Artistspecial / TV5-Nordic, 28 May 1995. Translated from Swedish by Bac

The following is an English translation of an interview with The Cardigans from a program called "Artistspecial" (TV5-Nordic) that took place on May 28, 1995. It is originally in Swedish and this translation is probably not completely accurate, but it should be pretty close. Enjoy!

HOST: Isn't this record ["Life"] jazzier?

PETER: I think it's less jazzy. In the previous album it was clear in the
production that it was jazzier, but on this album the underlying music is jazzy. (Peter then makes comparison to the Beatles [this was hard to translate]).

HOST: The Beatles must be an important influence.

PETER: Aren't they important for everyone? For everyone who is living? We're trying to sound like the Beatles, but only in our way.

HOST: That's interesting because you're so young.

PETER: I was born a few years later than when they were playing.

NINA: Yea, isn't it '71?

PETER: Yea, '71. Paul McCartney did a very good solo thing-and that was around '74.

NINA: Yea, because our parents were listening to the Beatles. They kind of introduced us the Beatles to us.

PETER: The Beatles are always going to be around.

HOST: It's kind of popular to be anti-Beatles.

PETER: Yea, cause everyone listens to them and just because of that-but you start listening to the Beatles and realize you need to buy seven albums.

HOST: Isn't it important to sell the whole package?

PETER: People listen to our music and we have our own style so that makes it OK, but it wasn't like that on the previous album. It's much more like that on this album.

HOST: It's more pre-conceived to attract the audience?

PETER: It depends on how you look at it because we're trying to give people a nice concept that goes hand-in-hand with the music.

HOST: It's difficult to be successful in England because they look down on music that's not produced in England. Band's like ABBA had that problem.

PETER: British bands are idols for the Swedish bands and there are many good Swedish bands that try to sound British, but we have never tried to sound British.

NINA: It's not strange that we might sound British because the world of pop kind-of sounds British.

PETER: Well, there are American bands also. We don't sound like British bands so there is not really any competition. On the first album the audience liked the music and we had this base to build upon. Some bands have style and concept, but not the music and they can't make it. But we had the audience and the music so we were able to add the style and concept to that.

HOST: Then we had Jönköping. Why was Jönköping enough? Why didn't you move to
Göteborg or Stockholm?

PETER: Because the studio is in Malmö and we just didn't want to commute back and forth.

HOST: And it's OK working from there and being a popstar in Sweden?

NINA: Yea, it's excellent because it's also near Copenhagen

PETER: Commuting is good because it creates tension. People won't know which bar
we're going to be in.

HOST: How is it working out with you being the songwriter?

PETER: I am the songwriter and I've been doing it since the beginning, but the songs will sound a certain way because of the group. Sometimes we have a "wishing list" where the others can tell me what they think.

NINA: [laughs] "Wishing list"-ha-ha.

PETER: Sometimes a member will say, "Hey, Peter, can't we do it like this?"

NINA: Come here! [imitating Peter]

HOST: Is there a "boring" image regarding female artists in Sweden?

NINA: Yea, I think so. Absolutely.

HOST: Is it due to the journalists?

NINA: Yea, but also the consumer audience because they don't say anything about it.

PETER: The artist also maybe, a bit.

NINA: Yea, in some ways because it's a way to get attention and perhaps that's
something you can use. It's one way, among others.

HOST: You can all read about the man behind the successful woman. For example, Lisa Nilsson, she had Mauro-Scocco. Such things are sad. Is that really a Swedish thing?

PETER: Yea, well, but on the other hand Py Backman wrote the lyrics for Nordman.

NINA: Yes, exactly.

PETER: I don't know. It's hard to say. The view of women is strange.

HOST: During the punk-era you had a lot of female bands. So-called "girl" bands.

PETER: Well, it became more and more girl bands.

NINA: Girls as musicians also came, but it's really strange that the girl bands haven't been here till now.

HOST: Maybe it's new wave or the punk-era because during the '80s it was kind of hard because it was just a lot of solo artists. But maybe it's time for groups again like Big Champagne as they did in the '70s and '80s.

PETER: Everything is going in waves, but I think you hear a lot more female voices now.

NINA: It's strange that it has to come in these waves. That it has to be aggressive music for females to exist. Why can't it be regular music like band, dance or whatever?

That's it! Any question? Email me (Bac) at: dalescheihagen@hotmail.com