Das erste größere Interview nach der Trennung - Mai 1979

Als ich gestern mal wieder eine meiner Kisten von ABBA-Sachen durchgestöbert habe, bin ich zufällig wieder mal auf eine alte Illustrierte vom Mai 1979 gestoßen, die VeckoRevyn, in der Agnetha ein relativ großes Interview gegeben hatte.....

Es war dies das erste größere Interview, dass sie nach der Trennung von Björn damals wieder gegeben hat und das am Ende der wohl schwierigsten 5 Monate für sie während der gesamten 10 ABBA-Jahre lag.

Nun ist es ja so, dass es Hunderte von ABBA-Interviews gibt, in denen immer dasselbe gefragt wird, aber dieses finde ich aufgrund des Zeitpunktes. als Agnetha dies gegeben hat, doch durchaus interessant. Hier spürt man noch sehr gut diese beiden Seiten von der Verletztheit über das Geschehene auf der einen Seite und der Stärke, das Kommende zu bewältigen auf der anderen Seite...

Agnetha war ja immer diejenige der 4, die für ein Interview am schwersten zu bekommen war.......aber wenn sie dann eines gegeben hat, war sie zumeist die offenste der 4, gerade was ihre inneren Gedanken betraf, oft in einer brutalen Offenheit und Ehrlichkeit.

Ich kopier einfach mal die englische Übersetzung hierein, weil es ja vielleicht doch interessant ist, dieses Interview mal wieder zu lesen, schon alleine aus zeitgeschichtlichen Gründen heraus, weil es am wohl zeitlich diffizilsten Zeitpunkt der ABBA-Geschichte geführt wurde....

Am Anfang erzählt dabei der Interviewer noch eine Anekdote, die Agnethas ganze Persönlichkeit beschreibt........

There's one story that wasn't included in this interview. I can tell it here. It says alot about what a modest person Agnetha Fältskog is:
Agnetha and I has decided on the phone to meet at a Chinese restaurant in Stockholm. Somewhere we got our wires crossed. I ended up at China Garden on Karlavägen while Agnetha was waiting at China Park on Birger Jarlsgatan.
It took me half an hour to realize the mix up. During that time Agnetha had called my house and asked my wife why I hadn't shown up. My wife said I left a long time ago and that I'm usually very punctual.
- I thought he had forgetten about me, said Agnetha. But that's OK, I'll wait a little longer.
Forget about a world famous celebrity! Forget a dinner with Agnetha Fältskog! I was astonished when I heard about her reaction.
I didn't dare to believe that she would still be there. But she was - when I came running, out of breath. I could name at least 50 other celebrities who would have left the restaurant after five minutes if the reporter didn't show up. But that's how she is, Agnetha Fältskog. So far from a diva as could get.

Wie wahr........Ein Essen mit Agnetha vergessen.......auf so einen Gedanken kann wohl wirklich nur sie selbst kommen.........

Das Interview beginnt dann zunächst mit einer kurzen Erzählung vom Beginn ihrer Karriere und geht dann ein auf die momentane Situation im Mai 1979.......

Und man kann da in und auch zwischen den Zeilen so einiges herauslesen, wie die Atmosphäre bei ABBA damals war.....in den Monaten vor dem Voulez-Vous-Album.....

Bemerkenswerte Aussagen sind u.a. der Satz, dass ABBA vor allem ein Akt der Liebe war und Weltruhm keinem von Ihnen etwas bedeutet hätte........Mit dieser Aussage projizierte sie wohl ihre eigenen Empfindungen auf alle 4......
Bemerkenswert auch, dass sie nie mit einem Wort an eine Trennung von ABBA gedacht hat, obwohl das die meisten in Ihrem Falle sicher gemacht hätten und sie vielmehr dafür benny und Björn als Komponisten erwähnt.......eine unglaubliche Stärke, wie ich finde.....
Bemerkenswert auch die sehr klaren Sätze, was die Trennung von Björn betrifft.....
Die Zweifel, was die Zukunft mit 2 kleinen Kindern und der Karriere bringt, aber die Sicherheit, das Richtige getan zu haben.....
Die offene Aussage, dass es nicht stimmt, dass sie sich für den Kampf für Frauenrechte einsetzt nach ihrer Trennung
Und natürlich die Aussage, dass es sie quält, als Star wahrgenommen zu werden, und dass sie das einfache Leben liebt und mit dem Leben in Luxus nichts anfangen kann und dass ihre Kinder das wichtigste in ihrem Leben sind.....Und dass sie die ABBA-Insel nun verlässt.

Das Interview

You have just been through a crisis in your private life. How do you cope when something like that happens?
I have security in myself. When a problem occurs I just want to go home to my parents. I'm so glad they are still around. I thank them a lot, and my childhood. It's there everything starts, isn't it? I grew up in Jönköping. My dad is an administrator at the electricity company, my mother is a cashier at Konsum, but when I and my sister were young she was a stay at home mom for several years.
How was it at home?
It wasn't a quiet home exactly. Everyone talked with each other. Dad - a real joker - was something like a entertainmentdad for the whole town. He wrote New Years' shows and played the piano. Mom is also musical. Early on I developed a taste for entertaining. When I was a teenager I toured with a dance orchestra and sang, I wrote my own songs which were successfull. I had a lot of freedom. But of course I had to be responsible. I had to be punctual and not stay out too long. At the same time I worked in an office. I was the girl on the switchboard. It didn't give me much, just a feeling of being an outsider. When the phone wasn't ringing I was thinking of what to do with my life. I was a dreamer and fantasized a lot, but at the same time I realized that I had to get an education. But the music got in the way. A boyfriend broke up with me and I wrote a sentimental song called "Jag Var Så Kär"
And then the adventure started. The band leader's wife knew the rock singer Little Gerhard in Stockholm. The orchestra decided to send him a tape with some songs. We really wanted to make a record. I got a personal reply, which was positive. I couldn't belive it at first. That's how convinced I was that I would never amount to anything. It resulted in a recording at the Philips studio in Stockholm, but not with "my" orchestra. Dad came with me and held my hand. I was more nervous than I have ever been. I was shaking and my mouth was dry. We recorded and released two singles which was unusual for a debutant. My idol at that time was Connie Francis. They said that I sounded a bit like her. "Jag Var Så Kär" became a hit. The adventure had started.

Aufgrund der Größe muss ich dieses Interview in zwei Teilen verschicken........im nächsten Posting folgt das weitere hereinkopierte Interview......

Fortsetzung

How was ABBA formed?
ABBA was formed out of love, you could say. Björn and I was in love. And so were Benny and Anni-Frid. We all were in love and excited especially when we worked together. We became world famous, but that doesn't mean anything to us. We are Swedes and Swedes are firmly planted on the ground. Björn and I lived together for three years, then we got married. We had been married for seven years when we divorced. It didn't end abruptly. It was a long process. But ABBA didn't have anything to do with it. We would have divorced even if we didn't work together. We developed in different directions and the problems started. I felt like I didn't have any freedom in the marriage, locked in. We just fell out of love and we annoyed each other until we decided to live apart.
Why?
There's something weird about being married. You devote all your time to your partner and you forget about your friends. After a while you feel locked in and you wonder what has happened. You haven't grown as a person and you start to panic. Can I make it on my own, will I destroy it for my children? What do I want to do with my life? Is the grass greener on the other side? Your conscience haunts you, as well as your fears for the future.
When Björn and I reached that level we contacted a psychologist, quite like you go to the doctor if you are physically ill. Nothing strange about that. But the tabloids made a big deal of the fact that we were seeing a psychologist and even insinuated that I had an affair with him.
Was that just a lie then?
A divorce is something terrible to go through. But it's even worse to be subjected to the tabloids lies in articles where they present them as the truth. You're powerless. It doesn't help if you appeal to them to be left alone. There are some magazines that writes exactly what they want and they use you to increase sales.
So now you had crisis meeting within ABBA?
Once we had decided about a separation this naturally led to meeting within ABBA. What will a divorce mean to ABBA? We all agreed that it wouldn't have to mean anything. We were going to go on as usual and now we've been doing that for six months. And it works fine.
When will ABBA split up?
If ABBA splits up it will not be because of internal love affairs, it would be because Björn and Benny don't want to write songs anymore. It takes a lot of strength, they worked, isolated for weeks every time they write something new. It's only reasonable that the inspiration will disappear eventually.
How do you spend your free time?
I spend all my free time with my children. Linda is 6 years old, Christian 1. We play, go for walks, go to Skansen, listen to music. The children are the most important in my life. It's important to get enough sleep. That's not always the case when you have small children. If I only get four hours sleep the following days is completely ruined for me.
Have you received a lot of letters (from the fans)?
A lot of letters comes, not least from abroad, after our divorce. The writers are upset about what has happened, they want to comfort and help. I think it's amazing that so many people can get so involved just because I'm a singer. Some of them wonder if we're getting back together. But I'm afraid that will not happen. We have hurt each other so badly, so many things have been said. Why are we so careless about love? By the way, Is it possible to live without love? No, I can't.
What did Stikkan Anderson say when he got to hear about your divorce?
Stikkan became really sad when I told him that it was decided. He was also worried about ABBA, but mostly he was sad for me and Björn.
And what were you thinking?
I wonder how attractive a single mother of two really is? I don't think it's very easy. Sometimes I question my whole existence. But within my music, I'm strong. But I don't write lyrics anymore. The reason for that could possibly be that I think that life itself is like a schlager lyric.
Are you happy now?
It has said in the papers that I'm happy after the divorce, that I'm jubilant and active within the Women's right movement. That is not true. I had that article read to me before it was published and I approved it. But I have a weakness: I want to please everyone. That's why I didn't ask them to remove that.
Yes, I'm happy, but on the other hand, Happiness, what is that? I can wake up one morning and feeling really excited... And in the evening I can be prepared to go and hang myself. Happiness only exists in the moment. Happiness is writing music. Sometimes I get a melody stuck in my head after I've gone to bed. Then I get up and sit down at the piano. But usually these melodies don't measure up. It's hard work. But it's some sort of happiness just the same. It's also hard to find inspiration since I hardly ever hear any good music. If I turn on the music radio I'm disappointed. They seem to talk more. Melodiradion sucks!
Do you feel unconcentrated?
Periodically I feel very unconcentrated. I never have enough time for my own music. ABBA takes most of my time and the children. Sometimes I have thought of staying at home. But I also want to do something else, otherwise taking care of the children would absorb me. And I'm lucky enough to have a nanny, a friend really, who helps me with the children, she has been with us for a year and half now.
Are you active within the Women's rights movent?
I have nothing to do with it I really don't understand it or what it is for. Female liberation is good. But it mustn't be exaggerated. Aren't we equal enough now? If I understand the Women's right movement correctly they want total independence. And there is no such thing. We all depend on each other.
Do you believe in love - despite everything?
Yes. Love between man and woman and between people.
The guys they must be chasing you?
Now - after the divorce - the guys are chasing me. I get flowers and tickets. But I'm very careful and I won't fall easily. Living together is so complicated. If I fall in love again I will be very careful with that love. At the same time I know it's impossible to find a perfect scheme for your love life. Crisis will appear eventually. The reason being that you never really know another person and that the daily routine within a marriage contains a lot of traps.
A marriage contract - is that for you?
Marriage contracts are unrealistic. You don't sit down and tick off each others good and bad qualities on a form before you get married. A marriage is like a white piece of paper, which can be filled with scribblings.
Are you interested in power?
Through success you gain power. But I'm not interested in a power position. It pains me when people see me as a star, when they can't interact with me naturally. I notice that they are tense, so I get tense. Though I think I have learned to make it easier for them. I myself aren't impressed with anyone. I'm a person who is driven by emotions, I act and judge others very much from how I feel. I have tried to get over my failed marriage for a long time now. I've been working with myself. And in the process I have developed a sense where I can see if someone has been through a divorce. It leaves irreverseable marks, it's in the atmosphere around that person.
What do you reach with your intuition?
Mostly it's used to feel if a song will be a hit or not. But I'm also that kind of person who can turn around on the runway from a flight. - The more I fly, the more anxious I get. I think it's challenging higher powers and I always say a prayer just before start or landing. I would prefer to stay on the ground. But we do travel around the world quite a lot. I enjoy it, for a while. Then I want to get home to the children, the kitchen zink, the jeans, the spaghetti bolognese. I prefer the simple life over the life in luxury, I have difficulty to feel like a millionnaire.
Are you still living in the villa?
I intend to stay in the house on Lidingö that I and the children moved to when we decided to break up. Its location is a little to visible, but I will get help to get a fence up to avoid people looking in.
And ABBA's island - what will happen to that?
[color=#00ffff]I will leave ABBA's island in the Stockholm archipelago for good. But the others will continue to be there just like before. The island never really meant that much to me, just the memories with Linda. It's nice to be there when the weather is nice. But that's not always the case and then you only feel isolated. You have to depend on boats to get there and back and I only drive them into the bridge. I just cannot learn how to dock the boat.

Zitat von AGNETHA_4_EVER

Klingt für mich sehr sehr traurig und widersprüchlich: einerseits die Liebe zu ihren Kindern die wirklich grenzenlos ist und andererseits diese immense Traurigkeit fast in jedem Satz .... Zu hinterfragen ist sicherlich gut, aber nur nachdenklich sein, bringt das Glück auch nicht ins Leben.

Denke aber, dass dies auch eine Momentaufnahme war/ist ...

Das sehe ich im Prinzip ganz genauso........Das war damals ganz sicher eine Momentaufnahme in einer Zeit, als die Wunden noch relativ frisch und noch nicht verheilt waren und die Phase um die Verarbeitung der Ereignisse um die Trennung noch nicht ganz abgeschlossen war.....

Die grenzenlose Liebe zu ihren Kindern und die gleichzeitige Traurigkeit, dass dieser Traum einer Familie vorbei war, ist da wirklich noch aus jedem Satz herauszulesen.....

Was diese Liebe zu ihren Kindern betrifft und auch die verschiedenen Wahrnehmungen aller 4 zeigt auch in bemerkenswerter Weise eine Umfrage der schwedischen Zetschrift "GO" aus dem Jahre 1975, als alle 4 ABBAs Fragen zu einem Fragebogen beantworteten.

Ich weiss natürlich, dass solche Befragungen sehr oberflächlich sind und auch mit absoluter Vorsicht zu geniesen sind,......ganz klar.......aber trotzdem zeigen hier die Antworten, dass schon damals die 4 in komplett verschiedenen Welten lebten und diese Welt auch wohl total unterschiedlich wahrgenommen haben............Während sich bei Agnetha praktisch alles um Tochter Linda und Familie drehte, ist es bei Björn eine Mischung zwischen Familie und Arbeit, während bei Frida und Benny Familie und besonders Kinder (sie hatten damals ja immerhin zusammen 4 Kinder) praktisch überhaupt kein Thema sind...........Wie gesagt, so eine Umfrage muss man mit aller Vorsicht betrachten, aber sie sagt schon was aus über die komplett unterschiedlichen Welten der 4 damals schon......

Auszug der Antworten........

Loves :

Björn: My daughter Linda and Agnetha
Agnetha : My daughter Linda and Björn
Frida: To cook
Benny : Good Music

Hobbies :

Björn Exercise, Books, Music
Agnetha: Linda
Frida: Reading, Sewing, Clothes
Benny: Music and books

Best experience:

Björn: Being present when Linda was born
Agnetha: Having Linda
Frida: To meet Benny
Benny: Hasn't happened yet.........(vielsagende Antwort)

Ambition

Björn: To write better Songs
Agnetha: To be able to be together with Linda as much as possible
Frida: To become better
Benny: To write better Songs

Der Fragebogen...

Zitat von SadlyNotBlond

Okay... Ich muss sagen, sie ist unglaublich offen, sie ist großartig und jetzt muss ich ehrlich erstmal Nase putzen, das ganze hat mich sehr gerührt...

Ja, genau.....sie ist unglaublich offen und ehrlich.....und das war sie immer, wenn sie Intervews gegeben hat......egal ob das damals bei ABBA nach der Scheidung mit Björn war.....oder nach der Trennung von ABBA.....oder als sie sich Ende der 80er aus der Musik zurückgezogen hat.....oder 2004 nach dem MCB-Album......oder Ende dieses Jahrzehnts.......oder auch bei dem Erscheinen von "A",.......

Agnetha war sicher von allen 4 ABBAs für Interviews am schwierigsten zu bekommen.....aber wenn sie dann Interviews gegeben hat, war sie brutal offen und absolut authentisch.....

Und dieses Interview ist wirklich genauso großartig wie berührend.......Sie versteckt weder ihre gewisse Traurigkeit und Unsicherheit wie auch ihre Stärke, mit allem umzugehen...

Und ich glaube, während es Björn vor allem darum ging, nicht alleine zu bleiben , um das eigene Leben in Ordnung zu halten, ging es Agnetha vor allem um diesen Traum dieser Familie, bei der ihre Kinder glücklich aufwachsen können........so wie sie es selbst bei ihren Eltern tat.......und das war nun vorbei......und es war auch nicht mehr aufrechtzuhalten, denn die Liebe war nicht mehr da........ Nun musste sie alles alleine schaffen........Sie hatte alleine die Verantwortung.......

Und ich glaube, sie hat etwas geschafft, was unfassbar schwierig ist.......Sie hat nämlich mit ihrer Liebe zu ihren Kindern und der Intensität, mit der sie immer und zu jeder Zeit für sie da war, Ihnen diese "komplette" Familie wunderbar ersetzt.......und das ist mehr wert als alles andere........und es ist schön zu wissen, dass zumindest ihre Kinder das genau wissen und es ihr auch danken !

Ja, so ist es wohl, wie Waterloosingle das gesagt hat......die kann man nur noch über solche Händler wie Ebay bekommen....

Ich hab sie da im letzten Jahr sogar mal im Angebot gesehen.........ist aber dann auch nicht ganz billig.....

Wenn ich da irgendwo was sehe, kann ich Dir gerne Bescheid geben.......

Aber über VeckoRevyn wird eine so alte Kopie von vor 36 Jahren leider sicher nicht mehr zu bekommen sein