Vesa-Matti Loiri: Ordinary Finns remember

The actor who died on Wednesday Vesa-Matti Loiri77, left his mark on Finnish popular culture, but also on people’s hearts.

Iltalehti asked its readers if they have met Loir in person, and what the meeting was like.

Ordinary Loiri

We were with our family in Puuhamaa, Tervakoski, in 1997, and after a day spent in the park, we went to a campsite with a restaurant and a bar. I was 7 years old and I was wondering at the pool table in a restaurant when a familiar looking man asked if I wanted to play.

The man was Vesa-Matti Loiri, and he taught me the rules of billiards and showed me a few tricks. He also paid for my straw, and autographed the cap I bought from Puuhamaa.

Jesse Kulmala

I met Loir in the early 1970s in Olkkonen, Muonio. I was having coffee and they came to it Spede (Pasanen) and Loiri. They asked if they could sit at the same table. They were going to Mesopotamia to Spede’s cabin.

We talked about where to buy clappers, and so I got Spede a load of trees later. They were both real talkers, I have a nice memory of that time. Both were champions. Both of them left nice memories, peace to their souls.

Iisakki Palojärvi

Vesku has been sitting on the ride when I was driving a taxi in Helsinki. I took him to his friend’s place to watch Finland’s World Cup hockey match. The first part had already started, so we listened to it together on the car radio.

Seppo Lekari

Young Loiri, a spectacular apparition

Vesku was a classmate, a really great person. I often secretly listened to his flute playing backstage.

Unforgettable was Vesku’s “Katinka” performance in the ballroom. In it, Vesku had high heels, a dress of the time, long pearls, reddened lips and grease braids with curls, and mascaraed eyelashes. The picture was also published in the magazine.

Vesku was a very nice young man and was bullied by the principal.

Maria Brander

I remember Loir from the years in Turku, when I was studying there.

There was a party in Sata-hämälä department. Suddenly, Loiri, who was already playing Tuomas at the Turku City Theater at the time, burst through the door. He wore a yellow kelsi coat with white collars and cuffs. His appearance at the event did not go unnoticed by anyone present. That’s how impressive a revelation he was.

Pentti Virtanen

I played hockey against the Zoom team, where Vesku played in the late 1970s. The game was a charity game and I agreed with Vesku in advance about the entertainment of the audience. Among other things, we had a playful fight.

The audience had a great time, and so did I as a young lad. I have a very positive memory of him. He was athletic, talented and a nice guy, just like the other Zoomers on his team back then.

Pasi Latva

Loiri as a star

I met Loir in 2003 at a Christmas concert at the church where I was an usher.

Mineral water, coffee and sausage sandwiches were laid out for Loir in the break room. Loiri came to take a break, opened a bottle of vichy and asked: “hey, is there any way to get rye bread at kraaviloh?” I said that it hasn’t been bought, but the shop is nearby if I stop by and make the maestro salmon cakes. Vesa-Matti agreed: “this Intermission will be a bit longer, but the boys in the band can sing Christmas carols with the audience in the meantime”.

I made ten salmon breads for Vesku and they all went. He thanked a lot for the arrangement and said that he will reward this by performing a couple of extra songs for the audience at the end.

Arto Sunila

We were on vacation in Helsinki in 1991. We walked around Kauppatori, and the atmosphere was somehow cool. People were buzzing, and it felt like something was happening near the Presidential Palace.

We walked closer to take a look. Well, that’s where Uuno came from around the corner with furious steps, coat hems fluttering, hair standing up and cameras rolling. Uuno Turhapuro’s Mr. President of the Republic of Finland film was canned. Nice memories of Veskus in his concerts as well as Uuno on television.

Anne

Loiri as a colleague

I remember Loir in Tampere Yleisradio’s premises, in Tohlop it must have been 1974. He was terribly shy and walked along the walls as if asking “forgive me for existing”. Didn’t talk to anyone, didn’t look at anyone.

You could have thought he was a cleaner or an electrician in the house. I never would have thought that the guy would become such a greatness.

Sinikka Urbanski

I was his stand-in in Los Angeles during the National Opera’s visit in 1992. He was a blind singer Aulis Sallinen In the Kullervo opera and the task included a great aria/scene: A song about corrupting a sister.

The task was really difficult, but he was a musician. It happened once during rehearsals that the microphone was off, but he made it go acoustically and it worked well too. On the street, he was like anyone else, as well as among his colleagues. A nice guy and a great artist.

Matti Kuronen

Vesku became very familiar when we filmed the movie The Road to the North. In the filming, Vesku liked the country and western shirts that we import.

We have named certain models as Vesku shirts. I remember when he called me last fall and asked where I was. I told him I was in the village and he was fishing at his cabin in Inari. Asked about new shirt designs even then.

Jari Mäki

Loir in nature

I met Loir several times when he used to live in Pääkslahti, Vihti. My cabin was nearby, and my boat was also where Loiri was.

We fished and toured almost every week in the summer. We kept the nets on the seagull rock and caught some big perch.

Eemeli Haajanen

I have met Vesa-Matti Loir many times when Vesku was young and went to stay at his friends’ cabin in Kirkkonummi. We had coffee often and had a lot of fun.

I myself was a little girl then, and Vesku told me all the funny things. Once, when my father was repairing an old pappaduntur, Vesku took the moped, said “yes, this works” and went for a ride.

Nina

Loiri as a knower

In the summer of 2021, my friend and I knocked on the door of Loir’s cottage. The assistant came to open and was asked if he could perform Finlandia with guitar accompaniment for the master.

Loiri welcomed and partly sang along. We also talked about a clairvoyant Only from Kassis. As I was leaving, I whispered to Loiri that “fortunately we had time to meet in this life”, to which Loiri replied that “we have already met before”. A warm memory remained.

Jussi Häyrinen