harriej said on February 4, 2003 20:01:

could be, although in my opinion it is not something to be embarresed or shy about.
Liking Roxette is in fact something to be proud of.

merry said on February 4, 2003 20:10:

maybe they dont realise how much they like ’em? my boyf was very surprised that so many of the roxette songs i bombarded him with were songs he’d always liked without knowing who they were by. “proclaim the genius!” “smother the ignorance!” now he’s very excited when a new one comes on the radio...

Ferdan said on February 4, 2003 20:57:

It is true... or anyway if you get in further conversation you often discover everyone likes at least 1 or 2 songs.

ChrisWilliams said on February 4, 2003 21:08:

Before I begin, I’ll just say that I’m 16 and live in the UK.

- - - - -

There aren’t many kids at school who know Roxette... In which case I dive into a chorus of It Must Have Been Love, and they pretend to know who I’m talking about [out of fear] ;-)

But on the serious side, my friends are enjoying A Thing About You at the moment... Although - rather worryingly - one of my friends is also a big fan of Stars :-O

This won’t interest most of you, but for those who care, here’s a list of the tracks which all my friends seem to enjoy (and appropriately listed according to approximately how many people like those tracks...)

1. The Centre Of The Heart
2. Stars
3. A Thing About You
3. June Afternoon
4. Milk And Toast And Honey
5. Salvation

Not a bad selection, although I can’t seem to get anyone into the Joyride era... strange. Also, most people seem to like It Must Have Been Love, but they aren’t really crazy over it.

Also worth noting that the friend who loves Stars actually hates Milk And Toast And Honey :-P

For the record, my favourite Rox track is Milk And Toast And Honey... or anything from the Room Service album... except Jefferson... and Try (Just A Little Bit Harder) is bad.... :-P

gyllene_tjej said on February 4, 2003 22:50:

Really, are they? I have never been embarrassed to admit, and if anyone laughed at that it was their problem not mine!

xarrrr said on February 5, 2003 13:46:

@ChrisWilliams:

hej! welcome to the crowd, lol! i’m 17 and my friends didnt have a clue who roxette was until i mentioned them (well appart from audra, who loves pretty woman... IMHBL is her fave song ever!!)

most of them actually really dont like roxette, any of it! but i have one friend who really likes them. she liked the C!B!B! and HAND albums the most. and DBU-GTTC for obvious reasons.

i think they dont admit to it, yeah, cos she wont let on to the others that she likes them ;) but she still borrows my CDs whenever i get a new one. LOL!

zaine said on February 5, 2003 16:51:

hey I’m 15 from the UK, and my friends know I’m a rox freak! They think I’m dum and don’t understand why I like it, but they have never heard any of their music. EVER! They only say it’d crap ’cos it’s different to them. They don’t give it a chance, and I hate them for it. All of my mates are boys and they are in that ’I’m King of the world’ stage. They think what they say is right just ’cos Im a girl. This morning Matt came up to me and said, “I saw your crappy Roxette ad on this morning.” and then he started immitating thay voice over guy. I flipped and starting hitting him as hard as I could. (It hardly hurt him, but made me feel good!) Lol, he won’t say it again though. The thing about Roxette is that thet have changed me. since I got back into their music, I have noticed that I am not so bloody childish any more. I’m a kind of adult perspective now. Maybe a juvenile adult, but still. I no longer care what anyone else thinks, and I wish I could share that with my mates but they all too stuck up to appreciate it. Anyway, to get to the point of this, at first I was too shy. When peeps came up and said ’what you listening to?’ I told them it was the radio. But now, I honestly don’t care what they say. I’ll show them a bit of music (depending what genre they into) and ask them what they thought. They’ll say it was cool, or whatever, and then I tell them it was Roxette. Usually they don’t have a clue who they are, so they tend to leave me alone.
as for my mates, they have a laugh now and then, but they know they’re missing out on my life!!!

*PS sorry for making it a bit long!

mon-ami said on February 5, 2003 17:50:

ok....first - @chris williams , u r very wellcome.
zaine - i have to tell u some thing. i am 24 very near and i am traveling now in the world. but all the time i meet new people and of course we hear the music of each other. i am really proud of myself because i succeded to make some tourists , and people from my country too , to get known the music of roxette , and some of them bought cd´s i recomended. now the trueth - is that most of them liked the old stuff and not the new one! that was quite surprising but it can tell one thing -
THE PEOPLE WHO DONT LIKE THEM , JUST NOT AWARE ABOUT THEIR MUSIC.
its just disknowledge , thats all.
i must admitt that when i was younger it was uncomfortable to say i like roxette , but not because i was SHAME just because i was quite unusuall , but again it is because the others just werent aware to their music. of course today i am proud to say i like them and make some people like them too.
peace evreybody!!. love& care

xarrrr said on February 5, 2003 18:27:

@Zaine: hej, i’m 17 and from the UK, lol! AKA roxer-hell ;P
i totally agree 100% here. they’ve made me grow up, i’m not so immature or bitchy anymore, lol! and their music has helped me overcome a lot of things over the last year... and they’re a big inspiration for me, like onlywhenidream said, because they arent all stuck-up and starstruck, they love their families and value life. they are truely genuine people, and in their line of work thats something that most people cant honestly say they have or they are (if that makes any sense to you AT ALL!!)

okay, so i’m a total roxette freak and all apart from one of my friends hate them, but i really dont care. at least i’m not just a sheep that follows in everyone elses footsteps, likes what everyone else likes just so i’m not “left out” or “un-cool”, i know what i like and i’m proud of it :D and if anyone has a problem with that then thats up to them, but dont try and change me cos i’m a ROXERRRRRRRRRRR

xarrrr said on February 5, 2003 19:48:

wow zaine! thats really great!

i think it would be great for the UKroxers to meet up! so count me in ;)

also, i dont mind doing a pix page... it’ll prolly be on geocities mind, cos thats all i know how to do! but i dont mind :)

xarrrr said on February 5, 2003 20:14:

heheh! i’m not even 50% with computers! they confuse me like hell! LOL! check out my website, i could maybe link a page from there. its http://www.roxer-world.uk.tt

london sounds coolies, i live in milton keynes, bucks so its not too far! just an hour away! ;)

Vixzter said on February 5, 2003 20:42:

I think it must be harder for younger ppls here in the UK (younger than 20) to like Rox coz theres been even less of them lately ie: the last 5 years atleast.
When I was at school Joyride was out and they were massive......still .....everyone thought I was sad back then too! so not alot has changed ;)
I was once told by someone that he hated Roxette....only to be found enjoying HAND when I took it work and played it constantly (he liked it until he knew who it was! I hate that mentality!!)
I’ve also been told by someone else that Roxette are F&^&£@$ crap, incidently....the only song this guy had heard was IMHBL.

Vixzter said on February 5, 2003 21:05:

just letting ppls know they’re out there ;)

zaine said on February 5, 2003 21:09:

do you ever get the feeling that you’re just blabbing on and no-one else has a clue what you’re talking about...

xarrrr said on February 5, 2003 22:15:

@zaine: i’ll mail you as soon as poss! *when my thumbs feelin better... killed it on a lamp post!*
glad you like my webbie... as soon as i can get back into web builder i’ll make a page for roxer pix... maybe it could be just for UK roxers! hehe!

the_phantom_roxer said on February 6, 2003 21:07:

@xarrrr: wouldn’t it have been great to do the R2 thing with all the uk roxers coming up to london?

Santi said on February 6, 2003 22:11:

@onlywhenidream: “Oh, almost forgot to say, they are also down-to-earth nice people who aren’t all star-struck, who love their families, who value life and don’t own islands and their own theme parks (stand up Michael and Dolly) - they live their life with respect and diligence.”

Yeah, but you forgot to say that to spend four nights in London Per “down-to-earth not all star-struck” “NEEDS to” spend 34000 SEK... or 3650 EUROS... or 2400 GBP... Just for sleeping, don’t forget ;) :DDDDDDD

powerpoplarry said on February 6, 2003 23:04:

DOH, sorry it posted twice, but this second one is a bit different....sorry anyway... :-P

Hey Louise (and everyone else here!!)!! :-) I can relate completely to your loyalty and devotion to Per and Marie!!

Here in the US, it’s even worse than there in the UK!! See, since 1994, when CBB came out, radio stopped playing new releases by them, and the US branch of EMI went bankrupt!! These days, all radio plays is IMHBL as an oldie. Pathetic. Plus, Roxette was labelled a ballad act, with Marie as lead singer (or her NAME being Roxette, GRRR!!)!! It seems radio/the media forgot all about rocker hits like “Joyride”, “Dangerous” and “The Look”, as well as about Per, they think it’s all about Marie!!

Ever since the ballads took hold, Roxette were deemed uncool, with people not wanting to admit they were fans!! They were lumped in with rubbish, ballad-heavy radio faves as Michael Bolton, Whitney Houston, Starship, etc, when that is ALL wrong!! Roxette are better and quality, but radio/the media deemed them the same as the bad acts, combined with their better later records NOT getting a US release at ALL, that Roxette were basically killed in the US. :-(

Now, when I tell people I’m a Roxette fan, people are shocked, and think why?? If I play them RS or HAND, or Per’s solo record, they are shocked how good they are!! Basically, if Roxette were marketed differently and better here, they would still have a career in the US and people wouldn’t laugh at them, but I know the truth, as do you all. Louise, that is very cool about your bumper sticker, and I know how you feel exactly, that when you love somebody or a band so much you want to shout it out loud. Exactly how I feel about Roxette too!! In the end, the untrendy acts last a good long time, while the trendsetters die when the moods shift and become part of a pop culture scrap heap, right??

Oh, and I feel Robbie Williams is in this same ballpark: great pop music, embraced by radio and the masses, deemed uncool by critics. Watch out guys, like Roxette, RW’s music will be around for a LOOONG while, cuz it’s quality and beyond trends. Am I right or what??

powerpoplarry said on February 7, 2003 06:05:

YEAH!!! That whole McDonalds CBB thingy was a fiasco!! Whoever thought of that scheme is labelled a doof for life!! I mean, it literally killed Roxette’s US career, or at least put the final nail in the coffin. The CD didn’t even have any of the singles on it, and it looked cheesy too, ya know?? Like, THAT’s what they think of Roxette??!!?? Pathetic.

Vixzter said on February 7, 2003 06:39:

@powerpoplarry - I think USA must be the only place where Robbie Williams is deemed uncool by critics, maybe coz he hasn’t cracked that market yet. Here in the UK the guy can do no wrong and EMI have spent 80 million on a new contract for him ;)

powerpoplarry said on February 7, 2003 07:01:

Vixzter, glad you’re another Robbie Williams fan, then again, it’s rare to not find a RW fan in the UK. What I meant was, reviewers in UK mags like Q or Mojo have always only given RW bad to mediocre to OK reviews on his albums and singles. Nothing to do with his new deserved $80 mill contract with EMI.

Here in the US, Capitol messed up!! They only were able to get 2 singles into the Billboard Hot 100: “Millennium” (#72) and “Angels” (#52), and a compilation/mashup “The Ego Has Landed” to #49 on the Top 200 albums chart. They totally messed up with his SWYW (a #110 peak and no singles making the chart), and “SWING When Your Winning” wasn’t even RELEASED in the US, but oddly, the “Live At Albert Hall” DVD was, go figure!! That DVD is even nominated for a Grammy for best longform video!! Cool, but huh??

Now, things might change with the single “Feel” and “Escapology”, cuz his contract was switched from Capitol to VIRGIN (both EMI companies), and they seem to want to promote RW in the US bigtime and not mess up. I hope the Capitol fiasco didn’t scar RW’s US career. I don’t think it did.

Critics here LOVE Robbie Williams!! They think his music is great, clever, yet radio-friendly, pop, kinda tongue-in-cheek, and that he doesn’t take himself so seriously. He seems to go over better with critics here than in the UK, who feel he’s not so good cuz he’s embraced by the masses and not an underground phenomenon, while here, RW is more of a cult figure. That could be why.

Oh, and Vaxjoe, I’m a BIG Anna Vissi fan. How’s her new album, “X”?? I want her catalogue!!

vaxjoe said on February 7, 2003 08:33:

@powerpoplarry: wow! im surprised that u know Anna Vissi! im an Annas fan actually...her latest cd X does well but its not so good as “Kravgi” (her previous cd) as most ppl say (and i agree) ....of course shes still the no1 female singer over here cause her voice kix ass! Soon shes gonna release a special edition of X with bonus tracks and remixes...
The truth is we expected a lot more from her cause b4 X she was doing a musical like a rock opera...so when X came out it was an ordinary pop album...for me her best cds are:

Everything I am
Re (its a greek word means “hey”)
Klima Tropico (Tropical climate)

if u got time u can visit

www.annavissi.net

Vixzter said on February 8, 2003 09:29:

@powerpop : I’m not a massive fan of Robbie Williams, don’t have any of his albums but I can listen to him as its just pop that he does.

As for Q and MoJo ;) they like to knock ppls who are big, it doesn’t mean that that person is crap....its just the way they are. I’ve never seen a favourable review of anyone I like in either of those magazines.

The fact remains RW is massive here, he sells records....otherwise EMI wouldn’t have spent 80 million £ on him.

powerpoplarry said on February 8, 2003 10:00:

Hahaha, Vaxjoe, what timing, huh?? COOLNESS, you’ll get the DVD 4 me, U rule!! Yes, I know this Madonna live DVD “The Drowned World Tour”, do you want that one?? I’ll look for some others. “Truth Or Dare” came out on DVD as well. Um, she never released a live album, just a live concert DVD. Is that OK??

Yeah, right, 48 sounds about correct, she does NOT look it. If I was there and met her, I would ask her out to dinner or something. I know she divorced Nikos, but does she have a current boyfriend?? I know she has a teenage daughter, right?? I saw that movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, so funny, and I would do what Ian Corbett did, to impress Anna’s family, really I would!! 48 is not actually YOUNG, but she doesn’t seem to look or act her age, a good thing. Yep, definitely, time is a fan of Anna’s, it’s been great to her!!

YES, keep me posted on the X-special release date, thanks!! I’ve seen “Eimai” in stores, and I can tell rock operas are ONE of her strengths, hell “Kick The Habit” sounds straight out of a rock opera, and she kicked my ASS with that song, my GOD!! I played it for a friend of mine and he thought Anna was like Bonnie Tyler produced by Jim Steinman!! I can tell BOTH her rock operas are great, “Demons” and the recent one on CD.

REALLY?? The 2CD Anna Vissi Live is the best one?? I see that around. I can tell she is one of the few singers who sound better live, that the stage is her best setting. Anna is sorta like a modern-day Shirley Bassi!! A diva without the attitude.

Yeah, I figured ballads are her strongpoint, but I generally prefer upbeat material by anyone, yet Anna has a way with a ballad that kicks all these other female “divas” to the curb!! Celine?? Please... Whitney?? Phooey... Mariah?? If she hears Anna, she’ll go into hiding, haha!! But yeah, she does kickass music in any style, dance, pop, rock, rock operas, Greek, whew!! “Kravgi” kickes my ass!! On 2 discs as well, jeez!! Those words sound passionate, that’s fer sure!! Yep, I get the meaning, definitely, not weird, Anna?? Never!!

Oh, 2 other female singers I LOVE, but you may not have heard of, are: Tina Arena (from Australia), and Mylene Farmer (from Montreal, Quebec, Canada, but based out of France). Both are amazing!!

powerpoplarry said on February 8, 2003 21:56:

Yeah I know US DVDs don’t play on your regular machines, just universal players or DVD-ROM computer drives. I use my DVD-ROM, don’t have a regular player. If I did, it would be universal. Sure, think of something else, whatever you want...

I figured Anna and Nikos have a strange relationship. Why did they divorce anyway?? I guess they ended on good terms, sorta like Lindsay Buckingham + Stevie Nicks, from Fleetwood Mac, they broke up but still feel they have a strong partnership and love each other. Engaged to a Greek model?? Hmm, figures, damn!! Haha!!

About that movie, it IS funny!! It’s mainly about Greek Americans, and yes, it’s a bit exaggerated, but it’s heartfelt, and not done out of meanness. It looks oldschool, and I can tell, it doesn’t represent modern Greeks, in Greece today. It is a funny movie, though.

Yes, I figured the English CD was a way to break into the English-speaking markets, but I was bummed nothing happened. I think this was because they never released it in the US, which was a BIG mistake!! If they did, and it took off, it would have all fallen into place. I read this happened because of her age, which is utter blasphemy, if you ask me!! Yes, it is a curse, sort of. Sometimes, a non-English speaking act breaks through in the US or UK, but it’s not common. The last 2 I can think of are Shakira, from Colombia, and now t.A.T.u, from Russia. Some Scandinavian acts broke through too, like ABBA and Roxette, but also a-ha, AQUA, to a lesser extent Daze, and now Play. I also dig, believe it or not, Models, actual supermodels based in France who formed a group and released a CD on Sony, very fun. But yes, it’s not Anna’s loss or Greece’s/Cypruss’ loss, but the rest of the world’s loss, I agree!! BUT ya know what?? Somehow, and I really feel this, if you are meant to hear Anna’s music, no matter where you are from, and this could apply to any artist now, you WILL hear her stuff. Somehow, she will get to me, or whoever is meant to hear her!! It’s like fate or something. Yep, if Anna was American, all these other “divas” would feel seriously threatened, cuz Anna’s sheer talent and strong stage presence are totally real, honest, and from the heart + soul, not “manufactured” or created in a boardroom or on a computer!!

YEP, her upbeat songs totally rock!! Just wondering if all 6 songs on that EP are all on “Kravgi”?? I figured it caused chaos, it’s just powerful stuff!! Sounds like it was trendsetting too, an iconic release!! Drama/tragic singer fits Anna very well!! LOVE “Kick The Habit”!!

REALLY!!! Anna performing at the Olympic games??? That’ll be a moment!! I can’t wait to see people’s reactions when they hear THAT VOICE!! BTW, do you think Anna will ever record another English album?? “Everything I Am” was just amazing, and as great as her Greek albums are, it would be nice to hear another one sung in English...

zaine said on February 9, 2003 17:55:

perfect Royalball.
well said.

PeterGm said on February 10, 2003 15:07:

i was going to say:

“@ChrisWilliams: you don’t like ’Jefferson??!!’ It’s the most Gesslish song on RoomService, well, the most Gyllenetiderish song ;)”

but now i add:

“do you guys spend ALL day long in here writing noveltype discussions and then READING them all? There is a lot it seems I have missed and someday maybe Visa can print a book or something...LOL”...

and just to make sure:

“did anyone actually READ this comment or did i waste my time?” :-/

RoxetteObsessor said on February 10, 2003 17:17:

Oh my freaking God! Roxette is sooo neglected here in the US, unfortunately. I’m one of the few “cult” fans someone else mentioned in this discussion. Poor Roxette. They haven’t had anything released over here in such a long time, and I think that simply alienates Americans even more from such an awesome group.

Anyway, I remember hearing such songs like “The Look” and “Joyride” as a kid when my older sisters, who were teenagers in the 80’s, would listen to the radio. Then about my Junior year of high school, I started getting into 80’s music. So I found a local 80’s station, and man...I remember hearing “The Look” and “Joyride” on the radio and loving them!!! I knew they were songs I’d heard before, but I didn’t know the artist. So anyway, I made a point to find out, and when I did, I went shopping for their CDs...

I bought a few, took them home...and the obsession began. My friends call me a rabid, snarling, biting, foaming-at-the-mouth Roxette Obsessor (something which I take great pride in!). I’m one of the younger Roxette fans. I just turned 21 in October, so yeah, I sort of “missed” them growing up because I was a kid in the 80’s and a teen in the 90’s, but I am SO glad I re-discovered them or whatever. They are truly the best and greatest band ever and to say otherwise is sheer blasphemy!!!

P.S. I’m converting the masses...already subverted two of my friends over the last couple of years. Mwahahahaha! Roxette shall overtake them all!

RoxetteObsessor said on February 13, 2003 05:25:

Power, I have to agree with you. Roxette is like a fine wine...good in the early years, but so much better as time goes by. Their new single, Opportunity Nox just blew me away. I listened to it just tonight, and I froze when I heard the first few seconds of it. That’s all it took for me to know I would LOVE the song! And I do... *adds another favorite to the ever-growing and already large list of Roxette music*

Well, I reside in Ohio currently, as I’m going to college there, but I’m actually from Oklahoma.

I know what you mean about going psychotically insane when people assume Roxette is some girl pop band! GAAAAAAAHHHH!!! *tears hair out* And they wonder why I go off on a lecture after that!

I think Per is a genius, too! I love Marie, she’s got a great voice, and Roxette wouldn’t be the same without her...but I tend to like songs Per sings better. Meaning that more of his songs are ones that I listen to the most. He also writes great music. So yes, I agree with you. He’s definitely a genius.

OH! I converted someone else tonight! Kyle downloaded some of their music and he likes it! He was like “You know, I don’t usually go for this kind of music, but it’s strangely mesmerizing...and I really like it.”

Yeah, the radio and the media are what’s hurting Roxette, definitely. If we could get them to take notice of Roxette again, I’m certain Roxette would go to the top of the US charts again. They have the talent to make a huge comeback in the US, which is something most bands can’t say at all...

Johanlarsson said on October 18, 2003 23:27:

I find it very strange that friends in UK and other locations have a bad time from people when they says they are a Roxette fan. I have been in UK many times and I understand that Roxette is not popular comparison Sweden/Scandanavia. In Sweden I have no problem with people when they know I like Roxette and have interest for Per and Marie. Here, you all know, they are massive stars separate and in Roxette. I am 20 and my friends and I have grown older with P & M. Most my friends, I think, is happy that Roxette puts Sweden in the spotlight, even if these people don’t likes Roxette music.

Gyllene Tider and Marie solo music is always a sound from childhood for Swedish people like me. I remember my Uncle recording first a GT album for me (I was 7). In Sweden, when Roxette went international all newspapers and magazines have their names and photos. This was all happening in my child and teen years. No of my friends will be so bad about Roxette, they know they help Sweden and are good people. They are established celebrities.

So friends in UK and other place in the world, try to think its GEOGRAPHY and in Scandanavia I do not believe the situation of saying you’re a Roxette fan is difficult. I am sorry to hear of other problems of you.