Interviews

"I'm best in creativity and the worst in drawing. I've always wanted to swin with a pack of dolphins. I would never wear cycling shorts. My first thought in the morning is this could be the last day in life and my last thought in the evening is luckily there's tomorrow."

Tuomas Holopainen was supposed to become a sea biologist.

- From the first grade to the time I turned 18 I dreamed of being a sea biologist. I would have wanted to be the mad scientist, a mix between Einstein and Snufkin (note: a character in Moomin).

Tuomas liked school even though there's one embarrassing memory.

- I was in detention already on the first grade! My mother taught our class at that point and she showed everyone that she wasn't going to play favorites.
Besides science music was The Thing in school. Little Tuomas who learned chords in primary school had no idea he'd one day be playing to full arenas and selling millions of albums all over the world.

The band's core remains

When starting Nightwish with Tarja and Emppu, Tuomas was in his twenties. Over ten years later members have changed and the popularity has exploded but Tuomas hasn't changed.

- I still have the same friends then in school though some new ones have appeared. A year can go by without me seeing some friend. When we see again it's just like before. That's how you recognize good friends.

On long tours the band members take care of each other.

- There are 15 people in our core group on tours. Sometimes it feels like we are all married to eachother, Tuomas laughs.

A collector and a dare-devil

Tuomas relaxes by hiking in Lapland. Another favourite resort is an amusement park in Orlando, Islands of Adventure.

- I'm an amusement park freak! The wilder the rollercoaster the better.

Tuomas has an entire room filled with Disney stuff: comic books, movies, alarm clocks, statues, toys...

- Disney caught me when I was around two years old. I learned to read at that point and my favourite was Donald Duck, he recalls.

The collectors most important items are fifty year old Donald Duck comic books, The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck book and his great idol's Carl Bark's autograph.

Great fans, strange gifts

Gifts from fans are at least as valuable as the collector's treasures. The idol doesn't take one fan for granted.

- Our fans are amazing! I can't understand how we could ever thank them for everything.

The strangest gift the band got in South-America a few years ago. A fan had stapled hundreds of sheets of paper together and wrote 'I love Nightwish' on them thousands of times.

The life of a popular band's leader is tough at times. The shy Tuomas doesn't enjoy attention.

- I can perform on a gig to thousands of listeners because I know what I'm doing. But I'd never dare to keep a lecture to the same audience!

School bullying is terrible

- School bullying is one of the most terrible things in the world. It can leave marks on you forever, Tuomas says.

Nightwish's new album Dark Passion Play has a song about a bullied girl, Eva.

- You shouldn't go along with bullying nor be knocked down. Success is the best way to show bullies!

Do you know Tuomas?
Best season: a snowy winter
The best thing about summer: water-skiing, swimming and diving
Favourite game: Monopoly, chess and The Star of Africa [Afrikan Tähti]
Favourite food: rye bread
Favourite animal: the mystic wolf. My parents have persian cats called Nauskis and Kurnaus
Worst mistake: hard to choose, I make mistakes on every gig
Best ever: Karhunkierros in Lapland (note: Karhunkierros is a hiking route in Lapland, 80 kilometres long)
What I won't give up: stetson
I hope: that I'll someday be doing music for example for a nature or action movie. A big NO to romantic comedy!
I get perplexed: by computers. I got my first computer about six months ago.
I'm delighted: when a stranger smiles genuinely

(picture text) - I was moved when I saw our newest video. It's one of the best ever! The Islander single is released on May 21st. The video's premiere is on April 14th.

Transcribed and translated by Afrodite from the Nightwish Discussion Board