海角大神

One-on-Three interview with J-P Passi, Sami Helle, and Toni V盲litalo: The Punk Syndrome 鈥� Winner, SXGlobal Audience Award

With:
J-P Passi, co-director, The Punk Syndrome
Sami Helle, bassist, Pertti Kurikka鈥檚 Name Day
Toni V盲litalo, drummer, Pertti Kurikka鈥檚 Name Day

Erin: My first question is for J-P. What compelled you to make a movie about this band?

J-P Passi: The anarchy of the guys. We have two directors, and the other one saw them on TV on a news program. It was a news flash on the band, who were still in the very early stages of their career.

Sami Helle: Four years ago.

J-P Passi: He told me about the band and asked if I would be interested.

Erin (to Sami): How did you guys get together, and what made you want to form a band?

Sami: It was Pertti, our guitar player. He has been a punk rock freak for 30 years. Of course, we just do the music. He said, 鈥淥kay, let鈥檚 just put a band together,鈥� then we did that. Three guys, me, Toni, Kari, then Pertti started this band, and in 2010, there was a movie called A Little Respect, a Finnish movie. That movie needed a song. So the song was in that movie, and the rest is history.

Erin: It sounds like you guys ascended very quickly.

Sami: It was quick. It came really quickly.

J-P: They have a really long history together. They were already working in that direction.

Sami: We鈥檇 known each other for a long time, and so far, so good to be together.

Erin: How do you guys come up with ideas to write songs?

Sami: It鈥檚 the other guys who write the songs.

Erin: You just play them.

Sami: Yeah, basically I have no say about the songs! (Laughs.) It鈥檚 Pertti who makes the songs. The message is [usually] what鈥檚 wrong with the world today, and about their lives.

Erin: So the music comes from the lives you lead, and your frustrations.

Sami: Yes. Pertti鈥檚 frustration, mainly. [His ideas] are about sticking it to the government, and everyday things.

Erin: Your band is made up of people who are developmentally disabled鈥�

Sami: Mentally handicapped.

Erin: I am also developmentally disabled. Nobody really knows exactly what I have. When I was three, they thought I was autistic, but the thing was, I could read, whereas normally鈥�

Sami: I am mildly handicapped. Mentally handicapped. And I too didn鈥檛 know for a long time what I was. They said I was mildly handicapped when I was 14. For 14 years, I didn鈥檛 know what I was. That鈥檚 the truth. When they put a label on me, 鈥淵ou are mentally handicapped, that鈥檚 that. That鈥檚 what you are.鈥� But sometimes they don鈥檛 go through specifically who you are.

Erin: Growing up, I experienced a lot of frustration from my peers because at some point during the day, I would have to leave, and go to another room鈥�

Sami: I know what you鈥檙e saying. I was taunted when I was a youngster because there was [a big group of kids who would taunt me]. I had girls who came to me and started to bully me. I went down to the principal鈥檚 office. They were like, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 wrong with this? I [reported] the students to the teachers and the principal. But when their parents stepped in, they were like, 鈥淥h, our girls don鈥檛 do that!鈥�

Erin: Even though you don鈥檛 necessarily write the songs, how much of your frustration goes into your music?

Sami: When I鈥檓 onstage, I [channel] the frustration from the girls who bullied me into the music, and all that stuff comes out. I don鈥檛 write the lyrics, but 30, 40 percent of the time, I feel the same. Toni feels the same, we all feel the same. This is our way for us to say, 鈥淪crew it!鈥�

Erin: With the kind of music you play, do you think that being disabled puts you at an advantage? As disabled persons, you鈥檙e marginalized to begin with.

Sami: Yes.

Erin: When I was watching The Punk Syndrome, I was reminded of a musician, and I don鈥檛 know if you鈥檝e heard of him, named .

Sami: No.

Erin: He was also mentally handicapped, and . He would write songs about , and . He . There was some fear of him being exploited due to his disability. Do you guys fear being exploited because of your disability, or that people might take advantage of you?

Sami: No. Because we鈥檙e out there. First of all, we went out there. At first we thought that people would shoot us because we are mentally handicapped. [Instead], everyone was so supportive. We were like, 鈥淲hat鈥檚 going on?鈥�

When I was a youngster, there was a lot more negativity. We鈥檝e had fans that have come to different parts of Finland to see us, people who would travel 200km just see us. People have been really, really supportive. It鈥檚 easy for us to do punk rock, because it鈥檚 already a family. Everybody saw us and said, 鈥淵ou鈥檙e pretty good!鈥� They don鈥檛 look at us as mentally handicapped, they just look at us as us. And that part has been really good.

Erin: Do you think you鈥檝e found some acceptance, now that you have cultivated a niche for yourselves?

Sami: Yeah. When we are musicians, everybody accepts us, but when we are on our own in society, it鈥檚 a little difficult. When we are musicians, it鈥檚 like, 鈥淥kay, we鈥檙e on our own!鈥� It鈥檚 harder when we鈥檙e not musicians.

Erin: So it鈥檚 like when you鈥檙e out performing, you鈥檙e accepted, and then when you鈥檙e in the real world鈥�

Sami: It seems like we have to do a lot more in the real world to be accepted.

Erin: And then you write songs about the 鈥渞eal world鈥�, and then you play them鈥�

Sami: It鈥檚 Pertti that writes the songs. Sometimes, I鈥檓 not agreeing with the views of the songs. But I still have to play the songs!
听Co-Director J-P Passi

Erin (to J-P): How long did you follow the band?

J-P: About eighteen months or so.

Erin: And during that time, they gained a huge following.

J-P: Yes.

Erin (to Sami): When you formed the band, did you think it would get as big as it did?

Sami (laughing): No.

J-P: It was kind of a project.

Sami: It started because our manager . After that, it was like, WHHHHOOOOOOAAAA!!!! A lot of people watched it. After that, it got so big, we got gigs, and the rest is history. The movie came, and everything got big.

At this juncture, the publicist asked Toni to say a few words. His thoughts were translated from Finnish by J-P Passi.

Toni via J-P: He really likes the film. But in the film, he was visiting a group home. It was busy there. He wants to stay with his parents, and he will stay with his parents. He will not leave home.

Erin: I totally understand that. What are your hopes for the film, and what are your hopes for the future?

Sami: Especially today, I am looking forward to seeing how Americans react to this. It鈥檚 always a little nerve wracking, because people are different. For some of them, it鈥檚 a big success. But you never know when you go to a different place. We鈥檝e been to Canada, and that was that. And now we鈥檙e in America, one of my favorite countries. Because I lived here for four years, and I haven鈥檛 been in America in 21 years. It鈥檚 good to be back.

Erin Scherer blogs at .