Today we have met Måns Ivarsson, journalist at Expressen. His colleague Mats Bråstedt was prevented from coming, but we’ll interview him in April.

Måns saw his first Springsteen concert in Copenhagen in 1981. He thinks that the heart of Springsteen’s production is centered around the albums Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town and The River, and he ranks the tour in 1981 as the best he has seen.

Måns thinks that the reason Springsteen is so popular in Sweden is that he is so genuine, a “bluecollar rocker, a nice working class guy”. That appeals to the swedish audience, because Springsteen personify pretty much the same ideals as were developed in the socialdemocratic People’s home.

In 1992 Måns was invited to Hollywood to attend the rehearsals before the Human Touch/Lucky Town-tour. Ivarsson spent four days together with Springsteen and the members of the new band Bruce had put together after the break with the E Street Band.

“That was very exciting, the new band sounded very promising, but later on the tour Bruce didn’t manage to use their capacity. They ended up sounding like a bad version of the E Street Band because Bruce didn’t have the nerve to let go of the E Street-sound and try something completely different”, Måns told us.

Micke, preparing to shoot.

In 1992 Måns got a personal interview with Bruce in Hollywood. That also happened in Stockholm, just before the world premiere of the HT/LT-tour. “I was at the Globe arena, watching the soundcheck, when the manager came up to me and said ‘There’s somebody who wants to talk to you’. I went to check who it was and there to my surprise, Bruce sat, waiting for me. It was great to interview him. There are few artists who can really express their musical achievements in words, but Bruce and Keith Richards are two of them. Bruce is very intelligent and has a great verbal ability.”

Since 1981 Måns have seen most of the shows Bruce have played in Sweden. “Unfortunately I think he have become boring over the years. He doesn’t tell these fabulous monologues as he used to do, and he doesn’t change the setlists as much. During the eighties you never knew what would happen during a show, today there is less variation in the performances. But you have to remember, even when Bruce is boring he still is better than most artists today.”

Måns also thinks that The Gost of Tom Joad and The Rising are bad albums. “They just don’t touch me. They are writingtable products. The first is based on newpaper articles about illegal immigrants. I’ve read somewhere that Bruce tried to write happy songs about a comfortable familylife, but the audience didn’t like them. If you want to be cynical you could say that he needed an event like 9/11 to give him something more painful to write about, because he doesn’t find that in his own life anymore.”

But Måns still has high hopes for the future. He says it would be great with a new album and another tour. “But I do hope it will be more of a garage rock album, with a rougher sound”, he said.

We thank Måns Ivarsson for an inspiring conversation. Next interview will be on Tuesday, when we will meet celloplayer Daniel who saw Springsteens first show in Sweden, at Konserthuset in 1975.

Today we have met Andres Lokko, who work as a music critic at the eveningpaper Expressen. Andres is also a scriptwriter for Killinggänget, a group that have made a number of humoruos tv-programs and films.

Andres saw hist first Springsteen concert in 1981, at Hovet, Stockholm. As he knew only one song (Hungry Heart) he was completely surprised by the intensity and energy, and he still ranks that show as one of the best he has seen. Since then he hasn’t seen that many Springsteen concerts, he didn’t feel that was necessary since it would be almost impossible to top the preformance in 1981.

“What makes Bruce Springsteen a unique artist is that he has the ability to merge serious monologues about his upbringing or political statements with tremendous partyrockin’. He is also one of the very best actors in the musicbusiness, because his performances are very carefully staged to make people feel that they are taking part in a onetime experience. This night he is singing for them only, and that kind of spontaneity can only happen in a very carefully directed show.”

Andres also told us that one of the reasons the swedish media, and especially the eveningpapers Aftonbladet and Expressen, write so much about Bruce when he comes here is that the papers have developed a style which is centered very much around events. This started in the mid eighties and have reached it’s peak today when the papers writes endless articles about the Eurovison song contest or what happens in the most popular reality show. It’s also Andres opinion that this “eventjournalism” has created the use of stars, bumblebees or other symbols for rating the concerts, instead of longer articles that analyse the show in a deeper way.

Andres also said that the reason Bruce have gotten so big in Sweden is that swedes are suckers for melodies. And Bruce knows how to turn out songs that get you straight in the heart. “Take a song like Drive All Night, it’s so beautiful in it’s simplicity. Here Bruce manage to combine an extremely romantic ideal with very ordinary things. In the lines ‘I swear I’ll drive all night just to buy you some shoes’ the man isn’t giving his girl diamonds or pearls, just a pair of shoes. That’s very moving.”

If Bruce has one hidden tallent that is seldome noticed, Andres like to point out his ability to write very simple about complicated things.

We also talked a bit about the fact that Bruce has become almost as untoucheable as Ingmar Bergman in Sweden. It’s very hard to write a bad word about Bruce. This may be the result of the swedish music critics beeing rather hesitant about Springsteen’s performances during the late seventies and early eighties. “Now they regret it and give him high ratings on old merits rather than on what he actually performs today”, said Andres.

We thank him so much for a very interesting interview and move on to our next meeting with critics Måns Ivarsson and Mats Bråstedt on Saturday.

We are building our documentary around the experiences of the fans and the analysis of a group of music critics. But we also hope to get an interview with Bruce Springsteen himself. We have sent to letters to Sony NY and Jon Landau Management to ask for a meeting, but so far we have heard nothing yet.

Apparently we got the wrong address to Landaus company, because we got the letter in return, with the comment “forwarding order expired”. But we’ve found another address that we hope will be the right one. In case we fail again we hope that the letter via Sony have reached it’s right address.

We’re shooting again next week. Then we’re going to meet the critics Andres Lokko, Måns Ivarsson and Mats Bråstedt, who all write for swedish eveningpaper Expressen.

Today we’ve spent our time at the National archive of Recorded Sound and Moving Images, looking through some news broadcasts and TV shows.

We found some newsfootage of people in line for tickets outside Konserthuset in Stockholm in 1981 and 1985 and there were also pictures from the ticketdrop in Gothenburg 2002.

In a program called Magasinet from November 3rd 1988, wellknown swedish journalist Göran Rosenberg, went to Freehold to check out how the inhabitants reacted to the closing of 3M-factory and how they would vote in the upcoming election between George Bush Sr and Michael Dukakis. A very interesting programe with quite a few Bruce references.

Then we looked at a very sweet portrait of Nils Hilmer Lofgren, broadcasted June 7th 1985. We were amazed by Nils’ acrobatic skills, a video showed him doing backflips, handstands and turning cart wheels while playing the guitar… The man has talent! We could also follow Nils on a visit to his swedish relatives in Värmland, among them Lars Löfgren, former head of the Royal Dramatic Theatre.

A more bizarre presentation was the program Äntligen en vit älg (Finally a white moose) from 1993. It featured wellknown swedish TV personalities like Harald Treutiger, Ulf Elfving and Jens Orback in an overcrowded studio. Among pictures of rubberboats in the moat at Kalmar Castle, interviews with all kinds of people, live music with some unknown band and a short version of Antique’s roadshow, there suddenly was a glimpse of Springsteen’s concert at Stadion. We could to our surprise see the most part of Better Days and Atlantic City.

After looking at the BBC documentary Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen we could enjoy another funny translation of a Springsteen song. This time it was a few lines from TV Movie that caught our attention.

My wife rolled over and told me
That my life would be immortalized
Not in some major motion picture
Or great American novel, you see
No, they’re gonna make a TV movie out of me

Had become:

Men då sa min fru i sömnen
att mitt liv skulle bli legend
nu har det blivit storfilm
en sann amerikansk dollarsuccé
och nu ska det bli
en tv-film om mitt liv

Next round of interviews will be made in four weeks.

Today we have met Mattias who saw his first show at The Globe arena, June 15th 1992.

He told us about his gigantic expectations before the first concert in 1992 and how the show had been so much better than he ever could imagine. For many years Mattias have been a very devoted fan, but after the concert at the Globe 2002 he was a bit disappointed. And the first night at Ullevi in 2003 didn’t change that feeling.

“When I walked out from the arena I thought it was all over. It felt like Bruce and his music couldn’t touch me, like I had grown apart from it all. And on the second night I went to the concert in a bad mood, feeling uneasy, I even thought about not going at all. But then I could see that Bruce had picked up another guitar and then he started with The Promised Land. That song is one of the best in the world and it just hit me, it got me straight through the heart. It was like Bruce reached out his hand and said ‘come on, let’s try again’ and the rest of the night it was like he sang just for me, picking out my favorites. After that I started to listen to the records again and got back to a feeling for the music that I hadn’t had in years.”

Mikael preparing to shoot at Mattias’ place.

Mattias also told us that he likes when Bruce is political. “For me both Nebraska and The Ghost of Tom Joad are political statements. I would really like Bruce to turn out another acoustic album that would center around what has happened after 9/11 and how the war in Iraq has affected the American people.”

We also talked about the swedish fanforum springsteen.se and Mattias thought it was really fun that there are so many young fans in their early teens who discuss Springsteen’s music with great gusto.

After the interview we met with Håkan Lahger, a journalist who have written a lot about Bruce Springsteen in magazines like Schlager and Slitz. We discussed some ideas and Håkan will be one of the critics we are going to interview later on.

Today we went out in the snow to meet Tommy who saw his first concert at Stadion, July 3rd 1988.

That first show was a mindblowing experience for Tommy, who just couldn’t go straight home afterwards. “I walked the streets, filled with euphoria, I don’t know what I did exactly, I was just so happy after the show. I got home about 5 in the morning and that day would be my first day at work after school. Of course I overslept and I got a scolding, but it was worth it.”

Cirkus, an intimate arena with only 1650 seats.

In 1996 Tommy had managed to get two tickets to the Circus show after 12 hours in line. The temperature had been 15 degrees below zero and it had been tough to get the tickets. Tommy went to the show with his mother, and as he entered the venue he almost walked into a man who asked if Tommy would trade his ticket for one at the front row. “Of course, how much”, Tommy replied. “Oh, it’s for free, it’s a present from Mr. Springsteen”, the Man in Black said.

“I could hardly believe my luck, I thanked the Man in Black from the bottom of my heart, and then I went down the aisle to my seat. After the show I managed to shake hands with Springsteen too”, Tommy told us.

Another important moment came last year when Tommy and his family had traveled to Gothenburg. The first night he went with his 8-year old son Billy. They had GA’s and during Waiting on a Sunny Day, which is his son’s favorite song, Tommy moved closed to the stage.
“We managed to come right next to the fence on the side of the stage and Bruce noticed Billy sitting on my shoulders. He pointed at my son and waved to him. Afterwards my friends told us we had been on the videoscreen. And Billy was so excited that he didn’t want to leave the arena. We were among the last to get out of Ullevi, because Billy said ‘Please dad, let’s wait a little, he might come out again.’ It’s really fun that my son is such a big fan already.”

It has been a very rewarding day, and we give our biggest thanks to Tommy for sharing so many of his memories with us.

Next interview is on Wednesday.

So we’re in for another round of interviews. Today we have met Morgan who saw his first show at Stadion, Stockholm, July 2nd 1988, and he still thinks that the second night back in ’88 is the best show he has seen.

Stockholms Stadion, the arena where Bruce have played most often, 1988, 1993 and 1999.

While Morgan’s two cats Borka and Lucifer tried to snuggle up in our camerabags, Morgan told us about how he managed to be among the lucky 1 500 who got a ticket to the show at Cirkus in 1996. After several hours in line outside the venue he got a ticket for the normal price and on a pair of very cold feet he could walk inside to see Bruce, past rows of scalpers. He also shared some of his memories from standing in line for other shows.

As many other fans have said, it’s the interaction between Bruce, the band and the audience, that attracts Morgan too. But he also told us that the music brings about a lot of memories. Especially about his friend that introduced him to Springsteen’s music. This friend died some years ago from an overdosis, but Morgan still remember all the fun they had together when he listen to the music.

As many other fans Morgan is very interested in standing close to the stage to see what happens between Bruce and the band during a concert. He thinks that the dvd-releases of Live in New York City and Live in Barcelona adds a new dimension to the recorded live preformances. Not only does the fans get the opportunity to hear Springsteen, but they also get to see his power as a live performer. Morgan really hope that there will be more dvds from future concerts.

Things went pretty well apart from me having the most hideous cold. I spent a good deal of time snivelling through the interview, but hopefully that won’t show… And armed with handkerchiefs, nosespray and Fisherman’s friend the second interview went better.

Today we have also talked to Tobbe. He saw his first concert in the Globe arena, June 15th 1992.

Tobbe wouldn’t have become such a big fan if it hadn’t been for a girl in his class who lent him a tape with Springsteenmusic. He listened to Born in the USA over and over again just to hear the drums in the end of the song.

Looking back on the shows he has seen, Tobbe thinks that Springsteen really got back in style with The Rising album.
“The nineties was almost a lost decade, with the exception of the Tom Joad-tour. It was fun to see Bruce performing his accoustic material, but there was no focus on the two albums Human Touch and Lucky Town. They where too haphazard. And Bruce looked a bit tired on the Reunion tour. He and the band was not as fit and tight as they proved to be in 2002 and 2003.”

We also talked about the benefits of fanforums on the internet. “The forums makes it easier for people to stay in touch. Before they existed you only saw other fans when you lined up for tickets or for concerts and it could be years before you saw eachother again. With the internet it’s easier to keep discussions going.”

We finished by recording when Tobbe played som chords from a couple of Springsteen songs.

Tomorrow is another day and another interview!

Ten days have passed and we’ve spent the time planning and organizing our future work. We will resume filming again on February 22nd and go on for about a week.

We will also pay another visit to the National Arcive of Recorded Sound and Moving Images where we will look at some more TV-material about Springsteen.

Most time is spent on scheduling the interviews for our next run, but it’s starting to look very promising.

Stay with us for more information!

Today we have met Erika, she saw her first concert at the Globe arena, Stockholm, October 24th 2002.

She has been brought up with Springsteen’s music, her father has been a great fan since 1975, and her older brother and sister as well as her mother, are fans too.

And then there is the story of Erika’s uncle. He was probably one of the first to see Bruce when he came to play at Konserthuset in Stockholm 1975. Her uncle managed to get inside the venue, because he knew somebody who worked at Konserthuset. He was alone, waiting in the concerthall, when Bruce came onstage. Apparently Bruce didn’t notice him where he sat quietly, so he was able to catch that private moment when Bruce strolled around the stage. (If all goes well we’ll interview Erika’s uncle too.)

Although the music had been there most of her life, it wasn’t until the family got tickets to the Globe arena that Erika really got into it. The show 2002 was also the first for her father, and she told us it was so fun to watch him sit back enjoying the performance while Erika and her sister were dancing like maniacs.

As a newbie Erika was most struck by the joy Bruce and the E Street band showed on stage. “The best thing Bruce has done was to reunite with E Street band. He needs them and they need him to be able to make the most of their tallent. You can see how fun they have together when they play, they are really glowing.”

Being such a young fan, Erika’s only 16, she’s a bit sorry that Bruce doesn’t tell stories like he used to do. “It’s so lovely to hear him when he is talking to the audience. It shows how much he cares for his fans, they mean so much to him that he wants to share his own experiences with them”, she said.

This was the last interview for this period. We have been filming for one week and it’s been a lot of fun. We’d really like to thank everybody that has been helping us so far!

Now we’ll take a break, filming will start again at the end of February or beginning of March. But we’ll keep on posting here whenever we’ve got news.

So stay with us!

Today we have met Per, who saw his first concert at Ullevi, Gothenburgh, June 8th 1985.

But it was the second night that really swept him away and even though the memories now have faded a bit, some strong pictures remains. Like the one when Bruce leans back, his head towards the sky and kicks in the intro to Born to Run.

No matter what age they are or how many shows they have seen – it’s one thing all the fans we have talked to so far keep coming back to. It’s Bruce’s intensity. “When he sings he gives it all, it’s like his life depended on it. And I think that the music in some way has saved his life”, Per said.

When he first became a fan, Per was really occupied with Bruce, thinking about him, talking about the songs, the concerts and everything. “Now I am farther away from that, but I think I’m perhaps closer to the songs and the lyrics. Before I used to think the songs were about Bruce’s and Steve’s lives, but now I relate them more to my own.”

He also said that if internet and the fanforums would have existed back in the eighties, he would probably have been very active. But now he doesn’t feel the need to talk Bruce on the net.

“The most important thing in life is relations and how you handle them, and Bruce is very good at writing songs about those things. His music gives you strenght to deal with the relations you have in your own life.”