Erkki Rapo
Encyclopedia
Erkki Rapo also known as "Uncle Eki" and to international celebrities as "Eric", was a Finnish
amateur autograph
collector. He dedicated the last 40 years of his life to his hobby, and is among its best-known practitioners worldwide.
Rapo's celebrity encounters began in 1959 when he met Paul Anka
before a concert in Helsinki
. Over the following years Rapo made it his mission to meet other famous people in person, and he would spend hours planning and executing his autograph-hunting campaigns. In 1966 Rapo met The Beatles
and managed to obtain all four signatures, which is considered something of a rarity because only John Lennon
and Paul McCartney
are regarded by autograph experts as consistent autograph signers. Rapo also met and obtained autographs from Jim Morrison
, Frank Sinatra
, Plácido Domingo
, Boris Yeltsin
, Pope John Paul II
and various other celebrities and notables. Tom Jones
considered Rapo a personal friend, even though his visits to Finland were limited by his tour schedules.
Along with the album cover
s, magazine
s and similar items favoured by autograph hunters, Rapo is said to have had supermarket receipts, plain paper and other odd items signed. He is said to have regularly carried autographed items with him, and many times he would try to sell these or offer them to a gas
station or food store owner in return for gas or meals. Sometimes, if a buyer thought his prices were too high, he would photocopy the signed item and sell a fake autograph, albeit for less money than originally asked for.
As a result of his activities Rapo became a celebrity himself in Finland. He appeared several times in Finnish newspapers alongside the individual whose autograph he was seeking, and curious readers called the newspapers to ask about him. This motivated journalists to find out more about Rapo, and his life was later chronicled in Finland through newspaper interviews and articles.
In 1988 Rapo's collection was displayed at the Marnitus Hall in Vantaa
.
's autograph on a number of occasions. Dylan apparently disliked this. There are accounts of a 1989 encounter between Dylan and Rapo in Helsinki, where Dylan allegedly shouted at Rapo to stop following him. Rapo nevertheless went the next day to Dylan's hotel
but Dylan, signing autographs for a younger crowd, left the area upon spotting Rapo.
In 1996, Rapo and Dylan crossed paths again, at a music festival. According to Rapo, Dylan told him that he didn't like giving autographs to adults, and stepped away.
Rapo also regretted not being able to obtain the autograph of American
comedian Dean Martin
, but it is unclear whether or not he actually approached Mr. Martin for his signature.
ed by well known dealer Martin Sinisalo in Helsinki. Many items brought significant sums of money, but others turned out to be copied replicas of real autographs and were sold relatively cheaply.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
amateur autograph
Autograph
An autograph is a document transcribed entirely in the handwriting of its author, as opposed to a typeset document or one written by an amanuensis or a copyist; the meaning overlaps with that of the word holograph.Autograph also refers to a person's artistic signature...
collector. He dedicated the last 40 years of his life to his hobby, and is among its best-known practitioners worldwide.
Biography
Erkki Rapo lived a rather nomadic, lonely life. He had a series of odd jobs, including stints as limousine driver, club MC and porter at a local university campus. However, autograph hunting was his passion and he never held a job for long. He never married, and his apartment has been described by those who visited it as "chaotic". One of his few friends was Jukka Häkkinen who served as Rapo's personal driver from the late 1980s until his death. Rapo was diagnosed with diabetes as a child and suffered from the condition throughout his life.Rapo's celebrity encounters began in 1959 when he met Paul Anka
Paul Anka
Paul Albert Anka, is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and actor.Anka first became famous as a teen idol in the late 1950s and 1960s with hit songs like "Diana'", "Lonely Boy", and "Put Your Head on My Shoulder"...
before a concert in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
. Over the following years Rapo made it his mission to meet other famous people in person, and he would spend hours planning and executing his autograph-hunting campaigns. In 1966 Rapo met The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
and managed to obtain all four signatures, which is considered something of a rarity because only John Lennon
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
are regarded by autograph experts as consistent autograph signers. Rapo also met and obtained autographs from Jim Morrison
Jim Morrison
James Douglas "Jim" Morrison was an American musician, singer, and poet, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band The Doors...
, Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo
Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...
, Boris Yeltsin
Boris Yeltsin
Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin was the first President of the Russian Federation, serving from 1991 to 1999.Originally a supporter of Mikhail Gorbachev, Yeltsin emerged under the perestroika reforms as one of Gorbachev's most powerful political opponents. On 29 May 1990 he was elected the chairman of...
, Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
and various other celebrities and notables. Tom Jones
Tom Jones (singer)
Sir Thomas John Woodward, OBE , known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer.Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel – and sold over 100 million records...
considered Rapo a personal friend, even though his visits to Finland were limited by his tour schedules.
Along with the album cover
Album cover
An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...
s, magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s and similar items favoured by autograph hunters, Rapo is said to have had supermarket receipts, plain paper and other odd items signed. He is said to have regularly carried autographed items with him, and many times he would try to sell these or offer them to a gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
station or food store owner in return for gas or meals. Sometimes, if a buyer thought his prices were too high, he would photocopy the signed item and sell a fake autograph, albeit for less money than originally asked for.
As a result of his activities Rapo became a celebrity himself in Finland. He appeared several times in Finnish newspapers alongside the individual whose autograph he was seeking, and curious readers called the newspapers to ask about him. This motivated journalists to find out more about Rapo, and his life was later chronicled in Finland through newspaper interviews and articles.
In 1988 Rapo's collection was displayed at the Marnitus Hall in Vantaa
Vantaa
Vantaa is a city and municipality in Finland. Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo and Kauniainen make up the Helsinki Metropolitan Area.Vantaa, with its population of , is the fourth most populated city of Finland. The biggest airport in Finland, the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, is located there...
.
Bob Dylan incidents
Rapo tried to obtain Bob DylanBob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
's autograph on a number of occasions. Dylan apparently disliked this. There are accounts of a 1989 encounter between Dylan and Rapo in Helsinki, where Dylan allegedly shouted at Rapo to stop following him. Rapo nevertheless went the next day to Dylan's hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
but Dylan, signing autographs for a younger crowd, left the area upon spotting Rapo.
In 1996, Rapo and Dylan crossed paths again, at a music festival. According to Rapo, Dylan told him that he didn't like giving autographs to adults, and stepped away.
Rapo also regretted not being able to obtain the autograph of American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian Dean Martin
Dean Martin
Dean Martin was an American singer, film actor, television star and comedian. Martin's hit singles included "Memories Are Made of This", "That's Amore", "Everybody Loves Somebody", "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", "Sway", "Volare" and "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"...
, but it is unclear whether or not he actually approached Mr. Martin for his signature.
Later years
Rapo did not stop autograph hunting until late in his life when, affected by diabetes complications, he scheduled fewer autograph-seeking dates. Rapo's illness forced him to stay at home for a large part of his final few years, until he died in 2004. His death was relayed by Finnish newspapers to readers across the nation.Auction
Shortly after Rapo's death, his autograph collection was auctionAuction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
ed by well known dealer Martin Sinisalo in Helsinki. Many items brought significant sums of money, but others turned out to be copied replicas of real autographs and were sold relatively cheaply.