Swedish Radio

Radio interview with Per Gessle about Marie Fredriksson – ”I’ve always thought she is a sister to me, it has always been so.”

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Studio Ett on Swedish radio did an interview with Per Gessle after last night’s ”En kväll för Marie Fredriksson” event at Stora Teatern in Göteborg. You can judge by Per’s voice and reactions that he is still very much under the effect of what happened. Both last night and on 9th December.

It was the first time last night that he stood on stage without Marie since she has passed away. Per says it was quite long ago when he played together with Marie, in 2016. Yesterday the whole event was a really strong experience. It was fantastic being part of it, but at the same time it was tough. He says Marie was a fantastic person and he remembered the ’80s and ’90s when Roxette had their heydays. One forgets it over the years when so many things are happening. Their whole journey is unbelievable. They met at the end of the ’70s. Per was busy with Gyllene Tider, Marie had her solo career, but they shared this dream of succeeding abroad and they did and had this fantastic journey together.

The program leader says not everyone understands how big they are in e.g. Australia or South America. She asks what kind of reactions he got from there during the past month. Per says the response was tough, but fantastic. It shows how much Marie meant and still means to the people all around the world. The program leader says there was someone from Brazil in the audience last night. Per says he knows it, but there were many other hardcore fans too. There is a gang that follows everything they are doing. They live their lives via them in a way and he finds it fantastic.

The program leader asks Per how he looks back at the times when they broke through in the US. Per says it was an awesome time, the music industry and radio were totally different. They come from the pop world that has its roots in the ’60s and ’70s. They had the capacity and luck to follow up their first hit song, The Look with several others. Besides Marie singing so fantastically, she was also a fab performer on stage. When they started touring around the world, she was so good and they had a good band too, so they could also deliver on stage. A lot of artists can make records, but can’t go and perform live. It was a huge strength of Marie.

Studio Ett then asks about Per and Marie’s friendship. Per says they had a long journey together and over the years their friendship went through changes of course. They were friends from the beginning, they shared a dream, wrote songs together, played the guitar and the piano, they were singing, they shared the rehearsal studio while playing in separate bands, Per in GT, Marie in Strul. Then they went on tours and it became an intense, but rather professional friendship year in, year out with Roxette, so when they came home from a tour, maybe the first one whom he called wasn’t Marie. But they have always been very close to each other. He has always thought Marie is a sister to him, it has always been so.

Per says after last night’s event it’s very tough today. Everyone was very moved. It felt like a farewell yesterday. It was fantastic to do this, but it was tough for all of them on stage. He thinks it will be an awesome TV program. The band was a hybrid of Roxette’s bands and Marie’s solo band, consisting of fab musicians.

The program leader asks how much of Gun-Marie from Östra Ljungby was still in Marie as a successful world star. Per says there was still very much of Gun-Marie in her. She was very private. They did all this journey because they love pop music and singing and playing and writing. So why they were on TV, for example, was not because they wanted to be there, but it all came with their success. To the question how much is left in Per of Per Håkan who once worked at Bingo-Livs Mr. G replied while laughing that it’s hard to say, but he is a big part of him still. At least he thinks so.

To the question how he will go on with his songs he wrote for Roxette Per replies he doesn’t know yet, it’s a good question. During all his adult life he was writing songs for Roxette, so he wants to go on with them in a way, but he doesn’t know how.

It’s hard for Mr. G to tell what Marie would have said about last night’s event. Per thinks it was very touching, but he doesn’t know what Marie would have thought. Still the whole thing seems to be unreal.

To the question which of Marie’s songs are his favourites Per replies there are so many. One of Marie’s absolute finest lyrics is Den ständiga resan. It’s a very strong text and a very nice song. Over the years Per wrote tons of songs, while Marie was writing much less, but when she wrote something it was incredibly good. She has a fantastic song catalogue.

Gyllene Tider – GT40 Live – New Year’s Eve on Swedish radio P4

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On New Year’s Eve, Swedish radio P4 broadcast Gyllene Tider’s Ullevi concert recorded on 3rd August 2019 on the guys’ 40th anniversary tour. A pre-recorded studio talk with Per and Anders, as well as Sven Lindström was also on air.

In the beginning of the program Sven tells it was Per and MP who started a band first, Grape Rock. Per says they realized it quite early that they needed more people for a band. Then came Micke Syd and Janne Carlsson and that was the first setup of Gyllene Tider. Later Janne was changed, Anders and Göran joined them and they were complete.

Sven asks the guys what made them so special. Anders says it was a magical chemical mix. Per says 40 years is a long time, it wasn’t the same in their heydays, but when they later reunited, they became better and better every time, in 1996, 2004, 2013. That chemistry became more and more special and more and more magical. Now everyone thinks their 2019 tour was the best both musically and also in terms of how much fun it was.

Sven introduces the Ullevi show and says the stadium was cooking and it was a really special gig.

The guys don’t talk in between each song, so one can enjoy the live music as if we are there at the concert. In Ullevi, at the best show on tour.

After Puls they are talking again. Sven says it’s probably a dream for everyone who starts a band that they one day perform in Ullevi in front of 60,000 people. Per confirms it’s magical to play there and Anders also thinks it’s powerful and since Ullevi is not a usual stadium, the construction makes you feel that it’s even more full than it actually is. The first time Anders was at a concert in Ullevi it was David Bowie (1983). Per saw The Rolling Stones there first (1982). For GT it was the third time they played the stadium. The first show they did there was in 2004. Anders remembers that it was a pure energy shock. Almost 60,000 people were standing in front of them and all their love and energy was floating towards them on stage without any filter. He says it puts one into tears. Per says he is not as sensitive as Anders, he doesn’t really experience it being different to be playing at Ullevi or at Brottet in Halmstad in front of 11,000 people. One is focusing the same way and you work the same way, but at the same time, everything is bigger. It’s always magical to play at Ullevi though.

Before Flickorna på TV2 is playing, the guys are shortly talking about Gyllene Tider’s record contract Kjell Andersson (EMI) offered them in 1979. Per explains they had only 6 gigs before they became No. 1. with Flickorna på TV2. After their breakthrough it was still difficult to organize concerts, not knowing how good it would work out and it was a tough job for tour leaders too to find out what is right and what is wrong when it came to organizing. It was a learning by doing case. Flickorna på TV2 became a hit anyway and GT became Sweden’s hottest band. The guys say they were so young and it was strange that suddenly girls started screaming and they were stalking them in their gardens.

Before Kung av sand the boys are back again. Sven says there are 2 songs that defined GT in the ’90s, Kung av sand and Det är över nu. Per says Kung av sand became their big ballad, like Listen To Your Heart is for Roxette. Earlier they didn’t have such a big one. They of course had När alla vännerna gått hem and Honung och guld, but those were smaller. Kung av sand is majestic and it was fantastic to play it live again. The song’s energy spreads out to the crowd and it comes back from the audience. It’s wonderful.

Before the 1st encore, Sven, Anders and Per are talking about Tylö sun, which is the Swedish version of The Rivieras’ California Sun (1964). First the guys recorded it for a compilation album. It became a real summer hit for them, they Gyllene Tiderized it. Göran’s Farfisa fits it so well. Anders says he thinks there is a nice organ sound in the original as well, but Per can’t remember it. Sven says they check it after the program. (There is organ in The Rivieras’ version too.)

Per says the beginning of the ’80s was a very special period for them. They were 20-21, Göran was 18 and they got a huge attention. Sven says what happened with Gyllene Tider didn’t happen in 10-15 years in Sweden. Per says in 1980-81 they didn’t really realize what a big thing it was. It was the same with Roxette, they just didn’t realize it. Only now when they are looking back at the numbers and films they can get it.

The guys are getting back to the live show and after that, the concert plays till the end without a break. När alla vännerna gått hem is the last song. Sven, Anders and Per say goodbye.

There is only one hit they skipped in the broadcast: (Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän. If there weren’t news at 8 pm, they would have probably played that one too.

Setlist

1. Skicka ett vykort, älskling
2. Juni, juli, augusti
3. Det hjärta som brinner
4. (Hon vill ha) Puls
5. Flickorna på TV2
6. Vandrar i ett sommarregn
7. (Dansar inte lika bra som) Sjömän
8. Det kändes inte som maj
9. Flickan i en Cole Porter-sång
10. Tuffa tider

BAND PRESENTATION

11. Låt denna trumslagarpojke sjunga!
12. Kung av sand
13. En sten vid en sjö i en skog
14. Ljudet av ett annat hjärta
15. Ska vi älska, så ska vi älska till Buddy Holly
16. (Kom så ska vi) Leva livet
17. Tylö Sun

Encore 1

18. Billy
19. Det är över nu
20. Gå & fiska!

Encore 2

21. När vi två blir en
22. Sommartider
23. När alla vännerna gått hem

Per Gessle – Nio i topp is back!

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The so far last part of Gessles nio i topp on Swedish Radio P4 was broadcast on 25th December 2017. The program is back from 30th June! 9 more episodes will be on air and available to download and it’s of course again Sven Lindström joining Per to discuss Mr. G’s choice of songs. A must-listen-to podcast for all nerds!

The 9 new episodes will be the following:

  1. Gyllene Tider’s nine best songs (Part 1)
  2. Nine songs that have shaken my world
  3. Nine songs of which the cover became bigger than the original
  4. Nine best debut albums ever recorded
  5. Gyllene Tider’s nine best songs (Part 2)
  6. Nine singer / songwriters who reached all the way to Halmstad
  7. Nine best double albums of all time
  8. The nine best songs from 1971
  9. Nine Swedish hits

Don’t forget to tune in on Swedish Radio P4 this Sunday, 30th June at 12.03-13.00!

Per Gessle and Micke Syd on Musikplats

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Per and Micke were Fredrik Eliasson’s guests on Musikplats on Swedish Radio P4 Stockholm the other day. They talked about Gyllene Tider’s new album and their feelings before the band’s farewell.

Micke Syd says it’s a 40-year-long love story between them and their audience and now that both the audience and the band know it’s the last time, they will make the best out of it this summer.

Per talks about GT as a five-piece puzzle where everyone is important. It’s a kind of magic when them 5 play together it sounds totally different when they play their songs with other musicians. Fredrik asks what’s that Gyllene touch in their songs. Per says there are a lot of things that make their unique sound, but one of them is definitely the Farfisa, which became their trademark. It sets a special tone for the songs.

Fredrik remembers he was sitting in the living room in the ’80s with a cassette and recorded songs from the radio when När vi två blir en came with 40 seconds of Farfisa intro and a little from the first verse. He was stuck in the rhythm and feelings. Per says that’s the fantastic power of music. Certain music and songs are just magnetic, but they are not magnetic to all at the same level and not the same music is magnetic to everyone. Mr. G says he also has songs that turned his own world upside down. There aren’t many forms of art that can do this to you.

The guys are talking a bit more about pop organs. Micke Syd says they were not the first to use this instrument. Per mentions that e.g. in the ’70s Elvis Costello & The Attractions also played something on Vox organ.

Per, Micke and Fredrik talk about the new album. Micke Syd says they recorded 15 songs in 17 days in France. Fredrik mentions that over the years the guys went into different directions. Micke Syd says they all have their own inspirations. Anders works a lot with soundstracks, for example. Per says Göran doesn’t really play music outside GT, but he had a lot of great ideas in France. It seems that everyone is standing on their toes now and it feels wonderful before the tour.

Per says the idea was to write a pop album for GT, but it should sound like the band has become a little older, but kept their roots of course, to keep the Gyllene Tider touch. Fredrik asks Per if he feels it when he writes whether it’s a Gyllene song or not. Per says that with certain songs he felt shit, it’s not really GT, maybe it could be PG solo. He also says that when you have 5-6 midtempo songs of the same style, you need nice ballads too. And there is a song he wrote for Micke to sing, because he sang Min tjej och jag so fine in 1981 on Moderna Tider. Per says they weren’t inside when Micke sang Låt denna trumslagarpojke sjunga! in the studio. Micke says it was challenging for him to sing this song, but it’s nice he had the chance to sing on the last album and he likes it a lot.

Fredrik asks the guys about the cover of Sven-Ingvars’ Någon att hålla i hand. Per had this song on an EP when he was a kid. He recorded an acoustic demo and thought GT could Gyllenefy the song.

About the studio in France Per says Anders went there in autumn to check if it suits them. It’s a spacious studio, great for bands. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Morrissey and Rammstein recorded there too, for example. At this point, a mobile rings and it turns out that Anders calls the guys. They pick up the phone saying he is live on radio. Fredrik asks Anders how it was in France and he says it was awesome, creative and overwhelming. They had a blast.

Regarding the tour Per says it’s going to be huge. They are playing big venues, Ullevi and Stockholms Stadion among them. They have a lot to organize, because it’s a huge production. At the same time they are aware of the fact that the audiences are coming for the songs, so it will be more about the communication between the band and the audience than a lot of technical stuff. Both the audience and the band will enjoy this last, special tour. Per says they are super happy that they are still there and can look back on such a fantastic journey.

Fredrik asks the guys which song they think could summarize the Gyllene feeling, production and sound. Per says it would be Det är över nu. He says it’s funny that when they came back in the ’90s they were actually better than when they finished with GT in 1985.

Listen to Musikplats HERE!

Pic is from Fredrik Eliasson’s Instagram

 

Per Gessle and Micke Syd Andersson on P4 Extra

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Per and Micke Syd were guests on Swedish Radio P4 Extra. Listen HERE! Their part starts at 28:40 and lasts until 53:35.

Reporter Titti Schultz asks the guys how long they have known each other. They say too long. Titti asks Micke if he worked at a bar before and what he did there. Micke Syd says he did everything except for doing the washing up.

Titti is curious if it is really going to be the last tour and the guys confirm it is. She asks how many summer songs they promise to release on the new album. Per says he doesn’t know, but there will be a lot of summer songs on tour.

Det är över nu is played and Titti shares with the listeners that Micke was air drumming in the studio during the song. Per says Det är över nu and also Sommartider, Det hjärta som brinner or Tylö sun for example are songs that can’t be rehearsed, because it’s a bit comic without an audience.

The guys say it’s the ’90s when they sounded the best. It was the period when they came back for the first time, with songs like Det är över nu, Kung av sand, Juni, juli, augusti, Gå & fiska!

Titti says one of her absolute favourite GT songs is Juni, juli, augusti and asks the guys if they have any favourite GT songs. Micke Syd says Juni, juli, augusti is much fun to play live. Per picks Faller ner på knä.

Talking about the new album, Samma skrot och korn, Per says it’s a bit more adult, more thoughtful and also sentimental and sad vs. their previous albums. It’s very nice pop music. The title refers to the band members. The guys recorded it in France and they went through a creative process that couldn’t have happened in a studio in Stockholm.

Regarding the tour Per and Micke say there will be some unexpected happenings, surprises, but they can’t tell anything about it yet. Micke Syd jokes there will be pole dance. Haha.

Titti asks if the guys are sentimental and feel nostalgic now that all this comes to an end. Micke Syd says he became sentimental already in France. At last there is a song again that HE sings, Låt denna trumslagarpojke sjunga! Titti asks if she can get a little snippet a capella. Per jokes that then he has to go away.

To the question if they get together often, the guys replied that they didn’t meet the five of them together since the last tour, but the recording sessions in France were fantastic and much fun.

About the new single, Jag drömde jag mötte Fluortanten, Per says there is a little Van Morrison turn in it, which is a little unexpected. Titti says this must be the very first song about a Fluortant. The song is played on the radio.

Titti asks Per if he could write a song like Flickorna på TV2 today and Mr. G replies he couldn’t. Titti asks if they will play it this summer. Per says for sure, because it’s great to play it. Regarding the setlist Per says they circulated a list of 51 songs that they will narrow down to 25-26 songs. There are 17-18 songs that they MUST play, but then they also want to include surprises and songs from the new album. The concerts are planned to be 2 hours long.

Titti thinks fans in the ’80s were different than fans today. Per says they are not, it’s juts that we live in a different era. It’s just that there is social media and mobile phones nowadays. Titti asks if there are groupies around, Micke Syd says no, they never really had the talent for that, to have groupies waiting for them at the hotel.

Faller ner på knä is played, but cut short due to news.

Titti asks Micke Syd if he has become a better drummer over the years. Micke says he has, just not technically, but how he plays. When he plays elsewhere, even when he played for Roxette in June Afternoon or She Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, it’s different vs. when he plays in GT. In Gyllene Tider it’s like coming home. In France for example the recordings went so fast, because they went with the flow.

Titti asks how they know a song is ready. Per says a song develops all the time. When they play it live it becomes different. He thinks sometimes it’s a pity that one writes a song, they record it in the studio and take it to an audience only later. It could be the other way around, playing the song for an audience 20-30 times before recording it.