J: Let’s start with the obvious. Where did the name "Bobby Undertaker" come from?
Bobby Undertaker: It's actually a funny story. I was about 12 or 13 years old, and I ordered a Motörhead LP where the 51st person who ordered would get a special prize. I won, and it was a baseball cap that s
aid "Bobby". I later found out that it was because of Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston's husband.
I started wearing that cap and, boom! My friends started to call me Bobby, and then it was too late to change it. Then, in Deathchain, my previous band, we had to come up with names, so I added "Undertaker" because it sounded cool.
J: So nothing to do with The Undertaker, the wrestler?
Bobby Undertaker: No, nothing to do with that. Of course, I know The Undertaker, but it had nothing to do with that. In Deathchain we had a song called "Undertaker", so I thought "Okay, let it be Bobby Undertaker."
J: When it comes to your latest album, Universal Satan, how do you feel it has been received?
Bobby Undertaker: It was really great. It went to the first position in Finland, which is always nice and rare for this kind of music.
I think that it's hard to compare Universal Satan with our previous albums. It’s a bit different, but people have received it really well. I have no complaints.
J: Why do you feel it is hard to compare it with your previous work?
Bobby Undertaker: I don't know... the way we did it is a bit different. We worked on it more together as a band, and I think that the songs are different, a bit darker. We never plan for things like that that to happen. It just came out that way.
J: I've read a couple of interviews where you've mentioned that even though your songs have serious meanings, they are sometimes perceived as if you were kidding, or as if the band was more of a comedy band.
Bobby Undertaker: Yeah, I think that's a misunderstanding. When we're playing on stage you can see us smiling, but it's not like this band has ever been a joke.
Of course, we want to have fun, but there many different kinds of songs in our discography. There are some dark and deep songs, and then there are others that aren't so deep, but it's never a joke.
J: Do you think it's related to the "look" of the band?
Bobby Undertaker: It could be. We don't take ourselves too seriously, but when we make music, when we play, we are serious. When we're on stage we're not like a black metal band, always looking evil or whatever. We smile and we have fun, but...
J: But it's not Spinal Tap.
Bobby Undertaker: Exactly.
J: Since you mentioned black metal... one of the interesting things about Turmion Kätilöt is that you do LOOK like a black metal band, but you're obviously not black metal. Your sound is industrial, but not the way KMFDM are industrial, and you’re electronic, but obviously not like Daft Punk is electronic. Do you think that it has been a challenge to you find your own place in the music world?
Bobby Undertaker: It could be; but we don't have any rules about our music. It's never like "We can do that" or "we cannot do this". We do whatever we want. I know that people like to categorize things, but we never think about it like that. It's not a problem for us.
J: Well, one of the things about metal fans, and I know that it happened to me when I was a kid, was that you set some rules for yourself, so that you don't want to listen to things that "aren't metal".
Bobby Undertaker: Yeah; when I was younger it was more important to categorize things, even though I never really cared about it, because it made it easier to find your own sound.
J: On that note, when it comes to your music, what are your influences?
Bobby Undertaker: Well, for example, MC Raaka Pee doesn't listen to music [laughs] except for the music that we make together. Of course, he has his own influences in 90s dance music and stuff like that, while my background is maybe a bit different, but I like many different styles. When we make music together it's not like we're trying to take influences from here or there, it just happens.
Of course, everything you hear changes you, and stays in your head; but we're completely unrestricted. If a good idea comes up, we don't care if it comes from jazz or from whatever else. If it's good, it's good.
J: What are you listening to at the moment?
Bobby Undertaker: On the bus I was listening to to Swallow the Sun's latest album and to Röyksopp, a Norwegian kind-of-electronic band. I listen to everything, from black metal to Finnish tango. I have a pretty wide taste in music.
J: Back in 2012 MC Raaka Pee had a stroke, which paralyzed the band for bit. I'm sure that it must have been a difficult period because you're also friends, of course. Was there a concern that the band would not be able to continue at all?
Bobby Undertaker: Yeah, of course, we were all concerned; not so much about the band, but about him. But he got better surprisingly quickly. It has left its marks, of course, but we're still going strong. We're really, really happy about that.
Of course, it was devastating when it happened, so we're really happy to see him going strong again. It was a very frightening time for us in the band.
J: Back to the topic of finding a place for Turmion Kätilöt; do you think that, because so much of your music is in Suomi, that this has made it difficult for you to penetrate the rest of the European market?
Bobby Undertaker: It's really hard to say. Of course, if you look at something like Rammstein, they managed despite their music being in German.
J: Do you know if, for example in streaming platforms, your English music does any differently from your Suomi songs?
Bobby Undertaker: There's no difference in their popularity outside of Finland. I think that if it's a good song, it's a good song. For me lyrics are really important and it kind of bothers me when I don't understand what they're singing... but a good song is still a good song even if you don't understand it.
J: Prior to the interview we were talking a bit about your family back home and feeling homesick. How does family life combine with being a part of a band like this one?
Bobby Undertaker: In Finland it's still kind of easy. We have done lots of shows there, since it's where we do most of our touring, but it's mostly on the weekends. In my case, I also have a day job, so if I'm out for many weekends it's hard, but my kids have grown up in this situation since they were babies. It's never easy, but in Finland the distances aren't that great, so if we do shows in a weekend we play on Friday and Saturday, and then go home on Sunday.
But, yes, when it's week after week after week of working a normal job, and then spending the weekends away, it's hard. But it is what it is.
J: A few years ago I was talking with Corpsegrinder of Cannibal Corpse, and we spoke precisely about this situation of being in a band that has messed up cover art, and bizarre lyrics, while having little kids at home. Considering your lyrics, and your visuals, have you already had that conversation with your kids?
Bobby Undertaker: My daughter is almost six, and our boy is five. They are not old enough to understand the lyrics, but they do like to listen some of our songs every once in a while. I don't know... they just think it's cool, except because daddy isn't home sometimes [laughs].
We haven't gotten any deeper into it yet, but they understand what I do. I think that's enough at this point.
J: Finland seems to be a very "pro metal" nation, with (at least according to the Metal Encyclopedia) more bands per capita than any other country. In your opinion, what is it about Finnish culture that has allowed for this music to flourish there so much?
Bobby Undertaker: I think, in general, music has always been important for Finnish people. I don't necessarily mean metal music. We have, we have a long musical tradition... but I honestly don't know why metal music has become as popular as it is.
I remember that when I started to play metal music it already felt like there were bands in every corner. It felt like everyone was in a metal band [laughs]!
J: To conclude, what is in the future now for Turmion Kätilöt?
Bobby Undertaker: Well, first of all, we want to finish this tour and the make most out of it. Then we'll go back home, and after three days we'll play a couple of shows in Finland. Then, after a weekend off, we'll be out again with Beast in Black for a couple of shows in Sweden. After that... I don't know! We'll be waiting for summer and summer festivals. Nothing big has been planned yet. Of course, we've started making new music, but there's nothing planned yet.
J: Since you mentioned that you have a day job, and several of you have families, how has that affected your ability to create new material?
Bobby Undertaker: Of course, it affects everyone... especially me! I don’t have enough time to be as involved as I would like to be. But, then again, our keyboard player, RunQ, and MC Raaka Pee, are perhaps the biggest driving force in the band when it comes to composing. I make some stuff, but they make most of it, So we can always find time to get together to do whatever needs to be done. But, of course, it would be great if I didn't have to work full time.. but what can you do? Maybe one day!
