VIENNA - The Daily Roxette, along with other members of the media, participated in a round table discussion yesterday with Per Gessle who was in Vienna as a part of his Son of a Plumber promotion tour. Amongst the others present, were reporters from Austrian radio stations Krone Hit Radio, Radio Arabella and Welle1.

  We met a talkative Per at the hotel Das Triest in the center of Vienna to talk about the release of SOAP in Europe, which is being positively received. "I'm really pleased because people like the record a lot!" he says with a big smile.
  He went to explain why he released the album, which is very personal. "It all started when I transfered my album collection to my iPod, it took about six months, and I found many songs I had forgotten about, songs I grew up with, it brought me back to my childhood '60s, '70s… and I decided to make a tribute to that era."

  Why Son of a Plumber?
  "My father was a plumber, his name was Kurt. He has a song on the album, because he was the fastest plumber in the west. I think you have be older to be able to make this album, have to have this history and background behind you. I couldn't have done it like ten years ago, you have to have this experience. I didn't make any demos, I always make these complicated nice arrangements for my demos, here I played songs to Clarence and Christoffer, if they liked it, we worked with it."

  You can hear from the album that you had a happy childhood.
"I have an older brother so I spent a lot of time on my own, listening to pop. I had 100 LPs when I was ten, all the money I earned selling newspapers and such, everything was for records, records, records. Then as a teenager I started to write songs, but couldn't play anything, I had the melodies in my head, then I started to play guitar, and started my first band"

  Did you choose the first single?
  "Actually I let EMI choose which single they wanted to release first. In Sweden it was 'Jo-Anna,' and I think here it is 'Jo-Anna' as well, but other countries chose 'Mr DJ.'"

• Per at Ö3 studios
• Welle1

Why are Swedes so successful compared to like, for example, Austrians?
  "I think it's a mix of differect factors;
1. The English language, you don't have all these films and series with subtitles, we grow up listening to English for hours daily. Like my son, he is eight and he listens to English most of the time when he watches TV.
2. The whole Swedish music scene exploded at the end of the '80s, beginning of the '90s, when everything turned digital. Everybody used the same machines and you could not tell anymore where an album was recorded. It could be London, New York or Stockholm. Then all these like Max Martin, appeared, started to make music for Britney, Backstreet Boys…
3. We have a long tradition with folk music, we are very musical.
  It must be this, it can't be all luck, must be something, I'm always amazed with our success, some didn't even ever record anything in Swedish, like the Cardigans."

  You said the reaction on the album is great, but of course people also think of Marie when they hear Per Gessle, how did she like the album?
  "Oh she looooved it, she started crying when she heard one of the songs!"
  Because it was horrible?
  "No! I wish! She really liked it. This is something all artists should do… personal, part of who you are, of your childhood, and I think Marie realized that. Marie should do an album like this. It would be fantastic!"

  We heard there is a new Roxette album out soon?
  "No, not a full album, there will be a couple of songs to celebrate our 20th anniversary, which will be included in a Greatest Hits to be out this fall. And then something called 'The Rox Box,' which will be three CDs with the best of, and also alternative takes, out-takes, live recordings and unreleased tracks. We are also trying to get the Unplugged concert released on DVD."

  This looks like a lot of work
  "Yes, lots of work… but I love my work, I love to do this, I'm really pleased as long as I can do this. I've released an album yearly… 2003, 2004, 2005… to record an album like this is a pleasure, it's like a drug thing. You work for 14, 15 hours, four to five days in a row, go home for a couple of days, then back…"
  "It actually wasn't my intention to make a double album, but we had so much material, and then I asked EMI if I can release a double album for price of one. They said yes, so I thought, 'Shit, that's great! Let's make two albums, 30 minutes each!'
  "I do hope it is the price of one here too," – Per turns and asks the EMI representative who answers it is indeed priced as a single album. "Whoa! Because its actually 60 minutes, and you could put it on one, but it was nicer to make it like this, more of an LP feeling."

  Any plans for a tour or some concerts with Son of a Plumber?
  "No plans, but I could see myself do it, would love to play the album from A to Z, but the release dates are so different so it's hard to arrange something. Then it should work. I can't spend three weeks touring unless somebody is willing to come to the shows, so I don't know, I love to tour these days, so I would not have a problem. But maybe, I'm sure there will me more Son of a Plumber in the future, then maybe I will also tour, then I know people like it."

  A question we must ask; how is Marie feeling? Is she fully recovered?
  "She's fine, she's off medication and she is much better than she was. What she's gone through is terrible, she's a changed person now, but at the same time she looks as before. She's a happy person, now we'll do these recordings this summer, I'm really happy, pleased she wants to do that. For me it's a good sign she's coming back.

  Are the two songs because of that?
  "No, it's also because we only need that at this point of time. EMI wants to release this Greatest Hits for our 20th anniversary, but if these songs work out fine, I can definitely see myself doing another Roxette album, there is no rush though. I'm busy with SOAP right now."

  Ever thought of retiring?
"What does that mean? Never heard that word!! I can't! I'm gonna sit there till I'm old doing records nobody will listen to, but I will make my records! Can't do anything else, that's the way I am. The writing process is always crucial for me as a person, can't really stop that, it's part of me. And there are many things I'd love to try, music for films… instrumentals. We'll see what happens. I have no plans, but it was interesting to make the ones on the album, or even 'Making Love or Expecting Rain,' which is a combined thing."

  Best song ever?
  "Best song ever… shit! I don't know… maybe 'The Look,' the more simple it is, the harder it is to write, certain songs when you write them you know they will be a hit, like 'Joyride.' Can't help but like the chorus! Other songs I love other people don't like much, like 'Queen of rain.'
A reporter interjects "Almost Unreal"?
  "'Almost unreal'? Naaah.., that one is OK… Marie never liked that one, didn't want to sing that," Per says laughing.

  But you are busy with other things, you also run a hotel?
  "I don't really run the hotel, I'm part of the board. I go to meetings, that's fun. And can use lots of things in my work, like art. We have an art gallery, and the Roxette and Gyllene Tider gold records in the pub. If I didn't have my music… I can't see myself running a hotel!"

  You could maybe be a plumber?
  "No! You see, my brother is a lawyer, we are the worst craftsmen you can imagine! When there's a tap leaking or anything broken at home, my wife has to fix it, my father is surely revolving in the grave because he was great. He even built one of our houses… and I am… nah, that's not a good idea!"

  The time is over, Per records some greetings for the three radio stations, "Hi this is Per blah blah" and thanks us for coming. Tomorrow the Plumber is off to Brussels.
  Before this meeting Per was at the radio ORF Ö3 studio, the interview will be broadcast tomorrow. Per was also interviewed by two TV stations, ORF and GoTV, which will surely broadcast the material when the album is out in Austria by the end of April.

Connie Haslinger contributed to this article.