STOCKHOLM - Per Gessle was the featured guest on Swedish TV4's "Nyhetsmorgon" program this past Saturday, November 9th.


 The interview segment, which was really personal, started by showing shots from old Gyllene Tider videos, followed by Roxette ones, from older to newest; of course, Per and the program host, couldn't help laughing about the look both Per and Marie had 15 years ago. When asked about how long he will keep on doing his thing Per says "I'll be standing on a stage in Gävle when I'm 75, singing 'Flickorna på TV2'!"


 They went on talking about Marie's illness, life and future. "I can't really say now what the future will bring," he says, "we have to wait some months and see what Marie will decide for her future". In the last part of the interview, Per talked mostly about two of his favorite vinyl albums and about the music business world. "It certainly has changed a lot during my 20 or so years in the business," he says. He also mentions that "The Look" is still his favorite Roxette song. "It's hard to write something that sounds so simple."

Despite Roxette's the successful career, Per is a bit disappointed with the fact that they never got the kind of acknowledgement they would deserve from the Swedish media: Roxette has only won one Grammy ('Grammis'), and so has Per, as best songwriter, but Clarence hasn't even been nominated, "I believe that if we would have been an English band, the treatment would have been different, and Clarence would be Sir Clarence by now," adds Per, half serious.


 Per is also sorry that they had to cancel the Night of the Proms. The host asked if millions of kronor wouldn't have to be paid back to disappointed fans. Per replied that he assumes so, but that Roxette has been replaced by another act, as TDR previously reported.


 The TV channel has made the interview partly available in stream format on their website. To watch it click the links below.



Vivien contributed to this article

• Listen to the interview - Part I
• Listen to the interview - Part II (In Swedish - Real Audio required)