Benny: I want to make another movie!

Loooong, but quite good article with interview with Benny could be found in newspapers. Here it (finally) is translated!

Benny for Aftonbladet:

I want to make a movie again - it´s much more fun than theatre!



How much fun it was to put Mamma Mia! on big screen? It was so inspiring that Benny Andersson now wants to do more movies instead of theatre plays!

However, first of all there is a new album waiting and also the change of icehalls into dancefloors.
The journalist from Aftonbladet met Benny at Skeppsholmen in Stockholm where Benny has his office and own recording studio. In Benny´s room there is good view on water, piano and keyboards - both connected to computer.

On Friday, Benny Anderssons Orkester is going to play at Globen. On 2nd November people in Gothenburg will get a chance to dance.



- What will the performances at Globen and Scandinavium be like?

"It will be one big dance floor. As big as one can possibly make it. We have put a lot of power into preparations."

Benny Andersson takes his notebook and he looks through the songs. Songs for three and half hour of dancing yet still it´s not enough; and there´s lack of space for all songs which he´d like to have there. In another digital folder there are stored the ABBA songs sung by Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Stellan Skarsgård and others.

- Have you seen a lot of shootings for Mamma Mia! ?

"Yes; there is something surrealistic about Meryl Streep standing on a cliff above the sea in Greece and singing The Winner Takes It All. I have seen all of the shootings and preparations."

- Did it give you a taste for more?

"Yes, that would be much more fun to make a movie next time instead of theatre. I will produce it and see how it goes. And I will make the music. But how can one make a music film and avoid to get a musical as a result? Then one has to have brain, too."

Well, well. The brain which is in Benny Andersson´s head seems to be fit for it very well. Even though he doesn´t want to use it for lyrics.

- In Hep Stars you wrote lyrics as well.

"I realized and decided pretty soon I won´t write lyrics anymore."

- How come?

"I couldn´t actually speak English at all by the time I was writing English lyrics. Sunny Girl has lyrics which make one´s hair stand. Good melody, good title, lousy lyrics."

On the new Benny Anderssons Orkester´s CD, seven of twelve songs have lyrics. For example the unusual Bonde söker fru. It´s closest to a protest song which Björn & Benny have created.

"You have to ask Björn. He writes what he wants to write."

- But you must agree with the lyrics..?

"Of course, well it is my orchestra. The song is cool because it´s a boogie. Björn asked me what I thought about a title "Farmer seeks wife" and I said... Yes. He thought of writing something about those TV shows."



Some of the refraines and verses come from Benny´s archives. The song Crush On You was born during ABBA period.

"The chorus was left and the demo lyrics was Crush On You. It was just neglected text, definitely no finished song. Du är min man is very, very old thing. Det är vi ändå is also as old as the hills."

- Do you have more old things in your archives?

"Oh yes, quite a lot of things which I consider to be good but which are better in some other forum than BAO. There is more music, too. Just to come across a film as well."