30 SECONDS TO MARS INTERVIEW WITH POSE MAGAZINE

22 décembre 2011 

Some artists are so charismatic that, whenever they enter a room, everybody freezes. One o’clock in the afternoon at the Murano, futuristic hotel contrasting with the rest of the neighbourhood.

A little bit on the edge, the Pose Mag team is ready to meet the band Thirty Seconds to Mars for an interview and a photo shoot. Everybody is laughing nervously. Suddenly, one by one, they arrive. Jared Lato is the last one to honor us with his presence. And then beeeeeeep…..

Sorry for the inconvenience. Due to Cecilia Rowe’s fan meltdown caused by Jared Leto winking at her, we had to censor her first introduction words.

Why naming your band 30 Seconds to Mars ?

Jared Leto: It is a very common question. We have been answering that question for ten years. Imagine that… Ten years. It has become a very familiar question. But I’ll tell you why. It’s a name that makes people ask questions, rather than give answers. It’s a name that is different and imaginative. I think those elements describe the sound of our music as well. So, it really works in a abstract sense and a literal sense. It’s a name that has immediacy to it, a sense of urgency and of energy.

How would you describe your music?

Jared Leto: I don’t try to describe it. I think it is best for others to describe our music. For me, it is like describing the color of your heart. It’s hard to get advantage points on it.

How did the adventure start?

Jared Leto: We started to make music when we were very young. All of us. In 1998, we signed a record deal. It was 13 years ago…

How do you look at the band’s carrier so far?

Jared Leto: It’s great. We’re on our third album. It’s called “This is War”. We’re about to wrap up that process. We’ve been on tour for two years and played over 300 shows. More shows than any band ever played for one album. Actually, this is why we are getting an award for this.

How do you feel about touring all the time?

Tomo Milicevic: We love being on tour. This is our dream and we love every second of it. But yes, this is tiring.

Shannon Leto: This is just great! To get the chance to be here in Paris and play shows. We were in Poland a couple of days ago…

Tomo Milicevic: Lituania, Latvia,… All these places you would never imagine to be able to go, we are brought to because of our music and especially this tour.

Do you have the time to discover the places in which you play?

Tomo Milicevic: Sometimes, yes. Sometimes, we are here for a couple of days. We try to take the time to explore the city and learn about culture. We try to experience it the way a local person would enjoy it instead of the one of a tourist. This time, we had more time to enjoy Paris. Personally, I am a little bit unfamiliar with the city. But I know Jared and Shannon previously discovered the city a bit more. This is one of the best places in the world.

You already toured all over the world. What is your best memory while on stage?

Tomo Milicevic: You can’t really choose only one memory while on stage…

Jared Leto: Last nigh in Paris was really good (N.B.: on the 11th November, 2011).

Tomo Milicevic: Last night in Paris was pretty amazing. It was probably the greatest show of all times. The French audience is one of the best that ever was. So much passion… The French audience is great because they love to sing. The passion is unbelievable. There was electric in the room last night and I am assuming it would be the same again tonight and the next night and the next night… Because we are in France.

Up until now, what is the song you’re the most proud of and why?

Jared Leto: I think “Night of the Hunter” is the song that represents us at our best. It is the most forward thinking song.

With which artist would you love to record a song?

Jared Leto: Björk would be fun.

Tomo Milicevic: I agree. With your voice, you would sound great together.

Jared Leto: I would love to have that experience. It would be wonderful. She is a great singer.

Jared and Shannon, is it always easy to be in the same band, when brothers?

Shannon Leto: No, but it is fun. It is not easy to do anything with anybody. There is going to be ups and downs. But it is a great experience. I wouldn’t have it in any other way. You share your vision with someone you’re related to.

When you started, you did not want the band to be known because of Jared’s celebrity but for its music. Now that the band is known all over the world and you have fans everywhere, would you say « mission accomplished »?

Jared Leto: I would say part of the mission is accomplished. But in part only. There are lots of battles to fight as you evolve. You may win one. You can lose another. Others come. Evolution always presents some kind of challenge. If you are evolving as an artist, you will be presented with challenges. It’s a constant flow. Big and small. Shannon just quit smoking. That’s a battle. (laugh)

Shannon Leto: Ten days now…

For artists, their personal image reflected to the public is of paramount importance. Do you pay specific attention to your image and what you are wearing and how would you define your style?

Jared Leto: Not really. I just woke up and put this. This were the first things laying next to my bed.

Tomo Milicevic: It is literally the truth. I woke up. I remembered I had this jacket and I wanted to wear it. Sometimes we get to put on clothes for specific reasons, but generally we buy our own clothes and get our own stuffs. No one picks anything for us.

Talking about aesthetics, your video clips are always very different, with scenarios and concepts that come out of the ordinary. Does it really matter to you?

Jared Leto: Video clips are really important to us. They are chances for us to have interesting experiences, to learn something new, to experiment.

What comes to your mind when you think about France?

Jared Leto: Well, a lot of things. We love Paris. Actually, we love a lot of cities in France. We played in a few different places. We played in Lille, Clermont Ferrand, Toulouse… And we are about to do an entire French tour: Nantes, Amneville, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lyon and so on. Not too many American bands play in all these French cities like this. It’s a fun exploration.

What are your projects for the near future?

Jared Leto: We have lots of projects and we are always busy doing something or another. The touring is the big one right now. We are playing until the second week of December. Then, we are going to get the Guiness Book Record for the most shows ever played by a band in one album cycle. It’s really crazy. Afterwards, it’s a new chapter.

Do you have a last word for Pose Mag readers and your french fans?

Jared Leto: Thank you for people that came to our shows and whoever is reading this interview in France. Thank you. Je t’aime. Merci. A bientôt.

sourch