Tomo Milicevic says being in the shadow of actor and bandmate Jared Leto is a blessing.
In an interview ahead of Thirty Seconds to Mars’ performance at Dubai Music Week on Friday, the guitarist explains that Leto is not only the group’s creative lynch pin but also acted as a protective shield, protecting him and drummer Shannon Leto, Jared’s brother, during a fraught period when the band was being sued for millions of dollars by their record company.
Friday’s show marks a return to the UAE after your performance at Abu Dhabi’s du Forum in 2011 – do you have any memories from that show?
You know, every time people ask me about the UAE show, I recall some very fond memories. I remember that show in Abu Dhabi as one of the most incredible audiences that we have ever played for. We also didn’t have the opportunity to play in Dubai last time, so we are really excited to come down and finally get to it.
Despite some heavy subject matter, your latest album Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams seems like the sound of Thirty Second to Mars having fun. Is that accurate?
It is interesting that you say that because we really do feel that way. A lot of people talk about how there are some dark songs in there, which is true, but there is a sense of fun and abandon and the sound of a bunch of people really enjoying making music together.
I can tell you that we are all having fun playing these songs live – and we are now coming to the end of the tour and we are happy to do these last shows with you guys.
I guess creating new songs without a US$30 million lawsuit looming over your heads helps.
Yeah, of course. When we were making This is War (in 2009), we were being sued by the record company. Jared was the one that was really taking all of the weight of that on his shoulders and at the same-time being creative enough to make this the important record of our lives. I am really glad that he took that the weight because I wouldn't know how to handle it, if I knew what was truly going on.
Thirty Seconds to Mars often deals with large, existential subjects. How does one match that to catchy melodies? Do the concepts come first before the songwriting?
That's not how it happens for Jared. He would write songs and then simultaneously write lyrics from the words that keep popping up to him. He kept gravitating to these words that formed the pillars of the album. If you think about it, these four worlds – Love, Lust, Faith and Dreams – really encompass the complete human existence. These are all things that we have to experience, endure, encounter and process.
What about you? As a trained violinist, surely you are also partly responsible for some of the band’s epic sounds?
I would love to take credit for that, but that is all Jared. I contribute, of course, and my opinion counts – but I have to give the man credit when its due. Jared is the mastermind behind the sound and the orchestration. Without having any traditional music education, he just has an incredible insight into great melodies and structure. He is a really an artist.
Do you feel Thirty Seconds to Mars is best appreciated in a large venue such Dubai World Trade Centre?
There are certain types of music that work better in a large venue, and I think Thirty Seconds To Mars can fill that room and we have proven that over the years. I think Jared, as a frontman, can make the person sitting far away feel like they are close and right there. I think he does that better than anyone, in my opinion, and I don’t feel weird about saying that at all – I think Jared is one of the best frontmen in rock’n’roll.
The band’s world tour finishes next week. Has there been any thought about your next album or tour – or will there be a cooling-off period?
I don’t need much time to decompress, personally, because I love playing live on stage. Personally, if I stay home too long, I do get a little twitchy. But because the band is so big, it does take time to plan this stuff. At the same time, we are always talking about touring. That wont change because that’s where we have the most fun.
Finally, we have to ask, have you had a sneak peek at the upcoming DC Comics movie Suicide Squad, in which Jared stars as Batman’s archenemy, The Joker?
Oh, I wish, I don’t think Jared has came even close to showing that to anybody.
• Thirty Seconds to Mars perform on Friday at Dubai World Trade Center. Tickets from Dh295 at www.ticketmaster.ae. Visit www.dubaimusicweek.ae for more information
sasaeed@thenational.ae
Coming up at Dubai Music Week:
The celebs
Dubai Music Week offers fans the opportunity to ask questions to the stars.
Today, Jason Derulo will lead a live Q&A, hosted by Virgin Radio’s Kris Fade. The free session is open to the first 1,000 concert-ticket holders who arrive from 2pm, with the talk starting at 3pm. Questions can be sent in advance via Twitter, using the hashtags #DMW2015 and #AskJasonDerulo. The people who submit the top five questions will be offered priority and front-row access.
On Friday, Hollywood star Jared Leto will talk to fans – but only after they’ve sat through his 101-minute documentary about his band, Thirty Seconds to Mars. Directed by Leto under the pseudonym Bartholomew Cubbins, Artifact is a bitter polemic chronicling the band’s US$30 million (Dh110m) legal dispute with record label EMI.
Tickets for the screening, starting at 2pm, cost Dh88 from www.ticketmaster.ae.
Free tunes
More than a dozen local acts will showcase original material on a free festival stage in the Entertainment Village each day from today until Friday, between 1pm and 7pm.
The hottest picks include inventive singer-songwriter Gaya at 6.30pm tonight, psychedelic new band Muhaisnah Four at 6.30pm tomorrow, and soulful singer Saffron Collins at 1pm on Friday. Refreshments will be available from ever-trendy food trucks.
The biz
A series of six one-hour BizTalks panel discussions will give music fans the chance to hear from industry insiders. Topics include How Social Media Took Over from Television, How to Get Famous, and Trends in Broadcasting Music Content via VOD. To register for free tickets, head to www.dubaimusicweek.ae.
Masterclasses
Want to learn from the pros? Daily one-hour performance workshops will be hosted from today until Friday. At 1pm each day, leading B-boy Jessy Kemper will lead a street-dance session. At 3pm, celebrity vocal coach Cece Sammy, known for work on Pop Idol, The X Factor, The Voice UK and America’s Got Talent, will teach a tutorial. And at 5pm, Kendra Horsburgh, team leader with performance troupe Blaze, will lead a contemporary dance workshop. Sessions cost Dh150 – register at www.dubaimusicweek.ae and pay on the day.
* Rob Garratt
