Stockholm Public Library, photo by Holger Ellgaard
I was born and raised on the corner of Odengatan and Sveavägen in Stockholm.
On the other three corners of that crossing was a big bank, Hard Rock Café and Stockholm Public Library.
It is very central is my point.
I hardly know any other people who are from Stockholm in that very literal sense. Usually people grew up in the suburbs – even if I do have the occasional friend who is from the southern part of town (Söder). Most people I know though are from smaller cities and moved to Stockholm when they finished school, when they realized they were gay or goth, liked pop music a lot, wanted to work in advertising, or just generally could make their own decisions.
So, I’m not all that familiar with the countryside (and even less so with the outskirts of Stockholm).
Growing up my friends would tease me, they’d wonder how – or more to the point, where – I had learned how to ride a bike or say I couldn’t tell a park from a car park.
It’s no coincidence my band is called The Concretes.
I did see nature though, my family has a cottage in Västmanland and also each summer in my childhood I’d go to summer camp for three weeks so that my parents could get some space. But each summer I would come back, and stand outside our building breathing in the fumes from the cars.
I loved the fumes, they smelled like home.
Having said all that I’ve become almost worryingly keen on nature recently. I wanna be outdoors, walk in the woods, potter in the garden, lie under a starlit sky, go swimming in cold lakes, pick lingon berries and make my own jam.
That (somewhat superficial..) idealization of nature always makes me think of Dungen.
Stockholm vs nature.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1N9jgFzlabg
Dungen, Stadsvandringar, 2002.
I am up in that cottage of ours now. With five friends and food for twelve.
And yesterday, late at night when the moon had disappeared behind the fir trees and we were sat in front of the fireplace, we put on The State We’re In (<–Spotify), the brand new (and first) album by Swedish super group Ohayo.
I can recommend it.
