It’s 5.45 am, and my alarm is waking me up after a night on a mattress on the floor in Helene’s room in Oslo. The day before, my friend Trine Lise and I arrived in Oslo after hitching a ride with my neighbor from Arendal. After about 3,5 hours in a car, we stood in the street outside what we hoped was Helene’s home. A phone call later we were inside and I met Helene in real life for the first time. We also met her friend Sara. The evening went by fast and soon we went to sleep, or tried to.
Now the clock is about 6 am and it’s finally the 18th of February. We’re up early getting ready for the walk to NRK at Marienlyst in Oslo. There, two busses will be waiting to take about 100 people to Loppen in Christiania, Copenhagen. Helene and I were two of the lucky fans to win a trip for us and one friend each to Kaizers Orchestra’s release concert in Copenhagen.
Just before 8 am we’re finally off. The busses take us through Sweden and over the Øresund bridge to Copenhagen in Denmark. Helene and Sara unfortunately ended up on the other bus (since I was on the list from the management and they on the list from NRK P3), so we are separated for most of the trip. In addition to that, our bus ends up standing in line because of a trailer loaded with explosives that has overturned and now lies blocking E6 on the Swedish side of Svinesund. That means we have to turn around and go back over the border and drive through Halden (the other bus went that way, and never over the Svinesund bridge) where we have a weird go around in a roundabout. We catch up to the other bus somewhere in Sweden by skipping a stop they had somewhere after Halden. The first stop for our bus is somewhere I have no idea where is (Where are we? Somewhere in Sweden…). Here I finally talk to Helene since Oslo and take my first pictures of the trip.
Many hours later we’re standing still (we were stopped -_-) at the customs on the border to Denmark. The Swedish border police have found some fault with the driver’s papers according to some new EU rules. It looks like we’re stuck. But no, after 30 minutes they actually let us go and we’re finally free to drive over the Øresund bridge and arrive in Copenhagen. Once again the other bus arrives before us. They took another way over, by boat (do we have a bad driver or what?!).
And we’re in Copenhagen, finally after 9 hours! On the way we got one copy of the album each, and a t-shirt. We also listened to the album three times, the last time after demanding something other than National Bank of Håkon Moslet, P3’s music boss.
The first thing I do when we arrive, is to go looking for a mini bank. There are two reasons for this. One is that I need money to buy new batteries for my camera (ouch, forgot to bring extras) and cigarettes for my mom. And I need money for something to drink at Loppen.
It’s 6 pm and we’re at Loppen. I got the cigarettes and the new batteries. The show is about to start. The warm up isn’t really my taste in music, but it’s nice enough. Although I see it as more of a cool down before the building is about to explode. After three or four songs by Mats Langer (some Danish artist) we are treated to a special selected song by Janove (Bob Hund’s 115. dröm) before it’s time for some selected fans to ask the band questions. All of this is directly broadcast on Norwegian (and Danish?) radio.
It’s time for the questions, so Janove and Geir appear on the stage (which is only 15-20 cm high!). These are the questions asked:
- Ole Fredrik: Hi, my name is Ole Fredrik. I have read or heard that “Maskineri” consists of several single stories and doesn’t have a central theme like the other albums. Is there a special reason for this?
Janove: Yes, because we didn’t want to do that central theme. That’s why. We ask our self after each album, about this time, the question… I and Geir ask ourselves, as song- and lyric writers, the question “What do we want to do now?“. And two times we wanted to reach the limit of what we started with “Ompa til du dør“. We didn’t really succeed with “Evig pint“, but I thought we did with “Maestro“. Both musically and lyrically. So we made the decision that we didn’t want do to that even better. We would rather change the direction a bit. - “Die Kaizerinne”: Hi, I am “Die Kaizerinne”, I am hardcore blood fan and I play Kaizers every day, I sing Kaizers every day and I talk about Kaizers every day. So, the people around me are getting a bit tired of all this. Should I stop this evangelism?
Geir: No, it’s like fruit, only healthy.
“Die Kaizerinne”: It’s five each day, six each night and seven in the morning!
Geir: Yes…
Radio host: Kaizers are like fruit. - Linn Katrine: Hi, my name is Linn Katrine. I just wondered how you are going to pay me back for lifelong advertising on my back? [Turns around and show of a tattoo on her back]
Geir: Tattoo on the back…
Radio host: What kind of tattoo is it?
Janove: It looks like it’s actually the logo!
Geir: You’ll get paid in heaven for that anyway. The one up there is going to say “wiii”.
Janove: We can dedicate the sixth song today to you if it’s okay. If you want it, you can have it.
Linn Katrine: Gladly! - Mats: It’s Mats here. We met each other at the SAS hotel in Stavanger once.
Janove: Are you from Jæren?
Mats: I’m from Figgen. I know Bjørn Reidar, Kari, yes…
Janove: Say hello…
Mats: I will. We met each other at the SAS hotel once. And there we had been on a reasonably good trip with absinthe that evening. We met you where you sat before the concert, smoking cigar and drinking cognac. I came in, a whole bunch came in, and sat down. And the point is, when we left your comment was something like “Enjoy the concert and drag the absinthe out of your friend“. That friend was me. And now I ask the question: In the song “Kalifornia” you have some good lyrics about absinthe. What I ask is: Is that song at all inspired by the episode at the SAS hotel? This must be clarified once and for all.
Janove: It’s you who made that song and the lyrics, Geggen…
Geir: And it’s you who smoked that cigar and drunk that cognac… So the answer to the question is; no relation at all!
Then we listen to “Nirvana – Smells like teen spirit”, also chosen by Kaizers, before there are more questions. They are:
- Elise: Hi, I’m Elise. I just wondered about something. After the concerts, who of you is the greatest nachspiel king, and who is always the last to come dragging back to the nightliner?
Audience: Terje!
Geir: Yes, as the audience correctly points out, I have to say Terje. I have a story. He woke up one morning and both his ears where hurting, both where sore. And he didn’t know why. What had happened was that he had refused to go to bed and sat in the lobby at a hotel in Halden drinking alcohol. He fell asleep in the chair and was dragged into the elevator by our merchandise salesman. Until the merchandise salesman wasn’t able to get any further. So that Terje’s head lay just in the elevator doors, and the elevator closed dunk, dunk, dunk on Terje’s ears. Yes, he should learn and go to bed, but…
Janove: He came straight from a karaoke party the same night where he sang “Like a virgin” with his trousers around the knees, and yes… Terje is the nachspiel king in Kaizers Orchestra! - Magnus: Hello, my name is Magnus and the question is for Geir really. Maybe you can explain the title “Volvo i Mexico” for the fans, because it has nothing to do with the song at all.
Geir: No, absolutely correct. It has nothing to do with the lyrics or the song. What happened was that while we were in Berlin we recorded a… could we call him an old drunk simply? He sat and talked about something to himself. I recorded him on my cell phone and he talked about Volvo in Mexico. And we thought it was a fitting description of the mood in that song, so he got a say. We had to have some Germans, some Berlin in that song. So it’s he who got to decide. - Simen: The name is Simen and the question is for Geir. And it is: What was your first reaction that day when Janove happily showed up at rehearsals and could announce something as dramatic like that he had removed a space in his first name?
Geir: Janove felt that that space came between him and the fans, so when he could remove it he got a much more close relation to the fans. So we understood that of course. It’s just like how Puff Daddy had it.
Radio host: Finally we got that explanation.
And finally it’s time for the concert. They open with “Maskineri“, followed by “Moment“. The new songs are great live. The oil barrels on “Maskineri” are great! I love being at Loppen right at this time. It’s definitely worth the 9 hours with lack of fresh air in a bus full of people.
I sing along to the new songs, even though I stumble over the lyrics at some places. I just can’t keep myself from it.
After the opening with a couple of new songs they play some old ones, before Janove ask us how the bus ride went. The he announces that NRK has 958 000 listeners in Norway right now. Then we get “9 mm“, “Volvo i Mexico” and “Enden av November“. Before “Volvo I Mexico” ,Janove asks us if we have learned the new lyrics. The answer is a bit hard to hear, but he decides it’s a yes. The chorus for that song is extremely jumpable either way, so we jump! And it helps that Janove yells “Loppen jump, jump!” in between the singing.
By the time they play “Enden av November” , we can hear by Janove’s speech that he is drunk. But who cares, it’s the release party! And the singing isn’t affected so that we can hear it anyway…
We get three more old songs before they end the radio show with “Med en gong eg når bånn” and “Apokalyps meg”. Somewhere in between there, Janove announces that we who have traveled all the way to Copenhagen by bus will get an extra something later. This turns out to be three more songs. Namely “Blitzregn baby”, “Resistansen” and “170”.
The full z-list ended up as:
- Maskineri
- Moment
- Container
- Ompa til du dør
- Bøn fra helvete
- 9 mm
- Volvo i Mexico
- Enden av november
- KGB
- Maestro
- Kontroll på kontinentet
- Med en gong eg når bånn
- Apokalyps meg
——————————————— - Blitzregn baby
- Resistansen
- 170
After the concert we have one and a half hours to do whatever we want before the busses depart for Norway again. During this time, I talk to Helge, Geir, and Janove a bit. And I meet a lot of fellow fans. I also had in mind to talk to Terje, but before I get that far, Helene mentions to him that it is Nils’ (the light guy) birthday. So therefore Terje runs off to congratulate him before I have a chance. I only got to answer no to the question if I had a lighter…
I also manage to get a z-list and a drumstick from the concert. YAY! I get them signed by some of the members of Kaizers. (This is my third drumstick from Kaizers, I have one from each Kaizers concert I have been to)
It’s now 10 pm and we climb into the busses again. After a u-turn in Copenhagen (yes, we definitely have the worst driver), we party our way home again. A nachspiel over three countries, that’s something to brag about in school XD.
The toilet is full so we make several stops on our way through Sweden. I vaguely remember a McDonald’s somewhere, I am so tired at this point…
Then at 6.30 am, I stand at the bus station in Oslo. I’m dead tired and can’t think straight. My phone is dead and the next bus to Arendal leaves at 8.15. I’m HAPPY because I’ve finally seen Kaizers live again after a long break! And now I can’t wait until March when they play in Arendal… My conclusion is that the trip down to Denmark was dead boring, but it was definitely worth every second on that bus. No question about that!
Some fun facts from the trip:
- The new songs are much, much better live than on the album. Proved by the amazing mood at the concert!
- We were filmed the whole time during the concert, and in addition to that I and Trine Lise had a camera woman as a seat neighbor for a part of the bus ride to Copenhagen. Therefore I now appear in clips from the trip in P3TV…
- Loppen is an old stone building that has been used as cannonball storage, jazz club, flea market and a lot more. This night though, it was a Kaizers club!
- The toilets at Loppen were horrible. There was no way to close the doors, and no difference between men and women.
- Terje played the mouth organ in the “Maskineri” intro.
- When Geir heard our complaints about the bus ride he said they were used to busses. When we then pointed out that the nightliner is definitely more comfortable than the NRK bus, and they didn’t get stopped by trailers with explosives or Swedish border police (and that they don’t have to travel with Håkon Moslet), he suggested mutiny…
- Geir’s comment about my drumstick was that I had to get something guitar related. I then pointed out that that’s much harder and Geir admitted that yes it was, especially since he never gives out his picks or anything like that…
- When asked if it was he who had posted the false lyrics for “Volvo I Mexico” on DMA Geir denied it, but I just can’t believe him. There was this little thing in his eyes when he said no…
- They have altered the live versions a bit on some of the old songs. Just small things and it made them even better.
- When Håkon Moslet didn’t have money to pay for his beer he asked Janove: “Janove, you have money right…?” Followed by Janove rolling his eyes and pulling some coins out of his pocket.
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