When the Finnish band Nightwish fired their singer Tarja Turunen in 2005, it was big news. Here in North America it was definitely newsworthy in the metal community, but except to hardcore Nightwish fans it wasn’t that big of a story. Not so in their native country. It was front page news for months, in both the music and mainstream press. The Tarja/Tuomas saga drew the kind of publicity in Finland that Britney Spears or Paris Hilton does here. Even the Finnish prime minister was asked to weigh in on the split.
Once Upon A Nightwish covers that incident in detail, along with the band’s entire career. Written by journalist Mape Ollila, who knows the band and had nearly unlimited access, this is the band’s official biography. It chronicles their formation, the recording of all their albums, touring, and of course the interpersonal drama that has been present since the beginning.
Even though it is sanctioned by the band, Once Upon A Nightwish isn’t a puff piece. Ollila draws his own conclusions, and both positives and negatives are portrayed throughout. The band’s founder and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen is a fascinating figure. He’s a musical wizard and his entire life revolves around Nightwish. He is creative and driven, but his and the band’s lack of communication skills causes problem after problem.
Turunen is also a compelling person. Ollila chronicles her transformation from shy schoolgirl to superstar diva. She married her manager, who gets a lot of blame for driving a wedge between Tarja and the rest of the band, which eventually resulted in her being fired from Nightwish.
All of the band members are interviewed throughout the book, along with industry and record label insiders, friends and family. A lot of different perspectives are given, which gives a pretty well-rounded picture of the band’s story. Once Upon A Nightwish is a compelling read, and one that’s equally interesting for hardcore or casual fans of the group.
The thing that came to my mind after finishing it was that there really needs to be a Behind The Music episode on Nightwish. Their emergence from a small Finnish town to international superstardom culminating in the public firing of their lead singer and trying to maintain their success is the exact dramatic arc that makes those shows so interesting.
