Singer-songwriter Marko Haavisto’s career began well into his twenties. He had a successful start, but then had to go back to square one. Films brought Haavisto’s band to the surface.
It was a different world then than it is now, and the public woke up to the sound of their records on the radio and the band on TV.
– Our sense of proportion disappeared when we were on TV almost every week and our own records were heard daily on the radio. We thought it was really that easy,” laughs Haavisto.
Despite its popularity, everything was still home-made and homemade.
– For example, we didn’t have a gig seller. The drummer’s home number was the contact information in the lower corner of the self-made concert poster.
A rapid rise was followed by a rapid fall.
Badding Rockers broke up in the early 1990s, and the reasons were typical of young bands.
– The army and studies came. We tried again with a new line-up where I was the only original member. Then it started to feel like Badding Rockers became a chain. My mind was burning to do something different.
Geronimo and Topi took it away
Topi Sorsakoski was a hot name after the Agents patterns, and Haavisto, who plays bass, had plenty of work to do.
– The pace of the gig was wild. At the best there could be a couple of hundred gigs a year. Topi was a social man who loved traveling and meeting friends and acquaintances.
Still, blood drew Marko Haavisto to make his own music, so a year and a half of a stray dog’s life was enough. Haavisto left Topi’s band.
– The bandmates thought it was crazy. It was a good job. There were enough gigs and you could tour as much as you wanted. But my heart told me to do otherwise and I had to follow it.
A rocky start for the swan
Marko Haavisto was born
– I thought the beginning would be easier and the audience would remember me, but the first album didn’t sell. Atte Blom said we have a problem: the album doesn’t sell. So we started one gig at a time, little by little, recalls Haavisto.
In 2011, he decided to train as a taxi driver. Marko Haavisto did the work of a taxi driver as a side job, until his career ended when he beat up a colleague.
– We were at the taxi stand and the driver named Taavi said, what are you still thinking about. Go home and tune your guitar to show condition.
Haavisto got a kick out of this, and Poutahaukas slowly started to take off.
A life-saving phone call one night
Then came a pleasant surprise when the phone rang in the morning.
– I was in a deep sleep, and I didn’t go to answer. In the morning I remembered that it rang. I picked up the phone and the answering machine said, \”Aki, hello from Portugal! Get ready to play, sing and act in my next movie, we’ll be back\”.
The band toured abroad and even did a tour in Germany. At first, Haavisto sang in English, but the audience quickly got feedback that the songs should be sung in Finnish.
The group was able to participate in another Kaurismäki film, the band has continued to travel abroad, especially in Germany, they still go to concerts.