K: Okay, thanks!

I have another bunch of questions, the more personal and non-Astral ones…

Do you still work as a music therapist in your “normal life”?

NP: Yes!

K: Okay, I think that’s a very interesting job. Is such a therapy fully paid by Swedish state health insurances? Because I know that here in Germany it is not, because this form of therapy isn’t really scientically acknowledged.

NP: Okay, allright… But they pay for that in Sweden, hehe.

K: That’s good. So what do people suffer from to come to you as a music therapist?

NP: I’m actually hired by my hometown, so I’m paid by them. We got of course mentally handicapped, retarded, disabled, you know, misfunctional people… and I come to sing with them. It’s a great job for me, and they are the best audience you can have.

K: So you teach them how to scream like Dio?

NP: No, I don’t sing like Dio there, hehe. I sing…

K: …Swedish folk songs?

NP: Swedish folk songs, yes… Schlager and nursery rhymes… also rock’n'roll like Chuck Berry and Elvis Presley stuff… everything, everything!

K: Cool! So is it “just” singing or also stuff like hitting the bongos?

NP: No, I just sit there with an acoustic guitar or play some keyboards as well and they usually have rhythm instruments and some guys come to me and want to play the keyboard – “Okay, you can play the keyboard!” – and it’s fun. We just have fun!

K: It’s great if you can do something as a job that’s your greatest hobby in the spare time as well. And in your case it’s even two of these jobs: Astral Doors and music therapy.

NP: Yeah, and actually it’s a very good training for my voice! But I have to take care of my voice. I must be really really careful, because I must sing every day. I think that has helped me when I have been on tour. So my job is really good for my hard rock career as well.

K: Yes, and it’s really not easy to sing in that way you do for Astral Doors. I mean, if a normal mortal would try to sing like Dio he would suffer from a sore throat after 5 minutes… And it sounds quite stressing to your voice. So how do you do the screams and what do you do not to harm your voice by screaming?

NP: I don’t know. That’s a good question. But of course I practice a lot. I mean I didn’t sing this good 15 years ago, so it’s a progress. And as long as I feel that I’m getting better I will continue. But the day I feel like “Okay, now I don’t sound so good anymore” I will quit, I can tell you that. I will not go on forever. The day that I feel that I have reached my point that will be the day I call it “the day”, that’s for sure.

K: Oh, so what would you do then on “that day”?

NP: I would just quit. No problem.

K: No problem, really?

NP: Yeah, no problem! It will be like my father: He played in jazz bands and stuff and one day when he was like 42 years old he just said “Okay, now I will quit.” And he hasn’t played since, hehe. So it will be the same for me… when “that day” comes.

K: Hm okay, because other rock’n'rollers say “I will die on stage!”, and you just say “I quit.”!?

NP: Yeah, why not? But I still could die on stage, you never know, haha.

K: Yes, hehe, you never know.

NP: You don’t know anything. You have to take each day and live it like it’s the last one of your life. You have to do something special with all days – That’s my motto.

K: Yeah, good. Another one: Which cds are turning in your cd player these days except of your owns one in your car?

NP: Yeah, oh, hmm…

K: Do you listen to any other music when you make songs yourself?

NP: Of course I listen to music. I have to listen to music, you know, to get new impressions. These times I listen to old thrash metal a lot, like Slayer and stuff, hehe, I like the old guys. What more? I don’t know…

K: Maybe some stuff from nowadays that was recently released and which you can recommend?

NP: No, I’m sorry. I don’t listen to new music a lot. I listen to a song here and there, you know, on Youtube, or I check out some some kind of a Myspace page, but I don’t listen to a lot of albums… I’ve got the latest Masterplan album…

K: I don’t have this one because it’s without Jorn Lande. But is it any good?

NP: It’s okay. It works.

K: Okay, that wasn’t convincing enough for me…

NP: It’s nice. But obviously the first Masterplan is a great album, the second was not as strong and now you can… you have to listen for yourself.

K: Okay, I will. Back to your stuff. Long long time ago you’ve also been in a Deep Purple cover band. So how does it sound like when Patrik Johansson sings Deep Purple? Does it sound like Deep Purple or more like Astral Doors?

NP: Yes, that was a really great band and it wasn’t that long ago. I think we had our last gig 5 or 6 years ago… And maybe we will do another gig sometime. The guitar player used to play with Glenn Hughes, Eric Bojfeldt his name is. And we have a great organ player as well. He has played with almost every Swedish classic ensemble. Yeah, it was a great band. And how did it sound? It sounded cool!

K: Record your next gig, put it onto Myspace or do a cover song on your next Astral Doors cd, I don’t know…