The recordings left in Tavastia’s back room turned out to be a turning point in Vesa-Matti Loir’s music career. In the LOIRI & Marjamäki podcast, Loiri tells in his own words about a certain situation that describes his uncompromising attitude as a musician.
At first, Vesa-Matti Loir was not at all considered the great interpreter he eventually became. Jussi Eskola
An entertainment legend Vesa-Matti Loiri was not only an actor but also a musician from the beginning of his career. The great popularity brought by the movie Pojat turned the course so that acting became the primary job of Loir’s many talents. However, the music always remained on some level alongside.
In the sixth episode of Iltalehti’s LOIRI & Marjamäki podcast, Loir’s career as a musician is discussed.
It was a turning point for Loir’s music career Eino Leinon interpreting poems. They exploded Loir’s popularity as an artist.
However, it was rare that the opportunity was not passed up. The songs that changed the direction of Loir’s music career threatened to end up as recordings in Tavastia’s back room.
Amateur composer Perttu Hietanen had composed the music for Leino’s texts and already while composing thought that it was Loir who should interpret the songs. He got to Loir’s talks by going to the back room of the venue during Loir’s Tavastian gig. There, he offered Loir to listen to recordings of his compositions, which he had performed on tape, accompanying himself.
Supplier Tuomas Marjamäki thinks that Loiri took the recordings possibly out of courtesy and left them in Tavastia’s back room.
After a few days, however, Hietanen called Loir and asked if he had listened to them. The recordings were still found in Tavastia. The composer could just as well have left the whole thing alone and thought that Loiri was not interested in his compositions.
Vesa-Matti Loiri performed at the market party of the Lions who won the World Cup gold in May 2011. JAAKKO VIRTANEN
Finally, the Leino records showed that Loir has his own unique voice and way of interpreting texts. In that sense too, they were breakthrough compositions in Loir’s career.
– There had been a lot of criticism on the first Vesku records about why Loiri snorts, sobs and roars and his voice breaks and the singing was not clean. In the case of Leino records, the general public began to understand that this is how they should be made, says Marjamäki.
In the interview recording heard on the podcast, Loiri talks openly about another turning point in his music career.
On one Leino tour, the artist experienced a situation that stopped him. It also describes his uncompromising attitude as a musician.
– There had been a hell of a lot of gigs in a row, and not a single day off. Admittedly, I was already tired. I found myself looking at the clock on stage while I was singing. I had time to rewind that four songs and then we can go to the hotel to eat and drink cognac, Loiri said.
In the end, Loiri did not go to eat at the hotel. He got stuck in his room.
– I was so fucking ashamed. And I decided then that if this happens again, if a black official becomes like this, then I was honest, then there are too many gigs. Every audience is unique.
The LOIRI & Marjamäki podcast is published on the Iltalehti Plus service. The latest episode can be found here. All episodes can be found here.