MIKKO VON HERTZEN
The great and good of progressive music give us a glimpse into their prog worlds. As told to Grant Moon
Where’s home?
Kulosaari. It’s an island near Helsinki. My family has deep ties here.
Your first prog memory?
Watching the Bob Geldof film version of The Wall on VHS.
I was about 10, it was a big thing for me.
The first prog record you bought?
Close To The Edge by Yes, in my first year of high school. I bought it on vinyl from Tunnelin Levy, a small record shop in Helsinki’s main railway station.
First prog gig?
Pink Floyd on their Momentary Lapse Of Reason Tour in [arena venue] Globe in Stockholm, 1989. A great, two day trip with my friends that sealed my love for Pink Floyd.
Favourite piece of technology?
My three sets of Sennheisser headphones: HD 25-II, HD 600 and Momentum 2.0.
Any guilty pleasures in your music collection?
I adore the Swedish pop band Roxette. I love pop, but Roxette? That’s where most people draw the line! They are a bit cheesy, but I love them.
What would be your Mastermind specialist subject?
Advaita Vedanta. It’s a nondualistic philosophy of Eastern origin.
Your biggest prog
extravagance?
My dream extravagance would be to go on one of these cruises, Cruise To The Edge or Progressive Nation At Sea.
Pay for the VIP experience, have parties, see friends, it’d be amazing.
Your favourite venue?
Tavastia Club, a legendary place in Helsinki. It’s run by Juhani Merimaa, who’s known as “The man who brought rock’n’roll to Finland.” We’ve played there 25 times.
Outside of prog, what else are you into?
We Finns are outdoor people. We go to our summer cottages, fish and pick mushrooms! I love to scuba dive, I go on these scuba safaris in The Red Sea.
Who is your prog hero?
Honestly, my
number one musical hero is John Bonham. But if we’re talking real prog, then Roger Waters, or David Gilmour.
Are you a collector?
Like many musicians I keep my laminated passes from all the shows we’ve done. I’m going to make a canvas of them one day.
I love to scuba dive, I go on these scuba safaris in The
Red Sea.
The last album you bought?
Steven Wilson’s The Raven That Refused To Sing (And Other Stories).
What was the last gig you went to?
On my birthday this year [21 August] I saw Roger Waters on his Us And Them Tour, at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki.
Ever had a prog date?
No! I’ve taken girls to the opera, to the theatre and to rock concerts, but never prog!
Who do you call in the prog community for a good night out?
The Swedes we’ve toured with are really good fun, the guys in Opeth and Pain Of Salvation. It’d be great for all three of us bands to go out together.
What’s the most important prog song for you?
Close To The Edge, but also Queen’s The Prophet’s Song and Pink Floyd’s Echoes.
Which prog muso would you most like to work with?
Sigur Rós. They’re proggy and arty. Me bringing the rock/pop element to their cinematic style – I can see something great coming from that.
Which prog record always gets you in a good mood?
Hocus Pocus by Focus. It’s so out there.
Who’s the best prog artist you’ve ever seen?
So many: Roger Waters, Steven Wilson, but I saw Sigur Rós at Helsinki’s House Of Culture in 2008 and I was absolutely transfixed. It really was magical.
Recommend us a good proggy read.
I’ve read all of Haruki Murakami’s books.
A Wild Sheep Chase is great, weird and psychedelic.
What’s your favourite album cover?
Pink Floyd’s
Ummagumma always amazed me, with that
Droste effect on it. It’s so cool.
What are you up to at the moment?
We’ve got a set of shows in the UK in December [2-16] and then that’s a wrap on the War Is Over tour, and we’ll start work on the new album.