Phone interview on November 5, 2000, by Anne (Fan Club Director)

Preface from Anne: Usually April prefers to stay in the background, but she felt that it was time to personally answer some questions about herself and Yngwie that fans have been asking ever since she became part of Yngwie's life. I appreciate her willingness to make her thoughts public, and to answer come candid questions about life with the Maestro.

Anne: How long have you known Yngwie, and how did you first meet him?
April: I met Yngwie nearly 11 years ago. We met in London in 1990, while he was on tour there for Eclipse. I went to a dance club with my sister, and as I was sitting there, he walked in, but I did not know who he was. All I knew was there was this very tall gorgeous man with long hair staring intently at me. He came up to me and his words were, as I recall them, "You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Will you marry me?" And I said what I would say to any strange guy that tried to pick me up: "Buzz off!" [laughing] And he said he could understand my reaction, but that he felt something the instant he saw me. So we started chatting and he asked for my number, which I wouldn't give him. I told him "I'll call you," and I did. [laughs]

Anne: Did you stay in touch after that?
April: When he left London, we basically went our separate ways. Several years later, we happened to be at the same place at the same time when he came through London on tour and the spark was rekindled. We never fell out of love in the intervening years--we just knew that now was our time to be together.

Anne: At the time you reunited, you were financially established in London and owned a successful modeling agency called, ironically enough, Vivaldi Models. Yet you walked away from it all to marry and move to a foreign country.
April: Yes, I did.

Anne: Were you apprehensive about doing that?
April: No. And that's what blew everybody away who knew me. I'm a very independent person, I'm very strong-minded, and of course Yngwie is, too. We're both leaders, and people who knew us thought we would clash because of it, but that has actually proved to be one of our strengths. Because of my business, I had a very active social life and to leave all that behind, including my family and my support system, seemed like a crazy thing to do. But I didn't even have a second thought. When Yngwie asked me to marry him, I said yes because I knew my place was with him. We literally cannot stand to be apart from each other more than a day.

Anne: What's it like being married to a celebrity like Yngwie, who is so constantly in the public eye?
April: You just get used to it. I don't really think about it much. We just go where we want to. In my modeling business, I was constantly surrounded by the press and media people anyway, so it wasn't something new to adjust to. I just thought it was cool when fans and media paid attention to him. Yes, it sometimes gets hectic being with Yngwie because he lives a very busy life, but I'm used to it.

Anne: What's a typical day like for the Malmsteens?
April: I wake up very early. I'm up like six or seven in the morning, and I do my swimming every morning while Yngwie's still asleep (he usually wakes up around noon). Then I take our son to school and return home. When Yngwie gets up, the first thing he does is head out to the tennis court, often before breakfast. This is one of the misconceptions people have about him, that he's inactive and lies in bed all day. It's not so. Before he gets on the court, he warms up by lifting weights and does 100 sit-ups. Then he practices his tennis with a tutor or he has one of his buddies come round to play sets with him, often for two hours or so without a break. After his workout, we have lunch together. We always make sure we have our meals together--it's very crucial to us to get that quiet time with each other, to talk over what's on schedule for the day, or whatever we want to talk about. If he's not rehearsing or recording, which is very rare, we might go into town for shopping or to the zoo or the beach--just whatever we feel like doing. We love to take Antonio out and about. At home, we're very relaxed and just putter around like anybody else. There is a very funny idea about him: people tend to think that Yngwie lives in his [simulated] leather pants and boots. That is absolutely not true [laughing]; at home, he spends most of his time in his sweatsuit or shorts or jeans. And I have hardly ever seen him wear leather pants anywhere except for events like a concert or a publicity event, and especially not in Miami. . . it's too hot! When we do have free time to hang out at home, Yngwie makes popcorn and we lie on the floor and watch old black & white movies. And no alcohol.

Anne: I know from experience that Yngwie makes a really wicked spaghetti sauce.
April: Yes, he's a very good cook. I was surprised to find this out; he can make a better bouillabaisse than I can. I often let him do the cooking.

Anne: When Antonio was born, how did Yngwie react? Is he a good dad?
April: Yngwie went with me to the labor room, and he cut the umbilical cord. He was so emotional to be there at the birth of his son, he couldn't hold back the tears. I think he was a bit overwhelmed at the beginning, but he loves being a father, and Antonio really has made him become a much more responsible person. I love being a mom; to me, it's the best thing in the world.

Anne: It's good to hear you say that, because some might wonder if you regret giving up your modeling career to stay home with a baby.
April: Not for a minute! And to be honest, a child does not necessarily slow you down. People seem to think that as soon as you have a baby, your life is over, but for me it's actually the opposite. You see the world from a different perspective; so many different experiences and opportunities come into your life because of having a child. So, no… I didn't give up anything--I added on to my life.

Anne: How does Antonio deal with all the traveling you and Yngwie have to do?
April: He loves it. He actually enjoys it more than we do. He never gets jet-lagged, obviously because he's not aware of the time. We're always checking the time and thinking, okay… we've got 14 hours left here, and when we get somewhere else we have to do this and this… but he just falls asleep anywhere and then wakes up ready to roll. He's a great traveler; he sits in his own seat on the plane, and he loves any form of transportation… planes, trains, cars, buses, you name it… anything as long as it's moving. The only complaint we have with him on the airplane is that he starts singing.

Anne: Oh no.
April: Yes, he does. And he sings very loud. I can't easily shut him up, and anyway I enjoy his singing very much, but it's not a lot of fun for anyone who is trying to sleep. He's just so musical, he really can't keep it inside. He has to be singing or playing drums or strumming on any guitar that's lying around.

Anne: That's pretty unusual for a 2-year-old to be able to carry a tune so precisely or to quickly mimic a melody he's just heard.
April: Yes. Here's another example: When his daddy was recording "Prophet of Doom," I made a demo of it that I could play in the car. So I put the CD in as I'm driving Antonio to school and he listens to it. When I pick him up later and bring him home, he runs to find his dad (which is part of his little ritual, he always has to go find Yngwie when he gets home). So after a couple of minutes Yngwie comes downstairs and says, "come listen." Antonio was singing the chorus "Of doom, of doom…." exactly the tune, rhythm, and pitch as it is on the CD.

Anne: How do you like going on tour with Yngwie? How about meeting fans and dealing with the whole tour scene?
April: I love going on tour with him. We have a lot of fun in spite of all the stress, and the best part is actually meeting the fans. Yngwie does have a great fan base--they are so loyal and they know all the songs and his whole history. I'm continually impressed by what really good people they are--of course there are a few problem individuals (as with every celebrity), but with those excluded, the rest of the fans are wonderful.

Anne: Let me ask you something about that. During the last couple of tours, many fans got the impression that Yngwie did not want to meet them, or the tour people would tell fans that he was unavailable. Did he really feel that way, or was it the people running the tour who gave that impression?
April: I am certain that problem arose from the people running the tour. Unless he's really not feeling well or something unusual like that, he will always make time to meet people or at least to sign autographs. Here's something that has really surprised me about touring: anything that goes wrong with the tour, no matter what it is, Yngwie gets blamed directly for it. If the tour doesn't play in a certain town, or if a show gets cancelled, or whatever, they think it is his personal decision that caused it. It could be raining: it's Yngwie's fault! [laughs] But the fact is that he does not call all the shots where touring is concerned: a lot of it is done by promoters, managers, record companies, and so on. They just tell him where to show up and how long he can play. I do know for sure that he loves to meet the fans. The only thing they should understand is that Yngwie is human, and he cannot be continually happy or in a great mood 24 hours a day. When something goes wrong with a show, the last thing you want to do is be sociable, even with the people closest to you. It's just human nature. But most of the time, he wants to be sociable and meet with the fans who made the effort to come see him.

Anne: So many rumors have surrounded Yngwie and his personal life. What do you think is the most outrageous rumor you've heard about him?
April: That he is supposed to be a wife beater. The press loves this story, and can't get enough of portraying him as a wife beater and a "nasty piece of work." By far, that is the worst one. In all the years I've known him, I've never seen him hit anybody.

Anne: What do you say to the general impression that he has a violent temper and can't control himself?
April: He gets angry like anybody else, and he tends to scream. That's how he defuses his anger--he yells. But then the storm blows over quickly and he's back to normal. I think that's where this impression comes from--he makes a lot of noise when he's upset. He is an imposing figure… he's 6-feet 3-inches tall, with a big build, and he's got a very loud voice. When he's angry, he lets people know. To some, their instant reaction is that he's violent. To which I say, no, he's just loud.

Anne: The Internet is the world's worst rumor mill. When you look at the forums and discussion groups talking about Yngwie and yourself, and you read things that are totally wrong, what do you feel when you see that? How do you deal with it?
April: We just laugh at it all--realistically, there's nothing else you can do. We don't take it seriously; otherwise, we'd be obsessing over it every minute.

Anne: You seem remarkably resilient and able to deal with the stresses of marriage to someone in the music business. How would you describe your personality, and how are you compatible with Yngwie?
April: [pause] That is a difficult one to answer easily: the best way to describe what works for us is that we're very similar, in very different ways. We're both confrontational and argumentative, but I'm calmer than he is. And although we often tend to start out on the opposite sides of an argument, we will end up agreeing anyway. Our tastes are remarkably similar--we both love very baroque, classical styles and designs. Amusingly, the place where we actually diverge is in music. I love grand opera, and he doesn't; he specifically prefers classical non-vocal music. I also love soul music and club dance music, both of which he would never choose to listen to, but he will tolerate if I want to play it. He's much more critical than I am where music is concerned. In my CD collection, he probably does not like most of it, but he never complains to me if I want to play it. He's amazingly tolerant about that, which might surprise some fans.

Anne: What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about Yngwie?
April: Probably that he's a totally arrogant, self-obsessed maniac, and that he's impossible to work with. When he reads these accusations written by people who don't even know him, he just tries to shrug it off, but you know it has to hurt somewhere, on some level. Imagine how you would feel if you heard or read such things about yourself on a very regular basis, and you knew it was only a narrow distorted picture of who you really were. What really gets to me is the frequency with which associates in the music business will laugh with him and enjoy his hospitality--because he is generous to a fault with his friends--and then turn round and slag him off to whoever will listen. I think so much of the time associates are so intimidated by who he is, that there is a real love/hate relationship almost from the start. It amazes me how it's such a night-and-day thing with them: while they're working for him it's really cool and they're having a great time in the spotlight, and as soon as they move on, they can't wait to tell the press how despicable he is and how wretched he treated them. I must tell you that I'm around him and them nearly 24 hours a day, and I do really see what's going on… and they don't get wretched treatment. They do, however, get a lot of exposure and adulation of fans, as well as the opportunity to play with one of the best musicians in the business--which can't hurt any of their careers. Everyone knows that if you've played in Yngwie Malmsteen's band, you cannot be a poor musician. Your own reputation as an artist is enhanced just for having been selected to play in his band. Yet they can't wait to slag him off as soon as they're gone, even though their own claim to fame is from their association with him. Where's the gratitude? It just seems very unfair to me.

Anne: Music business aside for a moment, what makes you happy? What are some of your favorite things?
April: Motherhood! Our beautiful son is such a joy to me. And I get a lot of enjoyment out of books, movies, music, all the creative arts--especially singing. I love singing; I sing at home all the time. As to which books I like, right now I'm obsessed with the Harry Potter series, which is very unusual for me [laughing]. I know it's a kid's book, but I just love it--I love all the mystical, wizardly things in it, as well as its humor and well-created characters. After just the first few pages, I was hooked, and I've now read them all, and can't wait for the next one. I also read biographies with a passion--that's my favorite type of reading material. And I love old black and white movies. The other day we watched Seven Year Itch with Marilyn Monroe. We were both in stitches. And all the old Alfred Hitchcock movies are so good. The quality of those old films is so wonderful to watch, the directing and the elegance of the actors and actresses in those roles. I can watch the really good ones over and over again.

Anne: What about traveling? Any funny road stories you can share?
April: Well, I love getting to see many places around the world, and being married to Yngwie definitely means traveling a lot. I lived in England most of my life, and moving to America was a big adventure. Japan was a huge treat for me; I always wanted to go to Japan, and now I've been there numerous times. Going to Prague was quite beautiful. I also love Vienna, where some of my relatives are from. As for funny stories…well, I can tell you about Yngwie and I staying at a haunted inn somewhere in the German countryside.

Anne: That sounds cool. What happened?
April: It was when he went to Germany to do some Fender guitar clinics in 1999. We were traveling in a van, not a bus, and had to find a place to stay out on the road. We came to this little village, which I don't even remember the name of, that was like something out of Young Frankenstein… you know the Gene Wilder movie? I'm not kidding. The best way I can describe this town is Medieval. In the van were me, Yngwie, Antonio, the guitar tech, and the driver (who was our Fender contact). We had been driving through this lovely sunny countryside, and the minute we pull into this village, the clouds roll in and it starts to pour. Nonstop, like Noah's flood. This village was mostly houses made out of mud [wattle & daub construction], nothing modern anywhere, and we're all tired and hungry. We passed an ancient old woman on the street, standing in the pouring rain, staring at us like we were some aliens from another time dropped into her 14th-century town. And then we turned a corner, and in the middle of this ancient town is a huge modern music store, lit with neon lights and bright graffiti-style painting on the walls. I felt like I was in a Twilight Zone movie! So we went in there and started to relax a little, then we asked where's the hotel? Well, the "hotel" turned out to be this crumbling old building, full of taxidermied animals--hundreds of stuffed dead animals! Foxes, raccoons, you name it, they had it. And the place stank like death and mold--unbelievable! Yngwie and I are such animal lovers, it really creeped us out.

Anne: [laughing] This is the point in the movie where the audience yells, "Don't stay there! Get out now!"
April: Well, we asked if there was some other place we could stay, and they said no. This was the only sleeping accommodations for the next 6 or 7 hours. So we gave up and accepted the key to a room upstairs. We got up there, opened the door, and it was pitch black inside, with a really suffocating feeling in the room. We fumbled around and found a light switch (yes, it did have electric lights, and even a TV). So we tried to settle down a little and put our luggage out. Then the TV suddenly turns on by itself. Antonio's just sitting there playing with his toys, so he didn't do it. Yngwie and I both stare at each other, then try to laugh it off, but the room had a really disturbing feel to it, like we're being watched. We couldn't wait to leave the room to go do the clinic. When we came back much later, we decided to get a bite to eat in the inn's dining room (that's a whole different story!!). We sat down, but Antonio needed his bottle, which was up in the room. Brave Yngwie agreeed to go up and get it. When he opened the door in the dark, he said he distinctly heard his name being sharply whispered over and over. My husband, as you know, is not superstitious and doesn't believe in such stuff, but he came down the stairs looking a little spooked. It was really hard to go back upstairs after dinner and try to get some sleep. The room felt really weird, and of course the TV turned on again by itself. Well, I refused to close my eyes. Yngwie flopped down on the bed and soon fell asleep, but Antonio and I sat with our boots and coats on, ready to run at a moment's notice. If something started flying across the room, I was out of there! I couldn't wait to get back on the road and leave that place behind. It's a funny story now, but it was really frightening while it was happening. We've stayed in some weird places on the road, but that's the first time I thought a ghost might chase us away!

Anne: Thanks so much for being willing to talk publicly about yourself and Yngwie. I hope the fans will enjoy this brief glimpse into your private life with him, and perhaps get a more realistic picture of him as a person. Thanks again for talking with me.
April: It was my pleasure.