After
four US #1's, two US #2's, over 100 gold and platinum
records and more than 45.000.000 recorded units sold
all over the world, you'd think Per Gessle of Roxette
had heard just about every question in the fine art
of pop interviewing. Not so. Recently he sat down
with a tape recorder, a note book and a lot of
irksome bloody questions about his upcoming solo
venture from the real man in the know - himself. So,
here it is.
Per vs.
Gessle
One
side of the coin walks a mile in its own shoes.
Sort of.
Per:
What's up?
Gessle: A lot. I've just
finished the record. Been mixing and mastering
and retouching the album pictures. It's been a
lot of work.
Per: Retouching your pictures?
Gessle: Yeah....no...I mean,
the songwriting, recording and mixing took some
time too.
Per: But you're not the cable kind of guy
are you?
Gessle: No, I'm a lost case
when it comes to technology. I've done some of
the mixing together with the invaluable Michael
Ilbert and Clarence …fwerman, who helped me
produce the thing. As P.J. O'Rourke says; to them
goes the credit - I'll take the money. We've been
recording in Benny Andersson's superb studio in
Stockholm.
Per: The Benny Andersson? Of Abba fame?
Gessle: Yep. But the mastering
was done by Michael Ilbert and George Marino in
New York. I asked if I could contribute something
and they said they'd phone me.
Per: Why a solo album now?
Gessle: I needed the money.
Per: Surely you must be joking.
Gessle: I'm deadly serious and
don't call me Shirley. Or was it to make a detour
from the Roxette path? Yeah, that's it. After the
"Crash!" album and tour I started
writing new material in this direction. You know,
"Sleeping In My Car", that was the last
song recorded for "Crash!" and it
became the first single. It was written in
desperation more or less. I felt that we had
perfected ourselves a bit too much, that the
energy level was dropping with every month we
spent in the studio polishing details in the
sound picture. I'm a pop addict and I wasn't
getting enough.
Per: So that's when you started thinking
about making a pop album?
Gessle: Yeah, candy-coated,
loud and un-bluesy.
Per: But it's not the first time, is it?
Gessle: Well, I've done two
Swedish solo albums before, in 1983 and 1985, and
Marie has done five. So I figured it was about
time to catch up.
Per: So how did you approach the whole
thing?
Gessle: I wrote some songs and
then got in the best pop band in Sweden -
Brainpool - to help me kick some butt. Mine, that
is. But I also used my former band Gyllene Tider.
We were teenage heroes in Scandinavia shortly
after the heydays of punk, but re-formed for
Scandinavia's biggest tour ever in the summer of
1996. And I figured it was a good idea to tap
that well of energy and creativity right after
the tour finished in August. So I've been lucky
to record with two of my favourite bands.
Per: What did Marie say when you told her
you were going solo?
Gessle: I guess she knew it
was coming after the "Crash!" tour.
We'd been working together almost non-stop since
1988 and had tremendous success. Sooner or later
you have to do something else to get new
inspiration, to avoid getting stuck in the rut.
Marie never gave up her Swedish solo career, but
I've always focused everything on Roxette. So I
figured it was time to take some time off and
just see what I could do on my own.
Per: Why do it in English?
Gessle: Stupid question coming
from you. I wanna go world-wide of course.
Wouldn't you?
Per: If Roxette had released an album
1997, would it have sounded like "The World
According To Gessle"?
Gessle: "The World
According To Roxette"? I don't know. This is
how I want a pop record to sound today, anyway.
Marie may have another vision. It takes more than
one to tango, you know.
Per: Does it - we're tangoing alone right
now?
Gessle: Everything's possible
in pop interviewing. But Marie likes the record.
She sings on one of the songs too.
Per: Why?
Gessle: Because she's the
best.
Per: Speaking about pop. Do you listen to
new stuff as much as you used to?
Gessle: As you might remember
I started collecting pop records early. I had 100
LP's when I as 10. A manic collector and
chart-follower from day one, which must be when
"I Feel Fine" was released. And so it
went on until Roxette broke through. But five-six
years ago, during the "Joyride"-days,
so much time was spent on writing, touring,
recording and promoting that I hardly had the
time to listen to anything new at all. At the end
of 1995 I started buying new records and today
I'm reasonably hip again. But time passes, one
gets older and gets new hobbies. I've built a
beach house, got me a canary bird, discovered
vintage port and bought a Ferrari. Spoiled brat,
you know.
Per: How does success change a person? Do
you change friends? Is there a club for
millionaries? How can you keep up when you don't
have to?
Gessle: I'm surprised to hear
such an intellligent question from you. Of course
you change. Everything changes. The way you see
things, the way other people see you. But pop
music isn't my job; it's my life. You probably
have to be that obsessed to survive in this
business. Success and money is a kick, but the
greatest reward is the boost your confidence
gets. Success makes it easier to know what you
want and to get things done the way you want it.
Per: Now, that's what I call a good
answer. But your music isn't always pure pop.
Looking back it seems you've been all over the
place. And there are tendencies to that on your
solo album as well, even if it's a
more...coherent noise. Why's that?
Gessle: I listen to a lot. I
like a lot. And so I do a lot. That may blur the
overall identity, but f**k that. I'd rather have
fun and skip the format-thinking. The unifying
thing is probably that I generally write
potential singles with distinct verses and
choruses. I've never liked "album
tracks". Leave them to Pink Floyd.
Per: Yes, please. Did you hear that Monty
Python will reform next year?
Gessle: Great. And in Las
Vegas too. Brilliant. Must go there. But it
probably collides with some Formula 1-race.
Per: (yawning): Tell us more
about the songs on the album.
Gessle: Well, it kicks off
with "Stupid", which is the kind of
song I write after a bucketful of red wine on a
Friday night. I really love Friday nights. I also
love red wine. And I do love those three chords.
We went for a "home studio atmosphere"
on this one and then Christoffer and Jens from
Brainpool came on and helped me nail it. Isn't it
a gorgeous opener?
Per: Well, it's good but I don't know if
gorgeous is the right wo...
Gessle:... and then there's
the first single, "Do You Wanna Be My
Baby?". I like the drum sound. Stolen from
Jeff Lynne, probably. I like that. And I like the
intro with only drums and vocals. And I really
like the "double choruses". Right after
the chorus something else hits you. Learned that
from Desmond Child when we wrote "You Don't
Understand Me". An American trick. You
always reach a point in your life where nothing
but an American trick can help you out.
Per: Somebody at your record company said
you were playing a lot of guitars on this album.
But this can't possibly be you, can it?
Gessle: What do you mean? Of
course it can. But it's Mats Persson getting
low-down and funky.
Per: Funky?
Gessle: Sort of.
"Saturday" is written around a drum
loop I found in our demo studio in Halmstad. And
it's my guitars you hear gently weeping all over
the track.
Per: Touching. Have you ever bent a note?
Gessle: I don't believe in
note-bending. I don't believe in bending
whatsoever. I do believe in "Bend It",
though.
Per: That's Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick
& Tich.
Gessle: What a great memory
you've got. Almost too good. If you can remember
the 60's you weren't there.
Per: Let's move on. "Kix" is...
Gessle: ...bringing some
groove to the record. Every pop album needs a
touch of Frankie Goes To Hollywood.
Per: Would you describe the song as
dance-oriented?
Gessle: I don't know, I gave
up dancing in 1982. I'd be happy if people tap
their fingers on the steering wheel.
Per: Someone said your mother liked
"I Want You To Know".
Gessle: Yeah, I said that. She
does. We allowed ourselves to drift into a
non-chemical haze with flutes and distored drums.
The band, that is - not my mother and I.
"Tomorrow Never Knows" meets
"Itchycoo Park", if you know what I
mean.
Per: Au naturellement. You've got to have
one red hot motherf***er of a record collection.
Gessle: It's not everyone's
cup of tea, though. You're more likely to find
Doris Day than Luther Vandross there.
Per: Are you crazy? You don't like soul?
You don't like the political commentary in rap?
You don't like tormented singers wailing their
blues away? You like Doris Day? I bet you don't
buy magazines with the Gallagher brothers on the
cover either.
Gessle: You've been reading my
mail. I like Oasis though. Not every band gets
sued by The Rutles, you know.
Per: Wait 'til you hear what the Gallagher
brothers have to say about your solo album.
Gessle: If they have any idea
of what Doris Day was all about, they'll love it.
Per: How come Roxette never got acceptance
from the more correct side of the British music
press?
Gessle: I don't know. Being
Swedish didn't help in the beginning. When we
broke through there hadn't been anything coming
out of Sweden since ABBA, really. Today it's
almost the reverse situation. And besides, our
music was always regarded as being too commercial
to be credible. I never understood that. Benny in
ABBA once said that he was happy that the whole
world had the same musical taste as he had. It's
like that. You do your thing and hope for the
best. And if you have a commercial element in
your music, I see no sense in hiding it. Au
contraire, as the French say. But we all love
England here. Their football, their draught ale,
their Dickens, their driving on the wrong side of
the road, their MP's with their kinky sex, their
music and their art. I think we love all, come to
think of it.
Per: As in "love all, serve
all".
Gessle: Something like that.
Per: Back to the record. Did you write the
song "Reporter" in order to get a
psychological advantage with the media?
Gessle:..."she's such a
good reporter, working for a
magazine"...yeah, maybe. Did you notice the
line coming after her getting access to British
Royalty..."she wants the management to tell
her where she can interview Marie and Per"?
Per: Yeah, I heard that. Why didn't you
put that backwards? It's more fun that way.
Hidden messages, you know.
Gessle: I did first, but then
I realised you can't play CD's backwards.
Per: "B-Any-1-U-Wanna-B". It's
got waves, it's got the "Good
Vibrations"-organ sound, it's presented as a
homage to Brian Wilson. Why?
Gessle: It was a fluffy pop
song that I had on acoustic demo. I asked
Brainpool to arrange it and Christoffer had a
field day with all the toys he could possibly
find. A zither and a mini-moog, for example.
Per: Let's go on. "Wish You The
Best" puts an end to the record's inital
hammering of guitars and distorted vocals. I
think I like this one the best.
Gessle: I'm so glad you do. I
do too. It could easily have been a fat
power-ballad, but Brainpool have never listened
to that kind of music, so it turned out to be
more naked and passionate instead. I'm very proud
of this one.
Per: OK. The next song is an old number by
Wizzard...
Gessle: No, it's close but...
Per: "No Cigar"? Haven't heard
that one. Whose song is it then?
Gessle: Mine, of course. I've
changed all the facts to avoid any similarity
with anything. I bought a book about Elvis after
the song was written and it was actually a very
gloomy day when Elvis came to Germany. It rained
and stormed and there was no orchestra. My
version is the way it should have been, though. I
first liked the lyrics better than the music, but
then the saxes came along and got the balance
right.
Per: Astonishing. Is it true that Marie
likes "T-T-T-Take It" and that Roxette
almost recorded it for the "Don't Bore Us -
Get To The Chorus"-collection, but that you
chose "June Afternoon" instead?
Gessle: It's true.
Per: So that's about it, then?
Gessle: No, there's three more
songs.
Per: I thought we were talking about a pop
record, not a double album.
Gessle: I don't believe in
killing ones darlings. I'm a pacifist.
Per: Pacifiction won't get you anywhere,
boy. Anyway, Marie is making a guest appearance
on "I'll Be Alright". Why?
Gessle: I've already told you
that she's the best. And who in his right mind
would leave "There Is My Baby" to rot
in the drawer? And could you possibly ask for a
sweeter goodbye than "Lay Down Your
Arms"? Or should I kill a song with a title
like that?
Per: Easy now...don't get excited...it
just seemed a bit long, that's all.
Gessle: It's less than an
hour. 52 minutes if you count it. I've spent my
whole life listening to pop music. You mean you
can't spend 52 minutes listening to it? You're
that busy? You sleep with a mobile phone under
the pillow? I've suffered for my art - now it's
your turn. Too long, my ass!
Per: Don't get me wrong, I love the
record. It's clearly a step forward for you as a
writer and performer. It reveals your personal
roots as well as being firmly rooted in today's
music scene. And it's got a lot of balls
and...electric guitars.
Gessle: You really mean that?
Per: I honestly do. But what about
Roxette?
Gessle: In October we'll go
into the studio to start work on a new album.
Per: Well, see you then.
Gessle: Don't count on it. Too
long, huh? Jävla grönsakshandlare.
|