[Khorosho]

Hello and welcome to the HIMclub forums! You probably have some questions. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about the band itself. For FAQ relating to how the HIMclub forums work, please see the Forum FAQ section under Support & Information (at the bottom of the menu of forums on the main HIMclub page).

These FAQ have been put together by Khorosho, Marialy Screwed and evelyn and may not be republished without permission. Additions and corrections are welcome. You can simply post suggestions as replies to this topic. From time to time everything will be consolidated into this opening post (and the posts with additions and corrections will be deleted in order to keep the thread as short as possible).



Who are the current members of HIM and where are they from?
Ville Valo - vocalist/melody and lyrics
Migé Amour (Mikko Paananen) - Bass
Linde Lindström (Mikko Lindström) - Guitar
Gas Lipstick (Mika Karppinen) - Drums
Emerson Burton (Janne Puurtinen) - Keyboards

All the band members live in Helsinki, Finland.
(Gas Lipstick - Mika Karppinen, lived in Eskilstuna, Sweden during some time of his childhood)

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Who are former members of HIM?
Rythm Guitarist: Oki (1996; played on first EP before departing)
First Keyboarder: Antto Einari Melasniemi ('97-'98)
First Drummer: Juhana Tuomas Rantala; nickname, Pätkä now plays for Spiha ('94-'99)
Antto and Juhana had no more time for important rehearsals because of their families.

Another very famous member that played his last gig on New Years Eve 2000 is keyboarder Zoltan Pluto (Jussi-Mikko Salminen, joined '98). He was playing in New Dawn Foundation up until about a year ago. More recently, he has been with a band called Tiaga.

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Who is Seppo?
Seppo Vesterinen is the band's manager.

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When are the band members' birthdays?
Ville Valo: 22/11/76
Migé Amour: 19/12/74
Lily Lazer: 12/08/76
Emerson Burton: 17/10/74
Gas Lipstick: 08/02/71

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What albums have HIM released?
666 Ways to Love -- Prologue (1996 EP)
Greatest Lovesongs Vol 666 (1997)
Razorblade Romance (2000)
Deep Shadows & Brilliant Highlights (2001)
Love Metal (2003)
And Love Said No - Greatest Hits (2004)
Dark Light (September 26, 2005)
Venus Doom (September 17, 2007)
Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice (February 8 [UK] 9 [USA] 12 [GER], 2010)

The band recorded their first demo in the early 90s, which included seven tracks and was called "Witches And Other Night Fears".

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Who writes HIM's lyrics?
Ville Valo has written all HIM's songs, with a couple of exceptions: "For You" was co-written by Ville and Linde. "Our Diabolikal Rapture" was co-written with Linde and a person with the last name of Järvinen. The band work together to arrange the songs.

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Who has produced their albums?
"Greatest Lovesongs Vol.666" was produced by the Finnish producer Hiili Hiilesmaa.
"Razorblade Romance" was produced by John Fryer who has also worked with bands like Nine Inch Nails and White Zombie.
"Deep Shadows And Brilliant Highlights was produced by HIM, T.T. Oksala, and Kevin Shirley.
"Love Metal" was produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa.
"Dark Light" was produced by Tim Palmer.
"Venus Doom" was produced by Tim Palmer and Hiili Hiilesmaa.
"Screamworks: Love in Theory and Practice" was produced by Matt Squire.

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How many music videos have HIM done?
Wicked Game - strip club (uncensored)
Wicked Game - normal
Wicked Game - international
When Love And Death Embrace
Join Me - laser version
Join Me - 13th floor version
Join Me (ice version..*int*)
Gone With The Sin - normal
Gone With The Sin - int
Right Here In My Arms
Poison Girl
Heartache Every Moment
Close To The Flame
Pretending
Buried Alive By Love
The Funeral Of Hearts
The Sacrament
Solitary Man
And Love Said No
Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly
Killing Loneliness
The Kiss of Dawn
Bleed Well
Heartkiller

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What does HIM stand for?
For some years, it hasn't stood for anything. There was a time when people were told that it stood for "His Infernal Majesty" (the "666 Ways to Love" EP was released under that name).

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Are HIM satanic?
HIM songs are about the joy, the pain and the suffering which love brings; they're not about any satanic rituals or anything related to satanic cult. Ville liked to play with symbols which the church condemns during the time of "Greatest Lovesongs Vol. 666", but he got tired of it. In fact, he was offended when he heard that some people had burnt down churches:

"(...) His Infernal Majesty has nothing whatsoever to do with ANY kind religious beliefs or ideologies - just as in our context 666 has nothing to do with the number of the beast. When I read about those people that burned historical Finnish churches and who named us along with Black Sabbath and Dimmu Borgir as being their main source of inspiration, I was deeply offended! (...)" (taken from Heartagram.com, 1999)

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What’s a Heartagram?
Ville once said that he invented it one morning when he had a hangover. It's a combination of heart and pentagram, kind of a yin yang symbol, alluding to dualities like good/evil, love/death ...

The original text was written by J. K. Juntunen, in the book "Synnin Viemää, osa 1", page 31. WSOY, 2002
It was translated without permission by Bonk.
This text may be used, "as is"� by anyone aslong as credits are intact. Special thanks to Darkmayu for proofreading.

HIM’s logo is called heartagram. The symbol is a mixture of a heart and a five point pentagram, which is used upside down in magic. If the sharp point points up, you can draw a human with his hands and arms spread in the middle, the creation of God. When the sharp point points down, you can insert a goat’s head into the pentagram which ears and horns point to the sides.
- I invented that figure in a hangover exactly the same day I turned 20, Ville Valo explains. – The Heartagram is more than this band. It doesn’t even have to have to do with music, it is in it’s own way, a completely different thing. The heartagram has given the name to HIM’s official website, www.heartagram.com and it is tattooed into Villes, Juskas and Kaasus flesh. One of the world’s most famous skateboarders Bam Margera also has a similar tattoo and uses the heartagram to decorate his skateboards. – For me, anyone can use the heartagram anywhere as long as no one from the outside tries to own it. It’s free to use, says Ville. – If we talk about it as a business symbol we have as physical evidence our records where it’s been used. That’s enough to a certain extent, when looking at it from a legal point of view.
- We have had trouble with the use of the heartagram a few times. One German biker guy started to manufacture his own bikes in some little factory in Germany and he tried to rip the symbol off from us. He had apparently tried to trademark it in Germany and claimed that he owned it. Luckily, we had connections through mutual friends to the local biker gangs. A few guys went and twisted his nose a little bit and told him that this is not how things go. After that we didn’t have any problems. – If, one day, someone starts selling heartagram jewellery and other stuff, then that’s ok. I don’t care. About 2000 years ago some moron was crucified and nowadays they sell jewellery with the same dead guy on a cross. What does it matter? That cross is still a very well known symbol, even if they during that time period did not even know what a logo or a brand was. What would that guy have done with the money anyways? If the legend is true, his father has enough money, so it’s not like it has any relevance. – It’s actually funny to notice that, the heartagram is clearly a subconsciously twisted version of the Mehiläinen hospitals logo. It’s basically the same. Yes! The heartagram is a mixture of private hospital Mehiläinen and Anton la vey.

Mehiläinen Hospital logo

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Where can I get biographies, view pictures, etc.?
Good websites to check (external links - HIMclub is not responsible for the content):
Heartagram - official
HIMonline.tv- UK official
Heartagram Club - german official


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Where can I check out audio and video files?
NOTE: these are the links from official HIM sites which are authorised to show the files offered there. Don't post not authorised files from inofficial webpages (e.g. fansites) on HIMclub. Thanks. (External links - HIMclub is not responsible for the content.)
http://www.youtube.com/him
http://www.him-music...en10/video.htm#
http://www.himonline...deo.php?video=1
http://www.heartagram.com
http://music.msn.com...artist=16467512

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Have any members played in other bands?
Ville played in several projects starting at an early age. (At the age of 14 he played in 7 bands, his first band was called Blood.) Migé and Linde played in school bands as well (one of Migés former bands was called Spirit Sauna), Gas was the drummer of Kyyria before joining HIM. Emerson Burton played in Cosmos Tango, Sub-Urban Tribe and Torpedo.

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How did the band meet?
Ville, Migé, and Linde are old school friends; Gas was a friend of theirs before, too, same with Burton.

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Where can I get HIM autographs?/How do I contact HIM?
You can try writing to

HIM
P.O. BOX 194
00121 Helsinki
Finland

or send an email to him@heartagram.com.

Please don't ask us to get you autographs because we can't.

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Are HIM still HER in the US? Why were they ever called HER in the US?
There is another combo in the US called HiM. At first, Doug Scharin, the leader of this group, would not agree to having the Finnish HIM release records and perform in the US under the HIM name. Eventually, Scharin agreed to share the HIM name in the US in return for a financial payment. In the interim, the Finnish HIM released Razorblade Romance in the US under the name HER.

The current US release of Razorblade Romance is under the HIM name, and this is the name that will be used for future US releases.

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When are HIM coming to my town?
Check out the Tour Dates section at http://www.heartagram.com (external link - HIMclub is not responsible for the content).

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Where can I order HIM CDs and merchandise?
Try: (external links - HIMclub is not responsible for the content)
http://www.amazon.com
http://www.heartagram.com
http://www.my-artist.net
http://www.verkkopaita.com
http://www.hottopic.com
http://www.oneposter.com

Ebay also has a lot of HIM stuff, though it's often unofficial items.

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Which songs have HIM covered?
All For You- Motörhead (played live)
Black No. 1 (Little Miss Scare-All) - Type O Negative (played live)
Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath (played live)
(Don't Fear) The Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult (can be found on GL Vol.666)
Don't Shake Me Lucifer - Roky Erikson (played live)
Enjoy The Silence - Depeche Mode (played live, for example in Ilosaarirock '99)
Fade Into You - Mazzy Star (played live)
First Cut is the Deepest - Cat Stevens (played live)
Frozen - Madonna (played live)
Hand Of Doom - Black Sabbath (played live, can be found on the 'Buried Alive by Love' [limited edition] single)
I Just Died In Your Arms - Cutting Crew (played live)
Larger Than Life - Backstreet Boys (played live)
Live To Tell - Madonna (played live)
Mask - Iggy Pop (played live)
Old Man - Neil Young (played live)
Paranoid - Black Sabbath (played live)
Poison Heart - Ramones (played live)
Rebel Yell - Billy Idol (the live version can be found on the 'Join Me' single)
Rendezvouz With Anus - Turbonegro (on the tribute-album 'Alpha Motherfuckers')
Sail On - Bad Brains (played live)
Solitary Man - Neil Diamond (played live & can be found on And Love Said No)
Some Kind of Hate - Misfits (played live)
Take My Breath Away - Berlin (played live)
Temple Of Love - Sisters Of Mercy (played live)
We are the World - Michael Jackson (played live)
Wicked Game - Chris Isaak (can be found on GL Vol.666)

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What about these "rare" songs "Borellus" and "Serpent Ride"?
These songs are from an early demo-tape (1995/96?). They can't be bought, but they are floating around the Web.

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What does "Borellus" mean?
Borellus is the guy who is quoted right at the beginning of the H.P. Lovecraft novel "The Case Of Charles Dexter Ward". Some lines of the "Borellus" lyrics from HIM are from this book. Here you can read the novel online.
There is little information about some Borellus, who was a french physician and lived from 1620 - 1689 (check here, page 50). Not sure though if this is the quoted person in the novel.

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Is it true that HIM had to record Razorblade Romance twice?
Yes, that's true. HIM weren't content with the first version, which was produced by Hiili, so they recorded it again with John Fryer in the Rockfield Studios in Wales.

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Who is the girl who sings with Ville on "The Reaper" and "Dark Sekret Love"?
She's an actress called June Elizabeth Hyde (stage name Sanna-June Hyde). Some rumours say she was Ville's first crush (they went to the same school), others that the S tattoo on his chest stands for "Sanna". She's said to have had a relationship with Linde.

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What are HIM's musical influences?
Ville has long loved bands like Black Sabbath and KISS, Migé used to like Manowar. All in all, HIM are influenced by the 70s and 80s stuff.

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Who is this dude Bam some people are talking about when speaking of HIM?
Bam Margera, a skater and member of the cast of the Jackass show that used to run on MTV, and now the headliner for Viva La Bam on MTV, likes HIM’s music a lot, became a friend of the band and is helping them getting known in the US. He is the director of the videos for "Buried Alive By Love"�, "The Sacrament"�, "Solitary Man" and "And Love Said No". Some fans object to Bam's imitating some of Ville's tattoos and his using the Heartagram on some of his merchandise and on his official website. Bam has Ville's permission to use the Heartagram.

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How do I pronounce the names of the band members?
(External links - HIMclub is not responsible for the content.)
For Finnish pronunciation in general:
http://www.geocities...tz/pronunc.html

For pronunciation of Finnish names:
http://www.sci.fi/~k...finns/alpha.htm

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Where can I find pictures of the band members' girlfriends?
Search some of the fan sites (see Link section on heartagram.com). Some of these sites claim to have pictures of girlfriends; we don’t know. Please don't ask for such pictures here on the board, we don't agree with invading the band members' privacy.

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In some pictures Ville kisses men. Is he gay?
Hmm. Maybe. Who knows? (And who cares?)

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How tall is Ville?
Ville is 1.84 meters tall.

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Is it true that Ville has asthma?
Yes, that's true.

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Do the guys from HIM take any drugs?
Ville and Burton smoke. They all drink alcohol, and Migé has admitted he took drugs, but the management says the guys are clean.

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Do the guys from HIM surf in the internet from time to time?
Years ago Ville once stated that he doesn't have an Internet connection, but Migé is said to surf from time to time (mostly through sex-sites as he says *g*). Meanwhile Ville has posted three times on the HIMonline board. It's said that all of the band members surf from time to time to read the fan talk not just there but also in the Heartagram forum.

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What is the HIM font called?
There is no HIM font. You can find a font called "Mason", though, which is pretty similar to the HIM one, but there are some differences.

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What songs in Finnish did Ville do with a group called The Agents (and also a song called "Valo Yössä") and where can I hear them?
You can find "Jykevää On Rakkaus", "Paratiisi" and "Ikkunaprinsessa" (atleast) on a Agents compilation called "Laulava Sydän" (it was a TV show featuring Agents and lots of singers). The Tuomari Nurmio cover "Valo Yössä" is on a Tuomari Nurmio tribute called "Tuomarin Todistajat".

[gothicgirl]

[qoute]What does HIM stand for?
For some years, it hasn't stood for anything. There was a time when people were told that it stood for "His Infernal Majesty.[/quote]

About this I've read something else...At first they were called "His Infernal Majesty" and they realsed the ep "666 ways to love prologoue" also under this name, but then they thought that this name is to long and since then they use the short form "HIM",but it still stands for "His Infernal Majesty".

I also want to add, that emerson was one of the founding members of HIM, but they weren't sure if he is the right guy and so since the realsing of the ep Antto Melasniem was the keyboarder of the band, then he was replaced by Zoltan Pluto 2 years later and then 2001 Emerson Burton became the final keyboarder of HIM

This post has been edited by gothicgirl: 31 May 2007 - 03:44 PM

[Rakkausky]

Ville also plays bass and drums on some songs

[hotwirexo]

as for the reasons the band changed their name, i have heard things like that finnish people were having trouble pronouncing the name, and that too many people believed the name to be a satanic reference. is there any validity to this? and does anyone know what year the change took place in?

[gunpowder]

How many versions of "lose you tonight" HIM made?

[Meera]

thanks for the mail anyway but I mean I try to sending them an e-mail and the system is error