gothicgoddess

The last time I had met Jyrki 69 of the 69 Eyes was at their CD Listening Party for Back in Blood in June of this year.  They were also filming their video for Dead Girls are Easy with Bam Margera in Westchester PA at the time.  I had been following the band for quite some time at that point, and I couldn’t believe that I would be finally meeting them in person.  And then I did.

Jyrki, Bazie, and Jussie were all about the fans.  They took their time to speak with them and make them feel special.  They were generous with the fan photography, and even with me!  In my case, they were especially kind and patient!  In fact, it was really Jyrki who was especially kind and patient!  Things were a bit on the rough side for me at the time, and unfortunately it showed a tad…

I had found out about the get together at the last minute (as was their way), and had tried to get an interview.  However, I do believe that everything happens for a good reason, and their schedule was so tight that it was not at all possible anyway!

Fortunately enough, I got my break this time around when they performed for their Back in Blood 2009 US Tour at The Blender Theatre October 20, 2009 (a little over a week ago). Indeed, it was lucky, and I am most grateful to Jyrki for parceling out time for me.  I couldn’t believe it then, and to a certain degree, I can’t believe it now!  Hours before he had been on Fox News‘ Red Eye with Greg Gutfield!  You can’t get bigger than that!  And a most awesome interview it was!  I learned from Jyrki that they’re dying to have him back on the show as soon as possible and yo put on a live performance with the complete band as well!  Very much looking forward to that, Jyrki!

I learned much from the Red Eye interview, and yet more from mine with Jyrki.  He is a most interesting, multi-talented, and complex individual.  And maybe it’s the geek in me, but I find him to be bigger than life.  He has a quiet yet powerful personality, a strong sense of self, and  goal-directedness.  Just as with Emilie Autumn, he too knows what he wants and how to get it. As far as I’m concerned, he’s already got it!

Some of us waited for the band to come out to the bus after the show, and after a while of winding down from all the excitement and success of the show, Jyrki, Bazie, and Jussie came out and joined us.  We ended up at the Bowery Electric, former home to Contempt (under a different name and management; now Contempt takes place at Identity).  I always loved that location, and still do.  There’s something magical about it, and work its magic that night it did.  Why?  Well, I’ll tell you.

The place has always played great OLD SHOOL rock and roll, especially from the late 70s and 80s. Elvis Costello, Blondie, U2, Tom Tom Club, David Bowie, to name a few. Well, you get the idea… So what better band to add to the roster than the 69 Eyes?  I went up to Isreal, the DJ of the evening, and asked him if he had any 69 Eyes.  He replied, “No.”  That situation just had to be corrected.  I asked him if he would be able to play off my ipod, and he answered, “Yes.  I’ll play something in an hour.”  I told him that we might not BE there in an hour, could he do it sooner?  He replied, “Ok, then.  In half an hour.”  I said, “Deal.”

Fourty-five minutes later, I approached him again and pointed to the time.  I gave him my ipod, directed him to Back in Blood, and he chose the title song.  It started to play. Jyrki was both floored and so happy to hear his music spinning.  He was like a kid and transported back on stage.  Seeing him so excited was probably the highlight of the evening for me!  After the song was over, he went to the DJ and thanked him, and then went on his way.  There is no better way for a musical artist to end his/her evening than hearing his/her creation in public!

I hope you enjoy listening to my interview with Jyrki as much as I did chatting with him!

In addition, to view photos of the band from the show at The Blender, please visit:

69 Eyes at The Blender Theatre in NYC 10/20/09

To view Jyrki’s interview with Greg Gutfield on Fox News, please visit:

Jyrki 69 of 69 Eyes on Fox News Red Eye with Greg Gutfield

Enjoy!

Eternally yours in darkness,

Gothic Goddess

ps: No, I did not go to Westchester, PA the next morning.  I tried to get to the show at The Note the next evening, but had no easy way of getting there.  I would have loved to cover all three bands again (The Becoming, Dommin, and 69 Eyes), but it was unfortunately impossible for me to do so.  However, I am very sure there will be a next time.  After all, America loves the 69 Eyes!

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I had been preparing for my interview with Emilie Autumn for quite a while. I think I had been preparing for it way before I even knew I would be lucky enough to conduct one with her. I had been following her activities, music and musings on myspace and vampire freaks for years, and more recently on her official web site and forum.

I was a bit nervous and intimidated in my eager anticipation of my encounter with Emilie. She provides inspiration for women in a male-dominated scene and industry where they find it difficult to find a voice. To me she seemed larger than life, and how could I possibly digest it all?

The eagerly anticipated day finally arrived. My angst turned into both excitement and a certain calm and collectedness. I had been immersing myself in the Asylum Netherworld of her Victoriandustrial alter ego, and what previously may have seemed alien to me now almost felt familiar and inviting. I was meant to meet and interview Emilie at this point in time, and everything would work out the way it was meant to!

The band arrived late. In fact, the bus had just arrived before I got to the Highline, an hour before my appointment. There were two interviews ahead of me, but I was still certain that all would fall into place. And it did!

Emilie came down a bit after our scheduled appointment, and we continued upstairs to the theatre’s balcony where it was quiet and far from the chaos of the stage.

VIP Plague Rats at Start of Their Asylum Tour at The Highline Ballroom in NYC 10.13.09

She was very friendly and accessible, fantastically creative and sharp as a whip. She knows what she wants, how to get it, and how to convey it to her fans. They even want to look like her. They want to dress like her. They want to BE her. She makes them forget about their everyday problems by transporting them into her upside down Asylum. In a world full of loneliness, isolation, and struggle, Emilie makes her fans feel that they aren’t alone. She has also experienced her share of strife and still does along with the rest of us. There is something for everyone to identify with, including myself!

Emilie Autumn is not a band, it’s a theatrical extravaganza and personal experience, and she is taking the world by storm!

I hope you enjoy listening to the interview as much as I enjoyed conducting it. Perhaps you might even learn something new from it!

Uncut, unedited, unadulterated.  Just pure Emilie!

To learn more about Emilie Autumn, please visit:

www.emilieautumn.com/

www.myspace.com/emilieautumn

Eternally yours in darkness,

Gothic Goddess

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Ronan of VNV Nation was kind enough to grant me an interview with him before their show at The Nokia in NYC this past Saturday 7.18.09.  It was a unique experience.

I was shown into this large lounge-like room with virtually no light.  I grappled my way to a seat and got my self situated before he entered.  The first thing he remarked upon his arrival was the lack of light!  We both fumbled around to see where we could find an active light switch until he finally found one on the little lamp between the couches where we were to sit.

He had much to say that he just wanted to spill that night.  I could tell immediately the moment he opened his mouth to speak to me.  It needed to be said and it needed to be heard.  There just was no stopping him, and I was only to happy to hear what he had to say.  I don’t know how or what he felt after the interview was over, but while we were talking in that dark room, I knew there  was an immediate “click”.  And Ronan did not disappoint.

I saw VNV for the first time at The Music Hall in Williamsburg in November of 2007.  It was about a month or a bit more after my Dad died.  I always had been moved by VNV’s music, but when I saw them (and specifically Ronan) live, the musical experience became an even more intimate as well as uplifting one. And this time was no less.

There is something unique about Ronan and the way he is able to reach out to his audience.  I don’t think he can stop a show until he feels that he has truly connected with them and “conveyed his message” of the moment.  I felt that especially this past Saturday.  He was in rare form, just as he was in a different kind of rare form for the interview.  It was very interesting to listen to and later watch on stage. When he felt that he had truly connected and conveyed - that while he was “still talking”, they INDEED were “just listening”, the show came to an end.

Ronan is an old soul.  He claims not to be religious or spiritual, but I think he is one of the most “spiritual” people I have ever met.  I don’t mean it in the traditional “religious” sense at all.  I mean it in the absolute purest meaning of “spiritual”- “relating to the soul or spirit, usually in contrast to material things”, “connected by an affinity of the mind, spirit, or temperament” - Microsoft Word dictionary

I learned much from this man and feel there was a reason for my meeting with him at this point in time.

At one point in the interview he asked whether we should return to talking about the new album…what he did not perhaps realize was that we had covered quite a bit of it as well as answers to most of my questions which I had prepared for the interview but had not yet asked!  Now THAT was a strange feeling… What was even stranger was that the more we spoke, the more I wanted to know.  I think we could have gone on for hours, and that would have been fine with me!

Did I get what I wanted and achieve what I set out to achieve with this interview?  Absolutely. Podcasts, interviews, reviews, and other such editorial are meant to get me and my fans closer to and better appreciate artists and their work. By getting to know better WHO they are and not just what they do through the interview, I, my fans, and the artist’s fans do get closer and better appreciate the artist and his/her work.  I did with Ronan, and I hope VNV fans will feel the same.

Don’t worry Ronan, Of Faith, Power, and Glory will get  its own time with a proper review very very soon for I still have much to say about the album that I have not yet articulated and that I feel needs to be heard.

But meanwhile everyone, enjoy the interview!  I know I did!

Eternally yours in darkness,

Gothic Goddess

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Aesthetic Perfection and Julien K opened for Combichrist @ The Crazy Donkey in Farmindale NY 6.29.09.  I managed to get an interview with Julien K.  I wish I had gotten one with Aesthetic Perfection, but somehow it never came up…kicking myself for it now!

To view photos from the show, please visit:

Aesthetic Perfection, Julien K, and Combichrist @ The Crazy Donkey 6.29.09

Enjoy!

Gothic Goddess

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I was able to get in an interview with Andy LaPlegua of Combichrist before their show at The Crazy Donkey 6.29.09 in Farmingdale, NY.  I thought going in that he would be bigger than life with the attitude to boot.  After all, Combichrist is a major influence on the industrial scene!  I was proved completely wrong.  Andy has to be among the most down to earth, genuine people I have met.  He’s a kid at heart who just wants to have fun and enjoy life.  He brought that across on stage quite clearly as well.  Thanks Andy for taking the time to talk to me!

If you would also like to view photos of Aesthetic Perfection, Julien K, and Combichrist from the show, please visit:

Aesthetic Perfection, Julien K, and Combichrist @ The Crazy Donkey 6.29.09

All three of the bands were just fabulous!  I had the pleasure of seeing Daniel Graves of Aesthetic Perfection perform at Dark Star Festival in Stamford CT with his band Necessary Response (more of a electro/synthpop version of AP) back in November of 2007.

Enjoy the show!

Gothic Goddess

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