specially like that one point when Ville sings and I play in the background. It's a moody one.
Can you fulfill all your ideas in HIM or are you planning to do a side project? - Gita
Yeah, I can fulfill my ideas pretty well. I've got no plans for now, but maybe one day I'll do my own solo thing, like a synth album.
Is there any gig that u remember specially for some reason? What reason would that be? - Korana, Croatia, Zagreb
Probably Rock am Ring, because it was one of my first gigs in such a big place and also because we hadn't practiced a lot before the gig. We had like two or three practice hours and they were without Ville. We were at Mige's place with Linde and Gas was drumming on a table.
At this time I felt pressure because at the same time I had job, I was studying and I had other band at the same time.
What have been your best and your worst moments you had with HIM so far? - Guess who
The worst moment was probably on the last tour cause at one point we had a rough and tough time. At some point we were really pissed off but then the things settled down and that was the best moment. The band also grew because of this. Anyway, it was over quite fast.
What's the one thing that drives you crazy while you're on tour? - Netta, Poland
Probably the hotel rooms, because it gets boring when you've got nothing else to do than to watch TV in your bed. Also when you can't sleep after a show.
Because you've got all this adrenaline?
Exactly.
How often do you listen to your own songs?
Never actually. After we've just released something I listen to it a couple of times and then never again.
Do you sometimes visit some of the websites about HIM? - Nina Werner
Probably once every two months.
Have you got any favorite bands? What are they?
Pink Floyd and Michael Jackson
What's your opinion of the Finnish music scene? Any bands which you would recommend? - Siri
It's growing. 5 years ago it was very different because no one used to listen to songs in English, especially in the countryside.
I'd recommend Suburban Tribe, of course.
Could you describe all the other guys, in one word? Each of them. - Maiju, Finland
Ville: complex.
Mige: deep.
Linde: quiet.
Gas: kind.
What names did you consider changing into when you realized you had to change your name to come to America? - Garett
The first time, I heard of the name HER was from Seppo, our manager, and Ville. But I'm pleased with it.
Who's your favorite actress? - Jana, Germany
Emma Thompson.
What is the first thing you notice in a woman? - Klio, Greece
I notice the whole set. I notice her presence, the overall impression she gives.
Do you cook? - Erina
Yes, I've been working in a restaurant as a chef for two years, well two summers and one year. I love it, it's a hobby kind of thing; a way to relax.
What vegetarian dish would you recommend Abigaili?
Onion soup.
What's your favorite dish?
Pizza.
Just a plain Margarita?
Yes.
What would you cook for me?
I'd make you an onion soup, gratinated in the oven.
What is the first thing you think about when you wake up in the morning? - Milena, Bulgaria
I brush my teeth.
You have 30 minutes before the end of the world. What would you do in the last half hour?
I would take a nap.
If the band got into a fight and fists started flying, who would emerge from the scrap with the least damage? - Vikki
Me.
If you could have a super power of any kind, what would you wish for? - Spider
I'd like to fly of course.
If you would have to move to another country, which country would you choose? - Monica, Venezuela
Sweden, especially Stockholm which is one of my favorite cities.
If you had the chance to meet one person, no matter if dead or alive, who would it be?
Michael Jackson. I'm a big fan of his music.
What would you do if you would rule the world for one day?
I'd give everybody a day off.
What would you bring with you to a desert island?
An axe.
What tale did you like when you were a kid? - Rita, Portugal
Lord of the Rings, but when I was kid it was H.C. Anderson's tales, the terrible ones like "The red shoes".
Who shot JFK? What do you think? - Moa the Ander
I know, but I can not reveal it.
Why are you called Puppe and what does it mean? - Ihni
It's just a nickname. There was this TV show in Finland with a character called Jean Pierre Kusela and his pianist was called Puppe. It was a comedy act.
If you had to compare your life now and back when you were not famous, what would you say are the biggest differences both emotionally and physically? - Spider
Physically nothing really, except that you get more tired when you're on tour. Emotionally I've got the stress sometimes, but no radical changes.
Jessica who's also playing the keys has a hard time practicing, so she wants to know what kept you motivated?
When I was a kid, my mom made me a hand puppet called "Riku the piano dog". I had to play for him cause else he would have died, well not died but starved because he lived from the piano music.
Could you name 3 things you can not live without?
I can always find a way to live.
What thing is worth knowing in Helsinki? .What places, galleries, pubs? - Sylwia, Poland
Suomenlinna (fortress on an island near Helsinki) is a very nice and beautiful place in the summer. The house of Modern Arts is also very nice.
Have you ever had some solo keys/piano concerts? - Mumla
When I was studying music I had to do some solo things but apart from this nothing special.
What would you do if you weren't a musician? - Sandra
Maybe I'd be a chef.
Do you have another profession apart from musician? - Sophia Mьller
I have done a lot of things: I was a chef, a music teacher, I've also given piano lessons and I was also a stage technician at the Opera house.
Everything nowadays changes for better or for worse, what is the one thing you wouldn't want to change?
The way the sun sets and rises.
Have you read the book Synnin Viemдд? If you did, what do you think of it? - Niina
No, I haven't read it yet, but I read the manuscript. It gives a good picture of the band as it is today, if it would be written again in ten years it would be very different.
What languages do you speak? - Y.Henseler, Germany
English and Swedish. I also studied French for three years at school but I can't speak it. I also understand a bit of German, the basic sentences.
What is the most fanatic thing a fan has done for you?
I haven't met fans that were really fanatic yet. So far I had no problems with them.
What was your first piece of good advice in life? - Nicola, Birmingham
Take it easy.
What kind of sports do you like?
I like basketball, I also play it. Sumo wrestling and I like boxing too.
Have you got any pets?
I have no pets, I love cats but unfortunately I'm allergic to them.
A question from Poland, do you believe in destiny?
Yes, I do if someone would explain what it means.
Have you got any addictions?
Cigarettes and coffee.
What do you do in your spear time, any hobbies? - Tina Einfeldt
Cooking of course, also reading, playing basketball and chess.
Where would you like to travel?
To Japan because of the cultural difference.
Why do you give so few interviews? - Mimi
I've got no reasons to, Ville and Mige do most of them.
Are you typically Finnish and if so what are the characteristics of a typical Finn?
I don't believe in typical Finns or typical Americans. You can't find the same things in every one from the same country, but I don't want to believe in it.
Do you have any tattoos? - Patrick
No, I'm a tattoo virgin.
What does your family think about your musical career?
My dad's glad and proud and my mother is kind of scared because mothers are always protective.
What changes have you made in your personal life that you are the most proud of? - Jenny, Mexico
I stopped worrying too much and stopped biting my nails.
How would your ideal day look?
It would be a day in the Finnish autumn, there's no snow but the leaves have already fallen from the trees, it's sunny and a little cold and I've got nothing particular to do.
Here the fan's questions end, and we finish the interview with the famous Bernard Pivot's questionnaire:
What's your favorite word?
Uni (sleep).
What's the word you hate?
Paituli. It's a thing from the 80's that especially women used to wear; really long t-shirts that went to their ankles, they were really ugly.
It's also an annoying word in Finnish.
What's the sound you love?
Waves
What's the noise you hate?
When the phone rings.
What's your favorite curse word?
Saatana.
Who would be the woman or the man you'd choose to illustrate a new bank note?
Our manager Seppo of course.
What's the job you wouldn't have liked to have?
I wouldn't like to be a phone seller, I've done that once and it's really horrible.
What's the plant, the tree or the animal you would have liked to be reincarnated in?
A tree, whatever kind.
Imagine God exists, what would you wish he would tell you after you died?
Would you like to have some candy or shall we play some chess first?
Interview by Sandra M.
