I'M SO PUNK!:An interview with Millencolin

[Chastity]

This is an interview and article from the french magazine called Punk Rawk. It is directly translated from french (thanks, Karro!) so some of it may not be gramatically correct. We wanted to keep it as close to the direct and literal meanings. I helped correct it. Enjoy!


PUNK RAWK
March 2005

MILLENCOLIN
King of Olms

1994 : Millencolin put out Same Old Tune, their first full-lenght. Sweden is not yet this rock n’roll monster. Sustained by a stamming Burning Heart, the band impose themselves little by little as the European answer to NoFX. 2005: The joke is not anymore to the taste of Swedish. As the clown image still stick to their butt, Millencolin still want to prove it for once and for all they have grown. And that they know how to write fucking punk rock hits. As every body has they eyes on scandinave rock n’roll, it’s in the midst of melodic hardcore that the surprise is revealed. Millencolin disclose Kingwood, is lethal weapon. Twelve songs, twelve hits, who says better?
-by Olivier Portnoi

A February week-end at Göteborg, Snow is progressively covering the streets. But is not something to frighten the population. “The bands play none-stop here, comment Nikola, singer of Millencolin. Snow doesn’t discourage them. Few years ago, we toured Canada in January. I was in the middle of winter. Canadians was demanding why we were there at such period as the roads were frozen. For us, it was normal (laugh). Don’t forget we are Vikings’ descendants. As poufy coat is required outside, Millencolin are in T-shirts inside of the Bobby Works Studio. Some days before the release of their sixth album Kingwood, they shoot the video from their first single, Ray. “We are going to attack the giant robot called Ray”. We see into the foursome Millencolin in a mini-cockpit of plane, a green screen behind them and a fan in the front to give the speed impression. The images will be after reworked on computer to give to each plane a particular look, futurist or First World War style. Millencolin will face the giant robot in numeric. “Not only this video will be funnier that four guys playing before a white wall, but in plus, only one day of shooting is enough for or takes”. Ray was chosen as a single in dialog with the band and the label. “The final single choice is up to us, pursuit Nikola. But we ask the opinion of our fellows, girlfriends, neighbours. WE try to see which song has on them an immediate effect. On Home From Home, we chose Kemp which surely was the best of the album. This time, we wanted to have a more light song”. Kingwood presents the Swedish band under a new day, the one of maturity. And for once, this term is not used nonsense.

PARTY HARD
You’re just back from a little tour as DJs. Is it a regular activity?
Larzon: It’s becoming more and more common in Sweden. We noticed that the rest of Europe, it seems strange to see punk musicians to pass disks. But we are in no case professional DJs. We only play our favourites songs.
Mathias: In Sweden, It’s current to see musician taking the club’s plates. Not as DJ, but as musician of this or that band. I think it’s funny.
Larzon: It’s a way for the bars which are not allowed to organise concerts to bring musicians and set promotion nights.

I can imagine that it’s also fun for the fans whose can easily you so.

[Chastity]

Mathias: It’s one of our principal motivations. WE can talk to people easily after the set. There are no barriers that we find at concerts.
Larzon: On the other hand, people use to think we will only play Millencolin’s songs, as it’s far from this case.

Did you do mix tapes during you adolescence?
Mathias: Yes. We sent our favourite mix tapes to friends of ours whom live in Sweden quite everywhere. Everything has changed today. If you search a song, you only have to download it over the net or to make it sent to you by MP3 format. This doesn’t have the same charm. The advantage of it, it’s easier for bands to be heard nowadays. They have their own website and can put MP3 onto. At our beginning, we had to send our tapes to magazines, to venues. You always had songs on mix tapes which you adored but of which you was not able to find the source. From now on, due to the net, nothing remains longer a mystery.

What would you put on the perfect mix tape?
Larzon: It gotta have a Bad Religion. American Jesus, for exemple. Or Jimmy Eat World, with Bleed America.
Mathias: And a songs of the Foo Fighters also but all depending on the tape’s tone, if it’s rock or punk-rock. By mind, I would say The Beatles, Afghan Whigs, Nasum, Entombed, Samian, Social Distortion, Hellacopters, Bad Brains and NoFX. The mix tapes of ours are schizophrenic. We’re putting all that trickles our fancies, from punk rock to heavy metal passing by pop.
Larzon: Among the more recent bands, I like the Swedish band Koma as well.

HAVE A BREAK
Three years passed since Home From Home. Did you need a break before to get on again?
Mathias: We toured until December 2003 to promote Home From Home, so during one years and half. 2004 was more relax up to concerts’ standards, with only few isolated dates. We needed to breathe before to get in the studio late summer.
Larzon: Nikola wanted to record his solo-project. It was a good thing for the band. He could let out all those songs he had in stock and which didn’t fit Millencolin. When we started to rehearse for Kingwood, he had ideas more in the band’s spirit. Then Mathias has gotten more space to compose. Usually, Nikola is quite the only master on the boat.

Kingwood was so a real collaboration between you both (Mathias and Nikola)?
Mathias: Yes. We ever wrote together the Millencolin pieces. But this time, instead of working the songs everyone apart, I went at Nikola’s during a week. Uner seven dahs, we set eight songs from ideas we each had. It’s nice. It has not ever been the case in Millencolin.

This new album sums Millencolin in 2005 as well. We find onto every period of the band – fast ones, melodic ones, rock n’roll ones.
Larzon: This album sums exactly the state of the band at time. After to have played fast songs for years – We only did that at we begun -, we finally get used to it. The last album didn’t have ultra-fast songs. This time, the taste came back. Nikola wrote one lofty rhythm song. And we surprise ourselves to take pleasure from it.
Mathias: Home from Home had a rockier approach. With titles like Kemp. ON Kingwood, we have one or two rock n’roll ones. The rest is punkier, poppier and emo.

[Chastity]

Did your rock n’roll deviance come from of other Swedish bands?
Mathias: Probably, on an indirect order. On Home from home, it was something new for us. We never wrote such songs.
Larzon: We listen to Swedish band as Turnonegro and The hives. Want it or not, they influence us. When you like a song, she slips in a corner of your mind in order to resurface in your music. It’s such a perversion. We couldn’t avoid it.
Mathias: We are influenced by our environment. We are sensitives to everthing happening around us. We are friends since a long time with The Peepshows, The Hives, or more The Hellacopters. If we chose Chips Kiesby as a producer, it was apparently because we appreciated his work he had accomplished with The Hellacopters.


HOME SWEET HOME

After two american producers (Brett Gurewitx and Lou Giordano), you’re back with a Swedish producer, in Sweden. Why of this?
Mathias: Working with two Americans was a very enriching experience. But we noticed that we also had several talented persons in Sweden who could do this job. Then why not try it on this record? Working with a Swedish is also easier to communicate with.
Larzon: It also permits us to stay close of our families and to have a life during the recording. Sometime, it’s a need for a band to go outside. It enforces the links between the musicians. This time, it was really peasant that we could get back at home at the end of the day.
Mathias. We recorded close of Örebro, our town. From now on, I would like that all of records made that way.
Larzon: The only time where we get out of Sweden, was with Pennybridge Pioneers. When I think back of it, I know that was a source of pressure for me. We absolutely had to respect the planning. At the least error, we took delay and the end of the recording risked to be botched. There, we were in the country, close of woods.

How did you come with Kingwood as title? What does that mean?
Mathias: Finding an album title is never easy. We rip our hairs off every time. In the beginning, Kingwood was a song on the album. Finally, we changed the name in order to not be redundant with the title. It’s called Mooseman’s Jukebox now.
Larzon: Kingwood is the name that Nikola gave to his Hi-fi stereo. He bought it years ago. It’s a marron Kenwood. The nickname comes from Voice of a Generation singer who works at Burning Heart. When Nikola told him that he bought a new stereo, he answered: “Ah, a Kingwood”(laugh). The story behind is as stupid as that! Nikola just kept this name. It’s on this stereo where he listened to all the bands that have influenced his writing. This title is a way to give a tribute to all the bands that did count in Millencolin’s evolution. For the Kingwood artwork cover, we transformed Nikola into a moose – the king of woods. By his side, we are represented as hunters, to kill him…or to protect him.

Into the booklet, you underline that you dislike weapons. Was it important to mention?
Mathias: It’s especially destined to the American public. We know to what point weapons are a sensitive subject there. We wanted no ambiguity about us. We dislike weapons. We encourage in no case association which defend the free weapons circulation. We used that image for design purpose only.

Was the cover done by Erik your guitarist once again?
Larzon: Every of us have a role to play in the band. Erik design all our cd covers. He also works at Burning Heart, helping for the pubs, posters, covers. He also realised the Millencolin and the Hi-8 Adventure DVD.
Mathias : il est plus simple d’avoir un graphiste dans le groupe. Cela crée un lien entre nos pochettes. Pour Erik, il est important que les visuels de Millencolin soient traités à l’interne. C’est un prolongement de la musique.

In the booklets, you thank two drummers for saving the band (Thomas of Bomshell Rocks and Kjell Hägeras od No Fun at All). What happened?
Larzon: The saved us back in the last tour. The first time, I broke my arm. We were in Denver, I was drunk and I fell down the staircase. Thomas replaced me on a bunch of shows while they were operating me. Another time, I injured my collarbone while skateboarding. This time I was not drunk. I’m not a pro. And from now on, I don’t feel anymore approaching a board (laugh). Kjell saved our faces on this.

Millencolin have been associated to the skate-punk trend. What importance the skate has for you?
Mathias: Its importance is huge. It’s simply through skateboarding videos that we discovered punk music. It’s also due to skate that we met each others. We’re doing tapes and we started a band quickly. Skateboarding is ever attracting us. Every year in Örebro, we do a skateboard contest on two days. Erik is the most involved in this event. All the benefits goes back to the skate park we helped to built.

KING FOR A DAY

You just signed once again with Burning Heart. Did you deal with other labels before to take this decision?
Mathias: we went to meet other labels. The only experience that we had was the one with Burning Heart. We signed a contract for five albums back in 1994. We knew nothing so about music business.
Larzon : We were only enthousiasts to the ideas of which we wouldn’t have to pay to our records. At least, it’s what we thought, because finally, the price of your record is removed from your royalties. Anything that happens, you pay for your record. But back then, we produced few 45’s with the previous bands. We had to work our ass off to find money. Back in 1994, it was a true miracle to have a label (laugh).
Mathias: Burning Heart always supported us. But you have to understand that the label offer nothing for free. You always end paying the bill. We didn’t get it. Our first contract with Burning Heat was a disaster. We didn’t figure it out at first.

Did you hesitate to sign again with them?

[Chastity]

Larzon. We discussed and negociated with three or four labels. Finally, we chose to restart with Burning Heart. We feel connected to this label. We helped each other through the years. We grew up together. And, an important thing, we know that the Burning Heart staff like our music and don’t change every month which is not the other labels case. A major can work very suitably but a year after the cd release, you risk to never see again the guy who signed you because he has been fired or moved.
Mathias: We didn’t was to take this risk. With the majors, it was also impossible to know if our album would coming out at the same time every where in the world. We risked to put it out in March for Europe and a year after in America. With Internet, you’re now obligated to put your release out every where in the world at the same moment.
Larzon: And of course, Burning Heart offered us a super contract, the most interesting of all.

When Epitaph bought the half of Burning Heart, did it change something for you?
Larzon: Nothing at all. They only own the half of the label. Of course, Epitaph check Peter, to be sure he is not doing whatever. But for us, nothing has changed. In the United States, we already has a contract with Epitaph.
Mathias: The dark point was the clerk lay-off to get a financial balance. But with the decrease of records selling, it’s a trial to which every label is opposed to nowadays.

Hoe many albums did you sell in the world?
Mathias: Hard to say an accurate number, maybe 250 000, 300 00 copies. The most of it was sold in USA and in Australia.

Were you surprised to see the size Burning Heart took and the Swedish scene under a ten years period?
Marthias: Sweden possesses an incredible rich musical scene for a so small country. We grew up along with Burning Heat. We rise up the levels one by one. Succeed was not a phenomenon from one day to the next. It’s a nice way to grow. It makes you understand how the music business works and so how to not get nabbed.

What will happen with the studio you and Mieszko built together?
Mathias: I don’t know. It’s been a while I don’t work there anymore. At the beginning, I produced quite a few bands like Nine, Bombshell Rocks or The Peepshows, But Millencolin take so much time to me that I don’t have the occasion to work there for now. The studio was built in 1997. After what happened to Mieszko, I don’t really know what I’m gonna do with. It was mostly him who did productions there. But it’s hard to talk about it for now.

Swedish bands seem connected and don’t hesitate to share posters, even though their music styles are different. Did it was in that optic you recorded a song with Mieszko for the Heart Attack compilation?
Mathias Sweden is a very small country. We all frequent the same places. The bands learn to know each others, even though their music is different. A pop band can be in excellent relation with a trash or hardcore band. There is no snobbism as we happen to find outside of Sweden. In other countries, the different scenes are far from each others. It’s due to this “Swedish” proximity that we could record a song with Nasum. We see nothing disturbing in that. It we just a meeting between friends.

NIKOLA SARCEVIC
JUKEBOX HERO

Okey, we give that to you. His name isn’t evident to wear in that Sarkozy period. His look neither has ever been evident. How many among you were traumatised by his fine pinch he displayed there is not a long time ago yet and that conferred to him a little Gérard Jugnot’S look Swedish version. Not very punk rock in the whole…Nevertheless, Nikola is an agreeable and funny guy and incredibly clever. To say all, he is the head of Millencolin. He stays the main compositor on kingwood. « This record sounds like a Millencolin’s best-of, without the ska songs, he admits. I write all my songs on an acoustic guitar and then we fasten it with the band.” In between Home From Home and Kingwood, the Swedish guy threw himself in the conception of Lock-Sport-Krock, his very first solo album. It was a necessary step in order to come back fresh and available for Millencolin. “I’m now writing new songs. I still don’t know if it will be meant for Millencolin or for my solo-project. If I play it fast, it sounds like Bad Religion. If a play it slowly, it seems to be folk songs. Lately, the cds I bought were country and some Bob Dylan. But I still have to learn a lot from punk rock bands, like Bad Religion for instance. I get back in their discography and they still impress me as much as before, notably Mister Brett and his sense of writing. It’s a punk rock genius. I don’t know if we will ever reach this level some day. Recroding with Brett Gurewitz was quite hard to believe for a Swedish band.” Nikola wants every Millencolin’s albums to have a different producer in order to cumulate experiences. “And so that every album has its own sound identity. The vocals were recorded in Göteborg, two minutes away from my place. I recorded from midnight to six hours in the morning. The rest of the day, the others mixed the song. At the end, we worked twenty hours per day to take back on our late. As I was screaming, the others crashed on the couches. We get good producers in Sweden. We don’t have to go out anymore.” The release of Lock-Sport-Krock permitted Nikola to take Millencolin serenely, without being obsessed about the writing of the perfect song. “The direct result of my solo album is that I was more relaxed and more open to ideas from the others members on Kingwood, notably to Mathias’ ones. I tended to want to take control over on the last two records. I was in competition with Mathias. It was to the one who will write the most of the songs – the best ones also. We went from a competition spirit to a fraternal collaboration. I didn’t have as many ideas as usual, whereas Mathias had good ones.” Nikola has seen his acoustic album a way to show his writing was over punk rock melodic frame, a kind of music still seen infantile by medias. I entered the studio not knowing how the whole was going to sound like. Some songs were written there. It was a challenge for me, doing something else can only be thrilling. Even though this record could have been better – it is far from perfect -, it gave me the will to make another.” Back on to the untitled album of Millencolin, and especially on the song that gave its name to the record, before to be finally renamed Mooseman’s Jukebox. “I was missing subject to threaten on this record up to the lyrics’ standards. Mathias came up with this song’s idea, in reference to the songs that makes the beautiful days of my hi-fi stereo. The lyrics only are a succession of my favourite bands’ song titles. Take Warning is a song by Operation Ivy, The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel, Threw It All Away by Bob Dylan, She by Green Day, Tag Along by Samiam, I’m Only Sleeping by The Beatles and so on. If you read the lyrics, it doesn’t make any sense. I put all my favourite cds down the floor and then I tried to assemble the words together, a playful way and a bit lazy to write lyrics.” Millencolin ever gave off an impression of fun, their first steps were humoristic. This picture still sticks to them, even tough the lyrics took in seriousness. The nosepickers time is over. “You have to understand that NoFX was one of our references. Fat Mike ever wrote in a funny way and almost stupid his lyrics. At early time, NoFX was our main inspiration source. Today, we are more serious which doesn’t stop the music we do to be enthusiastic. In Sweden, we were at our peak of popularity around 1995. Our videos were rather funny. People still perceive us as clowns, like kids making stupid jokes. But I think we are far from it today.”<br>
THE MILLENCOLIN OPEN
Skateboarding Contest

Erik Ohlsson is member who is the most involved in the skateboard universe. The guitarist is at the Millencolin Open origins, an annual contest which reunites the best skaters of the country in Örebro, the band hometown. “It’s now four years this contest exists in a skatepark that I helped to built in 1999. The first Open occurred at the same time of the band’s 10th anniversary. We had played there then. Now, we don’t make shows anymore there but we have fun doing the DJ’s. The contest has a good recognition in Sweden. The Eastpak sponsors, Nixon, We-Clothing and Vans really help us. The first prize is not only money. The winner also goes to Barcelona with a person of his choice. During two days which he will be followed by the most important Swedish skate magazine. For the amateur, it’s awesome. Our skatepark isn’t very big, but it’s nice. Nowadays, the Swedish principal cities have their skatepark. Ten years ago during winter, we had to go skate in garages or parkings before to get chased by fans. Now, the kids have a place covered for winter times, when it snows outside. Financially, it doesn’t pay back. It’s only the contest which allows it to survive. It’s classy that we can give back something to skateboarding which gave us a lot. Since the skatepark creation, real talents were revealed in Örebro. Some of them could even become pro.”<br>

[greener greg]

grat job chas! ;D

[Chastity]

Karro is to be thanked also.

[greener greg]

oh yeah. thanks to karro too

[Car]

Thanks Karro and Chastity ;D

[Dany]

heu... Could you send me the french interview please ?

[fUx0r]

maybe a cliff's notes version, too. thanks again, chas and karro. there's no hug emoticon on this, so i'll just do this *hugs*.

[karro]

Chastity said:

Karro is to be thanked also.

Yeah we made a team on that one! I translated to English and Chastity edited my English mistakes.

[karro]

Dany said:

heu... Could you send me the french interview please ?

Sure, the text or with the pictures too? Cause it will take damn ass space. Gotta start with the plain text.

[karro]

Chastity said:

Larzon: ...Want it or not, they influence us. When you like a song, she slips in a corner of your mind in order to resurface in your music. It’s such a perversion. We couldn’t avoid it.

This Larzon's comment was really brillant. He told them haha!

;D

[karro]

Chastity said:

Mathias:...The mix tapes of ours are schizophrenic. .

Look at those two ill-minded! Larzon's turning a pervert and Mathias a psycho..hahhaha

Anyway, Mathias' association was brillant too. Schizo means seizure in latin which stands for "things together that makes no-sense", like schizophrenic's ideas indeed. At least it's all music such ideas are ideas in a way..