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Finnish Culture
Jan. 30th, 2013 11:30 amOne of the conversations I tend to have with social reformers goes something like this:
"David", they say to me. "The UK should adopt a more nordic and scandinavian social model because they're ever so much fairerer and stuff than Britain"
"What", I reply. "A tenth of our population and four times the natural resources? I'm up for that. What do you propose we do with the surplus people?"
Things tend to go downhill quite rapidly after that.
Nevertheless, let it not be said that I've not got an interest in the culture of our Scandinavian neighbours. I've considered holidaying there in the past, but to date I've stuck to an abiding love of the Moomins and occasional trips to hear Finnish music.
And it's to Finnish music we now come, because I can't help but think there are probably entire musical traditions up there in the frozen north of which I'm utterly unaware. Take, for example, joiking. I bet you don't know what it is*, but apparently its a a form of ritual chanting with few or even no lyrics. Or there's hummpa, a Finnish form of Jazz Foxtrot which sounds like the sort of thing one might listen to for a day or two before putting on your hockey mask and going out to clean the streets.
Anyway, I'm off on Monday night to an evening of Finnish folk culture embodied by this bunch of jolly fellows who sing songs about their national sport:
Wish me luck.
*All right, I bet one of you knows what it is, and you know who you are.
"David", they say to me. "The UK should adopt a more nordic and scandinavian social model because they're ever so much fairerer and stuff than Britain"
"What", I reply. "A tenth of our population and four times the natural resources? I'm up for that. What do you propose we do with the surplus people?"
Things tend to go downhill quite rapidly after that.
Nevertheless, let it not be said that I've not got an interest in the culture of our Scandinavian neighbours. I've considered holidaying there in the past, but to date I've stuck to an abiding love of the Moomins and occasional trips to hear Finnish music.
And it's to Finnish music we now come, because I can't help but think there are probably entire musical traditions up there in the frozen north of which I'm utterly unaware. Take, for example, joiking. I bet you don't know what it is*, but apparently its a a form of ritual chanting with few or even no lyrics. Or there's hummpa, a Finnish form of Jazz Foxtrot which sounds like the sort of thing one might listen to for a day or two before putting on your hockey mask and going out to clean the streets.
Anyway, I'm off on Monday night to an evening of Finnish folk culture embodied by this bunch of jolly fellows who sing songs about their national sport:
Wish me luck.
*All right, I bet one of you knows what it is, and you know who you are.
