Q: The late 80’s was a real boom period for that kind of music and playing wheareas in the mid nineties/early noughties it was incredibly uncool to play virtuoso style music; how did you survive?
A: I think simply because I did what I’ve always done. When I grew up in Sweden I was constantly told I’d never make it doing what I was doing, and what the fuck did I think I was doing, and this and that. So I said “oh yeah” and I stayed true to what I wanted to do.
Whatever the fashions are, they don’t mean anything to me. People still got into it!
Q: Nowadays with social media, YouTube and streaming service, a lot of artists deplore the fact that recorded music doesn’t sell like it used. How do you feel about that? Has it helped or hindered you?
A: I’ll put it in a nutshell. Basically what happened with the internet was that the money machine was eliminated. When the money machine was eliminated, all these people who had nothing to do with the music, and who used to make millions of dollars, started to do something else. Then everyone went “it’s fine, bands are still signed”.
But it’s not! The reasons bands were signed and new acts could get a shot was because people thought they could make money from these bands. So the fans got to hear new music while the machine was going around investing a million and getting ten million back. Now when there is no return, no new bands are being signed or exposed and no record labels are acting like they did before.
People love heavy metal, people love rock and roll and people love guitar players but there’s no money in it.
Q: Especially someone like yourself...
A: That’s the thing, there’s nothing new! Simply because the labels, the retailers , the distributors, the manufacturers graphic designers, photographers and so on, they are not making money...so they say fuck this and they go do something else. The new groups that start in a garage are not going to get exposed and the fans are not going to get new music.
Q: Do you think that’s lead to an upsurge in the live music scene?
A: Look, the thing is if you’re already established, if you’re Judas Priest or Yngwie Malmsteen, you’re fine. There’s no difference, you do what you’ve been doing and it’s the same. But if you’re a nobody and you want to sound really good but you want to start out, you can’t get a tour bus or an opening act slot because there’s no machine there to invest in you.
All the old acts, like Alice Cooper, The Scorpions, The Police and more, they’re bigger than ever. Do you remember the days when there was a new band every fucking week? It’s not happening! Back then, someone could sink a few hundred grand into a band and make millions.
If you make a product that people steal and it costs money to make that product, you get no say in who’s going to put money into it.
Q: Under those circumstances is making an album gives you more creative control?
A: To me, I thank god every day for being where I am. I can do whatever I want and not worry about airplay or the first single. I don’t have to worry about any of that shit. If you’re not established you’re never going to have a big mansion, you’re never going to have a big mansion and a Ferrari, you’re never going to be a rockstar. That’s the shame of it all. If you’re established, you’ve got nothing to complain about.
Q: Do you think that’s leading to the rise of nostalgia for the 70’s?
A: The biggest reason for that surge in all those bands is because of record sales is because there’s nothing new, because the people who put those bands on the map only did it for the money! If I said “Hey I’ve got a YouTube video, check it out” what’s going to separate it from a billion other people?
Q: On that topic of classic bands, what would your dream band lineup be?
A: Johann Sebastian Bach on keys, Pavarotti on vocals, on drums...man I dunno!
Q: Yngwie Malmsteen on drums?
A: Ha! Why not?!
Q: After all that discussion about music and the industry, what’s the meaning of life?
A: Have a good time, all the time!
Tour dates:
June 4th - Powerstation, New Zealand
June 6th - The Astor, Perth
June 8th - Wrestpoint, Hobart
June 10th - 170 Russell, Melbourne
June 11th - The Tivoli, Brisbane
June 12th - HQ, Adelaide
June 13th - Factory Theatre, Sydney
Yngwie spoke to guest interviewer Leon Todd October 2014
Leon Todd is guitarist with Ragdoll www.ragdollrock.com |