Discoursing Finnish Rock. Articulations of Identities in the Saimaa-Ilmiö Rock Documentary Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2010, 229 P

JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN HUMANITIES 140 Terhi Skaniakos Discoursing Finnish Rock Articulations of Identities in the Saimaa-ilmiö Rock Documentary JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN HUMANITIES 140 Terhi Skaniakos Discoursing Finnish Rock Articulations of Identities in the Saimaa-ilmiö Rock Documentary Esitetään Jyväskylän yliopiston humanistisen tiedekunnan suostumuksella julkisesti tarkastettavaksi yliopiston vanhassa juhlasalissa S210 toukokuun 14. päivänä 2010 kello 12. Academic dissertation to be publicly discussed, by permission of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Jyväskylä, in Auditorium S210, on May 14, 2010 at 12 o'clock noon. UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ JYVÄSKYLÄ 2010 Discoursing Finnish Rock Articulations of Identities in the Saimaa-ilmiö Rock Documentary JYVÄSKYLÄ STUDIES IN HUMANITIES 140 Terhi Skaniakos Discoursing Finnish Rock Articulations of Identities in the Saimaa-ilmiö Rock Documentary UNIVERSITY OF JYVÄSKYLÄ JYVÄSKYLÄ 2010 Editor Erkki Vainikkala Department of Art and Culture Studies, University of Jyväskylä Pekka Olsbo Publishing Unit, University Library of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä Studies in Humanities Editorial Board Editor in Chief Heikki Hanka, Department of Art and Culture Studies, University of Jyväskylä Petri Karonen, Department of History and Ethnology, University of Jyväskylä Paula Kalaja, Department of Languages, University of Jyväskylä Petri Toiviainen, Department of Music, University of Jyväskylä Tarja Nikula, Centre for Applied Language Studies, University of Jyväskylä Raimo Salokangas, Department of Communication, University of Jyväskylä Cover picture by Marika Tamminen, Museum Centre Vapriikki collections URN:ISBN:978-951-39-3887-1 ISBN 978-951-39-3887-1 (PDF) ISBN 978-951-39-3877-2 (nid.) ISSN 1459-4331 Copyright © 2010 , by University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylä University Printing House, Jyväskylä 2010 ABSTRACT Skaniakos, Terhi Discoursing Finnish Rock. Articulations of Identities in the Saimaa-ilmiö Rock Documentary Jyväskylä: University of Jyväskylä, 2010, 229 p. (Jyväskylä Studies in Humanities ISSN 1459-4331; 140) ISBN 978-951-39-3887-1 (PDF), 978-951-39-3877-2 (nid.) The purpose of the study is to examine the articulation of identities in the Saimaa-ilmiö rock documentary (1981). Saimaa-ilmiö is a Finnish full length rock documentary film directed by Aki and Mika Kaurismäki. It is based on the events of the Tuuliajolla (Adrift) tour cruise, which took place on Lake Saimaa in 1981 with three Finnish rock bands: Juice Leskinen & Slam, Eppu Normaali, and Hassisen kone. The main research question is to examine what identities, or more specifically, identity positions, are articulated in within the discourses related to rock and Finnish culture. The research setting is based on Critical Discourse Analysis (Norman Fairclough). Many articulations of rock reinforced the Anglo-American based rock culture and its ideology and authenticity, which was largely based on the fact that the bands performed live music they had authored themselves. Many representations in the film, such as bohemian life, are part of the rock mythology. Rock culture was also youth culture. The people in the film are young and represent the suburban generation, even though most of the musicians come from the “periphery”, various parts of the Finnish countryside. Lyrics, music and other behaviour implement counter cultural attitude against authorities and those in power. The discourses related to the Finnishness are also manifold. The use of landscape, romanticized images of the countryside, was mostly affirmative with the ways the landscape has been canonized within the construction of Finnishness. There are nostalgic intertextual references to the vernacular culture and lowbrow Finnish culture. Changes in the Finnish society and culture are also addressed. Furthermore, the fact that the music is sung in Finnish is a significant element. In Saimaa-ilmiö there are many strong articulations which interconnect rock and Finnishness. The strongest identity position is related to masculinity, which interconnects articulations of rock, bohemianism, and Finnish low popular and vernacular Finnish cultures. The women, who are represented as passive bystanders, are offered less powerful positions. The film offers also other identity positions. The counter cultural position against authorities and societal norms become most strongly articulated in discourses of rock culture. However, the hatred for the elite and the powers that be is also a feature in lowbrow Finnish culture. The articulations of place are mostly related to the vernacular Finnishness, which is also articulated in the rock culture to some extent. The film offers a position for the provincial men, who come from the periphery, outside the densely populated Helsinki area. In this sense it creates conception of Finnish rock as broadly national phenomenon. This position is also strongly Finnish, even though the national symbolic elements are articulated within the rock context, which separates them from the official representations of Finnishness. Keywords: Saimaa-ilmiö, rock documentary, rock culture, Finnishness, articulation, identity, critical discourse analysis. Author´s address Terhi Skaniakos Contemporary Culture Department of Art and Culture Studies P.O.BOX 35, 40014 University of Jyväskylä email: [email protected] Supervisors Adjunct Professor Yrjö Heinonen School of History, Cultural Research and Art Studies University of Turku FIN-20014 University of Turku email: [email protected] Adjunct Professor Urpo Kovala Department of Art and Culture Studies University of Jyväskylä FIN-40014 University of Jyväskylä email: [email protected] Reviewers Adjunct Professor Tarja Rautiainen-Keskustalo Department of Music Anthropology University of Tampere FIN-33014 University of Tampere email: [email protected] Adjunct Professor Heikki Uimonen Department of Music Anthropology University of Tampere FIN-33014 University of Tampere email: [email protected] Opponent Adjunct Professor Tarja Rautiainen-Keskustalo Department of Music Anthropology University of Tampere FIN-33014 University of Tampere email: [email protected] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I have been fortunate in having had the opportunity to work with so many versatile, inspiring, skillful and supporting people during this process. First of all I want to thank my supervisor Yrjö Heinonen, who has been my teacher and mentor throughout my studies since I began to study Musicology. He has encouraged me and many other students to study popular music and supported my learning process in many ways. My first "graduate school" was The Beatles 2000 project, led by Yrjö, in which I also had the pleasure to work with Jouni Koskimäki and Seppo Niemi, both Beatles enthusiasts. I also want to thank my second supervisor Urpo Kovala and Professor of Contemporary Culture Erkki Vainikkala, who provided me with intelligent and supporting guidance. It was a privilege to work at the Research Center for Contemporary Culture and its scientific community, and my gratitude goes also to the other members of the staff. I also want to thank the other doctoral students who have attended the seminars and reading circles. Those meetings were very important as scientific and social events. My gratitude goes also to the national Doctoral Program of Music, Theatre and Dance for providing the main funding and thus enabling my doctoral studies. I want to thank Professor Vesa Kurkela, who also worked as my supervisor and led the great Popfraction. But a graduate school is nothing without students! You know who you are: I thank you for your collegiality, friendship, therapy and good times. This applies to many other fellow scholars as well. I am grateful for having had such competent preliminary examiners as Tarja Rautiainen-Keskustalo and Heikki Uimonen, whose insightful and wise comments helped me to improve the work. I also want to thank Antti-Ville Kärjä, whose comments were helpful earlier at a crucial stage of my work and Olli Heikkinen, my fellow fugitive, for support and great discussions. Compliments are also addressed to the University of Jyväskylä and the Faculty of Humanities for funding my doctoral studies in the late 1990s as well as in the finalizing stage of the dissertation. A special word of thanks goes to colleagues at the Department of Arts and Culture Studies, especially to wonderful Taiku ladies and people involved in the Nordic Arts and Culture Studies master's programme, Annika Waenerberg, Katja Mäkinen and Teija Luukkanen-Hirvikoski, with whom I had a unique chance to work in an international setting. The work inspired me in teaching, pedagogy and research. I am also grateful for the group of tutors at the Pedagogical Studies in Adult Education, in which I have had the pleasure to work for many years. With the students and tutors of this education I have learned about inquiring attitude, and working and thinking together - the essential skills in life and research. Another important and empowering peer group has been Naiskuoro harput, with whom I have shared the joy of drinking coffee, laughing and singing. It is great but extremely challenging to be an artist with you. Finally I want to thank my family: my parents for supporting my education and work, and my older sisters for making me listen to suomirock before I even knew it existed. Last but not least I want to thank Jorgos and Alex for understanding, patience, support and love. Music matters to all of us. Let's rock'n'roll! Jyväskylä, 30 March 2010 Terhi Skaniakos CONTENTS ABSTRACT

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