Up close and personal with Timo Kotipelto...
Review by Mape

Some time ago I threatened that I'd take some of the Strato dudes by their throat and start asking questions.

 

Well, here are the results of my third degree interrogation with Timo K....

 

Tell us about your equipment. What gear do you use besides your voice?

TK: In addition to my voice I use -surprise!- a microphone. It really hasn't mattered which label it has on it until

now, but I have decided to buy a cordless microphone for my own use. I have tested some brands like EV 757B,

Shure 87 and Shure 58B. I will decide later. I'm contemplating about buying an ear monitor too....

 

Well, everyone knows that Adidas sponsors the band Korn. How do you feel, should rock bands be sponsored by clothing or sportswear labels?

TK: *ponders* Well, I think that is a question of band's image. If someone wants to give me the sort of clothes that I would use anyway, I wouldn't say no. Clothing endorsement is okay, but the gear has to fit the band's image and music.

If you weren't singing in Stratovarius, in which band would you want to sing in?

TK: Probably in some band where you are allowed to sing varied material with good musicians and make spectacular records. I guess that would be Stratovarius. ;)

Do you excercise sports? How?

TK: Quite a lot actually. I go to gym three times a week and I play floorball twice a week, as the matter of fact I just sustained a sprained tendon. In addition to that I do some cross-country biking with Jartsi Kainulainen,then I do some jogging. While we're touring I rollerskate a bit.

 

 

Milk develops pleghm in vocal cords. Do you drink any milk?

TK: Not every day, but on my gym days, I might drink some. The days when we have shows, I try to avoid drinking it. I fashion some milk in my coffee though.

 

Is singing difficult and if it is, why?

TK: Yes. And no. I mean, everyone can "sing". It gets a bit more difficult when you're supposed to sound "open and even" on three octave range, you should be able to phrase correctly and carry the tune, keep remembering the lyrics and overwhelm your audience. All this every night a hour and a half at the time, for over a month in a row. Truthfully speaking, I'm kind of lazy to work on my singing. Right now I have knowingly had a month's break from all singing. Tours are burdensome and right now don't have a rehearsal room to sing in and all in all, it's good to have your voice get its rest every once in a while.

 

 

For how long does a person have to study singing before he can be considered a "ready" vocalist?

TK: A singer is NEVER ready. There's always something more to learn. The only thing is that it is so damn slow to see yourself get better in singing, see, there's no fretboard to watch your fingers move faster on and then correct your playing posture. I haven't taken any singing lessons since last spring, but I am intending to take some come next spring.

 

Do you play any instrument?

TK: Drums and piano, both terribly.

 

What else do you listen to besides heavy metal?

TK: Nothing much. Some musicals, like those of Andrew Lloyd Webber are cool, though.

 

Are you a leader by nature?

TK: I'm afraid you will have to ask that question from the other guys in the band. :) I guess there's some sort of will to be the leader in every singer, some even call it LSD, the "lead singer disease". In the army, I was a petty officer, a sergeant minor, so I guess there's some leadership in me.

 

How much do you decide about Stratovarius' vocal melodies or do you merely do that Timo Tolkki tells you to do?

TK: Timo Tolkki makes the main lines, but I make quite a lot of changes to them and of course I do all the improvs and adlibs.

 

What will you do after your career in Stratovarius?

TK: Which career????

 

What's your "real" occupation?

TK: I haven't got a degree in anything and I don't think I will.

 

How do you feel about the following things?

 

- religion

TK: Religion has a very strong impact on millions of people's lives. Some cultures tend to overdo it a bit, though.

 

- alcohol

TK: It's all right when you use it correctly. In this business it's kinda hard to tell what's the correct use...while touring I drink very rarely, but on my free time I do drink every now and then.

 

- grunge/alternative

TK: I have no desire whatsoever to listen to any of it.

 

- money

TK: I could use some more of that...

 

- furs

TK: I don't like them. But on the other hand, I wouldn't destroy anyone's properties either.

 

- UFOs

TK: Haven't seen any....

 

- marriage

TK: Haven't had any of that yet. :)

 

- techno/dance music

TK: I can see that someone wants to dance to it, but to crank it to ten inside a car or at your home...huh huh.

 

- tattoos

TK: They're cool, if they really mean something to the person who carries them.

 

- independence

TK: VERY important.

 

- nature preservation

TK: Even now in Finland, or anywhere else for that matter, people don't take environmental issues seriously enough!!! Even the environmental issues summit in Kyoto, Japan right now seems like a farce to me...

 

- narcotics

TK: I don't use any and I don't recommend them to anyone.

 

- Governmentally supported art-jazz

TK: We have a lot of that in Finland. It's ridiculous how it gets the headlines the way it does. How the hell some jazz can be of "higher quality" as music than heavy metal? I sing my metal high, so it is of high quality! :)

 

- how do you feel about being a Finn?

TK: Both good and bad. In fact, I recommend it to everyone else as well. :)

 

- piercing

TK: I haven't got any extra holes in myself, but for example some girls'tongue buttons can look very exciting, they can even be a turn-on.:)

 

- pets

TK: I have a couple of dogs. Some people take animals for pets because it's the latest craze right then or because their friends have some. It really pisses me off that sometimes the pets end up not taken care of.

 

- which is more important, being successful on charts or being highly touted by the critics?

TK: It's nice to be noted, but those things mustn't affect the reasons why music is made. Music is something that comes from your heart, no matter what's the latest fad, which is the best selling genre at the moment or how's the criticism you get.

 

- ecoterrorists

TK: In some issues they could go even further than they do, in others they overdo it a bit already.

 

- fanzines

TK: They're all right!!! They're fun to read and in most cases, their articles are way better than the established, so called "real" magazines. :)

 

- internet

TK: It's a good tool for communicating with people, but it's full of all sorts of shit. At times finding something without a proper definition is a real pain in the butt.

 

What's your goal in your singing career?

TK: To progress. There's yet so much more to do. I want to work on my voice and I want to develop my range and stage personality. I'm pretty hard on myself.

 

What else do you really dislike besides smoking?

TK: Sports-related injuries. Right now, that is.

 

What's your goal in life?

TK: I want to see what will become of this individual they call Timo Kotipelto.

 

What's the best part of being a performer?

TK: The best thing is the energy you get from the audience when the fans sing along.

 

How about the worst part?

TK: My monitor usually gives me some trouble.

 

Which novel was it that you read just recently?

TK: Not a novel. Part seven of a series of historical books.

 

The best album of 1997?

TK: Since I'm obviously not allowed to advertise our own album, I'm not going to say anything. :)

 

The worst disappointment among new albums in 1997?

TK: The new Queensryche album was crap.

 

Your New Year's promise?

TK: I don't make promises that I won't be able to keep and I can't come up with any promises in an interview...

 

Your regards to Visions' visitors?

TK: Thanks for everyone who bought our album or visited our shows. We'll meet you again next year with our new live album and maybe our next studio album will be ready in 1998 too. Thanks for the support!