When Anders Roos and Jan-Owe Wikström joined their forces in 2019 to create a Gyllene Tider book, we all thought that would be a last one. Of course, a last one, since it was related to the band’s farewell tour after 40 years. But… we are all lucky the Golden Guys have changed their minds 4 years later.
After the boys decided to record a new album in June 2022, Anders Roos joined them in the studio in Harplinge and started taking photos. He never stopped until the last chords were played on tour, so there is again a huge amount of wonderful pictures that are now presented to us in this so-called diary. Via these photos you get access to places you never see as a fan, i.e. backstage, tour bus, soundcheck, rehearsals, recordings, but you also get to see the band on stage from a different angle vs. what you see from the crowd. And who knows, if you were standing in the front, you might find yourself in the pics too.
Jan-Owe Wikström collected diary-like stories from the band, their family members, technicians, fans and other fun people around the guys. Most of them we never heard talking about their relations to Gyllene Tider. Everyone gets a separate little chapter. Band members add their thoughts in more than one chapter. The foreword is written by Per Simonsson who directed the upcoming film about Gyllene Tider.
The title says whole Sweden’s diary, but it’s not only Swedes talking. There are also fans from around the world, coming from South America and Australia even.
One chapter is written by me (got shortened of course, because I always write too much, you know that, haha), a bit of how I go from one concert to the other together with my friend, Sandra Knospe from Germany, what happened in Piteå and how I write about the concerts for RoxBlog.
In the book there is everyone from band members to fans, from manager to technicians, from artist colleagues to family members, literally, everyone. And everyone shares all their thoughts related to this band that means Swedish summer. The book is just as positive as a GT sommar is.
Happenings are covered from the album recording through the dress rehearsal at Halmstad Arena and the pre-premiere gig at Hotel Tylösand to all concerts on tour. Via the stories you go through the whole Hux Flux journey and it also turns out how it didn’t become a Pers Garage project.
Here is a list of people who have added their diary notes to the book: Per Gessle, Micke Syd Andersson, Anders Herrlin, Mats MP Persson, Göran Fritzon, Dea Norberg, Malin-My Wall, Marie Dimberg (manager), Staffan Karlsson (Sweetspot Studio), Johan Olsson (Warner Music), Peter Fredriksson (stage technician), Valdemar Wahlbeck (actor who plays Per in the upcoming GT movie), Rolf Gustafsson (who recorded a lot of GT stuff in 1981 in Sjönelund – parts of it you coukd see on screen on tour during Leva livet), Helena Andersson (Micke Syd’s wife), 17-year-old Oliver wo sneaked in to both Halmstad concerts, Daniela Etchart Maluf (fan from Brazil), Brad Coverley (fan from Australia), Robert Ernlund (from the band Treat; GT’s first ever sound technician), Michael Viklander & Anna Ekedahl (fans from Sweden), Robert Kelber (lighting manager), Björn Nohlgren (organizer Nöjet AB), Kent Schubring (light technician), Rebecka Högstedt (fan from Sweden), Uno Svenningsson (artist, support act ont he GT tour 2023), Tobias Persson (comedian, actor; Join the Flumeride director), Johan Ilve (stage builder), Atli Egilson (security manager), Michael Sundelius (trailer driver), Patrícia Peres (fan from Hungary; RoxetteBlog), Gabriel Gessle (Per’s son), Lasse Lindbom (GT’s first producer), Micael Bydén (Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces), Gian-Carlo ”Calle” Grimaldi (production and stage manager), Tony Berg (Nightrider driver), Fredrik Arwidson (sound technician), Benjamin Ingrosso (artist), Fredrik Lilliestråle Stéen (friend, veteran), Eliza Roszkowska Öberg (fan from Poland who moved to Sweden), Liviu Nicolici (fan from Romania), Bo ”BoJo” Johansson (tour leader), Mikael Nogueira Svensson (guitar technician), Ana Slenc (merchandise manager), Christel Johansson & Åsa Florholm (fans from Sweden).
Editing the whole book must have been a challenging task, which photos to put next to which stories and how to design the pages. It turned out to be fab! The book looks really wonderful!
If you haven’t got your copy yet, you can search for this 240-page book at Bengans. You will receive an exclusive print signed by photographer Anders Roos if you order it from them. There are 10 different prints randomly attached. All prints are made of photos that can be found in the book.
You can also order the book at Ginza and you will of course find some copies at Hotel Tylösand too and in book stores around Sweden as well.
Photos by Anders Roos.