What you're going to read is totally amazing and quite amusing interview with Thomas Vikstrom, the singer of Therion. Questions were prepared by Polish fans who decided to do something completely differtent than "normal" or "stiff" interview. Thomas bravely accepted to cope with those all strange and completely untypicall questions. Here is the surprising result! :)

Do you collect presents from fans?

I collect it ALL! From the tiniest thing to flags, books, everything! Some stuff I even wear onstage. I have so much liquor at home given from fans that it's enough for three New Year's Eve parties! I had a fantastic drawing from a fan in France, and a T-shirt with my own name printed actually from Poland! I have it all so all people that comes to my house can see it!

What have you done with the Polish flag you got after your show in Cracow?

It's on my living room wall together with a lot of other flags! Some people think it looks weird with flags on the wall...but to me they mean a lot!

How do you remember your last tour with Therion?

For me it was very stressful in the beginning due to personal reasons. I had to learn new lyrics. Hard ones for a rookie! The two first shows in Germany felt pretty uncomfortable I remember. But the longer the tour went on the more I liked it. It took a while to "get used to the new clothes" so to speak! And when the tour was over I felt a bit sad...I had so much fun! I can't wait until the next tour!

Didn't the girls (models, singers) complain during such a long tour?

Ah....you know ladies...There were some issues, but they did not include Lori! She is my sister and a real trooper! She is not the happiest girl when she wakes up in the morning, but after a coffee and some minutes you hear that contagious laugh from her. Then you may talk to her. (Laughs)

What did you like most in Cracow?

The audience! Especially the moment when they started to sing the birthday song! That was amazing! I also remember it was a very beautiful town, but it was very cold that day. I went away with three fans on a fantastic sightseeing trip to a castle! It was great!!!

Whose idea was it to have security guards next to you during giving the autographs? Were you afraid of fans or...

Not my idea! The decisions are mostly made by the people around the band.or the local crew!

Do you have acrophobia?

I HAD! Since all the flying we have done my fear of flying is totally over! Now I actually enjoy it! But I still don't like to walk out on balconies with too low railings! And to talk me into doing parachuting is impossible! It would have to be an enormous amount of money for me to do that!

Have you ever broken any part of your body?

Yes! A rib! The funny thing is that the guy who broke it on me was 8 years old. It was a classmate of my daughter. We were joking around and I was looking away for a sec. And he ran into my chest like a furious bull! I could hear the sound of the crack!

How did you spend last Christmas and New Year's Eve?

Christmas I spent like every other Christmas at my sister's house eating a lot of food. And I dressed up as Santa Klaus as every year (laughs). Also, a strange Swedish tradition is that we actually watch Donald Duck before we start to party. True! New Year's Eve I spent for the first time all alone with my daughter. It was pretty cozy!

What place would you like to visit most?

Apart from Argentina where my girlfriend lives, I must say Salomon Islands or The Maldives. I saw a documentary of those places. Beautiful!

Is there anything that you take with you wherever you go?

Hmm, tough one! No, I don't think so.

Who came up with the names for your children? What special stories are connected with that?

Daniella is a name I always have liked. It's a female form for Daniel.
Linnea came from my grandmother who had that as second name. It means shy flower, and the name could not be more unfitting than that right now...she is 16. Do I need to say more?
Joacim was a name my parents almost gave me, so I passed it further to my son. It is usually spelled with a "k" here, so I put the "c" instead.

How long do you need to sleep in order to be fresh and quite alive?

At least 8 hours, but I never do! I love to sit up late at night. Especially when I have Daniella it's horrible in the mornings. She is waking up around 6.00 - 6.30 and there is only one alternative...Rise and shine. But sleeping is very important for the voice.

What language do you consider to be the most difficult to learn?

Must be Chinese! Polish is also very, very hard!

Where, how did you learn English?

We have that in school from 3rd grade and forward. But the best school I think was television. English movies are never dubbed in Sweden like for example in Germany. I forced my older sister to translate the KISS and Alice Cooper lyrics for me when I was a kid!

What would be your reaction if your partner would tell you that she is going to enlarge her breasts?

Well...."I like you the way you are, but if you wanna do it, go for it!" But I don't buy that talk: "I do it just for myself". NO! You do it because you like to be looked at! If I should do fake muscles I would do it to get attention and compliments for my nice body. But that will not happen.. I have had my hands on probably over 500 pair of breasts and natural wins!
Master! Teach me! (laughs) How did it happen that you met your present girlfriend and how did you became a pair?

Thomas and Ludmila

Her name is Ludmila Monzon and we met in Buenos Aires during the Gothic Kabbalah tour with Therion. She has a radio show called Ahora o Nunca in Buenos Aires. She contacted me to do an interview and I went over to the station and made the interview with her. I was totally knocked out and I asked her out to dinner, and from that day we have talked every day. I was just down in Argentina and we had a wonderful vacation together! She is very beautiful and full of humour!

Is that true that police stations in Sweden are closed before the night?

YES! Not all of them, but most of them are!! Crazy isn't it?

Is alcohol really as expensive in Sweden as people say?

True! It's really expensive. It's topped with a lot of taxes like everything around here. The government wants us to drink less. Ironically Swedish people and Finnish people (Finland is also very restrictive) handle alcohol probably worst in the world! The politicians defend that by looking at statistics. Bahhh....Get out in real life and see how it works! As soon as something is forbidden it's exiting! And alcohol is a taboo here. I did an experiment with my youngest daughter. I filled up a LARGE bowl with candies and chocolates and stuff. Put it on the table and said: Here Daniella! Eat as much as you want! It was interesting for maybe two minutes, and then she went away to play with my cell phone which she is NOT allowed doing! It works that way also for teenagers and adults! Forbidden fruit tastes better!

What is the best pub in Stockholm?

Pub Anchor! Live bands, moderate prices, and a great place simply! If you are lucky some celebrities gets up on stage to play. The stage is very small and the place takes around 300 people. I love it! And in weekdays they always have happenings like heavy metal karaoke and stuff like that!

Thomas, don't you regret that Sweden is no longer so military powerful country as it used to be in the past?

No...If it's a world war III I think we are screwed anyway! I actually paid myself free to get out of the military services! Sometimes it's good to know a corrupt doctor! Hehe! I think I would be a very bad soldier!

Well, I think there's a fallacy that women in Sweden are - how to say it - rather like men... You know, rather big, tall, wide, well-built... Is that true?

Nah.....I don't know really. Come over and check! (Laughs) But Swedish women have a reputation of being very beautiful. They are blonde (not all of course) and tall. And I think they are more like men in their characters more than the look. A girl who says "YES" instead of "NO" is not considered a bad girl or gets a bad reputation. This is good I think! Unfortunately a lot of them drink like men too, and. they can't!

How do you think, how many Andersons are in Sweden? (Laughs)

I checked it!! 266 971!! But Johansson is more common!! 268,887!!
6496 have the beautiful name Vikström!

Gods! (surprised) Have you ever watched the Smurfs? Which one is the closest to you, which one do you identify yourself with?

Oh yes! I had a big collection of Smurfs when I was a kid! I remember I thought the space smurf was very cool with that plastic ball around his head!

Another question about the Moomins, weren't you afraid of the Groke (in Swedish it was Marran)?

YES! Great show! I love the Moomins!! I was actually really scared of Morran one time! I remember it very well! She came from the horizon and got closer and closer! Haha I bought Moomin crackers today actually!

Do you watch Cartoon Network?

No (but I like cartoons)

Why do you smoke cigarettes?

It makes me calm and I am totally addicted to it! It's the most stupid thing I have ever done in my life! Start smoking! I can't defend my own stupidity on that one!!

What would you do if in the front of wide public some homosexual started picking you up?

"Nice to meet you, Mr.!! The guy to my left here is Mr. Snowy Shaw...Let me introduce you!" Haha No! I would kindly say: "You have good taste but I am unfortunately 100% hetero!"

Do you like dancing?

No, because I am bad at it! But when you do theatre as I've done, a lot it includes dancing. But then you have a choreographer who shows you how to do! And that's ok I think!

Do you like rather cold Sweden or if you had a chance you would leave it and settle somewhere in the warmer country?

If it wasn't for the kids I would do it tomorrow!

What place on earth do you think is the most beautiful?

It's hard to say only one, but the islands of Stockholm (The Archipelago) in the summertime are hard to beat! Bali, the mountains of Quito Ecuador, Thailand, and Gualeyguaychu in Argentina are also amazing places!

Name 5 records that have changed your life...

Rock n' Roll Over, my first Kiss record.
Kiss ALIVE, the best live record in history.
Alice Cooper, Welcome to My Nightmare. What a production!!!
Kristina fran Duvemala. A musical written by Björn and Benny from ABBA. I got it for Christmas. It's three CD's. I listened to all three in a row when I came home and I cried from the first note until the last. Astonishing!
Therion, Gothic Kabbalah!! The record that made me say yes to Christofer's offer!!

What was the funniest meeting with a fan?

There have been a lot!! But I remember a guy in Colombia who had ALL! EVERYTHING of what I have done! He hung around the hotel and I told him to come in and have a coffee with me. The guy could not speak. The system just turned error on him! I gave him a hug and he started to cry and laugh at the same time. I did not know how to handle that. That was amazing, because I see myself as very normal. I drink milk, I take the local bus. I have a very hard time to see myself as that big rock star!! But of course it's VERY flattering! And I really love the fans and I spend a lot of time with them. Probably most in the band!

What was the greatest performance/show in which you've participated?

I must say Wacken, my debut with Therion. Ok, when I look back at that gig I think I sucked. But it was the first one and I did my best! To step up there and see the crowd was...WOW!!! My theatre debut was also a really big event for me. And when I came in to take my bow, the audience stood up!! That was cool.

What movie you would advise to your friends?

Omen, the trilogy! It's a horror movie with good acting and almost no blood. Very scary! It's guaranteed that your girlfriend would crawl up close to you!

Is there anybody - at least in theory - whom you would like to punch?

It's a cliché, but Bush and Bin Laden and my old teacher!! She is probably dead now. May she burn in hell! Except from that.....I believe in love bombing! (Laughs)

What is your most precious treasure?

My kids, my girlfriend and my mother!

Do you practice any sport?

Not anymore, but in my teens I was a very promising ice hockey player! But rock n' roll came and you know....I had to chose!

On behalf of me and Polish fans, thanks for your time!

Thank you and see you again! The Polish fans are fantastic!! But you already know that!

30 III 2008, All rights reserved
Thanks goes to Eve for corrections :)
Pictures come from thomasvikstrom.com

PS: Thomas has just (30 minutes after publishing the interview) sent two extra pictures! THANX!

Small Thomas together with his father:

Thomas's daughter, Linnea (Gods, if all Swedish women look like that I start saving money for a ticket to Sweden! :-):