Music Interview : Pete from "Turun Romantiikka"

When and how was your band created?
Pete (guitar, vocals): Rami (vocals, guitar) and I were discussing about the Finnish music scene and realised that there are no bands here who have something to say. So we decided to be that band. Niko (drums) and Mickan (bass) were found easily and we were ready to provoke Finnish music industry, media and audience.

Where is the name of the band coming from?
Pete: Turku is our hometown and the name of the band is Turku Romantic Movement in English. Turun romantiikka used to be the name of this literal, political and cultural movement in the early 19th century Finland. It also refers to all bands whose names have a city in them, for example Hanoi Rocks and New York Dolls.

What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
Pete: Different members of the band have different influences. Hanoi Rocks hit me like a bomb when I was about seven years old but there are also many other groups. I think people like to compare us to the Clash and Manic Street Preachers because of our political and critical lyrics.

What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician in Finland?
Pete: Being able to play music, make records and have a few people who like to listen to our music is always positive. In Finland you just can't make a living out of it.

How could you qualify your style of music?
Pete: Modern guitar oriented rock that has some elements from the 60´s and the 70´s. We are one of the very few bands in Finland that write critical lyrics about society instead of writing about girls and boys and fast cars.

During the years how has your musical style evolved?
Pete: On our first album Ajatus on kapinaa (Thinking is rebellion) we used to play some kind of action punk rock and underline these provocative slogans in our lyrics. Second album Metamorfoosi (Metamorphosis) is big, more sophisticated and pop. It proves our musical growth.

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Politics Interview : Tuula Haatainen, Minister of Education and Science

Could you explain to our readers when you decided to become a politician?
I studied Political Sciences at the University of Helsinki, had my first child and wanted to work for better child policy. In 1988 I was elected to Helsinki City Council and in 1996 I started in Parliament.

Did you have strong political beliefs during your youth?
Equality and freedom together.

Was the choice of becoming a "full time politician" difficult to make? Why?
I was planning to continue as a researcher in Social Sciences, but finally, politics attracted me most.I was offered a possibility to work as General Secretary of Women's organisation in SDP (the Social Democratic Party in Finland). 

If you had to describe your political convictions with 5 words...
Investing in people - education and welfare services make economy function efficiently.

How could you present The Social Democratic Party to our readers who don't know it?
It's a party with long and international tradition, it works for equality and freedom of people.

As the Minister of Education, what will be your priorities for the near future?
Adult education, decrease of drop-outs among students, and investing in science and development.

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Litterature Interview : Virve Sammalkorpi

Do you remember when you first decided to become a writer?
It has been there always; my desire to write – or actually to tell stories. As a child I told stories to my little sister on our way to school. When I was alone I made up stories for my own fun.

Was it an easy choice to make?
I always thought to become a writer some day. I'm surprised and happy it happened so soon.

What writers did have a major influence in your work / life?
Well, to be honest, New Moon's Emily by L. M. Montgomery was the first and that's why also the most impressive book I've ever read. I even started to write poems after reading the book… (I was 9 years old). I am also a big fan of Mika Waltari, Donna Tart, Henning Mankell, John Fowles, John Irving and Edgar Lee Masters.

What are the positive and negative aspects of being a writer in Finland?
One of the most positive aspects of being a writer in Finland is of course a possibility to write in Finnish. It's my mother tongue and I am happy to be able to express myself with it. It may seem to be an axiom but however it's important to me. I wonder what would happen to my language if I moved abroad. Maybe nothing but who knows… On the other hand we are only 5 million people in this country and the amount of readers is small.

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Music Interview : äNTee from "Kylmä Rinki"

When and how was your band created?
I think it was 1994 when we first met, although it took years before we started to make
music together. Kylmä Rinki was formed in 2002 so it's a very fresh project. We have listened hiphop-music for years now, but our first own tracks were made only last year. Writing has always acted a big role in my life, but for me this is the first music-project I'm involved in. Boxi has been playing various instruments during years, but for him also this is the first more serious music-project.

Where is the name of the band coming from?
Many people think that the name Kylmä Rinki is coming from HBO's hit tv-series Oz (which is translated Kylmä Rinki in finnish). I'm not sure how many exactly even knows that kylmä rinki (free translation: cold circle) is old (but not very common) term in finnish language. It is used to describe a kinky situation. "When they pointed at me I had a cold circle around my ***hole", or something like that. We decided to take the name because it is raw enough, it can mean many different things, and most of all it is easy to remember.

What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
I have to say that we listen so much different kind of music that it's impossible to pick just a few influences, but here are some: 2Pac, Bob Marley, Lenny Kravitz, Pharrell Williams, Timbaland, The Neptunes, Looptroop, Ritarikunta, Jukkapoika and so on. I think music is everywhere and it has a continuous effect on you. When we hear something interesting it can give us an idea or a vision. Some ideas can be used afterwards in our own tracks.

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Politics Interview : Mauri Pekkarinen, Minister of Trade and Industry   2003-

Could you explain to our readers when you decided to become a politician?
I first got interested in politics when I was a 23 or 24 year-old student at the University of Jyväskylä. It was the seventies and as the left wing movement entered the university community, I felt someone had to strike back.

Did you have strong political beliefs during your youth?
I first took an interest in economics and society in general. At the age of 24, I begun to take part in party politics.

Was the choice of becoming a "full time politician" difficult to make? Why?
It was not a difficult choice at all. I wanted to become a professional. The only way of really being one, is to be a "full time politician".

How could you present The Centre Party of Finland to our readers who don't know it?
The Centre Party is the biggest party in Finland. It is a strong party locally as well having more members in municipal politics than any other party in Finland.

The Centre Party has been represented in the government most often. Our most long-term president, Urho Kekkonen, also rose up from the Centre Party. The party had a leading role in the government also in 1991-1995. This was when Finland joined the European Union and was raised up from the deepest economical crisis of its history.

In the last Parliamentary elections in March 2003, the Centre Party ran its campaign under the title "brighter alternative". It won 55 seats out of the 200.

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Music Interview : Sami from "Lullacry"

When and how was your band created?
It was year 1997 when first Lullacry line-up got together. Lullacry has always been Helsinki- based band. We had played five years before that with Sauli Kivilahti but the first Lullacry demo was came out in 1998. Since that we we´ve changed line-up couple of times but now it seems to be strong enough to conquer the world, hahhaa.

Were is the name of the band coming from?
Bacically, the name doesn´t have any meaning. It´s just taken from the word "lullaby" and turned around a bit. "Song of crying" is an excellent way to figure it out.

What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
Bacically, 70´s and 80´s heavy rock, I think. I´ve always been a big fan of bands like Kiss, Wasp, Black Sabbath, Cult, Motley Crue and so on. When it comes to guitarists that have influenced me, I would mention THE Zakk Wylde, Steve Vai, Tony Iommi just to name couple cool six-string ( or seven like Vai).

What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician / singer (in Finland)?
You can get all the coolest chicks.. hahaha. Positive aspects are definitely that you can make lots of friends when you are "hanging in the scene". Negative aspect is that you can´t make hardly any money by being a musician, but that´s not a big thing If you just love what you do.

How could you qualify your style of music?
Catchy and melodical heavy rock music with fantastic female vocals.

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Litterature Interview : Leena Leskinen-Myller

Do you remember when you first decided to become a writer?
When I was ten years old I remember confessing to my diary: "I want to become a writer." But the idea was buried under other interests - eg art and painting, studing - until I really started to practice writing at the age of 30 and, finally, became a writer when I was over 40. Before this I had written critics and short stories to a newspaper for 15-20 years.

Was it an easy choice to make?
It wasn´t a choice, it was "a must" and was to happen anyway I think. I also have another profession - as a teacher(Finnish&literature)in a night school.

What writers did have a major influence in your work / life?
There are many, but if I mention just a few: Margaret Atwood, Marilyn French, Henry Miller, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Anja Kauranen(Snellman), Märta Tikkanen, L.M. Montgomery, Rauha S. Virtanen...

What are the positive and negative aspects of being a writer in Finland?
I don´t know if there´re any negative aspects. Generally the media´s interest in some writers´life and image and not their books is a little bit negative.

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Politics Interview : Paula Lehtomäki, Minister for Foreign Trade and Development

Could you tell our readers at what point you decided to become a politician?
I have always taken an interest in politics, but I don't think you can ever truly just decide to become a politician, it depends on the voters. My career started in the 1996 municipal elections. I was elected to Parliament in 1999, and the following year chosen as one of the Vice Chairmen of the party.

Did you have strong political beliefs during your youth?
Not so strong, but in my family we have always had a very positive attitude for the participation in political activities, which is very important.

Was the choice of becoming a "full-time politician" difficult to make? Why?
Not really. I made a choice of candidacy. I considered politics as challenging alternative.

How could you describe the Finnish Centre Party to our readers who don't know it?
The Finnish Centre Party was founded in 1906. The party speaks for individual freedom and independence and encourages independent initiative and enterprise. Tolerance, freedom of thought, and responsibility for the disadvantaged also represent the party's ideological set of values. Last elections in march the party became the biggest one in Finland.

If you could pick up only five aspects, what would they be?
Personal freedom and responsibility, justice, democracy, private ownership and respect for nature.

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Music : Interview : J. Karjalainen

When and how did you decide to become a musician?
In 1980 I just wanted to make a single record as a keepsake for myself and here we are! I didn´t decide anything.Things just happened.

What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
Maybe the old country  bluesmen like Robert Johnson  and Mississippi John Hurt. As a teenager I listened to old recordings and tried to learn how to play guitar. J.J. Cale was another great influence.
 
What are the positive and negative aspects of being a musician / singer (in Finland)?
Positive: A guy like me can hit the top of the charts.
Negative: -
 
How could you qualify your style of music?
My music is a mix of styles I like. Blues, Rock´n´roll,  Folk , Country , Soul, Funky, New Orleans stuff. Plus finnish words. That makes The J. Karjalainen -style.

During the years how has your musical style evolved?
Not very much. The music is mainly the same as I started. The words have changed a little.
 
How do explain these changes?
Im not a teenager anymore.

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Litterature : Interview : Jari Järvelä

Do you remember when you first decided to become a writer?
I had read one particularly lousy book, and I thought that I could, whenever I wanted, write a better book than that one was.

Was it an easy choice to make?
Yes, I was 18 years of age, and never is a young man more full of wisdom, more handsome and more fulfilled by experience of life than he is in the age of eighteen. After that age everything becomes more complicated.
 So, the choice was easy to make, but it took many years before I really became an author.

What writers did have a major influence in your work/life?
I liked very much of short stories, preferred them to novels. I think they are very hard to write well. A short story reveals if one is really a good author, with novels one can cheat to a certain extent.
Because of that, when I began I was influenced by short story tellers, especially Hemingway and Maupassant. I have never understood Tshehov (Chekhov). In his stories everybody heaves deep sighs, watches as life goes by, and does nothing.

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Music : Interview : Jarmo from "XL"

What is your favorite song in your repertoire and why?
To me it is "Kärlekstörst" by Arttu. The name is swedish and means "thirst for love". I wish I could write something so beautiful and fragile myself.

Do you tour regularly? Do you actually prefer performing your music live or in a studio?
Studio is great place to document our growth as a band and the albums will last basically forever, but we all love doing concerts. The atmosphere is so concentrated, yet full of energy. We actually played in Paris in 1998 and it was magic. We hope to do it again some time. Tomi is our manager when it comes to gigs and he has become very good at it!

During the process of making an album, what is the moment that you prefer?
I enjoy composing, but it is also great to bring the material to the other guys to hear and play. What I REALLY like is to record little colorful details and effects just before mixing to create this other level of sounds underneath the songs. We created such layers with Arttu on our latest VISUAL-album in a more acoustic and experimental way than ever before.

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Radio Interview : Esa Lahdenpää / Program director of Suomi POP

It seems that, in Finland, the FM radio changed radically during the 90's with the apparition of many radio stations. How would you qualify the situation nowadays?
Situation on radiomarket is pretty difficult. Too many stations sounds like each other. After SuomiPOP came to the market, situation changed. Now all the stations plays much more Finnish music.
 
Did you decide to focus on a targeted audience?
Yes, we targeted people how really loves and want´s to listen to finnish music, young adults. 
 
Do you have a web site? What kind of information or content do you propose there?
www.radiosuomipop.fi Our web site is a meetingplace for our listeners. There are lot´s of competitions and also mediainformation for our clients. You can leave your request songs, feedback to DJ:s and watch our TOP 30 list.

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Magazines : Books from Finland Interview : Kristina Carlson / Editor in chief

How did you become Editor in Chief?
The former Editor- in -Chief left his post, and Soila Lehtonen who has edited the magazine for many years persuaded me to take the job.
Soila  runs all the everyday tasks from contacting the writers and translators (she even bikes to the post office when there is an urgent letter...), she also edits the texts etc. together with our editor in London, Hildi Hawkins.

To your point of view, what are the positive and negative aspects of this profession?
Being the Editor-in-Chief is not a full-time job. I'm a free writer (author of 14 books) and literary critic. This job gives me a possibility to have a good look on everything (or almost everything) that's published in Finland. Sometimes it's difficult to know what really interests our readers. What do they want to find in Books? We get very little feed-back.

What is the most difficult part of your profession?
Editing a small magazine like Books requires some idealism and devotion, because it's not a commercial publication.

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Politics Interview : Antti Kalliomäki, Minister of Finance

Could you explain to our readers when you decided to become a politician?
In 1982 I was asked to be a presidential elector candidate for Mauno Koivisto in the presidential elections. When I gave my commitment, it was then natural to stand for a seat in the next parliamentary elections.

Did you have strong political beliefs during your youth?
As part of my upbringing, I had an interest in politics, though it was more focused on reading political history than on practical participation.

Was the choice of becoming a "full time politician" difficult to make? Why?
Not at all difficult. It was a new challenge, and I've always liked challenges.

How could you present the Finnish Social Democratic Party to our readers who don't know it?
SDP is building a just society and world founded on freedom, equality and solidarity. Within such a society, everyone, according to one's capabilities, contributes to the advancement of one's own well-being and to the furtherance of the common welfare. According to opinion sur-veys, SDP is once again Finland's largest party, though in this year's parliamentary elections, the party came in second by a narrow margin. In Finland, SDP also has traditions going back over a hundred years.

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Festival : Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival Interview : Ritva Eerola

When was the festival first established and who's idea / project was it?
Established in 1970, Mr. Seppo Kimanen, cellist is artistic director and founder of the festival.

How could you present your festival to our readers who don't know it?
An international high lever chamber music event.

When is it happening?
Two last weeks of July every year.

Why this period of the year was choosen?
A common holiday season in Finland, and the Finnish summer is at its best then.

Are there many changes / ameliorations from one year to another?
The programme is totally different every year.

How the programmation of the festival is done?
It is designed by the Artistic Director Mr. Seppo Kimanen, he first makes the programme and then engages artists for that programme.

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Music Interview : MARKO (lead guitar) of "DIABLO"

When and how was your band created?
The roots of Diablo go back to 1987 when I met Rainer in Kalajoki (our home town on the west coast of Finland). We started to play together since the musical interests seemed to be the same. At that time we played thrash-metal. After many years of rehearsing and a couple of changes in the crew the style of Diablo developed to what it is currently. The first album
Elegance In Black was recorded and released in 2000. On that album we had Timo Kemppainen in drums. The latest change in the crew happened then after Elegance In Black session. Heikki Malmberg replaced Timo. Currently we are satisfied with the band and there's definitely no need to change the players.

Were is the name of the band coming from?
There was a gang called Diablos in Hill Street Blues which is an old TV series from the 80's...

What musicians or artists did have a major influence in your life / work?
I started to listen to metal at the age of 10 (in the early 80's). The first influences came from bands like Iron Maiden. Then speed and thrash metal changed totally my understanding of good music. Bands like Sepultura, Metallica, Slayer and Testament were among the favourites. I listened also some death metal bands. The only good bands from that scene were actually
Death and Pestilence.

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Cinema Interview : Antti Alanen / Head of programming of Finnish Film Archive

Could you tell us when Orion was founded? And who's initiative was it?
Cinema Orion was founded in 1927 as a regular commercial cinema. Its original name was Athena. It was specially built as a cinema, meeting state of the art standards of the day, including fire safety, as film then was inflammable nitrate. There is also an orchestra pit, and eight musicians belonged to the cinema staff. Since 1984, Orion has been the cinema of the Finnish Film Archive. For the first time, the Finnish Film Archive had a cinema of its own.

Do you know why the actual location was chosen?
The location in central Helsinki is favourable for a cinema.

Regarding the theatre, is it a big? How many spectators can you have?
The cinema is small or medium. It can seat 216 paying customers.

A simple question... what is the difference between The Finnish Film Archive and a traditionnal Cinema / Theatre?
The main difference is that the activity of the Finnish Film Archive is non-commercial. We do not make profit by our screenings, although most of the costs are covered by ticket sales. Also a season card is required, and the screenings are in that sense closed to the members.

How is the program usually made?
The programming is a long-term activity, with a visionary ambition to cover film history, world cinema, and major artists. Extra attention is paid to Finnish cinema, and special care is taken to highlight avant-garde and documentary. The film archive program also reacts to topical events, for example backing up interesting new films with retrospectives. There is an attempt to cater all audiences of quality cinema in a balanced fashion, including audiences especially interested in French, Italian, German, Russian, Japanese, etc. cultures

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Comics Interview : Seppo Leinonen

How did you decide to become a drawer/cartoonist?
I think I always wanted to become a cartoonist, illustrator and nature painter. I come from working class family, so the most important thing for my parents was to give their children a good education. So I didn't dare to choose cartooning as a profession at the first place. I studied Forestry at the University and at the same time I studied arts. When I found out that it could be possible to live by drawing pictures, I quit the Forestry studies...

Was it a difficult choice to make? Why?
It was a difficult decision. Many people, including my parents (and myself) thought, I was lost my senses, when I choose cartooning.

I understood them well, I wasn't sure if the decision is wise or not either. It was a leap in the dark. After all now I am very happy that I took the chance.

Did you go to a school for drawers or cartoonists?
I studied few years in the evenings at the Arts School, and it was very useful.

How do people consider comic strip in Finland?
The things has changed here. Comics strips have become more popular and also they have won more respect.
After all cartoonists are still kind of outsiders, when official Finland awards the artists.

Do you think the term "Graphical litterature" is better than "Cartoons"?
Story and content is a essential part of cartoon or cartoon strip, so I could admit that : )

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Restaurant : Kappeli Interview : Anna-Maija Halmetoja / restaurant manager

When was established Kappeli and who had this idea?
Present Kappeli was established year 1867. The first restauranteur was Louis Kleineh.

For the persons who don't know well Helsinki, could you explain where Kappeli is located?
Kappeli is located in the centre of the city in Esplanad park, near the main main market square and the sea side.

What kind of environment is it?
Because Kappeli is located in the park, enviroment is peacefull and nice. One can enjoy the white views of winter and the flourishing sunny park in summer.

Is the location of a restaurant an important thing?
Of course, Kappeli is easy to find, close to everything and transportation facilities are good and near ( bus, street car, railway station, boats etc. )

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Magazine : Posse Magazine Interview : Raine Ruoppa / Editor in chief

When was your magazine first published?
The first issue came out in october 2001

Who's idea or concept was it?
It was me(Raine Ruoppa) and my friend Antti Ratinen. We were studying graphic design and wanted to have a magazine of our own. We both liked hiphop and there were no other finnish hiphop magazines around, so it was a natural choice.

Would you say that your magazine now is different from the first edition?
It´s not that different. More pages and more people involved.

How would you present your magazine to our readers who don't know it?
Well it´s a hiphop magazine but usually it looks more like a fashion magazine. All four elements of hiphop are presented, but there is more, for example book reviews and lifestyle advices. We aren´t too serious about the content of our magazine. We include whatever makes us laugh. Dark finnish humor can be found in several articles.

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FINPOP.NET BY VINCENT LEFRANCOIS