Poverty Stinks is a Finnish band from Helsinki, founded by Jarmo Laine and Ari Maunula in the mid-1980's. Since then the band was actively touring around Europe, United States and Asia until the end of 1990’s. ‘Big in Japan’ fits as a reference when talking about Poverty Stinks.
Poverty Stinks was a frequent caller in the cult music tv-series Jyrki in the time before MTV music television took over in Finland. Their songs prospered in the top 3 on the lists of famous Finnish music magazines Rumba and Soundi. The biggest hits of Poverty Stinks are Summer Will Never End, Paranoid, Hello Sister, Getting Deeper and There Must Be. Poverty Stinks was playing with the biggest names of the time in the most known music festivals, such as in the Roskilde Festival.
Poverty Stinks was a frequent caller in the cult music tv-series Jyrki in the time before MTV music television took over in Finland.
The head of the band, singer and songwriter Jarmo Laine has publicly announced afterwards, that he struggled with keeping the band together after the charter member, right-guitarist Tommi Pietilainen left the band for his promising career in music video production. Since then the right-guitarist changed in every album and made the band dynamics impossible. Jarmo Laine admits, that the struggles were also related to the different lifestyles among the charter members and new members; for the charter members, performing was a business – not only a pleasure.
Jarmo Laine admits, that the struggles were also related to the different lifestyles among the charter members and new members; for the charter members, performing was a business – not only a pleasure.
Laine now speaks openly about their ex-record label Poko Records which nowadays belongs to the Universal Music Finland; 'Every economically successful band needs a one capitalist and preferably a one asshole lawyer. Our story is the most typical: There were four broke-ass humanists without any experience of business nor interest in money having a band. With Poko Records we were blind and almost made it. *Laughs* That's past and I've learnt my lesson a long ago.' Some things don't change: still the same Roskilde '93 t-shirt, Levis "501's and Dr. Marten's on, Laine hates money and politics as much as he did in his early 20's.
'Every economically successful band needs a one capitalist and preferably a one asshole lawyer. Our story is the most typical: There were four broke-ass humanists without any experience of business nor interest in money having a band. ---'
Because of the problems mentioned, Jarmo Laine himself was not happy with the last two albums, Popstasy and Scharng! That might be a reason for why those two are not found even on a Spotify. He despised Schrang! so much that he didn’t have any other option than quit the band.
'Shooting the Shcrang music video was one of the most tragicomic situations in my life. The manuscript was straight from the B-class soft porn movie and I was made to make out with this old Miss Finland from 70's, called Johanna something - which I found at least embarrassing; I could not act to be attracted on her appearance and very second waited for the torture to end.' That can be seen on the music video.
After quitting, any of the band members haven’t made anything worth mentioning in the field of music. Since the beginning of 2000’s, Laine has kept his career and music separated.
The manuscript was straight from the B-class soft porn movie and I was made to make out with this old Miss Finland from 70's which I found at least embarrassing; I could not act to be attracted on her appearance and every second waited for the torture to end.
Jarmo Laine never quit song writing and has written hundreds of songs since the early 2000’s. The fans haven't forgotten; He has been constantly asked for a comeback with Poverty Stinks or a solo career.
Laine has always been dedicated to his children; with his first child, daughter Emmi Laine (born in 1989) whom he wrote one of his hits, I'm Part Of You in the early 1990’s, he was constantly touring and because of that, felt like missed parts of her childhood. With his second child, son Eetu Laine (born in 1997) he saw an opportunity in Scharng! -album to make a difference and stay at home.
Now after his children are grown up and Laine himself has reached a certain maturity, he feels like he could be ready for a solo career but highlights that he would never leave his day career, which he enjoys as much as song writing and composing.