 The grand old man of underground. |
M.A. Numminen Still Wants to Provoke
M.A. Numminen is a versatile entertainer. He will soon be sixty, but he still wants to try a lot of new things. His number one dream at the moment is to make his own full-length feature film. He would like to be both in front of and behind the camera - in addition to scriptwriting and composing the music, of course.Numminen is best known for his idiosyncratic singing voice. He has sung on 40 records and taken part in over 30 films, either as an actor, scriptwriter, composer or cinematographer - and he has several compositions and literary works to his name, too.
A Combination of Religion, Sex and Politics Guarantees an Outrage
In 1966, Numminen became a public figure and caused a scandal by singing texts taken from sex manuals. In those days, Finland was still a very conservative, agrarian society, and it was very easy to provoke the bourgeois. In the 21st century giving people a real start is difficult: everything has been seen before.- It is not impossible, though. The old combination of religion, sex and politics can be made into such a nice mess that an outrage is guaranteed, Numminen advises his successors.
An Avantgardist is Ahead of His Time
So does Numminen still feel the need to startle people himself? - Sure, I would love to, if only someone financed it, he laughs. The problem is, a surrealist like him does not go down well in this world of realism.- I have tried rather persistently to offer my films to Sweden and Germany as well, but to no avail. The commonplaceness of life is worshipped everywhere, and there is no room for unconventionality.
However, Numminen does not really mind being rejected on a regular basis. He thinks it just shows that he is still ahead of his time, an avantgardist.
- If I'm slated it shows that I'm not a serene senior citizen conforming to the system. Boy I'm glad if the critics still get annoyed by the sixty-year-old Numminen.
Text: Mari Markkanen
Photo: Antti Niemelä
Translation: Sini Paronen
Saturday: M.A. Numminen All night long at Tullikamari Pakkahuone starting at 10 pm. In honour of the artist, who will soon be sixty, 16 of his films will be screened. His first film A Glass of Water (1963), for example, will have its world premiere.