STOCKHOLM - Like the handy man Per Gessle is, he has put together a new album in Swedish with the title "En händig man" - ("A Handyman"). If everything goes as planned, the album will be released on June 12.

"As I did with 'Mazarin' and 'Son Of A Plumber', I have recorded the album at Christoffer Lundquist's in Skåne and, of course, Christoffer together with Clarence Öfwerman are my closest collaborators this time as well. Through the years we have found a feeling and a way of working which is very special and it felt natural continuing this creative trip together," says a happy Gessle.

And after a two-summer break, there will be a "En händig man på turné" tour this coming summer.

"It's great to tour in our beautiful summer-Sweden. It's [been] four years since the 'Mazarin' tour and it feels very inspiring to go on tour again. Musically it will be a fireworks display of everything possible, new songs, of course, but also many of my Gyllene Tider songs which I know people want to listen to," Per says.

In 2003 Per released his first solo album in Swedish in 18 years, "Mazarin", which was a great success with almost 400,000 sold albums. "Här kommer alla känslorna (på en och samma gång)" was the Song of the Year and the hastily organized summer tour became the Tour of the Year 2003.

2004 yielded yet another biggest record – the gigantic Gyllene Tider GT25 tour – which became the most successful tour in Sweden of all times. Almost half-a-million Swedes attented, saw and celebrated.

We are now in 2007 and can look forward to a glistening Gessle-summer with a new album and a new tour with new and well-known pop-pearls. With over 800 songs in his baggage, there is plenty to choose from…

Tickets will be released March 15 and are 370 SEK plus service charge.

Judith contributed to this article.

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STOCKHOLM -

According to Swedish newspaper Expressen Per Gessle is planning another Swedish summer tour. Their source claims that Per will play Örjans vall in Halmstad at the end of June, beginning of July. The tour will consist of Gyllene Tider and solo material, with musicians like Clarence Öfwerman, MP Persson and Anders Herrlin. Expressen's columnist Anders Nunstedt wonders what lies behind this, but hopes that a new album is in the works.

Per Gessle and Marie Dimberg have not been reached for a comment, but The Daily Roxette considers the rumor very likely to be true.

The Daily Roxette team wishes you happy birthday!

Visa, Thomas, Judith, Lars-Erik & Colin

HALMSTAD - Radio Halland broadcast a second part of Per's interview on January 3. In the second interview Per reveals that he's writing for not one but two new projects; one in Swedish and a continuation of the Son of a Plumber project in English. He can't say which one will be released first. "It depends on several things, I can't answer that right now."

He's going to the US next week, to plug Roxette's new album, but also to get Plumber released over there. "I don't know why I end up in the US all the time, it's a big and impossible country… But then again, it was the last time as well so…"

Pelle, the reporter, also asks about the tour rumors, and Per says he's heard them as well. But the last solo tour he did, he put together no more than two months before the tour start, so no one knows at this point.

Regarding the 700th anniversary of Per's hometown Halmstad on May 31, Per says that he has gotten loads of questions to join in, but he doesn't like the date. "Doesn't it go on the whole year though? I'm sure we can get something together."

The interview is available on the Internet (it starts after approx. 14 minutes).

HALMSTAD (Updated) - Radio Halland's Pelle Hörmander has met Per Gessle for their traditional Christmas talk. The show was aired Dec. 27, 11:30-12:00. (Follow the link, click Dec 27 and select 11:30-12:00, the interview starts after approximately seven minutes.)

Update: Radio Halland broadcast a second part of the interview on January 3.

Welcome to the program. Do they still turn their heads when you walk down the street here in Halmstad?
Ha ha, thanks. No, not really anymore.

Busy fall?
Some I would say. Some TV and radio promotion, but not so bad no. It used to be worse.

Is it still fun to travel around?
Truthful? Not as fun as it used to be. Sometimes it's good, when the full band is with us. When in a hotel bar in Berlin for instance. Press and TV isn't fun. I wish it was.

Same kind of questions?
Yes, oh yes. Lately lots about Marie's sickness. It's very tedious. Nothing about music at all, just about Roxette's past success.

Why not?
I just don't know. When I make solo albums or Plumber, they all talk about music and influences, but when it comes to Roxette all we talk about is US #1s but never music.

So let's talk music Per Gessle! Tell us about the new songs…
It's been a giant step for Marie. It was sensational, at least to me, that Roxette recorded again. So I stepped up to the plate and I wrote a few songs. We thought "Reveal" would be the Big Hit, but in the studio "One Wish" flourished. Not a song we will be remembered by of course, but still as good as we could do under these circumstances.

Once again you will release an album in the US. Do you think they remember Roxette over there?
Yes, the album will be released in January, believe it or not. I'm going over there in January to do some promotion. Our music is played a lot, more than ever actually, especially "Listen to Your Heart" and "It Must Have Been Love," but do they remember Roxette? I doubt it.

How will the future be?
Nothing really right now. The slate's clean. It's a possibility but Marie can't decide now what to do next fall for instance, she takes one step at the time.

Where does that leave you?
I'm old and gray too now, but I don't need that much heads up. We do need at least six months in the studio to make a Rox album, maybe six months to prepare.

STOCKHOLM - The King of Sweden and Per Gessle have a common passion: collecting automobiles.

  Jonnie Wistrand of Dagens Industri put together a list of the cars owned by Swedish celebrities, some of whom drive rather ordinary cars, while others – like Per and the King – own several high-priced sports cars.

  Per’s automobiles include a Mercedes S500 (1999); Ferrari 599 GTB (2006); Ferrari 550 Barchetta (2001); Ferrari F430 F1 (2005); and a Porsche Cayenne Turbo (2004).

  King Carl XVI Gustaf’s collection includes a Pontiac Tempest GTO Convertible (1966); De Tomaso Pantera (1971); Ferrari 456 MGT (1999); AC Cobra (1966); Porsche 911 Carrera Coupé (1987); Porsche 911 T Targa (1973); Volvo PV 60 (1946); Ford Mustang Shelby (1966); and a BMW M3 CSL (2003).

Daniel Alvedahl contributed to this article.

• DI/DinaPenger listing of Swedish celebrity’s automobiles

STOCKHOLM - Per Gessle is going to write book about his life. Now the truth behind the rows with Gyllene Tider, his love to Åsa and success with Marie Fredriksson may become public.

  Co-writer Sven Lindström, who is a copywriter and music journalist (at Sydsvenskan) who has interviewed Per several times over the years, says that the book should probably arrive next year. Sven has also written several sleeve notes for Roxette.

  Anna Tillman, PR and information manager at publisher Albert Bonniers, says “For now we’re aiming for the Swedish market, but of course this is the kind of book we’re bringing to the book fairs in Frankfurt and London.” She continues “It’s an authorized biography. Everyone’s involved. Per Gessle has given us full access to his archives so we have a lot of material. It’s fun with artists that have documented so much over the years.”

  Anna also mentions that the book is scheduled for the spring of 2007.

• Aftonbladet’s article (In Swedish)
• Sydsvenskan (In Swedish)

GOTHENBURG - Per attended Robbie Williams’ second monster show at Ullevi stadium in Gothenburg the other day. Robbie has gotten rave reviews in all Swedish newspapers. Per isn’t as overjoyed though. “To be honest, Robbie’s music means nothing to me, even though ’Feel’ is one of the best songs in the world,” says Per. Per gives the show five out of five, while the music reaches only three.

  After the show there was a VIP party at restaurant Swea Hof which Per attended. “Of course it got late…”

• Aftonbladet’s article (In Swedish)

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

STOCKHOLM - Per, the Plumber’s son, Gessle opened his own MySpace page today. It will be a complement to the other sites, like SonofaPlumber.com.

  MySpace apparently has over 80 million members and is a must for today’s musicians that want to be seen, according to TDR’s sources.

• Gessle’s space