YNGWIE MALMSTEEN (BACKSTAGE, #1/1989) TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH

Backstage was a Swedish fanzine announcing themselves as ”Supporting Swedish Rock”. It was written in Swedish, but here’s a translate article for you. The two color pictures of Yngwie down below was not in the original article.

ENGLISH TRANSLATION:

Sweden's most internationally known and recognized Rock musician recently visited Sweden. He did 5 more or less sold-out concerts. Regardless of what you think of his music, there is no getting away from the fact that he is a great stage personality. On stage he exudes self-confidence and charisma. His person is quite controversial, largely due to some controversial statements he has made throughout his career. In recent years he has gone through several difficulties. First he had a serious car accident. Shortly after that he lost his great support when his mother RIGMOR passed away. As if that wasn't enough, his manager blew him a large sum of money, to say the least. All these setbacks have made YNGWIE a slightly more humble person who now takes other people a little more into consideration. 

We at BACKSTAGE had the opportunity to do an interview with YNGWIE in connection with the Swedish tour. First, perhaps we should do a short presentation of YNGWIE for those of you who don't know anything about him. He was born in Stockholm on June 30, 1963. He played in a couple of bands in Sweden before moving to the USA in the spring of 1983. In the USA he played with STEELER and ALCATRAZ before forming his own band RISING FORCE. To date he has released 4 of his own LPs, namely “Rising Force”, “Marching Out”, “Trilogy” and “Odyssey”. The members of the band are currently JOE LYNN TURNER – Vocals, BARRY DUNAWAY – Bass, JENS JOHANSSON – Keyboards and ANDERS JOHANSSON – Drums. ANDERS and JENS previously played in the Swedish SILVER MOUNTAIN. During the Swedish period, YNGWIE recorded a demo with them and that is how he discovered their musical talent. Now on to the interview.

 

When did you start playing guitar and why?

- I started playing when I was 7 years old. I saw a program on TV with JIMI Hendrix that inspired me. I got my first guitar when I was 5 years old.

What influences did you have in the beginning?

- Influenza? Yes, I had a lot of those too. In the beginning, I was most influenced by JIMI HENDRIX and RITCHIE BLACKMOORE. Now it's mostly classical music.

Before you left for the USA, you had a band called RISING FORCE back home in Stockholm for a few years. Tell me a little about that band!

- I formed the band in 1977. I had various different members, the most famous being JOHN LEVEN, MARCEL JACOBS and IAN HAUGHLAND. IAN was only with me for a short while. We recorded a lot of demo tapes and stuff.

Didn't you sign a contract with a label and record a single?

- We recorded a single but it was never released. We never signed the contract.

What bands did you play in before R.F.?

- I had a band called BURN and one called POWERHOUSE. It was the same style as now, I was the leader. I started BURN when I was 10 years old.

Have you ever played in a band with another guitarist?

- Yes, because RON KEEL in STEELER played guitar, he thought so anyway. In BURN I also had a backing guitarist.

How did you end up going to the USA and why?

- It was mostly because there were no direct opportunities here in Sweden. I got an offer from MICK VARNEY. MICK had a Spotlight column in Guitarplayer so I sent in a demo. He then called me up and said he had been trying to get hold of me for several years. Apparently he had one/some of my old demos. He told me to come over to the USA and he would arrange bands and stuff that I could play with.

Tell me a little bit about your stays in STEELER and ALCATRAZ!

- I was in STEELER for 4 months. I played on their LP, we recorded it in 2 weeks. I was in ALCATRAZ for about six months. I played on a studio LP and a live LP. The albums are called “No parole from Rock’n Roll” and “Live Sentence” respectively. I thought ALCATRAZ was good because I wrote all the songs there.

Had you decided from the beginning to start your own band when you moved over? When did you form the new RISING FORCE?

- Yes, I had. I had to start somewhere, but eventually I decided to “start my own”. I formed RISING FORCE at the end of 84.

You have had a lot of turnover in members. Are you difficult to work with?

- No. It has been due to many different reasons that the members have disappeared. I am very happy with today’s band.

What are the strengths of the other members?

- JENS and ANDERS have many strengths. They are both extremely good musicians but also good friends. They are nice people. The new bassist BARRY DUNAWAY comes from PAT TRAVERS. He's damn good. JOE is good too.

You were/are a BLACKMOORE fan. Was it because of the RAINBOW connection that you brought JOE LYNN TURNER into the band?

- No, not at all. It was JOE who came to me and wanted to be in.

Do you write all the music yourself or do you help the others?

- I write everything myself.

Are you happy with the latest Lp'n Odyssey? How much has it sold?

- Yes, I am actually. For some songs I have taken and dusted off some older stuff. It has very extensive material. It's everything from Hard Rock to more commercial, from very heavy to much nicer. I think it's a good album, simply put. It's sold about a million worldwide.

How do you think your music has developed through your 4 albums?

- The music is a bit broader now, there are more real songs. It's because I want it that way. I'm a songwriter and I like writing songs. It's not because someone told me to do it.

How has the tour been going so far? How long have you been out and how far do you have left?

- In March we started touring America and Canada, followed by a tour of Japan. The European tour has been incredibly successful, every single gig has been sold out. We did the last gig in Stockholm on December 19th. In January we're going to the Soviet Union for a tour there. There will be 12 gigs in Moscow and 11 in Leningrad. It's going to be fun.

Do you think it's important to you to play in Sweden?

- Yes, it was actually an incredible feeling. It's nice to come home and show what you're all about. I still feel like a Swede.

Do you follow what's happening on the Swedish music front?

- I can't really say that I do. I don't really care much about the music front at all. I almost only listen to classical music and MOTÖHEAD. Not MOTÖRHEAD, otherwise it would be right. I almost never listen to music at all.

Do you take offense to all the crap that's been written about you?

- I think it's a damn shame and very unjustified. On the other hand, I don't care. If a cow stands with a bunch of flies around her, she chases them away with her tail. Even if the cow gets mad at the flies, she doesn't stand there screaming at them. That's pretty much how I feel about those who write.

Describe yourself as a person!

- It's always difficult. I would like to say that I'm a very multifaceted person. Very ambitious and generous. If I may say so myself, above all generous. Serious and damn funny at the same time. I have many different sides.

How are you as a musician then?

- Very multifaceted there too. But mostly ambitious and very serious.

You used to be able to practice up to 10 hours a day. How much do you practice now?

- Nothing.

Are there any musicians that you are impressed by?

- I like ALLAN HOLDSWORTH very much and also JOHN MCLAUGHLIN. When it comes to Hard Rock, I am actually not impressed by anyone.

How would you like to be remembered?

- As a musician, Guitarist and songwriter, it feels equally important. Guitarist is probably the one that is closest to my heart. Songwriting is also very important. I think it is a shame that people are not aware that I am a songwriter.

What are your immediate future plans?

- First we are going to do the Soviet tour. After that I will settle down somewhere and start writing songs. Then there will be a new LP and a new tour.

There have been rumors that you might be moving back to Sweden. Will anything happen to that?

-I don't know yet. Right now I don't live anywhere but I have a damn nice suitcase. It's very big but it's hard to fit the pool table in.

YNGWIE MALMSTEEN PLAYLIST
N. PAGANINI — 24 Kapriser
GENESIS — Selling England by the Pound
KANSAS — Point of No Return
DEEP PURPLE — Made in Japan 

JIMI HENDRIX — Axis Bold as Love

ANDERS JOHANSSON, JOE LYNN TURNER, YNGWIE och JENS JOHANSSON.