Punk (as music, but also as a culture, a way of life, an attitude, a means to resist, to fight back, to avoid becoming a dull adult, and to Do It Yourself). Martial arts. Books. Zines. Nunchakus. Communication sciences / Media research. Writing. Cats. And lots of other things as well (there's too much I'd like to do and too few years left...).
Music
Dead Kennedys, Los Crudos (one of the greatest hc bands ever), Avengers, Crass (one of the most important punk bands EVER, no doubt about it), Bad Brains, Tragedy, Wire, Lewd, Adverts, Conflict, Totalitär, Wasted, Amebix, Stiff Little Fingers (the two first LP's), Really Red, Tear It Up, Terveet Kädet, U.K. Subs, The Ruts, The Saints, Subhumans (both the British and the Canadian), Born Against, Kollaa Kestää, Buzzcocks, Husker Du (mostly the earlier stuff), Chaos UK, Circle Jerks, MDC, The Clash, Dag Nasty (especially the first LP), Limp Wrist, La Fraction, Crucifix, Rudimentary Peni (especially the first two EP's and the 1st LP), Mob 47, Ebba Grön, Juggling Jugulars, The Mob (the English legend), From Ashes Rise, Minor Threat, Aus-Rotten, His Hero Is Gone, Submission Hold, Scatha, Reagan Youth, Peligro Social, Skarpretter, Direct Control, Sin Dios, Youth Brigade (both of them), Feederz, Pegboy, No Parade, F.U.’s, Operation Ivy, Sex Pistols, Social Distortion, Disorder, One Way System, Post Regiment, Sham 69, Social Unrest, Partisans, Spermbirds, Antisect, Unhinged, Upright Citizens, Resist, Black Flag, Manifesto Jukebox, GBH, The Jam, The Damned, SNFU, Pelle Miljoona & NUS/1980/Oy, Lama, Deathreat, Ignite, Dezerter, Ratsia, D.I., Balance Of Terror, Jawbreaker, Rites Of Spring, Germs, Dicks, Leatherface, Discharge, D.O.A., Negative Approach, Slime, Peggio Punx, Rattus, Blitz, Econochrist, Naked Aggression, Embrace, Gang Green ("This Is Boston. Not LA" stuff!), X-Ray Spex, Eu’s Arse, Slime, Freeze, Asta Kask, Bikini Kill, Zero Boys, Government Issue, Gray Matter, Angry Samoans, Naked Raygun, Seein’ Red, Wipers, Nausea, T.S.O.L., Ypö-Viis, The Kids, Gang Of Four, Migra Violenta, Amdi Petersens Arme, Talk Is Poison, Anti-System, Guyana Punch Line, Lifes Halt, Crucifucks, Restarts, Sick Things, X (both the American and the Australian), Varaus, Consume, 7 Seconds, Alternative TV, Citizen Fish, Code Of Honor, Jerry’s Kids, Dirt, Antischism, Flipper, Hero Dishonest, Articles Of Faith, Inner Conflict, Appendix, Mellakka, Armageddon Clock, Mukeka Di Rato, Behind Enemy Lines, BGK, The Proletariat, Black Market Baby, Catharsis, Quarantine, Christ On A Crutch, Colera, Pagans, Defiance, DS-13, F-Minus, Poison Idea, Turbostaat, False Prophets, Olho Seco, Anti-Pasti, No Choice, United Super Villains, Olotila, Social Unrest, Anti-Cimex, Zounds, To What End?, Agent Orange, Inocentes, Wretched, Active Minds, Disaffect, Straight To Hell, Auktion, Bastard, Caustic Christ, Harum-Scarum, Witch Hunt, Icons Of Filth, Pax Americana, Sanctus Iuda, Verbal Assault, Indigesti, Remains Of The Day, Razzia, Look Back And Laugh, The Ex, No Trend, Death Side, Mau Maus, Born/Dead, Dona Maldad, The Comes, Lost, Massmord, Nolla Nolla Nolla, Young Wasteners, Ignite, No Hope For The Kids, Judgement, Epoxies, Protestera, Mission Of Burma, Slits, Screamers, Regulations, Lost World, Imperial Leather, AK47, Tyrades, Toxic Reasons, Civil Dissident, Die Kreuzen, Kolokol, At The Drive-In, Zyklome A, Homomilitia, Government Warning, Newtown Neurotics, Bad Religion ("Suffer" and "No Control" era), Big Boys, Fall Of Efrafa, Bastard, Negazione, Social Circkle, Skitsystem, Honor Role, Victims (especially the old Australian one and the new Swedish one), Wolfbrigade, NoMeansNo, Deep Wound, Impact, Crisis, Confuse, The Observers, old blues, Irish folk music, Birthday Party, Doors, Jefferson Airplane, PJ Harvey, Janis Joplin, Bob Marley, Blondie, Go-Go's, Patti Smith Group, Killing Joke, The Stooges, Dead Moon, Electric Eels, The Velvet Underground, Joy Division (perhaps the best band ever).....
Movies
Akira Kurosawa's "7 Samurai".
Television
Television? "Marquee Moon" is not a bad album... But seriously, about television as an apparatus: it keeps you out of living your life (and possibly graps a hold of you and urges you to watch such crap as "Big Brother").
Books
Books by Steinbeck, LeGuin, Hesse, Bulgakov, Vonnegut, Orwell, Kerouac, Lem, Traven, CrimethInc...
To get a picture:
*Lem, Stanislaw: Star Diaries / The Futurological Congress.
*Steinbeck, John: The Grapes of Wrath / East of Eden / The Winter of Our Discontent / To a God Unknown.
*LeGuin, Ursula K.: The Word for World Is Forest / The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia.
*Hesse, Hermann: Siddharta / Steppenwolf / Narcissus and Goldmund.
*Orwell, George: Nineteen Eighty-Four / Homage to Catalonia / Down and Out in Paris and London / Animal Farm.
*Bulgakov, Mikhail: The Master and Margarita.
*Vonnegut, Kurt: Slaughterhouse-Five / Cat's Cradle / God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater.
*Kerouac, Jack: On the Road.
*Traven, B.: The Death Ship / The Jungle Novel series.
*CrimethInc.: Days of War, Nights of Love.
*Huxley, Aldous: Brave New World.
*Remarque, Erich Maria: All Quiet on the Western Front.
*Mudrooroo: Doctor Wooreddy's Prescription for Enduring the End of the World.
*McLuhan, Marshall: Understanding Media. The Extensions of Man.
*Paavolainen, Olavi: Nykyaikaa etsimässä.
*Roszak, Theodore: The Cult of Information. A Neo-Luddite Treatise on High-Tech, Artificial Intelligence and the True Art of Thinking.
*von Wright, Georg Henrik: Tiede ja ihmisjärki. Suunnistusyritys / Minervan pöllö / Tieto ja ymmärrys.
*Waltari, Mika: Sinuhe egyptiläinen (The Egyptian).
*Thompson, Hunter S.: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream.
*Heinlein, Robert A.: Job: A Comedy of Justice.
*Adams, Douglas: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
*Asimov, Isaac: The Caves of Steel / The Naked Sun / The Currents of Space.
*Brown, Dee: Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee. An Indian History of the American West.
*Ylikangas, Heikki: Tie Tampereelle.
Heroes
"No more heroes any more" (Stranglers).
"Älä luota idoleihin, ne pettää sut kumminkin" (Ratsia).
"Don't wanna be nobody's hero" (Stiff Little Fingers).
"No gods no masters" (Amebix).
About me: A middle aged punk rocker from Finland, who lived through the safety pins and huge badges era, and the spikes & studs era, and is nowadays mostly tired and depressed...
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And yeah, even though in that picture of mine I'm probably astoundingly drunk, I really don't drink that often. And I even quitted smoking about 15 years ago and started practising martial arts instead of ruining my health. And yeah, one more thing: I definitely do not eat meat. Ever.
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For those who are interested in my curriculum vitae: by education I am a Master of Arts in Modern Languages. My Major Subject was Communication Studies, and my Minor Subjects were English, Philosophy, and Speech Communication and Voice Research. I am a postgraduate student at the University of Vaasa (Communication Studies and Media Research), but right now I concentrate wholly on Information Studies because of my current work at library. Now, if you got irritated by my CV because it's not "punk enough", do yourself a favour and go searching for the web page of Wattie from The Exploited...
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I also occasionally work as freelance writer and language consultant. I'm also heavily involved with a Finnish bi-monthly punk/subculture zine called Toinen Vaihtoehto, writing reviews and columns and other stuff that shitworkers use to do.
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I'm very eager to write in a daily basis, as well as to share opinions with other people, especially with those who are familiar with punk culture, so don't be shy to send a message. I'm very interested in communication and all the different phases in punk culture during all the past decades.
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I fell in love with punk in the late 70's, first I was into the energetic music and the exciting image, but quite soon I noticed that the punk lyrics were quite different from the ordinary rock lyrics of that time. It didn't take long until I felt that punk was a part of me, something that expressed the feelings I had inside of me.
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When hardcore punk was born in the beginning of the 80's I fell in love with it, as well, but I never stopped listening to older style punk rock. Actually I like most styles/musical subgenres of punk and hc, but especially I'm interested in DIY punk bands (no matter if they play crust, thrash, retro 80's hc or folkpunk), as I think the DIY punk culture is the heart of punk culture, and without it here wouldn't be punk as I know it.
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I believe I'll never stop listening to punk, or being proud to be a punk. And just to make it clear: for me punk is MUCH more than just music!
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PS. I wonder if anyone bothered to read all that ranting, but if you did, congratulations! Just wanted to add that I'm not that serious all the time. Sometimes I even laugh, though not very often nowadays. I also wanted to say this: don't be shy to contact me if you have something to say, whether it is about punk or about furry animals. Eli selvällä suomella: viestittely on kivaa ja kehittävää!
Who I'd like to meet: Jello Biafra, perhaps, and Bro JMT.
hey Arto! i saw adolescents on december here in basque country, i have to say it was a little disapointing... hope you have a better concert. a big hug and have fun!
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