Chad Bowar: How would you describe the sound of Babez For Breakfast compared to your last CD?
Mr. Lordi: It’s warmer and more real. It’s more down to earth, in a way. At the same time, it’s bigger and more bombastic. It’s not clinical. This is how I always wanted Lordi to sound. I love the big drums, that everything’s huge. There’s no Auto Tune. Everything is played live.
How did you decide on Michael Wagener as your producer?
Let’s face it, our music is kind of ‘80s oriented, and I always wanted to have that kind of sound. We don’t want to do a parody, just an updated version of it. What was good in those days was that everything was big. To get Michael to do this was a coincidence. We have already used all the Finnish producers we want to work with. We were trying to figure out who to get. Then our guitar Amen sent an email to our record label saying to get Michael Wegener, kind of as a joke. They didn’t get the joke, and contacted him. He said he would do it.
Michael came to Helsinki to do the pre-production, now here we are in Nashville. It has been a really good experience. At first you are star struck when you look at the walls and see all the albums he’s done. These are our favorite albums, like Alice Cooper’s Constrictor. I remember that being the first album for me personally that didn’t have one bad song on it. This guy knows a thing or two about making albums.
He’s also a prankster. He’s almost as childish as I am. We spent a couple of hours at Wal Mart just buying toys, like soap bubbles. And he’s all about eating. I had a contest going on with him. Whoever doesn’t finish his plate, the other one can call him a girl. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s amazing how he does it. Now I really understand what it means when a producer is the sixth member of the band.
When did you have the songwriting sessions with Bruce Kulick (ex-Kiss)?
That was September of 2009. I was supposed to go there in May, and something came up. We had been talking about it for a long time. Eventually I got there and we sat down. Once we got to writing, it was really cool. His producer was also there and brought in some good ideas. The three of us sat down at Bruce’s house and started coming up with stuff.
We had time to demo two songs. The first one was a heavier song than the one that made the record. The starting point was to do really ‘80s Kiss type songs. But the song ended up being more modern than any of the other songs. It didn’t fit this album, but maybe the next one. They we wrote another song, a ballad. We have had ballads on every Lordi album, but have never had an American power ballad. Now we do. It’s a great song.
I was only there for a week, so we didn’t have much time. We’re already talking about me coming over again and do some more. I’m also talking with Lizzy Borden about doing something together.
Is there any difference in recording your albums in Finland and this experience in the U.S.?
A studio is a studio, but Michael’s studio is really nice. The equipment is the same everywhere, it’s just about the surroundings. You can go anywhere and record. It’s nice that the band has no time pressure, nobody else coming to the studio here. In other studios you have to share the lounge, share the kitchen. The way that Michael does records is new to us. It couldn’t be done in a studio that’s being used by many different people. First we recorded all the drums, then all the bass. Then we finished one song at a time in two or three day periods. It means every song gets absolute focus. The way we recorded the albums in the past was like working in a factory. It was hard to go back and change things.
Do you have any tour plans coming up?
That depends on many things. Unfortunately, we are a band that has to prove ourselves every time. We’re not a household name in the U.S. The promoters need to be convinced that we’re still valid. Since we had our first U.S. release we’ve been touring the States, and hopefully this time will be no different. I cannot make any promises, but we want to.
Ever played any unusual venues?
In Belgium we were supposed to play this old abandoned castle. Half of it was already collapsed. It was in the middle of the forest somewhere. People were dressed up in costumes directing people to the castle. The stage and lights were all set up. But once we got there it was a huge storm, and we couldn’t play. It was so muddy, and they had to shut down the electricity. So we just sat in the van and the fans came up and we gave everybody autographs.
You worked on a horror movie a couple of years ago. How was that experience?
That was cool. It was always one of my dreams. I still want to do one myself. But that means I need to have a lot of time for it. The director, Pete, is a dear friend of mine, so it was a great experience. I wanted it to be gorier, but when you’re not paying for it, other people have the final say.
Are you still the president of the Kiss Army in Finland?
Technically, I never gave my presidency away. But I don’t have the time to do it now. A few years ago a dude called me and asked if he could update the Kiss Army Finland website. I said sure. I suck at computers and on the internet. I’m the dude who actually started the whole thing in Finland.
Have you met most of the Kiss members over the years?
I haven’t met Vinnie Vincent or Mark St. John. I did meet Eric Carr. I’ve met Gene quite a few times. Gene is the man.
You’re a big horror movie fan. Give me your top 3 horror movies of all time.
The list changes all the time, but right now the Dawn Of The Dead remake, the Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake and Evil Dead 2. If you ask me tomorrow, the list would probably be different.
What’s your most prized possession, not including family or pets?
My cabin in the middle of the forest. That’s where I spend my time.
What is your worst habit?
That depends who you ask. If you ask my wife, I have plenty of them. I guess it would be smoking or eating a lot of candy and chocolate and drinking sodas all the time.
What is the biggest misconception your fans have about you?
I guess most of them know how we are. Many people don’t realize that we really mean it. We are not a parody of anything. That’s the biggest misconception about Lordi in general. We are serious about what we’re doing, even though it’s fun.
What’s some good advice you’ve been given that’s worth passing along?
The coolest advice ever was from Dee Snider (Twisted Sister). He brought the band into a circle at a show in Helsinki. He told us to enjoy every minute of it, because you don’t know how long it’s going to last.
