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June 12th 2011, Radio Aalto Helsinki-day concert in Helsinki
ChaosTube inteviewing Poets Of The Fall
Translation to English text by Dark Side of Light

Interviewer: Helsinki-day concert in the style of Radio Aalto, how does it feel to come here?
Marko: Nice. I'm expecting a lot from today and I hope a lot of people will show up.
Olli: Wonderful weather, can't really say anything else. I don't know if the head... the weather could get any better than what it is. Probably not the head either. 
(Translator's note: Head in Finnish is "pää", and weather in Finnish is "sää". He just slipped the wrong word out by accident first.)

Interviewer: Yeah. What's going on with your touring this summer?
Marko: Mmmh, what can I say? Easy going, not manicly overworking like we've done in some previous years. We're taking it easy this year and we'll just see what else nice we can come up with. During a summer like this spending time at the end of a dock sound pretty cool.
Olli: Yeah, for once we're having a summer vacation, on July we've reserved some time for that and it will be a little different summer this year. I think next year we'll probably have to... or we get to... Get to, have to... do more gigs. But right now we'll do this more traditionally Finnish way of spending the summer which is pretty lovely.

Interviewer: Any holiday plans?
Olli: Haven't decided yet. Maybe Moomin World. We'll see.
Marko: I'll come with you, if that's where you're going.
Laughter.
Marko: I'll climb that high tower... I've never been to Moomin World, but... perhaps I'll go this year.
Interviewer: You might be interested in that?
Marko: I'll be going to the British Islands.
 
Interviewer: Do you spend your holidays together at all or totally apart?
Olli: I think that while we're on holiday we won't spend much time together. 
Marko: Yeah.
Olli: On all other times we spend every day together, almost, even during the weekends, so...
Marko: If something comes up then sure, we can call each other but you also need your own time, just for yourself. Our lives are more than this band, so in that sense it does everyone good to spend time with their other closest people. 

Interviewer: You already have quite a career behind you, but what about the future? What do you, for instance, dream of?
Marko: A brilliant career in the future. 
Olli: Yeah, I was a little like... we've only just barely scratched the surface. It feels like you get to experience new things and great things all the time and everything is going forward with its own weight. So... this, and all kinds of new things.

Interviewer: What's the best gig or festival memory?
Olli: That's a really difficult question, because there isn't just one...
Marko: I have sooo many festival passports [Marko spreads his arms]. I could use them as a boxing bag or I could give them a hug, it's really difficult to pick just one out of them all. But I can say that it's always really great if you get a connection to the audience. We've been lucky to have quite a few of those, we always have a great audience. That's the coolest thing about festivals. 

Interviewer: What's the most unfortunate or the most exciting or the most challenging experience you've had during your tours?
Marko: The kind that, ehm... The kind that you haven't had much anything to eat for a day or two, and during that whole time you've only had cameras in your face... it starts to get pretty tough at that point. Especially if you've only slept a couple of hours in between all that. 
Olli: Yeah, it's the fatigue and not eating, those are the worst things that you can face when doing this thing... and it happens now and then, you can't really help it. And at the same time you have to represent the band well and be at your sharpest. It's difficult at times.
Marko: Yeah, to meet a whole lot of people in that shape is... it requires a certain type of character. 

Interviewer: So where does the strength come from, to deal with these situations?
Olli: In my opinion it's about professionalism in a certain way. You really have to work for it sometimes, like we just talked about yesterday. Sometimes you need to work harder and sometimes things are a little easier. And sometimes we just float on the clouds. So yeah, sometimes you have harder days at work, just like everyone else.
Marko: It's a question of attitude, really, when sometimes it's harder and you figure out the reason to why you're doing this and when you find it... and the reason changes from time to time. But when you find it within yourself, the hard time will pass and things will move on. Because in the end, the hard times don't last that long in comparison to something else, which is waiting for you.

Interviewer: When you were little boys, did you know you'll be performing to big crowds some day?
Marko: Yeah, of course we did. 
Laughter.
Olli: Oh yeah, although I wanted to be an engineer. 
Marko: Nah, we didn't know. But I remember saying on some student guidance lesson at school when the topic was "what will you be when you grow up" that I was going to be a rockstar. And it was just a joke, really. Although, being 15 at the time, I was dead serious. But I didn't really think I would be doing it for work some day, like I do now. 
Olli: Sometimes you still need to wake yourself up a little, like what am I doing? You don't always remember how great it can be and so. I never really knew to... when I was little... it was never a dream. I just wanted to play the guitar, it was fun. But I never thought it would necessarily lead to anything. I don't really know, it was just a fun thing to do among many other fun things to do. And things turned out like this. 
Interviewer: Hmm, yeah.
Marko: I've always been so perverted that I've even thought that I'm going to be some kind of a performer. I guess that's... pretty much it.

Interviewer: Where will you be 10 years from now? What will happen then?
Marko: Maybe we'll be chatting in here with you again, at a Radio Aalto event, on a great day with a lot of people coming over. But it's funny, when you think about anything, and this job, when you see it from the inside, it's the same for everyone in a way. I mean, different bands, but doing the same thing. And if it's the kind of thing you want to do with your life and remember to be grateful about it, then... and in general, it's good to be grateful for all kinds of nice things in life. Then, you'll continue doing this thing for as long as you can and feel like it. Maybe even 10 years from now. I don't know.  Could be.
Olli: Yes, actually we saw the guys from Popeda yesterday and you just watched their vibe. It was the same thing... doing what you enjoy doing, and with a dedication. I could see myself doing the same thing. So... what could be better? 
[Translator's note: Popeda is a Finnish rock band that's been around since 1977. So they've been doing it for a long time.]

Interviewer: Thank you.
Marko: Thank you.
Olli: Thank you.
Marko: Bye.