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"I haven’t played in almost four years"


TOURLIFE. It is also meeting the press on the train, kill time with backgammon, play football with cornets in the face or as Fritte and the tour leader Hasse Blomgren, have time for a round of golf.

Continuation from the previous page

-The sound wasn’t good today. Maybe because we didn’t do soundcheck, says MP.

After singing autographs a two and a half hours bustrip, awaits, to Knistad Herrgård outside Skövde.

-What a bus. It could also been a bus between Halmstad and Simlångsdalen, Per mutters.

So far there has been a lot of buses. And very little train. Despite the tour is called, Återtåget (Trumph Train).

-Some buses are OK. With comfortable seats, tables and even a small kitchen. But this…
Tour leader Hasse Blomgren gives beer to those that want some and the assistant Catarina Rolén, or Mumlan as she is called, serves sandwiches with cheese & ham or roast beef during the bus with a police escort with flashing blue lights, eventually alone rolls out in the "småländska" night.

The clock is almost three when the bus arrives at the mansion. Most of the people have talked a bit, some have listened to the Olympics on the radio and some has slept. Now everyone disappears into "Villa Ekedal" as the house is called.

They day after is free. MP has gone back to Halmstad also Nisse and Jalle Lorensson in Wilmer X go away. It is a late breakfast, almost "brunch".

But Anders Herrling in pair with Loves guitarist, Staffan Andersson defeats Micke Syd and Love Olzon with a score of 6-3 in tennis. But mostly because of the opponents mistakes.

-I haven’t played in almost four years, Micke explains, when the left forehand doesn’t go to well.

And when Göran Fritzon sinks a 20-meters chip on the last hole on the golf course, Hasse Blomgren shook his head and then gave Fritte the name "Pippi-man", because he is doing birdies now and then. But the game is won by Hasse, 34 points against 28.

But with all respect to that match and the Olympics, the highlight of the day is the first "Harplingespelen". A pentathlon with six events.

Åsa Nordin-Gessle and the light technician Pontus "Bullen" Lagerbielke make four teams, Korna (the cows), Hästarna (the horses), Kurvorna (the curves) and Masthuggarna. But Per stands aside to not worsen his back.

Myrsloksfotboll (you put a cornet in your face and play) is first out. Unconscious to practice. And priceless to watch when a gang with paper cornets over their head and minimal sight tries to find each other. And the ball. It is a laugh, Monthy Python at their best. And decisive in the final with "sax, sten och påse" (a game with your hands) instead of penalties.

Then it is both hoola-hoop-relay and limbo and three more events.

But when three teams still get the same number of points it's all decided in a "beer-competition" where the monitor technician Lasse Jungmark swallows the most quickly.

Who won? Well, the modesty forbids really to say, but the HP-team belong to two out of eight members in Blomgrens teams, Kurvorna can nowadays call themselves champions in Harplingespelen. In Skövde.

-The community, the whole gang including the crew, shall feel they are part of and is very important on this kind of tour. It is all about having a good time. Therefore it isn’t a coincidence that many have been on Roxette's world tours before, just simply because we know each other. And they are damn good too, Per explains later on, while they are eating dinner.

One of them is Masse Lökholm in the backstage gang who takes care of MP´s guitars among other things. He will assist on shifts, change strings and soundcheck the instruments. But then Staffan Alex has an even more challenging job. He takes care of Fritte's Farfisa-organ, which has tendency to give trouble all the time.

-It has been with us so long now that it obviously thinks it has had enough, says Fritte anxiously when it, after the soundcheck, is fixed again.

It is concert day in Skövde and after the soundcheck, to avoid bad sound again, they go back to "Knistad mansion" where the press are.

But no one wants to talk to Love Olzon. Or Wilmer X.

It is a pity that Love and Wilmer don’t get more media. The focus around Gyllene Tider and mostly about Per is huge, Hasse thinks.

Continues on next page


© Photos & Layout: 1996 Hallandsposten
© Translation to English: 1997 Fredrik Sundqvist & Paul Rands