Cardigans Interview by Robin Allport and Stuart Grayson.

After arriving at the wrong Hilton in Kensington, we hook up with the Cardigans and their entourage in the foyer of the correct one. Surrounded by opulent music and palm trees, we escape the NME interviewer who we are holding up and move to a corner with less palm trees than the other corners.

Once Magnus starts tucking into his large sandwiches we begin bombarding him and Lars-Olof with various questions.

So, how was last night then? And was there a big party? (The previous night, they had played Shepherds Bush Empire)
Magnus manages to tell us through his sandwich that the previous night had been very good, and they were supported by a band called "Eggstone" that they really like, and who also own the Tambourine Studios that the Cardigans record in. "The big thing is going to be tonight", says Magnus. "Almighty Polygram are gonna organise some kind of party for afterwards." Magnus doesn't exactly seem thrilled with the prospect of a big party, but then again, it's barely afternoon…and he has loads of interviews to get through before playing tonight.

If the Cardigans could collaborate with any particular artist, who would it be?
"We hardly have time to collaborate with each other!", jokes Magnus. "But, I know that Nina would like to work with Ozzy Ozbourne, and she might do something with the Divine Comedy which I really like." They take a moment to discuss this a bit further, and then Lars tells us about a Japanese singer (who's name unfortunately I cannot decipher from the tape - sorry!) who they would all like to do a song with, and Magnus adds that her voice makes Vanessa Paradis sound like an Elephant.

What do the Cardigans think of the Japanese scene after having a number one album over there? "The scene in Japan is very strange, artists who are very mainstream are hugely popular, whilst artists who are very alternative are also hugely popular." A discussion then ensues about artists like Merzbow who create the most bizarre music that doesn't get anywhere other than in Japan. "They put a lot of feelings in their music, you really notice that", adds Lars.

What was the Black Sabbath thing all about then?
"We did the Black Sabbath covers to prove that their songs are more than just riffs and attitudes, that they are actually great pop songs. " Magnus adds "We weren't the first band to cover Sabbath though. A Finnish band called Poverty Stinks did a really beautiful cover of Paranoid, which I think gave people the idea of covering their songs. Although, our arrangements were a bit more extreme than Poverty Stinks."

If the Cardigans could write any film soundtrack, which one would they do?
"There was one movie with an awful soundtrack, which I can't remember; it starred Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer." We later checked this out, and it is a film called Ladyhawk from 1985, who's soundtrack is written by Alan Parsons Project, performed by the London Philarmonic Orchestra. Magnus goes on, "I loved the film so much, but the music was so bad. I would really like to re-write the music."

If you could make a new law in parliament, what would you do?
"I get really aggressive when they take away the smoking seats on European flights. So I would make a law that there has to be smoking seats on all European flights." Magnus is quite adamant about this point, and promptly lights up a Marlboro ™.

What's the secret of happiness then?
"Smoking seats on European flights", says Magnus. "To have a really nice girlfriend, which I would like to have right now." "Friends", mutters Lars. "Friends and drugs" adds Magnus.

So, what car does Daddy drive then? (On the "Life" album, there is a song about Daddy's Car)
Magnus tell us, "When I was young, my father drove an old Mercedes. It was quite a big car, and quite an old one, and quite a reliable car." So who was Charlie? (Again, on the "Life" album, there is a song about a detective called Charlie). "We actually thought about Jaques Clouseau a lot, from the Pink Panther movies. The lyrics from that song are half from Jaques Clouseau, and half from a song called 'The Last Of The Secret Agents' by Nancy Sinatra. It is probably the only time we have been pop-snobbish enough to steal things from obscure pop songs. But since we decided to write a lyric about a really worthless secret agent, we had to get some inspiration from somewhere else, because it is really hard to write purely fictional lyrics."

There seems to be a definate change in mood from 'Life' to 'First Band On The Moon', was this intentional?
"We wanted a change", says Lars. "The thing is, we always have these big talks after we have been recording; talk about what went pretty good, and what could have been better. Also, think about the next album and what we have learned from this recording session and what we would like to take a step further." Magnus pauses for a minute, then continues, "Since we played live after the 'Life' album was released, the change was quite natural ….we had become a heavier band, although we always sounded heavier on stage than we did on record. It was a natural progression."

How did the idea for the "Life" sleeve come about? (Each member of the band is dressed up in a different costume)
"I wanted to be an astronaut!", pouts Lars. "It is hard to get costumes in Sweden, as we found out. So, then I decided I wanted to be a diver, but we couldn't get that costume either, so I ended up being a Submarine Captain"

If you had to go to a desert island, and you could take some luxury items, what would you take?

Magnus : Mobile Phone, Lighter, Cigarettes, Guitar, Girlfriend, A Huge fridge full of food
Lars : Girlfriend, Tan-Lotion, Mobile Phone, Book Collection

What do you do when you get some time off?
"I just completely try to do absolutely nothing", muses Lars. Magnus adds, "I normally go to Tambourine studios to write on our homepage, go to our favourite bars in Malmo and get loaded."