Linde, who uses the name Lily Lazer in HIM is now Daniel Lioneye. The guitarist sits at the Finnvox studio where HIM is recording their new album. He says he hasn't been drunk for 2 months so he doesen't exactly have a "Danny feeling".
The people who play with Daniel Lioneye are drummer Ville Valo and bass player Mige Amour, so he didn't have to search for a band from further than HIM. Hiili Hiilesmaa (producer of The King of Rock 'n Roll) will also appear at the gigs of Daniel Lioneye, he'll make the motorcycle noises etc. Daniel Lioneye isn't just a one album project because the trio (and Hiilli) have been together for a couple of years already.
- When we went into the studio we had 3 songs ready. The rest was born there, Daniel (or Linde) says. - I haven't really thought about how people are goin to like the album because it wasn't originally even meant to be published. It was just published as kind of a joke, the ones who like it like it…. On our gigs we'll probably play a few covers with those songs. For example John Lee Hooker's One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer. Daniel Lioneye likes to be drunk and wants to sing drinking related songs. So I should probably start drinking again even though during the time I haven't been drinking I've discovered a whole new world.
- Daniel Lioneye's gigs will be very different from HIM's, Ville Valo promises. - HIM has gotten so serious in a way andd there's many who are serious about it and have a lot of pressure on them. There's no pressure with this Danny thing. You can go back to the garage band times. This is like writing stress songs. When we were recording the songs all the lyrics just appeared out of nowhere. We're totally free from all the money business. We are renting Ilkka Lipsanen's bus for the gigs. We'll be free of all the shit that we get from HIM related things.
Daniel admits that they intended to "do things over" but surprisingly they made music in the studio as well. - Well ok, Steve Vai's been my big idol since I was little, even though I don't try to play with the same style as him, Daniel says. - But other than that I don't listen to a lot of guitar players, I like Iggy Pop, Elvis, and stuff like that more.
THE TIME OF THE JOINT ROLLERS
Daniel Lioneye is sex, drugs and cadillacs. Don't get enough of those things in HIM?
- Well yes I guess um… I don't know, Daniel says. - Maybe some people can take this seriously but Daniel Lioneye really isn't something serious. In this you don't really have to think about anything, just play and have fun.
Ville Valo points out that Daniel Lioneye's back-up band's name is The Joint Rollers, and he plays in it under the name Bil (yes with only one l) with Mige. And now The Joint Rollers are making their own album. - It's going to be more straight forward than Danny's music, which contains material that's too sophisticated, Bil says. - Danny won't be allowed on The Joint Roller's gig's at all. We're looking for and other kind of guitar virtuoso. Danny has nothing to do with this thing. We have an idea that we'd go straight to the studio to write the songs and at 7 am we'd go to Finnvox to master it. Pictures would be taken of the studio session, we'd get them developed and publish the album right away. So we'd make the whole cd in less than 24 hrs.
It's not a surprise that Bil (or Ville Valo) plays the drums in Daniel Lioneye because he was a drummer before he started to sing. - I have the rythm in my blood Bil says. - HIM's Gas is a good drummer, but not nearly as good as me. He doesn't have the right touch. I'm trying to find the right thing, like a Bill Ward style. And of course we'll pay a lot of attention to how we look on stage. And I've been thinking that HIM can take over Europe and Danny can take care of North America, Australia, and Japan.
- And we give Danny a bottle of Jack Daniels on every gig, Bil promises. Mige and I have to behave well so Danny doesn't kick us out. This isn't exactly a good way to get lot's of money but at least we get bread and drinks. Suddenly Bil whispers that Daniel in really a sensitive guy whos job is to be a warning role model to teens. Danny does all the stupid stuff for them (so they won't have to).
- True, I am sensitive and all drugs are dangerous, Daniel admits. - There's a song called Dope Danny on The King of Rock 'n Roll that's going on an anti-drug cd. Of course drugs are not a positive thing. - But I have to get drunk on a Danny gig. And that's why we only do so few gigs. If I was Danny for three weeks in a row I'd most likely burn all the bridges behind me.
With many thanks to Sinderella_69
Source Heartagram Club Belgium