Tuomas czerwiec 2007

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Tuomas’s Magic Midsummer

After a long time, NW’s summer holiday will take place around midsummer, the most important celebration during the Finnish summer. Tuomas Holopainen will head for his summer cottage, where he will go to the sauna and swim together with his family and friends. Magic is an important part of the atmosphere.

–- At midsummer I have a holiday since a very long time, I don’t even remember when the last time was. I will certainly dedicate this holiday to going to the cottage and spend there these two weeks, Tuomas plans.

A couple of friends will join him at the cottage and they will celebrate the midsummer peacefully among family and friends. Tuomas says that he has experienced his most memorable midsummer moments at that very same cottage together with his loved ones.

- I have never in my life participated in a midsummer rock festival, save for the times we have been performing with the band. Nothing can make me go on a festival at midsummer, they are not my thing. During my life I have only been at one festival, at Ilosaarirock (later during the summer in Joensuu), he confesses.

The nightless night (because of the midnight sun) makes him want to have a small bonfire and stare at the fire ‘forever’, but he has never had a huge traditional midsummer bonfire, Swimming and smoke sauna are also part of his midsummer program.

- Heavy drinking, of course, that’s part of the midsummer as well, as well as water skiing; however, not these two together, Tuomas continues the list with a laugh.
- Midsummer magic of course, but I don’t reveal anything else about it. The magic will come true only if you don’t tell others about them, he assures.

(More about Finnish midsummer here

The sausages will be left in the shop

The traditional midsummer menu is based on barbecue type of food. In Tuomas's barbecue, however, there will be no sausage, the Finnish national vegetable (<- a joke); instead, he prefers for example chicken.

– My speciality are filled champignons. All you need is feta and blue cheese inside and bacon to wrap it. As a filling you can have anything, for example olives, tuna fish and samoked ham, he advises.
With this menu I hardly become a celebrity TV cook, even if the mushrooms are very delicious and everybody has liked them, he grins.

A romantic rocker

In the chest of this iron-hard heavy metal man there beats a romantic heart. – Love is a fine feeling which raises it above the everyday routine.–

My ideal woman is Belle from the animated Disney movie The beauty and the beast. This must be the mother of all clichés, but I would charm her by being myself and not trying to be more than that. I must be quite a pervert guy, as my ideal woman is an animation character, he admits smiling.

–- I have hear that girls like when you are self-confident, but I haven’t got much of that. In that field I have still lots to improve. I am more of that kind of guy who sits in the corner and studies first what is the name of the game, Tuomas contemplates more seriously.

Stage fever and dream job

The future of NW is booked into the tour calender until the end of 2008. In October,the world tour will start. It has been divided into smaller parts, there are one- or two week breaks in between, during which the band members get to go home and visit their children. The longest stretch of touring is five weeks.

- I am already nervous now about the first gig with Anette, what will come of it. It is always very difficult going on stage, I feel very nervous and anxious. Once I get there and hit the first sound, something in the brain changes, Tuomas says.

- The worst nightnmare on-stage would probably be that Anette would walk up to me, give me the microphone and say ”Go ahead, sing.” I have sometimes sung on gigs and I have terrible memories of it. I won’t agree to sing anymore. We have two good singers, so I can just shut up.

Tuomas reminds that he is doing a dream job. Even if it is hard at times and the line between freetime and work is very thin, he loves what his doing above anything else.
- I am at work all the time, things are revolving in my thoughts and I am thinking about songs, but on the other hand this is holiday all the time. Let’s face it, this no real work. People who are for example paving the streets are doing real work, he emphasizes.

Tuomas wants to thank all the NW fans who have supported them during the break.
- During the last 18 months all kinds of things have been happening, but I feel we haven’t been deserted. People can read through the headlines and see behind the whole soap opera and see what really has happened.
- - I want to say thank you. It would be nice to see you on gigs. Come and see for yourselves how the new chick will pull it off.