The Glittering Blackness Society: Jukka.

Because the new member of The Glittering Blackness Society is italian, the following text and interview is in english language (my italian is still non-existent as is the german of the interviewed person).

I’ve known Jukka for about 7 years now. Before that i only knew his band, Giardini di Miro. But because Johannes, who runs the 2nd rec label (read the first GB Society interview) is my friend, i was lucky enough to get to know Jukka and the rest of the band several years ago and i think i can consider Jukka as a good friend now. Jukka is someone i can have inspiring discussions with about music and art and also about politics. Well, concerning politics, he is the one who has a lot more to say than i have but i am always a keen listener. Jukka also taught me a lot about italian culture and every now and then i enjoy getting on tour with the band, but that is another story you might get to know more about later.

PS: Giardini Di Miro is touring germany (and belgium) in march, and you shouldn’t miss it! They are a great live band, and they will play a lot of songs from their current album „Divided Opinions“. Tour dates are available here.

Silke: Welcome to the second The Glittering Blackness Society interview! It is a great honor for me to have you here! First question: Tell me about how it was growing up in famous Cavriago (Reggio Emilia, Italy), the only small town i have been to that owns a Lenin statue!

Jukka: It was sort of magic, to be honest. I know that people won’t agree with me but i don’t care because it was really fantastic. I forgot most of the stuff i did when i was a child, apart from some selected memories. Most of them related to my young communist era. Haha! No, for real, i was the son of the secretary of the communist party, not a secondary thing in a place [like Cavriago] that has the only Lenin statue in the western bloc. I think it was fantastic because it was the italian way of communism. For me that was summer parties in order to raise money for political activities. We spent two weeks every summer having open air parties with typical debates in the restaurant, open air cinema and many other great stuff. Before/post that stuff i spent millions of hours in the festive area with my dad, mum and my grandfather because we had to built everything up and than in the end to take it away. Summer was magic. Always. It was also magic because every year i spent one month at the seaside with my grandmother and my cousins and then 20 days in jugoslavia with my parents.

Silke: The festival stuff sounds a little bit like growing up in Woodstock!

Jukka: No, no! It wasn’t like Woodstock! We were communists, not hippies. And italians, not americans! That are two very important differences! So, no Woodstock attitude!

Silke: Hehe, i was just kidding!

Jukka: It was big fun and work for everybody. It was something great for the community. It reallly was. Anyway, i spent my time mostly in da street, running my bike all day long.

Silke: No soccer?

Jukka: Yes, street soccer! But me and the other children that were living in the bloc were not so addicted. We always tried to play more unusual games. Street tennis was fantastic and street hockey with selfmade rackets was genius.

Silke: Did you smash any windows in the neighborhood? It’s part of the game!

Jukka: No, that never happened. I’m sorry. And frog fishing was another must for the summer season.

Silke: So it seems like you spent a lot of quality time with your parents. Did they also somehow affect your taste in music? What were/are they listening to?

Jukka: Okay, i spent lot of time with them, but just on weekends because they both worked during the week. We listened to very few music at home. We listened to some classic music and to italian modern folk/pop singers, like De Gregori or Battisti and some De André, and also to the Beatles and some other stuff. But i was never too impressed by the stuff we listened to at home.

Silke: Are these artists (besides the Beatles) also linked to communism?

Jukka: Battisti not, for sure. Maybe he was on the other side… but I don’t know if it is true. De Gregori was a communist, i think. At home we had a special attention for artists connected to progressive ideals. I still look for that thing when i am listening to an artist. But more important for me was my neigbor, Marco. He was really into music. Rock music. He was the secretary of the young communist league when i was a child and he was listening to The Police, Iron Maiden and The Clash all day long. Always.

Silke: So he was your big influence.

Jukka: No, he wasn’t so much an influence but i liked his attitude. Communist listening to rock music.

Silke: Is there any record you loved as a child that you still listen to today?

Jukka: Actually i only love two songs from the past. They are very much related to my chilhood memories and they are both from Francesco De Gregori: „Rimmel“ and „Alice“.

Silke: What bands have inspired you the most in your life so far?

Jukka: Oh, The Clash. And U2. To be honest. I really really really love them. I still love most of their stuff. In some ways they really changed my life.

Silke: Oh, i was expecting bands like My Bloody Valentine, Hood etc. from you!

Jukka: Yes, but we are talking about my childhood, so i have to be honest. Also i think Sonic Youth was a capital part of my musical experience. The first real cool live show when i was 15 years old.
I really love bands such as Blur. I remember being at that big avantgarde night in Bologna some years ago and all those avantgarde-industrial and what else people looked at me because i was wearing a Blur t-shirt.
Also Pavement, Sebadoh, punk and new wave at the same time. I started listening to tons of hardcore and punk and then at the same time, shoegazing stuff. But a lot!!! I spent all my day listening to records, reading fanzines and buying records from the past via connections to post rock.

Silke: I did that too. Listening to music and doing research for new music. I was growning up in the countryside and there wasn’t so much more stuff i was interested in.

Jukka: The only kind of music that does nothing to me is still folk music. Not my cup of tea.

Silke: I like some of the 60s folk stuff. But only in small doses.

Jukka: No, i don’t. I am not interested.

Silke: What have you been listening to lately?

Jukka: Everything made by Bradford Cox. So Deerhunter and Atlas Sound stuff. Some of it is so great! And i really enjoy the Radiohead album. Because they set the standard for pop music as my friend Glen form Piano Magic said.

Silke: I am more into the Thom Yorke solo stuff.

Jukka: I enjoyed the second Burial record a lot. It is genuine brilliance. And today i was listenig a lot to the new record from a friend that has a band called Offlaga Disco Pax. I think i can say i consider them as pure genius.

Silke: Italian band?

Jukka: Yes, italian. And words are so important in that case. They are sort of a spoken thing over music. Very intelligent lyrics. And the music is just so great, also. The best made over here.

Silke: I have to check it out. Most of the stuff you recommend to me is great stuff and is often going to be on my favourite list sooner or later.

Jukka: You have to listen to some stuff from Savage Republic and Robert Wyatt. Rock Bottom is a sort of fantastic record. I think the Hood guys love it. Hood – what a band!!!!!

Silke: You have a massive record collection. When i was at your old place before you moved in with Franscesca [Jukka's girlfriend] i thought: Oh my god, this guy is a chaotic genius! How do you sort your record collection? Any special system we should know about? It’s always interesting for me to know how people organize their records!

Jukka: I am a chaotic guy. Totally. I always try to sort my CDs in alphabetic order. But that only lasts just for two weeks. Than chaos wins again. Vinyl… oh vinyl… vinyl records are free to stay wherever they want. In my library. No order for them.

Silke: What do you think about the german music scene? What are the bands or labels you appreciate the most?

Jukka: Two weeks ago i played with Damo Suzuki. He was part of Can, the glorious german band. We had that kind of super group to support Damo with his performance. I’m really into old german Krautrock. The best band is Neu! I really love some essential presence in my dj sets and in my record collection. I also love The Notwist till death. Fuck! They are one of the best modern acts i know. [The albums] Neon Golden and Shrink are pure genius. I love everything with Markus Acher [one part of The Notwist] involved: Village of Savoonga, Tied and Tickled Trio, 13 and Ghost, Lali Puna, John Yoko. That is top stuff for me. I also love some electronic musicians. Alva Noto [Raster Noton] is the master. Ulrich Schnauss was really good with the first record. Morr Music was ace, the same is for City Center Offices. It is still a great record label. But actually i don’t know nothing about germany. Do you have a good scene or not? A lot is happening in your land.

Silke: You already know a lot about the german music scene! And yes, i also think there is happening a lot since one or two years. You can feel it if you go to clubs and concerts. It seems like the different scenes are mixing up more since a while now. It is not necessarily departed into electronic and indie stuff anymore. And i really like that aspect. It is not so much the techno guys here, the guitar guys there, the classic fraction over there, etc.

Jukka: Yes, i like that too. I would say that’s progress in any other circumstance but actually i prefer to say that it’s only confusion because people are just running after the hype. So electronic or rock – it is not so important. The hype is the most important thing.

Silke: But maybe the confusion is leading into more openness in the end? That would be a good thing!

Jukka: Yes, that is for sure. Bad habits result in a better future. Do you know when the last time was i was really excited about music?

Silke: When?

Jukka: When I finished the Rough Trade book. The Geoff Travis [founder of the Rough Trade Records label] experience was sort of special for me. I think he made one of the most important experiences. He set up a very socialist minded label. Most of the early catalogue numbers are giants. And the attitude was impressive and pure: the best world possible. And in years the label was having lots of problems. But still, if you look at their actual catalogue, it is just love for music. Also another great experience was the All Tomorrows Parties Festival in 2000. It was curated by Mogwai: super selection of artists and a great atmosphere. A really monster line-up. It was like being at home with all my favourite bands playing live for me and nice music selections during the night. Maybe that was the last time i have been drunk… Newcastle Brown ale rocks!

Silke: Hehe. So last question for today: if you could think about one person you wanna spent a night out with, who would that be (dead or alive)?

Jukka: Hey, i have to be honest: no one! I am ok with my past and my present. I’m just looking for what the future will offer me. I feel a lack of some friends. We took different routes and we had the best time together in the past. But it’s gone now. I still remember great nights together. Also i don’t wanna meet any historical people because they are not my friends. I have nothing to tell them. If I had the chance to go out with Karl Marx, what am i going to say to him? We are from different worlds. And anyway, dead people are gone… forever!