Irwin Goodman

About

Finnish folk/rock musician and singer Irwin Goodman was born Yrjö Hammarberg and became famous in the 1960s as a protest singer. His incorporation of good humor into his protest songs by mocking government authorities and using common themes of drinking and alcoholism. Despite his real world problems with alcohol abuse, Goodman released over two dozen albums between 1966 and 1990, starting with his debut Irwinismi, and his final album Ai ai ai kun nuori ois. In 1991, he died of a heart attack while traveling in Finland, but his music is still celebrated in his home country where "Irwin singalikes" are popular contests in pubs. Goodman's legacy is commemorated in the 2001 film Rentun Ruusu, directed by Timo Koivusalo.