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UNDER THE HEARTAGRAM MARK ( REVIEWS) - THE CRIMSON TO THE KARI VALO
The Crimson Gate at Lelukauppa
It isn’t the first time I visit Aikuisten Lelukauppa in Helsinki; I made my first visit two years ago when Lalla and I have been invited to get in by mister Kari Valo himself who caught us while we were being nosy in front of the shop window .
That meeting was particularly nice: Kari felt our emotion , also given by the fact that we found unwillingly in front of Jesse, his second son, and he was friendly and ironic.
So , when Lalla, Monica, Francesca and I came in Viides Linjia I should be more quiet , strong of my previous experience ; on the contrary all the apparent self-control exhibited previously , it begins to come less as we approach to the shop.
This isn’t a simple usual visit to the most famous sexy shop of Helsinki, to the destination of every respectable HIMmic pilgrimage : we go to Kari to greet him and as well to give him some copy of HIS INFERNAL MAGAZINE , revised by me and impressed by Monica, who took care of the graphics and the cover, and with us we ideally take all the editors, because in those printed sheets there is the passion of loads of people for Ville’s and HIM’s music , and we want to show this.
The meeting is pleasant , as the previous old one : we wait the other people in the shop to buy their goods and then , after we bought some nice gadget , Monica delivers the copies of the magazine to Kari , who examines it with interest and pleasure and puts them away with care on the shelf , promising us that a copy will reach his son.
This is enough, it was what we hoped to hear from him …
After that there is only some time for pictures and Kari gently agrees , and some chat , but we can’t think to remain longer; other HIM fans come in and with pleasure we know and greet Jen, our Greek collaborator , and it’s really amazing to think that , for pure case, a share of the redaction of HIS INFERNAL MAGAZINE had the occasion to meet in front of the father of the man who , with his music, causes and inspires all our job.
Mrs.Lindstrom
My visit to Kari Valo’s shop
I’ve never been into a sexy shop, and probably I would never have been in my entire life, but this is Kari Valo’s shop, and I can’t avoid to enter.
We’ve got something for him and for his son, and still we have to buy something, of course not sexy toys, because Kari sells HIM merchandise too.
I feel myself blushing, and I don’t understand if that’s for the shop or the presence of Ville’s father, a person to discover, because he’s so shiny, if people can understand what I mean with shiny.
I’ve always thought that people who run that kind of shop are nasty, ugly and bad…and now I have this wonderful man in front of me, dressed in a simple way with his red shirt, shaven and smelling perfume; he keeps his voice in a low level when he talks to the people who enter the shop to buy something and always has a smile for the fans of his son.
When I see no one is around I believe it is time to give him our presents, three copies of our magazine to read and pass toward his son…and a cd to listen to, Orpheus and Eurydice, the first Heartagram e.p.
I speak so fast I can’t even believe it , I’m usually shy but when it comes to “now or never” I can be really smart…and I explain everything to Kari, the magazine Ville had the occasion to read during one of the tour dates in Italy, our expectations about it and the hope that even these three different copies would reach his hands and could be read by him.
Kari looks at the covers with staring eyes, saying they are really good looking, and tries to read some pages, with admiration signs coming out from his facial expression; we tried to put it out with the best we could, and I believe we made it.
I willingly talk about Ville never saying his name, but simply calling him “your son”, and it is wonderful when I see the eyes of Kari glowing with pride and throwing a smile to me, because the same pride can be heard in my words and in the love I speak out saying them, because I admire his son, and I believe there’s no need to hide it right in front of his father.
During our little chat a friend of us enters the shop, it’s Jen, and we’re so happy to meet her just in the right place where HIM fans could meet, but it’s already time to go for us, and time for them to take a picture with Kari, that man is simply adorable.
I’ve had my picture with him too, I keep it like a treasure, because I know I could be just one of the ten million people who visit Kari’s shop just to see how it is and just for a picture, I visited it for another purpose, to see with my eyes the father of the man who makes me smile everyday when I turn on the radio and I hear his voice with the music of my favourite band; and now I know where half of that happiness comes from, it comes from the quiet eyes and the shiny smile of this man who would come to Italy if he wins lotto, and leave that shop to me, as he said with a funny grin on his face.
At least now I know what to do when I will retire, good luck with lotto Mr. Kari, I would never enter a sexy shop again, unless it is yours, and I’m in Helsinki jut dropping by to say “Hi daddy!”.
Nailedtoacross-Monica
Meeting with The Man: Kari Valo.
Another turn, another gift: this could be the title for the short article I'm going to write, as for the second time I've been face to face with Ville Valo's father, mister Kari. The man seems quite busy this time: he's showing some of his special stuff to some clients particularly interested in some fashionable whips; but what catch my attention is not the large number of people inside the tiny room, but the expression of Kari, which seems tired and quite stressed, probably because of the hard work or the presence of more than four people at the same time. Anyway, Mister Valo welcome us in his usual polite and kind way, leaving our way free when we ask to see some HIM-Erotic stuff, and accepting our magazine's paper-version with hidden interest and a look between the curious and the diffidant, as his Finnish nature leads him to behave; some compliments are even spend for the Magazine's covers and his gratitude is expressed by giving us some presents like Blue1 magazines dedicated to Ville, some stickers and a few postcards. Unfortunatly the same curiosity is not showed for the Heartagram's cd, which is placed and a shelf for a late examination. Some of our group decide to buy some stuff as presents to take home and some HIM t-shirts, but just when we're ready to leave Mister Kari decide to show us a new add to his HIM-stuff collection: a little bust representing his son Ville; although the object is quite macabre we approve his artpiece nodding and ask him for pictures; he, always so kind and peaceful, agree and the pictures are taken!
As the first time I went in the little but popular erotic shop, the experience and the meeting with Kari Valo has been pretty... hot.
Shikaia 590
My visit to Lelukauppa
Hei again!
Well my writing skills are awful as stated many times before so be lenient pls Here is what I wrote:
It was Wednesday August the 6th when my friends and I decided to visit Kari Valo’s Aikuisten Lelukauppa. We found the shop easily, thanks to my friend, and got inside rather quickly. The shop wasn’t big but it wasn’t as small as I had imagined it would be. I was really happy to see that there were other people before us, who seemed like HIM fans. It gave me the time to relax and watch mr.Valo himself interact with his son’s fans. It was then that I realized those faces were familiar. I asked, though I was a bit shy, if they were the people from the crimson gate. I got a really tight hug from Ros and Monii as an answer. It was already amazing being there. I saw that the girls have given Kari the magazines. His infernal magazine was printed and was there in mr.Valo’s hands! The man himself couldn’t be sweeter, kinder or more polite. After I bought what I had come there to buy he kindly agreed to sign Synnin Viemää, the HIM biography I had with me and an autograph for my friend. He wrote something in finnish which I tried to read and translate and he even helped me when I did a mistake, explaining the correct translation in detail. He got a printed picture of Ville out of a drawer which put a huge smile on our faces as well as his and signed it too. Kari talked to my friend, who comes from Sweden, in Swedish. That was great to hear. 
He almost whispered when he spoke so it took us a while to realize he wasn’t speaking in finnish. We told him we were in Ankkarock a few days ago and asked him if we could take a pic with him. He nodded yes, always with a smile in his face. He is so much taller than me and so strong, it was great being around him. A true gentleman. He gave us the Blue Wings magazine, a few dark light stickers and the postcard with the front of the shop. We thanked him and left the place after being there for more than half an hour. Meeting the friends I had known, but never met, for half a year now , seeing His infernal magazine printed in Kari Valo’s hands, buying my Lelukauppa t-shirt finally, getting the chance to see and talk with such a great person as mr.Valo is. The visit at Aikuisten Lelukauppa was definitely one of the best things that happened to me during my stay in Finland.
Jen_Sweetheart
Planned and developed by Mrs Lindstrom with the help of Nailedtoacross, Legolas di Mirkwood,
Shikaia590 and Maia.Editor in chief: Mrs Lindstrom, Graphic Project: Dan[616]
