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Mega Fan Site Interview (part1)
with Yngwie by Yoko Sep 29, 2000
Support by Aaron

After the Tokyo Listening party, Yngwie shared his important time for "Mega Fan Site ! " to answer the fan quetion with big smile !

[1] Ambition to Promote New Album

Yoko: Good evening, Yngwie, welcome again to Japan. We appreciate your great performance at the Listening Party today. And thank you so much for sparing your time for our interview out of the heavy schedule.
Firstly, how confident are you that the new album, "WAR TO END ALL WARS" will be a hit in Japan? We haven't yet heard much good news from Pony Canyon (Japanese label).

Yngwie: Koh Sakai, Captain Wada, Masa Ito, and Kaz Hirose (rock music critiques) all love the new album. That's a good news. While on the other hand, I think "ALCHEMY" was a good record but it didn't have any radio songs like those in the new one.

Yoko: I think "WAR" album basicly doesn't look very different from "ALCHEMY". But its melodies are catchier enough to excite everybody easily.

Yngwie: They're catchy and still aggressive.
We did good songs. And I think that all my friends and everyone helped me so that we could do this.

Yoko: I will support you of course, you know. I've loved your songs for many years. It's my life work.

Yngwie: I know. I appreciate. Thank you very much.
By the way, I've signed a big American deal. In Canada, the States, and South America, my old albums are to come out at the same time.

Yoko: Exciting.

[2] Artwork

Yoko: Last night and ealy this morning, I got emails from your managiment. It was the Spitfire-version album jacket and artwork material. And then, I had no time to sleep until this morning because I had to rebuild my website to upload this artwork.

Yngwie: Frank Frazetta. "WAR TO END ALL WARS".

Yoko: I know him. He is very famous for his artwork of the sinece fiction nobel.

Yngwie: (Whispering) It's VERY expensive!

Yoko: Oh, Really?! I think so. (Laughter)

Yngwie: Very very expensive but the happy thing is my main catalog tree record company decided to share the cost to use this.

[3] Yngwie in Armor

Yoko: Look at this link banner. On the left side, we see your face but the body is in a warrior style.

Yngwie: Yeah, I'm wearing it.

Yoko: Is it a painting or a photo?

Yngwie: It's a photo. ...No, no! Michael Johansson (photographer) came to my house. I put that all along and stood like this. No, no. No trick!

(All laugh out)

Yoko: No trick? You put on your armor? I understand. It looks very very beautiful!

Yngwie: No trick. Real. I bandished the big sword, imagining killing the traitor.

(All laugh out)

[4] Bass

Yngwie: When you hear the albums where I played the bass, the bass sounds very extreme. You haven't heard this extreme line.

Yoko: Is that your idea?

Yngwie: Yeah. I don't know who else can play this. I need to find a bass player but I've no idea. Randy Coven (bassist for "ALCHEMY" tour) can do it or not I don't know.

Yoko: Really. You need one at least for tour. Because you can't play two instruments at once alone.

Yngwie: Exactly. Who can do that?!

Yoko: For the finger-picking player it feels too tough to play that bass line.

Yngwie: I think so. On the song called "Instru-Mental Institution", the bass tone goes GROOON! GROOON! Like this. I don't know how to do this on stage.

[5] Influence from Classics

Yngwie: Anyway, let's go on to this. (pointing the printouts of Japanese fans' questions)

Yoko: OK. It's from Aaron. You mention the names of Tchaikovsky and Dvorak on your recent album notes. Which of theirs are your favorites?

Yngwie: My favorite Tchaikovsky is "Violin Concerto". And I like Dvorak's "9th Symphony (From the New World)". Tu lulu lu lulu. (Singing the theme part of its 4th Movement) Very good.

Yoko: Does your new album contain any tunes influenced by Tchaikovsky?

Yngwie: No, only Paganini.

Yoko: In this album only Paganini. "24 Caprices"?

Yngwie: yes.

to be continue for part 2

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Mega Fan Site Interview (part 2)
with Yngwie by Yoko Sep 29, 2000
Support by Aaron

After the Tokyo Listening party, Yngwie shared his important time for "Mega Fan Site ! " to answer the fan quetion with big smile !

contine from part 1

[5] Influence from Classics

Yngwie: Anyway, let's go on to this. (pointing the printouts of Japanese fans' questions)

Yoko: OK. It's from Aaron. You mention the names of Tchaikovsky and Dvorak on your recent album notes. Which of theirs are your favorites?

Yngwie: My favorite Tchaikovsky is "Violin Concerto". And I like Dvorak's "9th Symphony (From the New World)". Tu lulu lu lulu. (Singing the theme part of its 4th Movement) Very good.

Yoko: Does your new album contain any tunes influenced by Tchaikovsky?

Yngwie: No, only Paganini.

Yoko: In this album only Paganini. "24 Caprices"?

Yngwie: yes.

Yngwie: "Caprice #24". Anything else is there. I mean Bach and Paganini. There's a song called "Wild One", where I'm doing some sound like fun, very chromatic. Trrrrrrrrrrrrrr. It's not so like what I normally do. It's more...., you have to hear it. I suppose it's like what you'll consider more Tchaikovskyish. I don't really relate that song to any classical ones but it's supposed to be somewhat like chamber music.

Yoko: You seem to like concertos much better than symphonies, don't you?

Yngwie: Concertos? No, it depends on each tune. Vivaldi's "Flute Concerto" is incredible. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach's concertos are amazing. I like concertos when there's a solo that's extreme like Tchaikovsky's "Violin Concerto". Topics change. I like baroque, all the baroque. I listen to baroque all through the year. I always tend to listen to baroque and Beethoven. But I like only a few tunes from Beethoven, not all of his.

[6] Standing Live

Yoko: Next is Sachiko's question. She remembers you saying, at a "FACING THE ANIAL" show, that you love standing style live.

Yngwie: Open floor.

Yoko: She hopes you'll do standing style lives at some places on your next tour.

Yngwie: No problem.

Yoko: The audience sometimes feel distant to you at a big hall because there phisically are distances between you and them. But when fans are very close to you, they can get supplied with more energy by you and can feel your emotion directly. So standing style is exciting for fans, she says. How do you like it in Japan ?

Yngwie: I would like to play at Budokan with no seats. That would be great.

(Everybody laughs)

Yoko: Sometimes I feel a distance to stages indeed.

Yngwie: Yeah, Budokan is too big. I like playing at Festival Hall or stages like that. Sound is good there. But Festival Hall has a big orchestra pit. I like to be close the audience but I don't book the tours.

Yoko: Ok. So please think about it next time.

Yngwie: Yeah

to be continue to part 3

Mega Fan SIte Exclusive interview with Michael Von Knoerring (Ex. Yngwie Band Drummer, play at "Eclipse" Album) here is his web site and his family web site
21/May/2002

Mega Fan S:ite (MFS): Before, we heard that you were sick and you can't go to the tour with Yngwie, at that time we felt very sorry and very regretted. How about your health now, we hope you are very well now.

Michael: I am very well thank you, I had a vertigo problem 10 years ago so I could no play then.

MFS: Your sound is heavy and low, especially your snare sound is very heavy, are you focusing low range sound setting ? Your sound come from settings or instrument ?
Please teach us your drum set and settings. If it is possible please tell us your pedal detail spec, we are very interesting in your very accurate two bass play at Eclipse album.

Michael: I play on very big Ludwig drums and the pitch is low, and i hit very hard, size on basdrums 26-16* and deep 14 and 15 toms 16 and 18 inch floor toms and 14-8 snaredrum, i use camco baspedals... i have played 2 basdrums for 25 years and practice a lot. its the onlyway.
I only use my toes on the pedal (that part of the foot.) only way to get speed,and hit hard, whith tecnich, and feeling. I can play on any baspedal it doesn't matter.

MFS: We are Yngwie big fan. We like Yngwie music very much.
So, about Eclipse drum play, how many persentage of Yngwie idea and your idea
(ex. fill in paert was your Idea ? how about brake part ?)

Michael: Yngwie had a basic drum-pattern on every track, I did it my way.
My ideas my playing. All breake mine, modification all drumming mine. Yngwie basic.

MFS : At the Eclipse album, every player were Swedish, were you using mother language at the meeting and recording to have good communication?

Michael: Yes we where speaking Swedish, sometimes English,

MFS : When you start to play drum? (how old were you) Are there any artist and album which were influenced? Who is your hero ? Are you study drum play at school or by yourself ? When there is a music style which is carrying out to you, please let us hear it.

Michael: I was 6 years old, Ian Paice, i had 3 teachers but learned a lot myself, i like old hard-rock and listen to classic music.

MFS : Please teach us your another album or session work etc. we only know Eclipse album.

Michael: Levitahan on Fire and Ice (instrumental) Norden Light shadows from the wilderness 15 year old album Sonet music Sweden

MFS : What is the most difficult track at Eclipse?

Michael: Eclipse, because of the speed on bas-drums

MFS : How do you feel with recent HM/HR music drum play,
( I think they are tight but not enough emotional than before)

Michael: its not so much emotion feeling

MFS : please give your hello message to Japanese fan.

Michael: Hello to all Japanese Fans, I love you, Michael

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