Mikory's ABBA-blog: Stikkan Anderson

It was a good thing that Stikkan got to die...

Aftonbladets' reporter Anita Olofsson met Gudrun Andersson, 66 to talk about Stig "Stikkans" life and death.

Gudrun Anderson, 66, talks about her life after the recordcompany-king's death.

Gudrun is the woman who always was there for the recordcompany-king Stikkan Anderson. The woman he could lean on. His wife, mother of their three children and an assistant at the office. But the past few years were difficult. For both of them. Stikkan was very ill.

-I think that it was good that his life ended, Gudrun says.

Last fall Stikkan Anderson, 66 years old, died. The children are grown up and they have moved away from home. Now Gudrun lives alone.

-How has your life been?

-It's been good. But it's been difficult the past few years. Stikkan was so ill and he lost the zest for life. He didn't want to see people anymore and he didn't want me to go anywhere. Not even to go shopping.

They had known each other for a long time, Gudrun and Stikkan. When they were young they met at Ingesunds folkhögskola (a highschool) in Värmland, where Stikkan was performing together with Bengt Bernhag and Börje Crona.

In 1955 they got married.

A few years later a completely different life started when Stikkan presented his song "Vi hänger me" to the Swedish people. Later the success with ABBA happened. Gudrun took care of the finances, planning and book-keeping - at the office. And the family - at home. Just like so many other women.

-It was easier for us to keep things this way, because as many of you might know it can be difficult to be a mother and work at the same time. Stikkan understood that sometimes I had to stay at home to take care of our sick children.

-Also, it was me who made sure that they had all they needed, Stikkan was always busy with something.

"Stikkan wanted everything"

The business was good and the money kept rolling in. But in 1985 the divorce was a fact.

-Stikkan met another woman. Maybe I had figured that out, but I didn't want to realize it. It's as if I was wearing blinkers. This was so difficult, we worked together.

-I wanted a divorce. But Stikkan...wasn't sure. Like so many other men he wanted everything. It was a very difficult time and extremely hard to go through. A divorce is almost worse than when somebody dies.

Stikkan moved out and Gudrun lived by herself in the big house. But after a while Stikkan wanted to come home again. To Villa Ekarna, where he liked to be. But he and Gudrun never remarried.

Just wanted to look forward

-When he came back to me, he didn't want to talk about our problems. We just could look towards the future and leave the past behind us.

Stikkan's illness kept getting worse.

-To socialize with friends or invite them for dinner wasn't easy. I never knew if we would have that dinner or not or how things would turn out. -But he had a good memory. We used to solve Svenska Dagbladet's crossword together. That's a good exercise.

Gudrun is the oldest of six siblings. She's independent and strong.

-I've managed to get through life well. My parents were farmers in Sunne in Värmland. My mother had no money of her own, except what she made by selling eggs and vegetables. That's the way it used to be. But she was a fantastic mother. And she wrote poems.

-When she died my father became very lonely. That's the way things are with men, they have a hard time making it on their own.

-Often they don't have a male friend they can talk to or confide in.

-That's the way it was with Stikkan in the end. When I put on my outdoor clothes he asked where I was going. He didn't even want me to go shopping.

-But sometimes I went out to see my friends. I had to have a life of my own too.

-I think that it was good that his life ended.

-He didn't think that anything was fun anymore.

Name: Gudrun Elisabet Anderson
Age: 66
Lives: On Östermalm in Stockholm
Family: The children Marie, 40, Lasse, 39, and Anders, 31. Five grandchildren.
Education: Textile teacher
Drives: Volvo S70 1997
Earnings: Latest assessed income 714 500 SEK. Taxable capital 34,4 million SEK
What did you want to become when you were a kid: Nothing special
The most important thing right now: To turn the study into a livingroom

08 April 2009 in Stikkan Anderson | Permalink | Comments (2) | TrackBack (0)

ABBA The Aussie Radio Interviews

As most of you Australian readers know, ABBA were everywhere during 1976 and 1977; on TV, on radio and in the magazines and newspapers. I have a collection of radio interviews with Stikkan, Agnetha, Björn. Benny and Anni-Frid. It's on a CD in the mp3-format. 53 minues long. I will offer it to you for AUD10 + AUD8 postage, a totalt of AU18.00.If you are interested please write to me to this address mikory@bredband.net and order your copy.

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31 March 2009 in Stikkan Anderson | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

ABBA King and real King just as rich

The Kings are just as rich

STOCKHOLM. The King and the Pop-king are almost as rich. Stikkan has 26 millions at the bank. King Carl-Gustaf has a little more, 27 million crowns.
It was a long time ago when the kings were so rich that they could give away half the kingdom to the best prince.
Sweden's King Carl XIV Gustaf has 27,9 milllion crowns in the bank. The schlager-and popking Stikkan Anderson has got almost as most 26,9 million crowns.
But when it comes to earings Stikkan is ahead. Last year he earned 3,8 million crowns. Last year he earned 3,9 million crowns. The Royal king made a merely 6.777.000.
From zero to 26 million
The difference between The King and Stikkan is monumental. In the olden days you used to make money from owning land and wood, to create investments or industries.
Nowadays it's property, stockmarkets and comsumer goods. If you want to get money fast. Just 10 years ago Stikkan Anderson was a songwriting teacher. Last year he had didn't have a crown to his name Today it's 26 million crowns.
Carl XIV Gustaf belongs to a long line of royalty and has always had a good sum of money in the bank.
Stikkan's incomes are basically his wages, is stockmarket winnings, and STIM-pengar. The King earns more from his stock that S-E-Bnnken handles for him, tours of the sumer castle Sollide and the farming at his castle at Stenhammar, which is his persoanl property.