APOst - Perttu biography
This biography is based on interviews, forum conversations, websites… I'm not responsible for mistakes etc.
-Simke
In 1984, when little Perttu Kullervo Kivilaakso was 5 years old, he decided to begin to play the cello. His dad Juhanni Kivilaakso was also a cellist. He helped his son to practise. Little Perttu soon became big Perttu so he went to the Sibelius academy in Helsinki. But when asked in an interview what he liked most about Sibelius Academy, his answer was “Getting out of there.”
You can tell he is very funny.
When Perttu is not playing cello he might be playing NHL or the Lord of the Rings games on playstation2. He also likes reading LotR-books, watching the movies… he actually likes everything about it! He has a perfect copy of Anduril (sword) and he is really proud of it.
Mr Kivilaakso has a mysterious tattoo on his arm. It is an eagle with something very personal written beneath it in Quenya elvish, that he does not want to be known for it is something very personal.
The youngest band member of apocalyptica also likes to eat sausage and everything with jalapeños and likes to drink Finnish sour milk and alcohol-free beer. Why alcohol-free? Because Perttu doesn't drink any alcohol. In an interview for the German tv station tvtotal a reporter said that Martha Jandovà had said that in all the time they worked together, she had never seen the guys drunk. Perttu explained: “I'm not drinking… ever”. “No alcohol?” the reporter asked. “No, not at all” Perttu answered.
Besides playing in Apocalyptica, he found the time to write and play the main theme for the game Max payne 2 which was released in 2003, to play in the Sibelius Orchestra, compete and win the 3th prize in the xx competition and work on his solo project (when asked on details he said… or better typed: “yes.so...i'm doing it.it will be something very different from
Apo.again new experiences.different ways of creating music...it is a huge project...(lots of songs) the rest is yet mystery even for myself..but i think there is lots of very good songs and i am enjoying doing it. so, beware...sooner or later i will become the character that i've always wanted to come...“).
Last but not least, Perttu Kivilaakso is a true klutz! For example, he broke his jaw and ribs in a motor-accident! He was driving around on a field with a powerful motorbike. (Eicca and Paavo pushed him into doing it.) But at the end of the field there was a big ditch and Perttu didn't stop and fell over. The bike landed on him. “Luckily his hands were ok because we did some recording that day” Eicca said. Perttu sure is devoted!
And did you know:
• Perttu also played piano for seven years? But he stopped because cello was his number one and he did not have time for both.