Savon Sanomat, Dec 15, 2007 / Karjalainen -newspaper Dec 19,

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Savon Sanomat, Dec 15, 2007 / Karjalainen -newspaper Dec 19, 2007

Who: Marko Tapani "Marco" Hietala

* Bassist and vocalist of Tarot and Nightwish.
* Nightwish's CD Dark Passion Play has sold over 100 000 copies in Finland.
* Currently touring in Finland with NIghtwish.
* Hietala began his musical career at age of 8. At 11 he started palying guitar.
* Got his musical awakening after listenig to Black Sabbath's Album Master Of reality.
* After ground school Hietala studied at Kuopio Music Gymnasium and later concentrated in bass playing at the Oulunkylä Pop&Jazz conservatory.

At school Marco Hietala was a weird bookworm

Here we have a solitary man. A characteristic hermit. Says the man himself. He sits his back bent. The long hair touching his hips. From his jaw hangs two tassels of curly hair.
The man talks with clear words. Calmly. He is a star, but seems to forget the fact. His appearance is humble, somewhat shy.
- In development of my career I've been forced to learn some social skills, he says.
His mouth widens into a smile. Under the facial hair emits a short laughter. Unpretentious, that's the man. This kind of men are called genuine.

Marco Hietala was born in Tervo where he also went to school. He moved to Kuopio in 1981.
- I rented a room at my grand aunt's. I had a private entrance, a room of my own and everything. Moving in a city was harsh for a country boy. It took six months for me to get leveled. Many of my friends couldn't take it and they had to return back home to Tervo.

Keeping his own style at early years

Hietala passed his matricular examination at the Kuopio Music Gymnasium in 1984. Now the school has chosen him as the artist of the year.
- I had to try the examination a couple of times. I was lazy. But I was good at the subjects that interested me. My grade at music theory was always 9 or 10. But at singing tests I remember getting 7. I had a distinctive singing style of my own which didn't match with the standards of the teachers.
Hietala left the school with a B-grade diploma [scale derived from Latin: L (=highest), M, C, B, A (=lowest accepted) and I (=failed)].

A silent bookworm

When asked about the best memory from school Marco Hietala bursts into laughter.
- Do I dare to tell... well, I went to school one year early at age six, hence I was always behind at everything important compared to my classmates. In the second year in gymnasium others were old enough to get in bars, but I wasn't. It irritated me so much that with a friend we forged ID for me with a photocopier and a pen. And we never got caught for it, Hietala smirks.

Of course there are also less happy memories along the road.
- I got my share of teenage heartaches. I didn't do too well with girls at gymansium. I had some dates, but it never got into anything more serious. I was always the one who didn't match with the majority, a silent bookworm. Hietala tells that at least after he started listenign to progressive music he was tagged different.
- The others were listening to punk.
For today's pupils in gymnasim Hietala has a clear message.
- If you want something hard, you must be extremely tough. Especially when aiming at big things. I myself was 35 years old when I was asked to join in Nightwish. I was almost stuck in a job at a record company's office. One must have self-confidence. One must keep thinking that "this stage is mine!"

Tarja and Marcelo torpedoed everything

Marco Hietala is sitting in the middle of a room in his old school Kuopion Musiikkilukio (Kuopio Music Gymnasium). Students have gathered around him. Now it's allowed to ask him anything. And the questions are about Nightwish - most of them.

They question about Anette.
- Really energig person. Talks a lot, sometimes even too much. She is very enthusiastic about the possibility to show her [professional] claws. Her energy is transmitted to the others, too. I'm feel relieved. Now we don't have to argue about everything, at least not through middlemen.

They question about Tarja and Marcelo.
- In 2005 we had a singer who didn't want to talk about anything. And then there was this Argentinian guy who kept telling us the rules. Two persons torpedoing everything, one because of her indifference, the other because of his desire for more money. Our North American tour had to be cancelled twice because they considered the venues and the fees too small. That was the point when we decided that both of them must go.

They talk about the Hartwall Areena gig.
- The best gig of my career was the last gig with Tarja at the Hartwall Areena. Even we knew what was to happen [afterwards], all of it was forgotten when we started playing. 11 000 people were eating from our palms. We owned them.

They ask about the new lyrics. Are those aimed to Tarja?
- The lyrics were written back in 2005 when the situation was acute. Sure there is some kind of a message. End of one song is aimed at the certain Argentinian person. But I figure it so that when my good friend [Tuomas] has wanted to get rid of his inner demons by writing, it's been good for him.

Yet they ask about about his school departing parties.
- I dressed in a skirt. Girls envied my legs laughs Marco joined by everybody.
A couple of years ago one girl dressed up as Marco Hietala, one of the teachers reveals making Marco burst into a laughter.
- Well, is someone wishes to look this ugly on purpose, who am I to stop her.