Vampire Rockers 69 Eyes Aren’t Twilight Haters

Nothing is hotter in pop culture right now than vampires -- the 'Twilight' film and book series, HBO's 'True Blood.' Vampires are all the rage now, and the bloodsuckers often enjoy cultural ebbs and flows, with Anne Rice and 'The Lost Boys' also having had their day out of the sun, in keeping with vampire lore!

Many goth-leaning, historically-interested vamps despise Stephanie Meyer and 'Twilight,' for the 'teenization' of their precious mythology -- and for not involving typical vampire ethos in the mix. However, Helsinki's the 69 Eyes, who claim to be vampire rockers, are not hating on the current surge of vampire popularity.

Drummer Jussi 69 told Noisecreep, "We've been doing this for 20 years. We did an interview with Bam Margera, who directed our video. We said that ['Twilight' heartthrob vampire] Edward Cullen could not make the taping of our video because he has blond hair!" Or perhaps he was too busy saving Bella from the wolves! "Vampires are sexy and 'Twilight' took it to the next level," Jussi reasoned. The 69 Eyes also proudly claimed that bloodsucking and a nocturnal lifestyle aren't the best things about vampirism! The whole 'not aging' part is what they love best!

Vocalist Jyrki 69 continued, saying, "The vampire has been a theme in our band since the beginning. We're Helsinki vampires, and when we did our new album, 'Back in Blood,' in L.A. with Matt Hyde, he was like, 'You tie in with 'Twilight,'' so it was a nice timing and for us. But I see myself on the creative side of things. I am creating vampire entertainment for people, so I do follow what's going on." He admits that he snuck into the theater to see the 'Twilight' movie -- and that he stuck out like a sore thumb, recalling, "It was full of little girls, and there I was, trying to be invisible, this tall guy with black hair. I was the old geezer in front row. I bought the DVD and the movie grew on me, too. I liked the gray colors of the movie."

Jussi also hypothesized about the 'Twilight' phenomena, saying "I can see why super gothic vampire freaks didn't like the movie that much. It's mainstream, kiddie stuff. It's entertainment, but we feel the same about our music." Jussi and Jyrki dub 'Hunger' and the Bela Lugosi's 'Dracula' as the best vampire movies, since they play on the mystique. Jyrki keeps informed and abreast of other vampire entertainers, too, saying, "I see myself on the other side, creating entertainment for people. I am not the fanboy buying books. Vampire fiction is like erotic fiction for girls and ladies these days. It's not made for me, but I end up making erotic fiction rock 'n' roll for the same people and demographic, so I follow it."