Howdy Anglicans!I am not a man of many words. I just want to say that here’s another issue of Baccanalia, it is not a thick and glossy mag but it is filled with articles that can be informative, entertaining or whatever you choose to think of them. I would like to thank everyone who participated in making this magazine and apologize to those who I harassed and begged for some kind of help even if they did not volunteer in contributing something to these pages.

Oh well, I have to say something more. It’s been another great year for us Anglicans; we’ve had many great events of various kinds and you can read (and then reminisce) about some of them in this magazine. In addition to that, this magazine offers different insights to being an Anglican; from experiences of studying abroad to interesting journeys to the minds of a couple of long-time Anglicans. And as not to forget what actually connects us all, the English department that is, we have included an interview of a new member of the staff, Alyson Pitts.

I hope you enjoy the contents and I wish you a Happy May Day!

Editor: Kasperi TeittinenMaker-up: Heikki HaapamäkiWriters: Otto LehikoinenEetu LaineMaria SalmijärviChristopher SmithKatariina KairavuoDaniel PurssilaRun: 150Printing: X-Copyhttp://www.anglica.org/

WORDS FROM THE CHAIR 3

BOARD INTRODUCTION 4

MIIKA KATAJAMÄKI – THE MAN BEHIND THE LEGEND 8

NATIONAL MEETING OF ENGLISH STUDENTS ‘1010

ANGLICA’S BRITPOP 12

HÄMEENKADUN APPRO ’09 15

GEORGIA ON MY MIND 16

AN INTERVIEW WITH ALYSON PITTS19

ANGLICA’S BANDNIGHT: A LOOK BACK23

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS28

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WORDS FROM THE CHAIR

“My definition of an intellectual is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger.”Billy Connolly

According to the standards of Billy Connolly I still have a long way to go, which just goes to show that just enrolling to the university does not an intellectual make. In order to eventually reach intellectualism I decided to spend time musing on the importance of both studying and friends. To better myself as a human being and a student this foreword will be a tour de force of quoting English-speaking comedians in order to reach a conclusion why both the university and student organizations will change you for good. Bear with me.

“I think animal testing is cruel. They get nervous and get all the answers wrong.”Stephen Fry

In many ways student life is very much like being a guinea pig: you perform tasks that seem to make little to no sense in order to get food and avoid electric shots, you share an apartment with your fellow sufferers or spend your days in a tiny cubicle with no intellectual stimuli. At times this may lead to wandering into an exam situation as prepared as a rodent. Fortunately we have a better chance of improving ourselves and hopefully will at some point reach a stage where the things we are tested on will all make sense and feel useful and valid and not like someone is dropping nail varnish into our eyes. The enlightenment reached through hard work makes up for all the sleepless nights and the anxiety induced by

an ever-nearing deadline at a time when it feels like there is nothing intelligent left to say. There always is, if not by you then by someone else, be it an educated quote or a friend telling you to get some sleep.

“Hamsters. What's wrong with you? Get some friends.” Greg Proops

One of the most important things in university and life in general is creating a social network that will catch you when your grip of the trapeze slips or the sleep deprivation causes you to nod off while tightroping between academic poverty and actual poverty. Everybody needs friends, even hamsters, and not only is it at times invaluable to have someone who understands what you are going through to complain to but also terribly useful when your stress-induced ulcer forces you to stay at home for two weeks. Besides equipping you, me and everybody to life after schooling, university is one of the places where it is possible to find people who understand you and will stay with you long after your courses have ended and you’ve submitted your final paper. This is what Anglica is for, as well as easing your pain during your studies.And when in an academic pickle, always quote someone who seems to put your thoughts into sentences without forgetting to explain their relevance to your work. This one is part non-sequitur and part “it took two hours to write this”. That’s both academia and Anglica for you.

“To be a dramatic writer takes hard work, talent, and discipline. And that's why I just make up crap.”Colin Mochrie

Happy May Day and an excellent summer to all! Choose to be an intellectual, not a rodent!!!

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KATARIINA – CHAIR

What has been or will be your major contribution as a board member?- Keeping the webpages up to date (including the gallery section, in its due course) for a third year in a row.

What do you like best about Turku?- The Westside of the river.

What do you like worst about Turku?- The Eastside of the river.

What is your favourite drink?- I think "Olutkaanon" brilliantly emphasises the saying "the best always comes last", so Koff.

OUTI - TREASURER

How on earth did you end up being an Anglican and joining the board?- I followed my friends aimlessly x2.

What has been your favourite Anglica event?- There have been loads that have been epic, but I think it would still have to be the Big 50, it was the first real wake up call that academic parties can be insanely fun.

What is your favourite English swearword?- I don’t really believe in English swear words, but I do believe in Stephen Fry and anything he says. And he loves to swear. So “Fuck”, I suppose.

JUHO – VICE CHAIR

How on earth did you end up being an Anglican and joining the board? - The board members get VIP cards to Nightclub Marilyn, so of course I joined!

What has been or will be your major contribution as a board member? - I'm responsible for the money and I spend as much as I can at Nightclub Marilyn.

What has been your favourite Anglica event? - The Freshman Sitz was the first time I realized that I could actually have fun with these people!

What is your favourite English swearword? - I only swear auf Deutsch.

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EMMI – KOPO

What has been or will be your major contribution as a board member?- Baking 100 buns for Anglica on Shrove Tuesday with Kata. And of course all the spamming that I do every day.

What makes you tick?- I like words that sound funny, good music with great lyrics, and different accents. I don't like things that can fly unless I can sit inside them.

What has been your favourite Anglica event?- I'm a big fan of sitz so I'm going to have to say: TOGA TOGA!

SALLA - SECRETARY

How on earth did you end up being an Anglican and joining the board?- To me Anglica with all its events was a great way to meet new people in this city i knew no one in. After a while I figured I really wanted to be in the center of it all and contribute to Anglica.

What do you like best about Turku?- JOKILAIVAT!!!! and all other hang-out places. and the European feel to this city that does not exist in Helsinki.

What has been your favourite Anglica event?- It has to be Varjo Appro 2008.

STELLA – INFO

How on earth did you end up being an Anglican and joining the board?- Joining Anglica was like finding home after 19 years of mindless wandering. Joining the board was mostly about me wanting to claw my way to the top of the food chain. Next step: world domination.

What has been or will be your major contribution as a board member?- I make a humongous contribution in every board meeting when I transform the lively discussions and heated debates into a coherent report for the common man to read.

What is your favourite drink?When life gives you lemons, ask for tequila and salt.

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SAARA – PROJECTS

How on earth did you end up being an Anglican and joining the board?- Ever since my first day at uni I looked up to and admired the members of the board and decided that I want to be just like them when I grow up. (Months of harrassment and a corruption doughnut may have influenced my decision as well)

What has been or will be your major contribution as a board member?- Managing to bruise the entire right side of my body when returning home from hallituksenvaihto and passing out in the shower afterwards whilst brushing my teeth. What makes you tick?- Using STAR POWERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

LOTTA – PARTY & CULTURE

How on earth did you end up being an Anglican and joining the board?- All the nice people and fun happenings seemed to be Anglican, so of course I ended up in Anglica! Later on, I got this idea that all the crazy and cool people are in the board. So I guess I’m a bit crazy... I also want to make the life of my fellow students more enjoyable and easy.

What has been or will be your major contribution as a board member?- I’d say the bakesale! Meaning: showing my smashing baking talents, begging for some help from other gifted bakers, and eventually selling awesome snacks to all the hungry students wandering around Juslenia.

What makes you tick?Early mornings and deadlines!

RIIKKA – PARTY & CULTURE

What has been or will be your major contribution as a board member?Well, we've organised quite a few parties and sitzs with different student organisations as it's been called for. And it has been a grrrreat success!

What makes you tick? Brilliant parties.

What is your favourite English swearword? Or more of a phrase: "You fucking dildo".

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ANTTI – VICE MEMBER

How on earth did you end up being an Anglican and joining the board?- Firstly: I'm originally a farm-boy from Savo. That is enough of a reason to study as far away as possible from home, and Turku was pretty much the furthest away I could get. Becoming an Anglican, well what can I say, I pretty much sucked at everything else but English in upper secondary school so applying to the English department in the University of Turku was pretty much a given due to circumstances mentioned earlier. I blame Saara for being in the board as she was the one blindsiding me by suggesting me as a vice member.

What has been or will be your major contribution as a board member?- Uh... I just do random stuff and drink a lot, does that count?

What is your favourite drink?- Alcohol-free: Water at home ( the water here in Turku tastes like dog doo). Otherwise: Irish whiskey or Absinthe.

HEIKKI – VICE MEMBER

How on earth did you end up being an Anglican and joining the board?- English was something I had always been good at, so it was sort of an easy choice for me. I joined the board so that I could participate in the arranging of Anglica’s events. And to drive around the city…BURN!!!

What has been or will be your major contribution as a board member?- I’m a vice member so I don’t really have many real responsibilities. So to quote my fellow vice member Antti: random stuff and lots of drinking.

What do you like best about Turku?- The culture, the sea and the international atmosphere of the city.

What has been your favourite Anglica event?- I think I’ll have to say Foxhunt and Turku Survival. Basically all the pub crawlish events.

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Miika Katajamäki – The Man Behind the Legend

In a world (relatively) full of beauty and brains, it is surprisingly rare to meet a true double threat, a person who really excels in both areas. As we all know, Anglica is fortunate enough to have been blessed with one: Miika Katajamäki.

Miika’s academic achievements and supreme wisdom are well documented and his good looks self-evident. As if it wasn’t already obvious, a survey conducted in early 2010 found that 100% of Anglicans consider Miika to be the student organization’s most handsome man. The margin of error is two percentage points either way.

I had a chance sit down with Miika to discuss the man behind the chiseled good looks. The interview took place in a trendy and bustling downtown café. Miika’s reputation is that of a punctual gentleman, so I made an effort to be early for once in my life. I was already at the table when

Miika entered. The room seemed to skip a heart beat, as he sat down and ordered a drink I could not even pronounce. The conversation was captivating from the get-go, as Miika recounted anecdotes from his most recent trip, this time to Gothenburg.

“Traveling has always been close to my heart, as it offers an objective and thus vital window to life beyond my own. I have strived to cultivate my naturally broad-minded world-view by getting acquainted with foreign cultures ever since I was a child. Seeing is an enjoyable part of the experience, but the truth lies in understanding.”

In addition to shorter trips to different parts of the globe, Miika has spent longer periods of time abroad as well. In 2007 he lived in the heart of Tuscany, where he studied at the prestigious University of Florence. It was a mutually rewarding, but also somewhat humbling experience.

”Even a great man can feel small with the mighty Apennine Mountains looming in the distance, but I adapted well. In the end I believe that Florence appreciated me in the same manner as I appreciated Florence. I also considered myself a messenger of sorts, constantly spreading the gospel of Turku in its beloved sister city.”

Miika is a keen student, but studying was only a small part of his time in Tuscany. Also, while it may seem like a somewhat unexpected choice for an English student, as a destination Italy was no coincidence.

“Language and Anglo-American culture are my academic passions, but there is more to life than

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academia. In addition to the passion of the mind, one must also follow the passion of the soul. For me that has always been l’Italia.”

Miika’s love for Italy is especially apparent when it comes to football. He is a known Interista and also a fervent supporter of the Azzurri. A man of principle and tradition, Miika will accept no substitutes.

“At the end of the day, there can be only one Inter. In Finland my team is and will forever be TPS.”

Miika seems like such a natural cosmopolitan that it comes as a bit of a surprise that his background differs quite a bit from the life he leads today.

“I grew up in the rural town of Rusko, but had to leave to achieve greater things. However, I strongly believe in giving some of the greatness back to the community. I primarily do this through football, as I am a proud member of the Seablues.”

Today “M-Kat” is no stranger to throbbing city life and has been a fixture of Turku’s nightlife for years now. In addition to enjoying fine wines and exotic beers, he likes to partake in other activities in pubs and bars as well.

“I adore quizzes. There are few feelings better than the feeling that comes from erudition. I like to challenge myself to constantly improve in all areas. Luck has no place in my life. Why risk your chances with Lady Fortune when you rejoice in the warm embrace of Minerva?”

Although always an avid reader, knowledge has been an even bigger than usual part of Miika’s life lately, as his English studies are steadily drawing to a close. Even at this point, he refuses to succumb to the pressures associated with graduating.

“My Master’s thesis is progressing gradually. I see little point in hurrying through the days of existence, for life is a marathon, not a sprint. I am always learning and attempting to better myself. My education is but a fragment of this entity.”

This, among numerous others, is a lesson all of us struggling to find balance in our lives can learn from Miika. The man. The Legend. The Inspiration.

- Denial

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NMES ’10 (WORDS: EETU LAINE)

NMES. The National Meeting of English Students. Or in other words, the most epic yearly event English students in Finland hold. I’ve attended this thing three times now and it almost makes me wish I’d graduate later than I’m planning on so I can do it again next year with good conscience. NMES is a weekend of extreme partying, usually consisting of a get-to-know-the-town pub crawl on Friday, some amusing lectures and a sitz on Saturday and a sillis accompanied by heart-breaking farewells on Sunday. The last time NMES was held in Turku was in 2006. After that, it’s toured Oulu, Helsinki and Joensuu, respectively. This year it was Jyväskylä’s turn to host what they called gNoMES. These weekends have given me many fond memories and lots of new facebook friends and this time was no different.

Six brave Anglicans left Turku by train (three by car) on the 16th of April, 2010 at 10am. The train trip went as per usual on these excursions, increasingly intoxicated as time passed. This time around our group was on the receiving end of fewer judgmental looks than last time, though. Around 2pm, we arrived in Jyväskylä, the cradle of educational sciences in Finland. It was sunny, which was already much more enjoyable than the snow blizzard in Joensuu last year. We were put up in a gym hall at a local upper secondary school, which was perfect for the mind-boggling 90 out-of-town visitors the Jyväskyleans would receive that weekend. Ninety. Of which nine

were Anglicans. We best improve on this in years to come!

After everybody was accommodated comfortably, the pub crawl kicked off. Jyväskylä was filled with red overalls from Jyväskylä, Helsinki and Vaasa, black overalls from Joensuu and the familiar blues from Turku. The crawl was epic, to say the least, with checkpoints from the traditional pantomimes to performing a play with Matti Nykänen, Mervi Tapola and Matti’s manager plus any other colourful characters a team could think of. The best performance on this checkpoint was awarded separately at the Friday night sauna afterparty. Guess which team won? The one with the stunning performance of Mervi by your very own chairperson. You are led by a great woman, give credit where credit is due.

To a bright Saturday morning after a few hours of sleep woke a hung-over panda-eyed ex-chairman. Thankfully I’d managed to stuff my face with junk food the night before so I didn’t have to cope with any reclamations in the morning. We were graciously provided with breakfast at the gym hall after which we head off to the university to hear lectures, which has become a customary proceeding at NMES. We were treated to a tongue-in-cheek lecture on the French accent of English by lecturer Mark Kaunisto and a mesmerizing life story by the soon-to-retire Professor Michael Coleman of Ireland originally. Professor Coleman also performed with his acoustic guitar, singing tunes which hated the Finnish winter such as ”I wish I were a bear”. Professor Coleman reminded the Turku-dwellers immensely of a certain soon-to-retire lecturer of English at our university. I’ll let you figure out who I’m talking about on your own.

Okay. At this point, let me ask you: have you ever been to 120-person sitz? Me neither, not often at least. It was huge, let me tell you. At NMES, the main event is always the big sitz on Saturday evening during which each town performs a show for the audience in hopes of winning the coveted NMES prize. The first-timer Vaaseans gave us a song native to Pohjanmaa, the Joensuueans a stunning performance of “We’re on a highway to NMES”, the Jyväskyleans some comedy and “Hit the road, Jack”, the Helsinkians a rewritten version of Bohemian Rhapsody and us Anglicans for once actually had a

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performance thought of and practiced for the event. Yes, it was the Christmas play the freshmen performed us last Lil’ Xmas (thanks Chris, thanks Antti!). Yours truly played Horatio and the Hamlet murder mystery was received well, only to be topped by Helsinki’s Bohemian Rhapsody. “MARAAAAA, I’M COMING HOOOMEE!”. It was no shame losing to Sub ry this time around.

The sitz was followed by partying until 6am (or for some, the whole night) a huge hangover, panda eyes and fond farewells on Sunday. The trip was epic and the train ride home as disturbing as usual, which is to say, very. My most sincere thank yous to go the Anglicans who came along for the trip, next year is in Vaasa (or Tampere, I dunno, it’s not been decided yet).

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Anglica’s Britpop @ Dynamo

(Words: Kasperi Teittinen)

Anglica’s Britpop was again a hugely successful event this year. This time we were downstairs at Dynamo and besides a bunch of hard-partying Anglicans, quite a few “outsiders” found their way there on that evening even though the programme did not consist of any live performances, only of DJ’s playing favourite pop tunes from the Great Britain. Perhaps there is something magical about the whole britpop genre; despite its real “golden years” being now some 15 years behind, the word ‘britpop’ seems to have a positive, attracting ring in people’s ears.

Me (DJ Maybe Attending) and Henrik (DJ Hegemonia) decided to have a little chat about the topic: I prepared some questions about what “britpop” means to us and what it probably means to a lot of people.

(Photo: Saara Yli-Kauhaluoma)

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What was your first encounter with Britpop and when did it occur?H: The first song that I remember having liked was All Around The World by Oasis, I saw the video on MTV when I was still pretty young... and I can also recall The Verve’s Bitter Sweet Symphony from the same time. I really got into the genre about the time when I started high school, via Arctic Monkeys...K: I remember hearing lots of Britpop on the radio circa 1996 and probably somehow realized certain tunes were part of the same genre. Songs by Oasis, Blur, Pulp... I liked some, but not all; for instance Don’t Look Back in Anger (by Oasis) sounded good to me (and it was really in heavy rotation on radio back then) but Wonderwall was somewhat boring at first! From that, it took me a couple of years to get more excited about the genre; most of my classmates were still listening to Smurffit or something like that at the time.

What is most important to you; actual “Britpop” from the 90’s, british pop & rock that preceded that era or stuff from recent years? H: For me, newer bands are the most important; I know the basics about the 90’s bands and older stuff but I know a lot more about today’s artists. It’s still a bit difficult to approach older bands because you don’t know where to start from, whereas you can hear and hear about newer bands quite easily.K: I’ve been interested to find out about older bands and I am nowadays probably even more into 80’s stuff... you know, The Smiths has become more important to me than Oasis or Blur! I am not really that familiar with bands from this millennium; of course I know at least

a song or two from all the bigger names, probably heard some albums as well but I don’t have any big favourites among them.

How do you define your relationship with britpop compared to other genres?H: I think it’s the genre that I listen to the most or at least that’s what my friends think! And of course I like stuff that sounds like britpop even though it’s from somewhere else. Finnish hardcore punk is what I like to listen to when I want something more aggressive, but britpop is my biggest favourite genre.K: For me there’s a dichotomy between Britpop and American indierock or -pop. Probably American stuff is more frequently played on my stereo but when you’ve listened to a lot of that stuff, Britpop sure sounds refreshing after that...

How is Britpop visible nowadays?H: Well, almost everyone knows some British pop bands so people haven’t forgotten about that but the newer bands aren’t that familiar to people in general.K: Yeah, it seems that people here do not bother get excited about new bands that receive praise from British music media.H: That’s what I’ve noticed too when I have recommended new bands to people. Maybe people think that the genre has ceased to develop since the 90’s.K: That’s kind of sad as many 90’s bands made quite conventional guitar pop whereas emerging new bands are experimenting with a lot of electronic influences etc. Maybe it’s because the genre has become less homogenous that the media can’t create the same kind of “Britpop-hype” as earlier.

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H: Yep, I don’t see a Britpop boom happening in the mainstream any time soon, but there are minor booms in smaller circles every now and then.

How was it to play a whole night of Britpop? How did the audience react?H: Oh, as we played songs from the whole range of british pop music, not just “actual Britpop” it wasn’t about narrowing down the choices; having a purist approach would have meant playing a lot of songs that people would not have recognized.K: Well, we did leave out the britpop-wannabes from other countries... H: People seemed to be familiar with the music we played, even newer stuff, and they seemed to like it! The dancefloor was crowded, we got many compliments and no negative feedback.K: It was especially your Spice Girls tunes that got people moving!

What is in your opinion the definite Britpop song? And can you name a personal favourite that is not so well-known?H: The definite song has got to be something by Oasis... I think Wonderwall is the one song that everybody knows and someone’s always playing that on acoustic guitar at every party! Generally speaking about British pop music, The Beatles is the definite group.K: I was also thinking about Wonderwall as a genre-defining song, A Design for Life by Manic Street Preachers is quite an anthem too but it’s not immediately recognized by everybody.H: To mention a personal favourite, Men’s Needs by The Cribs is a good solid Britpop tune, everything works fine in that song.

K: Primitive Painters by Felt would be my choice, something obscure enough to mention here!

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Hämeenkadun Appro 2009 - We weren’t there. Any of us. From the collective memory of the attendees.

Sep. 24th : Arrival of ominous invitation, v. worried.

Sep. 29th: Reminder of aforementioned event. Some still not sure, some already decided, anxiety all around.

Days of uncertainty and doubt. Tampere? Still scary, even if inebriated.

Oct. 2nd: Sign-up ends, troublesome. Names entered into list. Not sure what to expect, but turning back impossible.Wait and see.

Oct. 15th: D-Day. Let the Armageddon begin! Five pubs entered and seen, no recollection of times or names, Hesburger mentioned, dubious entertainment in Alebaari that continues all the way to Turku.

Oct 16th: What happened? And WHY?

Apr 2nd 2010: When does the sign-up begin?

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Georgia On My Mind (WORDS: MARIA “MAMU” SALMIJÄRVI)

I spent the fall semester ’09 in the USA, more particularly at Agnes Scott College in Decatur (suburb of Atlanta), Georgia. In a true cliché form, I had an amazing time and amazing experiences, and I thought I’d share some of them with all of you. Hope ya’ll enjoy!

Our campus was picturesque and at times it felt like we were part of a Harry Potter movie. The campus is also popular as a film location, and such movies as Driving Miss Daisy and Scary Movie 2 has been filmed there. The main library pictured here was huge and felt mostly like a cozy cathedral from the inside. The atmosphere around campus was really safe and so you could just leave your laptop and such on the library table and nothing would happen to them while you were gone. The campus was also very tidy, the maintenance staff was all the time working on the grounds.

The first half of my semester I played on the varsity volleyball team. We all lived and breathed volleyball since we had 5-6 practices per week (3-4 hours at a time) after school, and I tended to be really pissed off all the time, because of

the constant rush of school and volleyball. Things changed when I broke my arm near the end of September. The radial head fracture in my elbow was not that bad, but it prevented me from playing there anymore, and suddenly I had all this free time! I also got treated by a doctor who has treated Matthew McConaughey! Now, how cool is that!?! Seriously, though, it was amazing to be a part of a team and get to know regular American college students a bit better.

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The red party cups are real! We went to a student house party, and right away we were escorted to the back terrace where there was a keg! They also had barbequed a whole pig, which fortunately we were too late for. Unfortunately this was the only real home party we went to, because we didn’t have a car. The Americans liked to bend the rules of designated drivers (you can’t drink but you can easily smoke weed) so we didn’t like to depend on others for a ride too much! Somehow getting high was not bad, or drinking a few and driving. In a how-to-party-smart lecture during orientation, the advice was mainly about how to avoid drunk driving; it seemed like the norm that if you drink, you’re going to drive drunk.

A big part of the exchange experience for me was getting to see places that I’ve only seen on screen or heard about. The legendary shops and stores certainly fitted this bill! After I got frustrated that I couldn’t get a ride to Wal-Mart, I walked to the nearest one (about 3 miles or 5 kilometers) and felt like I was in retail heaven. The excitement should come through in this picture! I also got to go to Black Friday, which is a sale weekend after Thanksgiving with crazy-ass cheap prizes and thousands of people buying everything they don’t need. I definitely had my share of that. I think my Visa is still crying. The stores opened at 3 or 5 am, and the lines sometimes went twice round Target. I still managed to get through my exchange semester with no loans, even though I had to buy an extra suitcase on my last morning there because of all the shopping!

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I didn’t just party. Actually, I didn’t party that much at all; mostly my time was spent on school stuff, volleyball and the occasional excursion out of Decatur. I did do some cultural stuff, too. We went to see the Martin Luther King Jr. Museum, the Olympic Park, Georgia Aquarium (which had a Titanic exhibition) and the World of Coca-Cola. With Schmalla in town visiting me, we went to the basic tourist attractions like Hard Rock Café, and on our way there, we ran into Hooters. I think this was probably the highlight of my cultural experiences there and I immediately wanted to include this picture here. If this isn’t a legendary thing in the US, I don’t know what is.

On Halloween Eve, we decided to go to Six Flags Over Georgia (amusement park) for their traditional Halloween celebrations. It was raining when we got there in the morning and the park was half empty. We went to buy rain coats and the clerk offered us the chance to pick a regular blue poncho-style of a Batman style. D’uh! Of course we went with the Batman ones and we attracted quite a few amused expressions from other people at the park. We first tried the Goliath, which is the kind of a rollercoaster you can only find in huge amusement parks. I’ve never screamed as much and it was bloody brilliant!!! The weather cleared up nicely temporarily and it was really fun, but in the end we were so tired that we didn’t even go to a Halloween party that evening. We just stayed home, watched movies and ate Halloween candies. :)

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AN INTERVIEW WITH ALYSON PITTS (WORDS: OTTO LEHIKOINEN)

I had the privilege to interview Alyson Pitts for this year's Baccanalia. Some of you might have had the chance to meet her in Pronunciation and Intonation, Linguistic Study of English or some other courses related to linguistics. Let's see what she had to say..

Where do you come from and how long have you been here in Finland?I grew up in Bedfordshire, but I've spent the last five years in Cambridge. I've been here for eight months, I came here in July.

Do you feel that you speak with a regional dialect or accent of that area (Cambridge, Bedfordshire etc.)?It's a fairly neutral accent in terms of Received Pronunciation (RP) 'label' and it's within the triangle of Cambridge, Oxford and London where RP emerged from, so in that sense, yes I guess so.

So when you first came here, you got to experience Finnish summertime..It was beautiful, I was really blown away by the huge lakes; this mass, this immense still water and just clear blue sky, really electric-blue sky and maybe one cloud on the horizon. It makes you think how British lakes are really pathetic in comparison. The opportunity to swim in these lakes and the nature is all just lovely. It's really nice to have so much greenery and so many natural surroundings around.

Have you been travelling around Finland?No, I went to Lapland very briefly and did a spot of skiing, which was awesome. I haven't done much travelling at all in Finland. I've been to Helsinki a few times, but there's a lot still to see.

Do you speak other languages other than English?Fluently − certainly not. I did German A-level before I went to university and it was one of my favourite subjects. I think it was one of the things that led me into linguistics, the enthusiasm for learning that (German). I'm learning Finnish, slowly but resolutely: I really want to learn it. A bit of French and little tiny bits of languages that my friends know, so some token expressions in Punjabi or in Italian, but that’s more of a play thing. My enthusiasm for languages is big, but as far as speaking fluently, my skills are pretty poor. It’s one of the first things people ask you if you’re a linguist: “How many languages do you speak?” and people expect you answer with something like seven or eight and I will say: Fluently, one, but in terms of understanding and after a glass of wine or something, maybe some more…

I think we had in one of the Phonetics courses or somewhere

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that a glass of wine or a pint of beer is actually quite good in terms of lowering the inhibitions concerning speaking in a foreign language…I think it's true, but obviously there is a limit. If you find that you can no longer speak in your native language, you've probably had a bit too much [OL: True, I think it was two units of alcohol as the limit and then it goes downhill after that] But yes, it's true to some extent, it can help with inhibitions, but you have to careful with that…

You studied in Cambridge. What led you here? Did someone recommend this place to you?There was a job possibility and I was lucky enough to be offered it. Having applied here, it was quite a fast transition, to be honest, from being a Ph.D. student and having no idea at all of what was coming in the future, applying and then, happily receiving a positive response, so it was then a very fast transition from finishing the Ph.D. and coming straight to Finland.

But where did you come across the job possibility? Is there a 'bulletin board' of jobs within the universities of Europe, somewhere online or something?There's the Worldwide Linguist List, but this actually came through a contact of a contact as this was to take over from Ruth Carroll who's on research leave.

You've mentioned your Ph.D. What was it about?It was called ”Metamessages of Denial” which is just a fancy way of saying ”hidden meanings when people use the word not”.

If you had to mention some key focus areas that you're interested in, what would they be?Pragmatics, some intonation and playing with language, basically, playing with meaning. Leading people in one direction and then bringing them back, so, saying I'm not happy... I'm ecstatic.

What are the courses you are giving now in spring and previously in autumn?I did Linguistic Study of English and Pronunciation & Intonation in the autumn. I also did some pronunciation classes at the Åbo Akademi last term. This term I'm doing Discourse Studies and Pragmatics, Linguistic Meaning, Pronunciation & Intonation and I also did the Language & Discourse Research Methods. So, it's been lots of new things to take on board, but generally they're all related to my area of research and interest.

You had the Pronunciation & Intonation course for our new students, did you notice

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anything interesting or funny? Anyone talking in a weird regional dialect or accent?No, there haven't been any people walking in and suddenly speaking Glaswegian or anything. If they did, that would be a sign that they've had native contact or possibly lived there for a while. That in itself isn't bad, if they have a consistent accent and they want that. There are some students that when they open their mouth, you’ve just got to ask if they've lived abroad for some time. It's remarkable how very fluent some of these students are and you have to realise that they're producing good spoken and written quality even though it's probably their second or third language. It's really lovely to see, it's really impressive. I'm doing this theory and stuff in my first language, so I'm cheating in that sense. But it's good to become aware of the crazy ways in which English is written in one way and pronounced in a totally different way.

Did you notice any tendencies in the diagnostic test versus the final exam?Having had just one group or the one course, I can't say for sure, but I know that having a working knowledge of transcription does help if you want to monitor and improve your pronunciation because even if you are not producing those sounds, you become aware of those different sounds - and you then know how to produce them and are able to hear the differences. It seems to come in three different stages:

1) you're not aware of the differences and you're not producing them correctly

2) you're hearing the differences, but you're not doing it and it's so frustrating and finally

3) when you notice and hear the differences and you produce them beautifully.

I've noticed a lot of rising intonation [OL: Yes, it can be really annoying at times.. It tends to be these teenage girls you hear on the bus or something] Yes, there's the ”Valley girl” stereotype, but the origin might be in New Zealand English. These changes tend to occur in groups of women in society, so that could be why the 'teenage girl' point might be true, but there are a lot guys that are doing it as well. In the diagnostic test you might expect one or two incidents, but it's happening more often than that … possibly it's a sign of something going on out there…

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Going back to the regional dialects, could you think of examples of ones that could be easier for Finns to learn if compared to, for example, RP?Maybe Scottish, possibly Irish as well, for people who have problems with dental fricatives /θ/ and /ð/ and the post-vocalic /r/ which is an ”American” feature. So if you want to keep your post-vocalic /r/, but don't want to learn the other American features and you have a problem with dental fricatives, then Irish English might be the one for you. But yes, it would be interesting to see if people would feel they're progressing more and how they would feel learning in a different dialect. Of course, there are still attitudes about them and so on.

Now that we've covered who you are and what you've done, let's move to the future: How long will you be staying here with us?No idea, I'll certainly stay here for another year, that's sure.

Will you be giving the same courses as you did in autumn?Similar. Linguistic Study of English (LSE) is going to be no more, as such. But I will be taking over Introduction to Linguistics which is going to take on some of the elements of LSE. Language and Linguistics will also cease to be as it is. So the new course will incorporate themes from both as an introductory course to linguistics.

Are there any courses that you would like to see on our schedule (taught by you or someone else)?- I think I'd like to see psycholinguistics as it was something my own research veered from, but I would have to take the time to familiarise with it more to actually be able to teach it to others - maybe language and cognition.

On behalf of myself and our student organization, Anglica, and our editors, I would like to thank you for the interview.

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Anglica Band Night: A look back

There I was at our rehearsal space near the picturesque docks of a snowy Turku on the 24th of March 2010, packing my instruments and other gear into my car. I would imagine that stuffing 50 kilos of equipment into a small hatchback is part of many bands’ lives. Luckily, all of the bands playing that night were from Turku so no major logistical problems were encountered. The reason for this excursion was that we were playing at Anglica’s Band Night that evening.

Anglica traditionally hosts the Band Night where Anglica’s aspiring rock and popstars can display their musical talent annually so if you missed this year’s Band Night, be sure to clear your schedule next year. The event always takes place at Turun Klubi, and Anglica’s board usually snags the highest floor of Klubi, “Live”, where many prominent artists have played, however this year the bands played in the “Ilta” section of Klubi this year

because of the Live section being prebooked for two metal bands. Having played before in Ilta, I knew that I wasn’t going to be disappointed by the change since Ilta provides an intimate space where the audience isn’t too far from the bands.

I arrived at Klubi around half past five and to my surprise, I was immediately greeted by the smiling staff of Klubi, who helped me with my gear. Making my way up to the second floor (or first floor in Anglophone terms) I was reunited with my bandmates, Mikko Koskinen (vocals, guitar and keyboard) and Toni Turpeinen (drums). We make up a band called The Fastest Train On Earth. We weren’t alone though. Also setting up their stuff were the members of 8½ (named after Federico Fellini’s Otto e Mezzo), which has an Anglican guitarist, Aleksandr Manzos, amongs its ranks. The other members of 8½, Juuso Beranger (drums), Minna Nieminen (bass) and Pyry Kunnas (vocals and guitar) were very laid back and friendly people.

Kasperi Teittinen acted as the evening’s DJ, fittingly spinning alternative/indie rock from My Bloody Valentine to the Pixies. As 8½ started their soundcheck, we went to get a bite to eat before the first gig by Seals with Afros. When we returned, the duo had arrived and so had the members of Anglica’s board.

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After a bit of hanging around the backstage and sipping an energy drink, I wandered around to the stage area where Seals with Afros were about to start their show. I was half hoping to see amphibious pinnipeds with 70s style hair jumping through hoops or something to that degree but I was pleasantly surprised to see fellow Anglican, singer/songwriter Lilli Airaksinen take the microphone with producer/composer Heikki Kareranta donning his acoustic guitar. The result was an extremely enjoyable mixture of folkish slow songs and a few faster acoustic rock songs. Lilli’s voice reminded me of a frailer version of Maja Ivarsson from The Sounds. Her stage presence was undisputable, a reflection of her colourful persona. Heikki sat next to her and drove the songs forward with a minimalistic style where every chord had a meaning. Seals with Afros are a genuinely dynamic group and the two members really do seem to ‘click’. Check out www.myspace.com/sealswithafros for more information on the band.

Next up was 8½, a young alternative rock band with only one prior ‘proper’ gig. Vocalist Pyry was rather chatty with the audience and the general demeanor of the band was that of a stage-savvy experienced group. Pyry’s and Aleksandr’s guitar teamwork worked nicely with the general soundscape leaning towards swirling sounds, not too much distortion and quite a bit of delay. Minna’s fingers nimbly conjured interesting basslines

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instead of simply accompanying the guitars. Juuso’s battering of the proverbial pigskins especially caught my attention because of some of the unconventional breakbeats and drum arrangements he performed. Pyry’s vocals wrapped up the indie package in a way that I think we’ll be seeing more of them in the future. They describe themselves as a mixture between The Smiths and Tool, however, I heard only the ‘8½ sound’, which is a very positive thing in a world of carbon copies. Again, more information can be found at www.myspace.com/ottoemezzoband.

Lastly, The Fastest Train on Earth cannot be objectively reviewed because yours truly is in the band and it wouldn’t be right for me to blow my own trumpet (no pun intended). Our little trio is an indie band from Turku that mixes the styles of Radiohead and The Flaming Lips with Blonde Redhead and the gritty noise of Sonic Youth. I play the bass and synths with a bit of background vocals and percussion, Mikko delivers Dylan-esque lead vocals with surf guitars lush with reverb and warm distortion. Toni plays the drums with his signature sound, utilising marching snares and various percussive styles. You can find us at www.myspace.com/thefastesttrainonearth.

All in all, Anglica organised an important event, giving a chance for its musically inclined members and I salute the Anglica Band Night. May it act as a showcase event for many musical Anglicans to come. Remember to tune in next time, you just might see the next Buzzcocks, Oasis or The Who of our generation.

- Christopher Smith

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… and a critical review by the editor

The first band of night was Seals with Afros, actually not quite a band but a compact duo of a singer and a guitarist. Their music was mainstream pop, something you could easily hear from Radio Nova or such radio stations. Although the singer expressed her uncertainty on their ability to perform their songs without difficulties, the performance seemed laid-back and well rehearsed. The music was mostly fairly soft and intimate, just a couple of songs felt like they needed more accompaniment than the sole acoustic guitar. Their mostly melancholic tunes were very solid representatives of their genre; you could not deny their functionality even if this type of music wasn’t your cup of tea.

Next up was 8½ (or La Strada as they introduced themselves). It was not easy to believe that this was their first proper gig (or was it that they had played one previously, as Chris said?); they definitely lacked any major problems or mistakes that probably every band makes during their first real performance onstage. Their soundscapes were reminiscent of several indie rock bands, but their songs were pure progressive rock with many different sounding parts and some unorthodox time signatures as well. The tunes were led by an engrossing interplay between the two guitarists and a solid but elastic work by the rhythm section, the vocals were quite spare.

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They often created expectations that they would start real hammering but instead the songs often delved into calm atmospheres. The guitar work was what stood out for them, sometimes resembling Tool and at times reminiscent of the Smiths as the band’s self-description stated (also some odd Iron Maiden-esque harmonies were heard!) Probably the biggest drawback was that the Anglican guitarist sported quite an ugly guitar in my opinion…

The final act, The Fastest Train On Earth, used a wide sound palette; their use of various different effects was creative, but at times the effects overshadowed their song material a bit.

A screeching harmonica contrasted the cheesy synth sounds quite interestingly and the songs were quite heterogeneous as well; the slower ones had a Radiohead type of feel by being somehow meandering whereas some faster tunes were pretty straightforward modern garage rock. It was difficult to get a clear picture of the band; they couldn’t be fitted into one specific genre in any way, only to the “indie” metagenre. Their performance was unassuming but they created truly sonic soundscapes not comparable to any other band at best; the songs didn’t always seem coherent entities but hearing them more than just one time would most likely change one’s views on that.

- Kasperi Teittinen

Photos: Antti Lipsanen

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These are a few of my favourite things(Words: Otto Lehikoinen)

I was asked to write a short piece for this year's Baccanalia concerning movies or something I could recommend for Anglicans. As I haven't seen any praise-worthy films, since I don't know when, I thought I'd write about certain genres I find interesting and which might suit your fancies as well. In some ways you can consider this as a gateway into my weird existence, a TOP5 of what it means to be me. I owe an immense debt of gratitude for my friends here at the university and back home in Espoo for introducing these things to me.

Post-Rock

I can't put my finger down on the an exact date when I fell in love with this type of music. I remember finding the first album that listened from Mogwai and that album was Come On Die Young. From the very first melodies onwards there was something that felt like I had come home. Iggy Pop's voice clip from a TV interview describes what punk rock means to him and others who are immersed in that way of life. I bought the first two albums (Mogwai Young Team and Come On Die Young) as used CDs from Tunnelin levy in Helsinki and those albums have been among my favourites ever since. During the same time, Sigur Ros released Agaetis byrjun in 1999 and their unusual vocals (sung in weird glossolalia) had a huge impact on me. Once I started my studies at the university in 2004, I soon came to realize that I suddenly met people who liked the same sort of music and through them I've been

introduced to bands like Explosions in the Sky, Gifts from Enola, Red Sparowes, Do Make Say Think, Pelican, The Evpatoria Report and the list goes on. Recent discoveries include This Will Destroy You, Balmorhea and If These Trees Could Talk. Some kind person had made a “if you like this band, you might enjoy these bands as well” list.

I don't want to make this only a list of bands that I like, but to give you some idea of the power the genre has, I could give you some examples. The point of the genre, to me at least, is that you leave out the corny pop lyrics and let the melodies do the work. You take the saddest sounding chords add some melancholy through melodies and lingering silence. The thing I like most, however, is the contrast which you can hear on post-rock albums (Kings of Time by Magyar Posse, a Finnish band, is a prime example of this). You've got the sorrowful harmonies and the grinding crescendos that create an eerie sense of longing and the beat shifts from dragging to running leading to a cliff where it leads you over it and carries you on its wings... And this time, no, I'm not on drugs, at least

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not the kinds you were just thinking. I know how you're mind works, you filthy perverts.

Drum and Bass / Jungle

Just to show you that I do have that energetic side to me, balancing the calm and mellow overall impression which have of me. I could give a list of different genres within the field of electronic music, but this is the one that acts like energy drinks and coffee without the nasty side effects. The nerdier ones will wave their fingers at me and WoW freaks will list different types of 'techno', but guess what, only the Russians like stupid house remixes of pop songs. Without going too much into the differences of DnB and Jungle or the sub-genres, it might suffice to say that these have strong bass lines, breakbeats and sometimes vocals performed by an emcee (MC, Master of Ceremony) or sampled from other songs. Bands or artists you might want to look up include Pendulum, High Contrast, Goldie, Squarepusher and so on. Most of all, groups found on Hospital Records are a safe bet and their 10 Years of Hospital compilation will provide an excellent cross-section of their artists.

Graphic novels

Well, the term 'graphic novel' is somewhat pointless, but I'm using it here to differentiate the genre from comics intended for younger readers (children). Graphic novels tend to have an author who writes the story (sometimes a story arc expanding over many issues) and several artists or persons who focus on the layout. For those who are interested in great storytellers I could recommend Neil Gaiman, Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis, Ed Brubaker, Brian Michael Bendis, Garth Ennis, Brian Azzarello and Mike Carey. Works published under Vertigo of DC Comics are the ones worth checking out, especially these series: Sandman, Watchmen, The Invisibles, Transmetropolitan, Preacher, 100 Bullets, Hellblazer, Lucifer, Daredevil (Brubaker, Bendis) and many others from these guys.

Cosmic Comic Café might have these series or at least some of their albums and if you have connections to the Helsinki area, I recommend using the Helmet library system to obtain albums from those series. I know for a fact that some of our fellow Anglicans are fans of this genre, which was a fun thing to realise when I mentioned that I like reading comics.

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Films and TV Series with Good Stories and Multi-sided Characters

As I mentioned earlier on I haven't seen any praise-worthy films for a long time, so I'm going to mention the ones that I've seen earlier and are worth mentioning. Darren Aronofsky, Danny Boyle and Quentin Tarantino come to mind of the directors of whose work won't let you down. Films that I like from other people besides these guys include Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the Bourne trilogy with Matt Damon, Syriana and basically films where the lives of the characters become intertwined. Most of the films I've seen lately have had weak plots, no real reason for me to relate to the characters and no surprises within the more than two hours they've lasted.

I need to point out some television series that offer good source material for academic studies: Frasier, Friends, The Simpsons, Family Guy, The Fast Show and, of course, Monty Python's Flying Circus. Personally, I did my BA thesis on Frasier and I'm quite sure that one could write a PhD dissertation of it because the series did last for 11 seasons.

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“Taking the Piss” and Impolite Humour

If this came as a surprise, you really are as dumb as you look. Then again, I wasn't expecting much from you. In a nutshell, I believe that the best way of showing someone you love them, is through ridicule and putting them down. What's the point of having friends if you can't be honest with them? Having said that: yes, those overalls do make your bum look big.

I'm a firm believer (pun intended) in irony and sarcasm. There's a fine line being funny and just obnoxious. I tend to stagger on that line like an Anglican walking home from a party and sometimes I have stepped on other people's toes. Much like Chandler in Friends I'm good at dishing out witty remarks about other, but like him, I can't always understand if you're being ironic or just serious. The biggest irony of all is that I'm doing my research on irony without really knowing anything about it.

Anyway, the TOP5 list has been intended to give you some good pointers about bands and books worth checking out. I like them, you might not. I wish you all a good Fi(r)st of May (a nice typo in the guide to exchange students some years ago).

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