JARED LETO ITW MACHINA MAG – January 2011

traduction :

Break oneself of everything.
Famous Hollywood’s actor, god for teenagers and rock man.
Jared Leto before the concert in Poland with his group 30 Seconds To
Mars explain us, why he couldn’t act John Lennon.
Do you prepare to recording songs similarly to film roles?
Reportedly when you should acted drug addict in “Requiem of a dream”,
you spent “on a street” to feel how it’s to be homeless?
When I record I don’t need this kind of stimulation. Everything is a
result of hard work. Otherwise, I try to insulate from a world a bit. I
rather don’t listen other artists’ music. Books and painting inspirited
me more. Maybe it’s because I have analytic mind? Is not so much music,
which can completely hold me- enough to I don’t start to analyze its
particular elements. But returning to the studio- when we recorded “This
Is War”, we cut off from the world radically. We really cared about do
away with all habits, break off with routine and this is really
difficult. It amounted to break oneself of everything, what we have
enough time to accustomed to through this all years, and “learned “ our
sound completely over again. Because of this recording lasted two years-
on the way quite often we waded on c**-de-sac.

Did someone help you in this conversion? It’s rather difficult for band to take a distance for their yet work.
Yes, on the beginning we often consult with Flood, our producer, who
collaborate for example with Depeche Mode and U2, but later we have
known ourselves, where we want to come.

Did collaboration with Kanye West at tune “Hurricane” was one of the elements of creating new band sound’s strategy?
Probably yes, but we didn’t think about this, when we invited him to
collaboration. We just value his creativity and we think that he is
extremely creative and together guy. For the rest, he confirm this
during recording.

You play in a band with your brother,
drummer Shannon. Do we support or rather compete each other like
Gallagher brothers from Oasis?
For sure we aren’t like Oasis. Arguments and fracases are something
abstract for us. We grew up together and have had the same music
fascinations. Mutual band since always have been our dream so why would
we compete with each other?

You mentioned earlier about U2- one of the tunes from new album,
“Kings & Queens” is resemble to “Where the Streets Have No Names” by
Bono and company. Are you value them?
Sure, this is one of our favorite bands. We would record something
with Bono very gladly, if only occasion came up. He has really awesome
voice. I also have always admired his talent to writing perfect lyrics.

Your idol is also John Lennon, but in movie “Chapter 27” from
before four years you had to kill him on a screen- you acted Mark
Chapman, murderer of famous Beatles.
Lennon’s songs belong to category, about what we talk earlier. I
totally fly away on them, they’re finished masterpieces. As to role in
“Chapter 27”, it was exceptional hard experience for me. I’m passing
over fact, that I had to put on weight almost 30 kilograms for this
role, what was real torture- it is endless gorging. I felt pathetic.
Later returned to my normal weight in comparison with this was child’s
play. But role of Chapman was difficult also because of psychical
reasons. Murderer of Lennon is very dark, diffuse figure. The more I
have known his personality, the more difficult was with this role for
me.

If it was difficult to you to acted Chapman, perhaps easier to
you would be act Lennon himself? Reportedly Liam Gallagher is working
already on film adaptation of a book “The Longest Cocktail Party”, which
talking about Beatles’ label, famous Apple Records?
This is not a good idea. Any American isn’t able to credible act
Lennon. It must be English- with them sense of humor and islanding
finesse.

Next year you will be 40. Do you set out to change your life
radically, finishing, for example, co-operation with yet label, with
who, gently talking, you weren’t in good relationship last time?
No- my career, as this film, like music, is growing up harmoniously
and this, what I do give me much of satisfaction. As to changing label- I
don’t exclude anything. I only know, that it have things to worry about
too, because was came really hard times for music.
Didn’t you think about started own label with band, what decided more and more musicians on?
I’m not burning for this from simply reason- as a band we still need
army of people, which sweep logistical side of enterprise called 30
Seconds To Mars. Without them, we don’t cope. After all someone must
organize this all concerts and take care of we aren’t baffled. Without
label we don’t cope. On the other side, this is rather numb institution-
from this were our last frictions with each other.

And because of it you called up to life a group Echelon, that is
army of fans, who help promote your music all over the world? Whose idea
it was?
This idea gave us Tomo’s cat- Milo. It came to me in a dream and
said: “You must create an army of faithful soldiers who help you in your
music mission.” (laughter)

In 30 Seconds To Mars you’re not only writing lyrics and
singing. You also directed most of band’s videos. Is it as important for
you as create music?
Directing of clips is very exacting, because songs are little
stories. And in this modest form must contain concrete story, what extra
will support meaning of song. Video become its part so must be equally
refined as music itself.

Do you have any favorite videos, what you envy other artists, or directors, who you especially value?
No one, who you don’t know. Chris Cunningham, Jonathan Glazer- that are names what occur in my mind in this moment.

Did you think sometime about directing feature movie?
Yes, it was on my mind. But it would be screenplay what I like and I
would have a full creative freedom, and this happen very rarely.
Otherwise, how I know myself, surely this would take me up so much time,
because if I involve myself in something, I do it for hundred percent.
And just already I scarcely have a time for create a music and act in
movies. By the way, last time I hit on really excellent idea of
documentary, what showing my band during tour.

Can you tell us any details?
No way. I would break a surprise.

You’re more and more popular. Don’t you afraid of people are
coming to 30 Seconds To Mars concert only for see “this guy who acted
drug addict” in “Requiem for a dream”?
I don’t think that is. When I hear how fans singing in choirs
choruses of our songs, I strike something totally different. Otherwise,
even if is a group of people who coming to our concerts to see actor
Jared Leto, I don’t have a problem with this too. I’m not ashamed of my
film roles. So it seems to me that everything is on right place.

Do you set out to devote yourself only to music already? After
all when you came to Los Angeles, it was your first love, acting happen
incidentally a bit.
That’s true. Music was first. Now I give all my attention to my
band, making concerts and growing up our career. I don’t want to
completely resign from acting though. I even don’t reckon this two areas
separately. Acting and music are just different ways to express
oneself. I keep to rule that I concentrate on what I have in front of
the nose. By now this philosophy has worked out good. But on the other
side is something, what in music attract me more. Probably is mean about
when you create a songs, they’re more your. Movie is a huge machine
where working dozens of people. Someone write a screenplay, someone
other directing, and also someone different is responsible for shooting.
In a band we do everything themselves and if we fucked up something, we
can have pretensions only for themselves. At once when we create
something good, satisfaction is bigger. But, as I said earlier, I don’t
want to break off with acting though. I like it too much.

When we can expect new 30 Seconds To Mars’ CD?
In this moment we aren’t thinking about this and concentrating on
promote “This Is War”. Although I admit, that I have in head some ideas
for songs, so can be happened that some demos will come into existence
already in the next year [2011]. However by now we don’t have concrete
plans.

traduction par : Marycha