Per Gessle

Per’s He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother video is out!

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Per Gessle mentioned it several times that a video has been done for his cover version of The Hollies’ He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother, which was released on Per’s Small Apartments soundtrack album. We had to wait approximately the same amount of time for this video as for Jonas Åkerlund’s movie. But finally, it’s out!

The video is not connected to the movie in any way, so fortunately, you won’t see Matt Lucas in his undies, but 2 very cute boys. The storyline is lovely and really beautifully done. You’ll see that Jens Jansson, the director of the video, is not only a very talented drummer, but also good at doing such videos. However, I must add one thing. I was very much looking forward to Per appearing in the video, but for the first watch I felt like the way he is in it, its style somehow doesn’t fit the whole story. Then watched it again & again and if we look at him as a narrator, he does fit in. So all in all, it’s a nice one.

PG_HAHHMB_01  PG_HAHHMB_02

The parts with Per are shot at the same place where the pic for the album booklet and CD cover was taken of Per, Clarence and Chris. It’s from 2012.

The song is still a killer one! Per’s best cover of all times, I would say. We’re so lucky that the usage rights for the original song were too expensive.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma8HZb5IXTQ

 

Per thanked the fans on Twitter for waiting so long for the video:

Finally, the video is out. Thanx for waiting a year or so… /P.

 

Alcohol-free wine and champagne added to TPGS

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10384742_711418838921748_60888618975463852_nThe Per Gessle Selection is growing and growing. We already heard some months ago that champagne would be added to the selection this spring, now we also know the name of the three champagnes that will join Furet, Kurt&Lisa and Sommartider, as Per announced on FB:

IF YOU’RE INTO MY WINES UPDATE:
Great day in Champagne, France connecting with Pierre Peters & Charles Ellner regarding at least three new champagnes in The PG Selection. Coming up as soon as the new hot labels will be done.

1. THE PLEASER (Wonderful. From Charles E.)
2. THE CONVINCER (This is a rose’ from Charles E. Gorgeous…)
3. THE IMPROVER (Blanc de blanc 2009 from PP. Stunning…I’m blessed to get 500 btls (limited edition) of this unique wine. You’ll only find it in the PG Sel!!!)

The Improver got its final OK just this week, according to this FB post:

The Improver. Sample no 3 was the killer champagne we were looking for!!! At Pierre Peters in Le Mesnil yesterday. /P.

klunkBut that’s not all. Alcohol-free wine will also have a place in the Systembolaget shelves soon. KLUNK vitt, a white wine without alcohol, will be available at Systembolaget from September 1st on. Before that, you will be able to taste this one at Hotel Tylösand, among other restaurants. Rosé will be available as well. Alcohol-free wine was very rare to find until recently, more and more brands are adding it to their collections and catalogues. You may have seen Natureo by the Spanish producer Torres here and there, there are more brands but rather unknown, still. KLUNK is made by the Portuguese wine producer José Maria da Fonseca. Good news for people who cannot or don’t want to drink alcohol for various reasons!

 

The Per Gessle Selection – ad page on Expressen

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The Per Gessle Selection gets a very nice promotion on Expressen’s website. The ad page consists of 5 PR articles about Per’s wines in Swedish.

One article is about Sommartider rosé, the unbeatable picnic wine. About rosé wines Per says they fit as soon as it is a bit warm outside. He himself drinks it throughout the year, even in winter if he finds himself in a warmer climate abroad. According to Per, rosé goes well with almost anything, but it must be drunk cold – always!

Another article is about Sommartider white wine which goes well with seafood. In the third article you get the recipe of Leif’s Bar & Grill’s Kingcrab pizza.

The fourth article is about how The Per Gessle Selection project started when they wanted to serve their own house wines at Hotel Tylösand and Kurt & Lisa and Furet became the first 2 items in the selection.

PG_Sommartider_launchFrom the fifth article you get to know more about Per’s relation to wines. When he turned 30, he got a box of Malartic-Lagraviere 1982 wine as a present. He says it changed his view on wines forever. In his twenties other drinks mattered. He didn’t drink too much wine at those times and it was mostly a few glasses of Le Cardinal or Blue Nun to his Pizza Hawaii. Today his name is well-known and respected in the wine industry. He really likes Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, as well as Italian wines from both Barolo and Tuscany.

The passion for good wine he shares with his wife, Åsa. Travelling around the world, they have many memorable culinary experiences together, but the biggest they had at a dinner at home. They had invited some friends to celebrate the Millennium and Per had managed to get hold of two half bottles of Chateau d’Yqem from 1900. They served it before midnight and he says it was a memory for life.

According to Per, a wine cellar is not really necessary. The main thing is that the temperature is fairly constant and that the bottle is not exposed to strong sunlight. All in all, wines are not as complicated as many people think. It is actually about one thing: to find and follow your taste; he says.

Great promotion!

 

Yet another Per Gessle related house music project

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© Per Gessle
© Per Gessle

It’s still not the David Guetta cooperation, but after Heikki L’s ”You Don’t Want Love”, another house music related project of Per is out soon. Kill FM, a Swedish house duo (Kim Lindén and Jimmy Andersson) release their ”Don’t Go Dark” EP on 23rd June. This time it’s not Per who is singing, but Helena Josefsson. If you are following Helena on her social media sites, you know that she is now working as an optometrist besides taking part in several music projects and preparing her first jazz album. Some days ago she talked about the cooperation with Kill FM in an interview, but then it wasn’t known that the lyrics of ”Don’t Go Dark” are written by Per Gessle. Now the song had its premiere on Swedish Radio P3 and there they mentioned that the words are by Per.

The official preview of the song you can find on YouTube and on SoundCloud. Even David Guetta seems to like the track since he already used it in his latest DJ Mix 206 2014-06-08 (check it from 8:48). So step by step we are getting closer to that Guetta project it seems.

Update by Per:

YES, IT’S TRUE UPDATE! New track by Kill FM featuring Helena Josefsson who is in top shape and singing so well. I wrote the lyrics + the melody. It’s called “top line” in the Crazy World of Dance! Enjoy. /P.

 

Q&A with Per at Live Nation – The answers!

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roxetteloveAs we informed you some days ago, you could tweet your questions to Per on Live Nation Australia & New Zealand’s Twitter account. Per replied to 14 questions so far.

It’s not yet known if he continues to answer the remaining Qs or if new ones are coming, but we will keep our eyes open and let you know if he does so. Article will be updated then.

 

 

 

Q: – Per, how do you deliver a song like I’m Glad You Called? I mean clearly it was an emotional hell that break up!

Per: – There are of course bits & pieces of me in those lyrics. But I’m a writer, I make things up.

 

Q: – Per is there any song from a previous album that you regret not choosing as a single?

Per: – LS, Joyride & CBB had lots of potentials. Sleeping single. Paint. WSL? & more. Tough competition.

 

Q: – What makes a crowd exceptional to you?

Per: – Every crowd is great. Rox-fans are glowing with positive energy. How could you not love that?

 

Q: – Hello! Will Roxette be re-releasing any rare songs like “I Want You” in the near future?

Per: – Not IWY. It was made with other artists & belongs to another rec. company. But other fun stuff might pop up.

 

Q: – 24 years wondering what will be the perfume that he uses? Time flies.

Per: – Perfume is good for you. I change a bit. Bottega Veneta got some nice ones for guys like me.

 

Q: – U talked about re-release old roxette’s vhs and DVDs. It will happen? When?! Looks promising!

Per: – Hope so. Everything is kinda upside down at the moment with the EMI/Warner-merger. One of these years.

 

Q: – Can you please do that epic mashup of ‘crash boom bang’/’anyone’ again please?

Per: – Yea, that was cool. No promises though…

 

Q: – Are there songs that are tricky to do live? Have u ever tried 1 that u couldn’t make work live? If so, which?

Per: – Most early ones are tricky because they were made for the studio, not necessarily to be played live… You have to re-think some songs to make them work live w/ a band w/o using computers & other devices.

 

Q: – Can we expect high-tech lighting or any mind blowing, dramatic stage production changes in 2015?

Per: – Cirque de Soleil here we come!

 

Q: – When you tour do you find it hard to adjust to the different timezones?

Per: – No, it’s fine. As long as you get some sleep you’ll adjust pretty easy.

 

Q: – Per! Do you plan to tour for many more years? Will Roxette be neverending?

Per: – Yes, both Marie and myself love to tour and perform so I’m pretty sure we will continue.

 

Q: – Do you ever see photos uploaded to social media of yourself with fans and wish you could have a retake?

Per: – Every day!!!

 

Q: – So glad you are coming back to Oz! Can we expect some surprises like maybe some unreleased songs in your shows?

Per: – We start rehearsing in September so until then I don’t know. But we’ll try out some different stuff for sure.

 

Q: – Per, what out of all the Roxette albums is your favourite one?

Per: – LS! is cool because it just came down from the sky. It was created without fame, fortune & expectations.

 

Some more answers were added on 25th June:

Q: – Does it blow your mind that there are so many hard-core fans in distant lands (New Zee) after all these years?

Per: – Yes, never take it for granted.This biz eats acts for bfast=to have global fans after all these years is fab!

 

Q: – Tell me your favorite Roxette lyrics, the ones that mean the most. I need ideas for a tattoo!!!

Per: – I’m living in a box but I’m out when opportunity nox!

 

Q: – G’day from Oz Per! With all your frequent F.L.Y.I.N.G, have you ever thought of buying your own private Jet?

Per: – Hahaha. Good one. Of course. Per Air!

 

Q: – When you sit down to write, do you write both melody & lyrics or does one come first (usually)?

Per: – Both work for me. I usually start with music but sometimes a phrase or an idea for a title makes me tick.

 

Q: – What is the biggest advantage of playing live? Are there also disadvantages?

Per: – Live = very different from being in the studio. All songs are written for the studio so you have to make them work live, which can be tuff.

 

Q: – Per, what song took the longest to piece together (vocals, music etc)?

Per: – Most of In My Own Way was written in 84 but only finished in 2010. Very unusual=I’m fast when writing.

 

Q: – Per do you like the You don´t want love production? You think in the next Rox album will inc a song like this?

Per: – I really enjoy some EDM music. Definitely you’ll hear those influences in the future. But in our special way.