Author: Rok Klemše
Interview date: 07/17/2007
Peter Tägtgren is an old familiar face on Slovenian stages with Hypocrisy, but this year at Metalcamp he played his first show on our soil with Pain. Before the gig we got to talk with Peter at a press conference, which was also watched, somewhat sleepily, by Peter Iwers (In Flames’ bassist) and drummer David. Peter was an incredibly fun, laid-back guy to talk to. About ten journalists buried him in questions, and 15 minutes was nowhere near enough. Below you can read a transcript of the press conference. The questions asked by RockLine are marked, and the rest came from the other journalists.
I read that your studio, The Abyss, used to be an insane asylum. How come you picked that exact location, and does the lingering spirit of the mental patients affect your work in any way?
Peter: It keeps me sane (laughs)… But seriously, the location is gorgeous, in the middle of the woods, miles away from stress and city life. I actually bought the whole village just so I could have peace and quiet. I rent out the apartments, and I’ve got my studio and my own house there. It’s cool! When you’re playing shows or out on tour, it’s always great to come back home to total calm.
Is it possible that Hypocrisy and Pain might go on a joint tour someday?
Peter: Uh… I don’t know. I don’t think my vocal cords could take it. Honestly I’m not sure, because we’ve never tried it. I did play at Wackn with Lockup, Hypocrisy and Pain, but on different days, and with Lockup I only played a few songs. Like I said… I think it’d be stupid to line up 20 shows and then lose my voice after two. So I’d rather not test it.
What’s going on with the covers album? There were some rumors that you’d release it, and now everything’s gone quiet.
Peter: Yeah… The only reason for that idea was that I wanted to fulfill my contract. We agreed I’d put out one more album of “covers” for them, and then our paths would part. Somewhere around the halfway point of recording they apparently changed their minds, and we ended the contract. The covers went into a drawer, because I turned to working on the new studio album. When you sign with a new label (Peter released the new Pain album on Roadrunner Records, ed. note) they just don’t want your debut for them to be a covers album. The covers are still lying around and they’ll come out as bonus tracks. I think you can already hear the Depeche Mode cover and some others on iTunes. So the covers will always be available, if not on an album, then in some other form.
What do you think the Pain audience is like? Are they Hypocrisy fans…
Peter: I think it differs from country to country, but I’d say it’s people of all ages, from 5 to 60. It’s kind of a mix… I figure about 60% of Hypocrisy fans like Pain too, but then there are also Pain fans who might not like Hypocrisy because we’re too brutal.
RockLine: How did you pick Peter Iwers (In Flames) and Mikkey Dee (Motörhead) as guests on the new album, Psalms of Extinction?
Peter T.: Uhm… I don’t know where Peter is, why don’t you just ask him (laughs).
Peter I.: What?
(laughter)
RockLine: I’m curious how your collaboration on Psalms of Extinction came about…
Peter I.: We talked about it for a while, and once we actually got down to work, we had the basis of the song done in no time.
Peter T.: Yeah, we had the song finished in ten minutes, then we just looked at each other and asked, what do we do now (laughs). We started listening to the rest of the songs and Peter picked which ones he wanted to play on. As for Mikkey, we keep running into each other at festivals, we’ve become sort of festival buddies. When we played in Sweden, we met in Gothenburg, he came backstage and simply said he wanted to play on the next album. That was two years ago. When I was writing material for the new record, there was this song, Zombie Slam, which has a pretty rock ‘n’ roll flavor, and I just couldn’t nail it, so I called him up to see if he’d help out, and two weeks later he’d recorded the drums. It was awesome!
Why did you pick Björk’s Play Dead as the cover on the album?
Peter: Because it’s a great song, I’ve always liked Björk. Singing it was different too, more demanding, and it’s always interesting to try something different. Play Dead is one of my favorite songs, and with covers it’s always the same thing: you want to do a song you like, not something you think is crap. It felt completely natural, and I think it gives the album a different, fresh flavor.
In a statement on your website you said that music means everything to you, that it helped you get through your divorce…
Peter: It’s just the only thing I know how to do and I never get tired of it. For me it’s a big challenge to write music, go on tour, and keep getting better at the same time. So it’s a challenge and fun at once. The best job in the world.
Your obsession with aliens is well known. Will you ever shoot another alien-themed video in the style of Same Old Song?
Peter: You probably mean the video for Shut Your Mouth. I don’t know, I just shot a video for Zombie Slam in America… You never know, we’ll see what time brings. I won’t promise anything, I just go with the flow.
Who comes up with the ideas for the videos? They’re incredible!
Peter: Usually it’s the director and the scriptwriters. I prefer not to get involved. Sometimes it turns out great, sometimes it’s crap (laughs). They just tell you what they want to do, and if you like it, you do it.
Was the idea for Shut Your Mouth yours?
Peter: This guy had actually shot a short film and he wanted me to appear in it. Some of the song is actually in the film. He’d never made a film before, but he’d done a ton of music videos and he really wanted to make one. For him it was a real challenge and pretty tough work. We shot for four, five days. The video is fun, I like performing in front of the camera, it feels like a real challenge.
You mostly work alone. Would you say that’s an advantage, or the opposite?
Peter: When I’m making a Pain album I often hit a wall, because you get so wrapped up in it that you no longer know what you’re doing, and there’s nobody you can ask for advice. When we do Hypocrisy, we write together and it’s a lot easier. Working alone takes a bit longer, but it feels that much better when you’re holding the diploma, the new record, in your hands.
So what’s going on with Hypocrisy right now?
Peter: We’re just on a short break. The last two years were really intense. For the Virus album we did five tours, three in America and two in Europe. We got so burnt out that we need some rest. Horgh is busy with Immortal at the moment, Pain is doing well for me, and Michael became a dad for the first time. Once we’re ready, we’ll start writing again. I don’t know when yet, though.
For the Beatles cover Eleanor Rigby you wrote the arrangement and worked with an orchestra. Was that about following trends, since tons of bands work with orchestras, or was it a fresh idea?
Peter: I’d never done that before. We went to this huge studio where Abba used to record too, and for me it was something totally new. I’d never worked with instruments like that, and it was fascinating to come up with the melodies for them on my keyboards at home and then hear them played by a 16-piece orchestra. It was incredible!
Can you live off the money you make from metal?
Peter: Yeah yeah, of course. You can’t exactly get rich, but you can live simply. It’s better than standing behind a shop counter. At least for me… I had some crazy jobs. I looked after fish, I worked in a brewery… I still hold the record for the most beer stolen (laughs). As long as I can make music, I’m happy.
What does the title Psalms of Extinction mean?
Peter: I don’t know, it’s just a title (laughs). I don’t know, maybe they’re songs about my own downfall, the world’s in the shit because of pollution… I didn’t want to preach, I just wanted to write it down. I think the title works, it can be about the destruction of the environment or about your own downfall.
Are the musicians on the album the same ones you tour with?
Peter: On the album it’s just me, except on this one where there are a few guests. Live it’s usually a fixed lineup, but right now Peter is filling in for Andre, who’s currently playing with Clawfinger. Last week Michael wasn’t there, so Niclas, who used to play with In Flames, jumped in. So right now we’re kind of an incestuous band (laughs). But we always try to stick to the same lineup.
RockLine: You’ve produced countless albums. Which one would you say really stuck with you?
Peter: Uh… No idea. It varies, while recording we always try to have fun, but also to get the best out of everyone. Recording with Celtic Frost was the most grueling for me, but also a lot of fun. Destruction, Marduk, Dimmu Borgir… we always have a blast with them. There are so many bands that it’s hard to single out just one.
Do you look for new bands to produce, or do you only work with established names?
Peter: Since 2002, when I said I’d quit, I haven’t done much producing. But I always like looking for new bands. It’s nice to land a big name, but it’s great to find a new, awesome band.
Is the mix of computers, keyboards and heavy metal a natural process, or have you had it in your head all along?
Peter: I started playing because, as a producer, I wanted to learn how to work with samples and stuff like that. I only played death and black metal, so there wasn’t a band I could try it with, so I created my own band. At first it was only about the production, and the songs came second. Today it’s different.
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