ROXETTE.RO - from fans, for fans

We present an interview made by the fans for the fans.

We had a breakfast with two members  of Per's band which tour with him in Party Crasher tour. This happened in Prague the day after the concert. We spent an hour and a half in the company of Christoffer and Magnus; Pelle was there but he didn't participate at the interview, we just ran into him there at the restaurant. You can see all the pictures from the interview at the Gallery section in the left menu, or just click HERE. They clarified some of the music industry aspects, they gave us details about Per that we didn't knew. We smiled all the time, we walked very happy and enthusiasts from that meeting. We have prepared only 15 questions for the interview , but they were so kind to explain to us what is like to tour with Per. We hope you like it. You can download all the interview here:  http://roxette.t2.sk/audio/WS330049.WMA

thanks to Tono from Slovakia.


Here are some ideas from the interview that Andreea Totoescu, to whom we say thanks, has put down for us to read:

It took a few days for Per Gessle to resurface again after the Party Crasher tour concluded in Stockholm, but The Daily Roxette has finally managed to get ahold of Per and ask a few questions on everyone's mind:

After this astonishing tour Per, how does it feel?
Ahh, empty!!! It's been the greatest tour ever for me. So intimate, so close with a superb band and a delightful crew, the most pleasant hardcore fans you can ever imagine and a great catalogue of songs to dig into. I've had the time of my life!

Yes, you certainly seemed to have a lot of fun on this tour, and we know you say every tour is the best one so far, how is this one compared to the others?
This is it, man!! And I ain't lyin'!

From what I've heard this tour has been a killer, music-wise, when is the live album out?
Yes, there will most likely be a package with a CD and a DVD put together. The CD is recorded live all over Europe, the DVD is from Cirkus (day one) in Stockholm and the DVD will also include 100 of the most primitive and hilarious clips from the tour (you've probably seen a few on YouTube already). I'm such a generous guy! And, forchrissakes, there will be a double-LP!!! One comes to the point in one's career when it's time to release a live double-album. Like Kiss, David Bowie, and Peter Frampton. This is the point for me!

 

Second interview from Polish press - this time from Onet.pl (it's media partner of Gessle gig in Warsaw):

1. How long and how did you meet Per?

Since 2003. Christoffer his new producer was looking for a female voice. And he asked people in the area. They mentioned my name, since I have sung with a lot of other artists from the south of Sweden. And I got to the studio to record. Per wasn´t there but he liked it and I was in!

2. Do you know Marie as well?

I do not know her very well but we meet sometimes and as a big fan of her I always feel a bit shy when she is around. But I talk to her a little every time our paths cross.
Per had a 50 year anniversary party and there we met most recently. Her song "Sparvöga" is the most beautiful popsong in swedish that i have ever heard. I like to sing it to my child sometimes.

3. How did you start your musical career?

In school when I was 14-16 years old we could choose extra subjects and I chose playing or singing in a band. in the beginning I only got to play the keyboard, but when the older girls went on to other schools I got to get friends with the microphone. We made a soirée and I got a great kick out of it. With songs like "Satisfaction" , "Black Magic Woman" and "I will always love you" :o)

4. Your husband is a musician too?

Yes! We met in Italy where both our choirs were competing. He also works with commercials.

1. How did you get to play bass?
I was offered a bass for 125 SEK from an older guy in my neighbourhood. I was a drummer but my best friend had a larger drum kit so I thought... go for it!
Turned out I got the bass for 80 SEK. What a bargain! I was 10 years old.

2. How did you meet Per?
I met him through Christoffer. I helped out with computer stuff on Mazarin. I still don't know if my job is bass player or Mac-tech-support.

3. How is it to work with him?
Brilliant! He's a great guy.

4. Do you know Marie as well?
I've met her a couple of times. She's very nice.

5. When was the first time you heard a Roxette song? What did you think of it?
I heard "Never Ending Love" on the radio when it came out. I thought it sounded very "non-Swedish" and I liked that.

6. How is life in a tour?
It's all fun and games.

7. Tell us something funny about yourself.
I'm a bald guy with long hair.

8. How are the recording sessions?
It's mostly Christoffer and Clarence. Until they run into Mac-problems.

9. Do you add some personal touch on each song? Some personal style?
I'm the bass player live. I guess I'm adding something. What it is? I haven't the faintest...

10. In what way does Per’s music relate to your kind of music?
He has his roots in 60s and 70s pop music and so do I. We have a lot of common ground there.

11. Do you play only pop music, or do you prefer another type of music?
The last couple of years I've done a lot of music for film and TV. I really enjoy that. Making music that is not about you and yourself can be very liberating :-)

In yesterday's issue of the Swiss newspaper "Blick am Abend", there was a short interview with Per: Your current album is called "Party Crasher". Are you a Party Crasher? Of course. I love celebrating. The album is a mix of 70-ies pop and 80-ies grooves. Conclusion: My music is much cooler than myself. I can't help dancing to this music. So you'll still rock when you'll be 70 years? Hopefully. Since I have been 19, I'm on stage. That's more than 30 years. Something else is unimaginable. Now I'm living so awarely that my health will allow me to rock until a ripe old age. Now we want to know it: Marie and you, were you a couple during Roxette-times? No. Never. We were, are and will always be super friends. We grew up together - in Halmstad, a small Swedish hicksville. Will there be a comeback of Roxette? There's nothing planned at the moment. But never say never. Sometimes we're allowing in this idea and then we get euphoric. What's the difference between your new singer Helena and Marie? They're both fantastic singers. Every one in her own manner. Marie sung my texts as a leadsinger itself and with Helena I sing together. Will you also sing Roxette songs on April the 28th in Zurich? Of course! My favorite song is "The Look". A concert without this song is unimaginable. You've met a lot of stars. Which meetings were the most exciting ones? The ones with Mickey Rourke and Alice Cooper. In the 80-ies we celebrated wild parties. The guys took off and knew exactly what were cool parties!

From http://www.gessle.com/epk/ you can see this wonderful video about the ideas behind Party Crasher album! Now with an English subtitle!

The Swedish magazine "Filter" has interviewed "The Party Crasher" Per Gessle for its latest issue. In a very open-hearted interview Per Gessle is also talking about his friend Marie Fredriksson and Roxette. How far away is Roxette? How is Marie doing? Marie is fine. She has days on which she is exactly like she's ever been and other days on which she is very tired. We don't meet each other very often, maybe once a month. But we have recorded some songs for the Roxette Greatest Hits album and she did a song on my album "Mazarin". Do you miss working with her? This is difficult to say. Sometimes I miss the old Roxette times and the teamwork we had. At the same time Marie wasn't too interested in Roxette the years before she got sick. When I think about the recording sessions in the studio I don't want that part of Marie back. We love each other like brother and sister and we have a really huge child together - Roxette. At the same time I know that she lives a different life now. She works a lot with her art and music business is really tough. I don't know if she is anxious enough to expose herself to this whole promotion and TV-stress again. Have you never talked about it? That may sound ridiculous, but no. Not since she got sick. We have talked about the songs we recorded. That was ok, not fantastic. We shouldn't have done them down in Skåne with Christoffer and Clarence where I marked my territory since the Mazarin album. I believe that she felt a bit excluded there. These parts of the interview are used with kind permission of author Ika Johannesson and the "Filter" magazine. Source: marie-fredriksson.com and "Filter" magazine