HIM frontman Ville Valo has revealed the sage advice Ozzy Osbourne once gave him in regards to hyping up a crowd.
The Finnish musician spoke to NME recently about his first-ever solo studio album ‘Neon Noir’, which is due for release this Friday (January 13) via Heartagram Records (pre-order here).
Upon announcing the project last September, Valo described it as “a teary mascara marathon between Robert Smith and Ozzy, with a dash of hope”.
At one point in his new chat with NME, the singer-songwriter was asked to share his favourite memories of the aforementioned artists, or any other acts he’s been influenced by.
“I got to meet Ozzy once – it was pretty cool,” Valo replied. “The only thing I remember was that he told me, ‘If you can’t get the first row going [during a live show], show them your tits’.”
Pressed on whether he’d ever tried out the move, Valo responded: “I forgot it… all about it. Every time it’s been tested on-stage, I just get super nervous.
“But I should probably… that’s a good idea. On the next tour – on the setlist – I’ll write down, ‘Remember Ozzy’s wisdom regarding showing your tits when poop is hitting the fan’. It might work…”
Elsewhere in the conversation, Valo explained that ‘Neon Noir’ will reflect the “darker aspects” of his life, having experienced mental health difficulties during the COVID pandemic.
“Happy music makes me sad and sad music makes me happy,” he told NME. “It’s always worked that way. Don’t ask me why, but I’m not the only one.”
Valo also talked about how Jackass star Bam Margera is “turning into a monster” following a stint in rehab last year for drug and alcohol issues.
“I’m hoping that he feels better because he’s a nice guy,” Valo told NME. “He’s a sensitive, special fella and it’s just sad to see […] I think I can understand some of it, but it needs to stop.
Margera was a close part of the HIM universe in the early 2000s; he directed some of their music videos and the band often appeared on his MTV shows.
You can watch Ville Valo’s full video interview for the latest instalment of NME‘s In Conversation series above.
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