I Would to Rock, Had I the Flagrant Disposition
I was also an exchange student in Finland in High school in 1997-98, in an area outside Helsinki called Espoo, where I went to a school called Tapiolan Lukio. Many of the people I met and spent my time with there were musicians, who are now rather successful, or had periods of success. Particularly, my greatest friend in Finland and one of my best friends, Jaakko, plays with a number of pop stars in Finland and for the Finnish version of the “Idols” show.
I had a chance to go to his concerts and hang out with his bands, which was really fun and exciting for me, as I have always loved music and played it, though I have never discovered the will to conform to the rock myself. It was both a great chance for us to hang out and catch up, and a way for me to see what he does and get a taste for the traveling, music life. I feel really lucky to have such a wonderful friend, and to have had such experiences in Finland.
I had originally planned to take a mass of photos of concerts and musicians, but I discovered I have no skill or equipment for such photography, resulting in the heavily doctored, low quality photos here. I wanted to salvage what I could from the photos I did take, both to reveal and to honor. Most of the time, I was just hanging out and didn't want to be taking photos of everyone in the sauna before shows, or sitting around talking, like some annoying intruder.
I feel motivated now, however, to buy a better camera and to try and learn to take concert photos. Perhaps, perhaps.
Sadly, there was a handful of people I didn’t get to meet from my first exchange year, or see perform. Still, I had a blast and am sad to leave, feeling lucky to do as much as I did. Saying goodbye to Jaakko was strikingly sad and overwhelming, as I realized what a loss it is to be so far away from such a great friend.
Kiitos paljon mun ystäväni, Jaakko. I do/will miss you greatly.
The photos here are of a band Jaakko plays bass in, Olavi Uusivirta and of Jukka Poikka, a reggae/dub artist and visionary that also went to Tapiolan Lukio. Finland has a wealth of talented musicians, of which, here are some. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos.
I had a chance to go to his concerts and hang out with his bands, which was really fun and exciting for me, as I have always loved music and played it, though I have never discovered the will to conform to the rock myself. It was both a great chance for us to hang out and catch up, and a way for me to see what he does and get a taste for the traveling, music life. I feel really lucky to have such a wonderful friend, and to have had such experiences in Finland.
I had originally planned to take a mass of photos of concerts and musicians, but I discovered I have no skill or equipment for such photography, resulting in the heavily doctored, low quality photos here. I wanted to salvage what I could from the photos I did take, both to reveal and to honor. Most of the time, I was just hanging out and didn't want to be taking photos of everyone in the sauna before shows, or sitting around talking, like some annoying intruder.
I feel motivated now, however, to buy a better camera and to try and learn to take concert photos. Perhaps, perhaps.
Sadly, there was a handful of people I didn’t get to meet from my first exchange year, or see perform. Still, I had a blast and am sad to leave, feeling lucky to do as much as I did. Saying goodbye to Jaakko was strikingly sad and overwhelming, as I realized what a loss it is to be so far away from such a great friend.
Kiitos paljon mun ystäväni, Jaakko. I do/will miss you greatly.
The photos here are of a band Jaakko plays bass in, Olavi Uusivirta and of Jukka Poikka, a reggae/dub artist and visionary that also went to Tapiolan Lukio. Finland has a wealth of talented musicians, of which, here are some. Sorry for the poor quality of the photos.
posted by Paul Quillen at 12:26 AM
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