Ville Valo interview

We chat to the iconic HIM frontman ahead of the band's stint on the Ronnie James Dio Stage at Download 2010

Download: Hi Ville, welcome back to Download. How many times have you been here now?
Ville Valo: I’d love to say way to many [laughs]. But I think this might be our fifth time, or maybe even our sixth. It’s crazy – we’ve had the honour to be invited to come over again.

DL: Why is Download so special to you?
VV: It’s always been great. It’s a celebration of all kinds of music, it’s not just for one band, it’s not just an ordinary gig for us. It’s an institution.

DL: Tell us about your set tonight on the Ronnie James Dio Stage.
VV: I reckon we’ll be playing two new songs from our lattest album. We only have 50 minutes so we need to play more the more up-tempo ones. We’ll be good, it’s just going to be a combo of everything we’ve done. We also have a few other options. If people hate us, we’ll throw in some Rebel Yell by Billy Idol or something. You never know!

DL: How important are your fans to you and the band these days?
VV: I think it’s odd to come from a country as small as Finland, travel all around the world and then have people who know your face, know your music and some of your lyrics. Maybe the music has helped them get through a tough day or something, and when that happens it’s a peculiar, odd feeling, and you have to respect that on various levels. If what we do can make somebody happy for a few minutes then it’s a job well done.

DL: Any bands you’re looking forw…
VV: [interrupts] Rage.

DL: I thought you might say that.
VV: They’ll be good. I was never really that much of a huge fan, but when I saw them play in ’96 it was the best gigs I’ve ever seen. That’s the power of that band.

DL: Have you always been a fan?
VV: I don’t even really like them that much when I listen to them on the stereo, but when they’re live, they are amazing. They are the kings of the world.

DL: You’ve got a couple of hours to kill between now and going on stage. What kind of stuff will you do to prepare for your set?
VV: I’m going to talk to lots of people, and just hope that my bladder is gonna survive. There’s a tremendous amount of pressure around my groin area right now. But it’ll be ok – I’m kinda used to it.

DL: Do you still get nervous before you go on stage?
VV: Of course I do. It’s part of the ritual to get the adrenaline up. There’s no muscle you can flex that would ‘make’ you nervous though. If you don’t get nervous, that’s usually when the shit gigs happen.