Mikory's ABBA-blog

1969: New chance for Anni-Frid

Charlie Norman will be a variety show director in Gothenburg this fall. There he will treat us to  happy and musical entertainment, and he will do so by hiring a new variety show primadonna, 24 year old Anni-Frid Lyngstad from Eskilstuna.
     It will be a new, great chance for the very talented and beautiful singer.
     She has, as you might know, worked with Charlie Norman, his son Lennie and Hasse Burman before. Last winter they toured the country with a restaurant show, which received great reviews. Anni-Frid has also worked with Charlie during the summer and his musicians. Last summer she toured the folk parks with Lasse Lönndahl.
     Anni-Frid, who comes from Norway, born in Narvik, was only 11 years old when she first entered a stage. Her debut performance was in Eskilstuna, where she has lived ever since she was a little girl. She got her national break on "Hylands Hörna" in the fall of 1967. After that success she also entered Svensktoppen.
     But since then she has had some setbacks when it comes to topping the charts. She has been very close a couple of times, but not succeeded.
     This spring she participated in Melodifestivalen. But she wasn't lucky to win that either. But many critics claims that she is one of the country's best vocalists. Charlie Norman agrees about that. He thinks that Anni-Frid now will get a great chance to prove her talent. She will be doing it in his variety show at Liseberg.
     Last fall Anni-Frid got engaged to Benny Andersson from Hep Stars. She has one marriage behind her and she is the mother of two children, Hans, 6 years old and 2 year old Lise-Lott.

ABBA and Stikkan has settled out of court

From Hänt Extra issue 32 1991
There will not be a cort hearig between Stikkan Anderson and the former members of ABBA in the noticed disagreement about the royalties the members were entitled to.
    In the eleventh hour came the fighting combatants came to an agreement, which naturally is kept confidential.   
     The feud that had been going on for almost six years now was all about how he profit should be divided between the five actors in this drama.
     Stikkan Anderson has stated that the deal that involves 3 percent to the ABBA members and 9 to Stig. According to ABBA it should have been more like 9 percent. The difference is roughly SEK 27.000.000.
     What the settlement means is as we stated before unknown, but one thing is clear is that at least Benny Andesson and Agnetha Fältskog will recevive a few millions to carry off to the their banks. If Björn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad will get any money is more doutbtful. They have earlier sold their music rights to foreign companies.
     It's not even so sure that it's Stikkan who will have to pay. He has sold Polar Music to a multinational company Polydor.
     Everyome involved seem happy with the deals. It's nice to get rid of this dark cloud ove us.    
     - A settlement means that either all the parts are content or all of them are unhappy.
     Satisfied are also Abborma, according to their joint lawyer Lennart Kantner.

Prince Ruzzo proudly showed Frida off to his former school mates

It was a huge sensation when Anni-Frid Lyngstad and her West German prince Ruzzo Reuss came to the student anniversary party in Värmland. The couple have been together for almost five years now, but kept it private, but now all of a sudden they seem to be ready to show the world their love.
      Prince Ruzzo Reuss had come to Sweden to visit his old school Lundsberg, where he spent eight years of his life, and to meet the fellow students from the year 1969. It became a very happy occassion and he proudly showed his fiancée Frida, who hardly ever has looked this happy, off. With great success the prince participated in the anniversary sporting events. In the audience were among  others  prince Bertil and his brother Carl Johan Bernadotte and Siw Malmqvist.
     Frida and Ruzzo Reuss are living in Fribourg in Switzerland and they also have a summer house in Majorca, but they like to keep in touch with their home country.
     The twin girls, Henriette and Pauline, are 13 years old (Ruzzo had them with his now ex-wife the Norwegian Mette Rinde) are enrolled to go to their dad's old school this fall. But dad won't be away from his children for too long.
     Prince Ruzzo Reuss' big hobby is hunting and enjoys coming to Sweden during the elk hunting season. Last year he was hunting with the king of Sweden in Halle-Hunnerberg outside of Trollhättan, which is located about 20 kilometres from the girls new school.

Agnetha initiated her daughter Linda into the secrets of the nightlife!

From Hänt Extra issue 11, 1991.

She has been described as a modern Greta Garbo. Agnetha Fältskog lives an almost abnormally secluded life with her new man Tomas Sonnefeld and her children Linda 18, and Christian, 13.
     But now it seems like "Aggie" has started to come back out again of her seclusion.
     At a very public table at the hot "Café Opera" amazed guests could resently see Agnetha eating and laughing with her and Björn Ulvaeus' daughter Linda and some of her friends.
     The reason for this was that they were celebrating Linda's 18th birthday and her mother, Agnetha, wanted to initiate her into the mysteries of the night life. She probably have realised that she can't keep her daughter behind closed doors forever.

Wrong place
The choice of venue was badly picked from Agnetha's point of view. She couldn't have chosen a "worse" place than Café Opera on a Saturday night if she wanted to be left alone. But, anyway, it seemed like the shy Agnetha really enjoyed herself. She was having a good time and visited the crowded dancefloor several times. But not with her husband...
     Spectators could notice that slightly intoxicated kids in their 20s hardly recognised the former singer.
     It seems like Agnetha has succeded with her anonymity project. Apparantly a whole new generation has grown up without knowing how the ABBA-star looks.
     Agnetha, Linda and her guests stayed until the early hours of morning and it was a very excited Agnetha Fältskog and a just as happy birthday girl who took a taxi back home to Ekerö and the fortress like house. Who knows, maybe Agnetha has developed a taste for the "glamouros life" again?. We'll have to wait and see.

Björn starts atheist publishing company

According to Kulturnyheterna on SVT Björn has started a publishing company for atheistic literature.
     Lately has the relations between the secular and the religious, freedom of speech and freedom of religion has become important in the debate. Kulturnyheterna met Björn Ulvaeus, who together with Christer Sturmark (the president of the Swedish Humanists) has started a publishing company for atheistic literature.
     - The question of religion is one of the most important of our time and if I can do something to help get an open and straight, intellectual debate about the role of the religion, I'm willing to do that, says Björn Ulvaeus.
     The publishing company, which is called Fri Tanke (Free Thought), will publish books that deals with faith and knowledge. And it doesn't have to be a profitable business.
     - That's not necessary, but we hope that it will go break even at least, says Ulvaeus to Kulturnyheternas reporter Elisabet Åsbrink.
     According to Sturmark, the publishing company will offer atheistic literature in Swedish. Today there's a lot of religiously coloured literature according to Sturmark.
     - The religious books used in the Swedish schools are actually more influenced by christianity than they should be in a multcultural society.
     Sturmark also adds that it's possible that the new publishing company will publish books about religion, aimed at students.

ABBA and animals

There are a lot of pictures taking of ABBA together with animals, dogs, cats, kangaroos etc. This picture, in it's original, portrayed the two girls sitting on bronzed lions. Someone very clever and with a hughe amout of Photoshop skills (I'm so sorry I can't remember his name right now) managed to get two real lions into the picture. I think it's a funny and very well done picture.

Have you got any more pics of ABBA with animals, please send them to me and I'll be happy to post them here.

Today 40 years has passed...

... since Frida made her TV-debut in Hylands Högerhörna on Swedish Television. Earlier the same day, September 3, 1967, she won the talent test "Nya Ansikten" at Skansen in Stockholm.
     This performance led to great interest in her both from the audience and different recording companies. One of the pieces of the puzzle to what was on its way to become ABBA.