Per speaks of completing two new songs in Canadian radio interview
Written by Lars-Erik_Olson on June 21, 2006 to Per Gessle.
VANCOUVER ISLAND - 
Ian Seggie is the senior producer for a cluster of radio stations serving the Vancouver Island area of British Columbia, Canada. Yesterday, Ian conducted a telephone interview with Per, who is enjoying the summer in Halmstad.
Ian’s been a fan of Roxette since 1989 (“The Look” got his attention), so selecting and embedding various songs to build a musical soundtrack for the interview was a work of love. The result, an eight-minute segment, is now making the rounds of Island Radio’s six stations. It was aired on “The Wave” (CKWV-FM) today and they’ve been very kind to allow us to share it with our readers (see link below).
“We had a great chat about SOAP and the new Roxette,” Ian tells The Daily Roxette. “He shared some personal insight about recording with Marie and told me that he just finished overdubs of the two new Roxette songs this past week.”
Ian, who prepared for the interview by reading TDR, covers a lot of ground in this interview… from solo projects to the upcoming RoxBox. It is perhaps the best radio interview we’ve heard in a long time, as Ian doesn’t waste time asking the same old routine questions we usually hear. Instead, he lets the music remind his listeners about who it is he’s talking with, and that frees him up to ask more personal questions.
As Ian told us, Per did indeed share his feelings about working with Marie again:
It was in fact wonderful, and emotional of course, but also (hehehe) it took about like an hour, and then we’re back in the groove. It was the same jokes, the same… everything was like the same. So even though time has gone by, it feels as if time has stood still for a bit so… It’s not like it was before because, you know, Marie is somewhat a changed person, for all that she’s gone through. But nevertheless, she still sings very well and, you know, it’s just been a pleasure to be able to record these songs. If you had asked me like two years ago if this would ever happen, I would definitely would never believed it to have happened. I’m really pleased that we actually could do it.
Besides the two new songs that seem to be destined for the Rox20 compilation disc, Per also comments about the upcoming RoxBox, which has taken final shape: “It’s four CDs, a DVD – a little bit of this, a little bit of that – outtakes and demos and stuff. It’s like a coffee table thing, and it’s really, really big [with an] 80-page booklet and stuff.”
- Interview (MP3 format)
- Radio CKWV “The Wave” website
Other articles with the same topic
- Happy birthday, Per (January 12, 2011)
- Per tells TDR that he and Marie are "thrilled" with what's to come in 2011 (January 3, 2011)
- Radio Halland’s annual interview with Per Gessle today (December 28, 2010)
- Macca at the Apollo (December 14, 2010)
- Per Gessle one of Sweden's most played songwriters (October 8, 2010)
46 comments
gessle-addict said on June 22, 2006 01:13:
The interview as well as the songs selected are really superb! Is it connected to the SOAP release in Canada?
HBrox said on June 22, 2006 01:16:
Absolutly wonderfull interview!!! It’s so nostalgic to hear all those Roxette songs while Per’s talking... it brought all those feelings back to the surface.. the same feelings I got when I was a teenager and first listened to those songs. Thanks for sharing it with us.
Roxwriter said on June 22, 2006 01:28:
God Bless TDR!
Fantastic interview and its great that its available to the masses!
chrisjankunas said on June 22, 2006 07:04:
4 cds and a dvd now ! It has grown and is looking far more exiting than it was to begin with ! I really can’t wait to get hold of it now ! But it looks like I’ll be getting the swedish version as I can’t wait for the UK to ’strike a deal’
lonely_girl said on June 22, 2006 07:06:
80 pages?! That’s almost a book ;)
Anyway, I’m happy about everything that happens right now with Roxette
pwbbounce (moderator) said on June 22, 2006 07:18:
Good interview. Looking forward to the new Rox songs and the box now!!
ncurran said on June 22, 2006 07:47:
really great interview....you can tell it is done by a fan. The more I hear Per and Marie being interviewed recently the more I think that we are really lucky to even have 2 new songs from them this year. Its quite evident that marie was a lot more ill than we were led to believe at the time. Its also quite touching listening to Per talking about her, as you can tell by the tone of his voice that he really cares about her.
Max-Tob said on June 22, 2006 07:52:
And I wonder one more thing: what is he up to?? he keeps telling he writes lots of songs, he keeps telling he´s in T&A studio...I don’t even dare to imagine!!!! Will we get something more after the roxbox? Something solo maybe?
Max-Tob said on June 22, 2006 07:53:
oh, and one more thing: can someone tell me what does he say about SOAP at a certain point in the interview: “an ode to the Ego?” Is that correct? I can’t hear clearly the word before “Ego”...
RobS said on June 22, 2006 08:33:
What a great interview!!
And some really good news about the roxbox :-)
Great to see that they’re having fun recording the new songs.
rox-kuryliw said on June 22, 2006 08:55:
sounds wonderful, all i can say, so glad marie is recording roxette stuff again.
tcooh said on June 22, 2006 09:19:
4 CDs, dvd and 80 (!!) page booklet :D:D Sounds great! Getting eager to hear the new songs now, and to know what’s really in that box ;)
m-cvk said on June 22, 2006 10:19:
Cool interview!
@Max-Tob: he’s not saying that at all. He’s talking about an ’alter ego’ > Son of a plumber
PolicarpoAroca said on June 22, 2006 10:48:
So...no MTV Unplugged in the new DVD. A pitty. I wish they include Crush on you remixes...
rox-kuryliw said on June 22, 2006 12:59:
i dont understand why everyone wants the MTV unplugged ? ? iv heard loads of better stuff they done. just becouse it has the brand name mtv thats the only reason i can see why someone would want it.
ogeid said on June 22, 2006 13:34:
Per says:
“the compilation and the Rox Box will be available in the states”.
so, they are two different releases: compilation & rox box?
daniel_alv said on June 22, 2006 13:53:
the question is, will the greatest hits be in the box and seperate or just seperate?
the box is getting better and better... hope the DVD is really good! concerts and stuff.. and a movie about them...
Lars-Erik_Olson (moderator) said on June 22, 2006 13:53:
Ogeid: Yes... a new Greatest Hits album with two new songs intended for worldwide mass distribution, and the RoxBox collector’s item intended for a more limited audience.
roxtexanet said on June 22, 2006 14:16:
I lived in Vancouver for two years (we could get most of the Van Island stations there) and I think I would have DIED if I’d turned on the radio and heard this... I almost NEVER heard Roxette on the radio when I lived there! What a great interview, the back-to-back sound clips (with some unusual remixes, too!) really highlight just how damned good Roxette was and is. One complaint for Per: you were talking to a Canadian station where you DO have a record deal... so does that mean Canada will get the RoxBox and GH, by default???
Thanks for sharing this with us, TDR!
ncurran said on June 22, 2006 14:16:
I think the question is whether the new GH CD will be one of the Cds in the Rox Box. That hasnt been made clear yet
Wicf said on June 22, 2006 15:06:
I hope the RoxBox will include plenty of songs we haven’t heard yet (Per’s once said there are many unreleased songs, hasn’t he?). Anyway, it’s kinda strange Per had an interview in Canada. Roxette’s last successful single there was SIMC peaking at #3.
CRIZ said on June 22, 2006 18:40:
Well, I understood it in the latest interviews this way: Compilation album - release BEFORE the Box and Rox Box contains another 4 Cd’s... Well, we will get to know sooner or later :) Thanx for this great interview!
coyboyusa said on June 22, 2006 19:49:
LOL, something old like Ace of Base or whatever... LOL
God, I forgot how coherent Per is in interviews... it’s really good to hear there isn’t this huge rift between Per and Marie, much as I worried there seemed to be. The box, even without the Unplugged show, stands to be really amazing. It will be nice to have a booklet with new insight on all their hits... the same as they did for the Don’t Bore Us booklet... and lots of unheard new songs. Even if this is their last work together, I’m gonna die a happy man :)
Btw, happy Pride everyone!
iseggie said on June 24, 2006 01:34:
Hi Everyone,
It’s wonderfull to read all your comments about my recent interview with Per. It’s something I had been working on for almost one-year now. And there it is. It’s a real prvilidge to be able to share it with TDR and all of their fans and I hope it helps get the word out about SOAP and Rox20. Glad you all enjoyed it. He truly is one super guy! Enjoy the weekend.
Ian
CKWV-FM “The Wave”
Vancouver Island, Canada
pwbbounce (moderator) said on June 24, 2006 14:11:
Thanks Ian for the great interview. Better than most other interviews that always ask the same questions!!
DaRoxKitten said on June 24, 2006 18:27:
Whatta lovely IV and accessible to all of us! Nice insight and I was so happy to hear about him AND Marie in one sentence again. Seems like it’s been ages.
I hope ’limited audience’ for the RoxBox doesn’t mean all too limited cos I wud quite like to get my fingers on that one.
Well anyway thx a lot Ian for that IV.
@CoyBoy: Happy Pride right back atcha! :-D
ps. Oh and: TDR RULZ!
Roxrider_USA said on June 25, 2006 17:41:
Thanks a lot, Ian, for this entertaining and nice interview. Also, thanks to TDR for always trying to bring us the best news and interviews.
Keep it up!
Take care!
Carlos E., New York.
Anarem said on June 25, 2006 23:49:
@wicf: Roxette is more popular in Canada than you think, chart positions don’t reveal everything. Granted, Rox isn’t as big here as they are in Europe, but many a Canuck still remember them fondly :-)
iseggie said on June 27, 2006 02:25:
Hi Everyone,
Anarem is right. In Canada the number one rated radio stations right now are following a “Classic Hits” format. Playing the best of the 80s, 90s and now. For example, “Jack-FM”, “BOB-FM” etc. I helped launch the first BOB-FM in Winnipeg in 2002 - it was a hit. We were playing a lot of classics on FM other stations were scared to play. Roxette is one of them. With the popularity of this radio format, chart positions are thrown out the window. You hear lots of Roxette on the radio here. I was listening to JACK-FM From Vancouver today and there was Joyride. Naturally, I turned up the radio :)
My goal as a producer with this interview was to get the word about about Roxette, they’re still here with us and there is new material coming. I played this interivew for my co-workers before airing and several said, “I’m going to go out and buy one of their CDs this week”. It reminded them of what they were missing. And there’s still more to come!
Glad you all enjoyed the interview. I’m pleased to to be able to share it with you. Our listeners here were thrilled as well.
Cheers,
Ian
Island Radio.
Vancouver Island, Canada
Anarem said on June 28, 2006 01:07:
@ian:
I looooove BOB FM. Thank you so much for it! I can’t stand the other stations here in Winnipeg, it’s either cheesy dance music and rap, or it’s classic rock. Ugh. BOB FM is the only FM station I listen to on a regular basis. Keep up the excellent work out there on the West Coast!
iseggie said on July 3, 2006 03:16:
Remember the Billboards in 2002 around Winnipeg, “Turn Your Knob To Bob”
Per recorded some liners for us this week in his studio... he emailed me on Tuesday with these words, “Thanks for support”!
Cheers,
Ian
whateveriam said on July 12, 2006 09:09:
Great interview, but mentioning SOAP as an alter ego is making me think of Bono’s ’Fly’, which is a tad alarming. You never know, if SOAP do tour, we could have a whole ZooTV moment!
Starrox said on June 22, 2006 01:03:
Nice interview, thanks for making it available!