This interview was published in Västerbottens Kuriren 981214, written by Johan Hedberg. I've only translated it. If anyone dislikes this, tell me and I'll remove it.
Kooks that are swinging again
The Kooks realize that they will be compared to Atomic Swing.
-"Not so strange since two fourths of the band come from Atomic. But there are actually others that sound more like that orchestra than we do" says guitarist Leo Dahlin.
Kook is an english word that means 'Kook' (Funny translation, huh?). And Micke Lohse really became a kook after the last Japan-tour with Atomic Swing. He took his rusty PV and drove aboard a ferry that took him out in the Stockholm archipelagos. On an island out there he was sitting 'owling' (swedish expression, to 'owl' means to sit and do nothing) - as he expresses it himself - until he couldn't take it anymore.When he got home he bumped into his friend Leo, and helped him to cash out the guitar from the pawnshop. The Atomic-drummer Henrik Berglund was "eager as hell" to play again and bassplayer Josef Zackrisson, who has played with Leo in the band Uniluv, was indeed busy but let himself be persuaded.
Micke himself exchanged the organ for a guitar, microphone and pencil.
-"I wanted to start all over again. Last summer I went with This Perfect Day on tour, they needed someone to play organ - and it felt as if I did exactly the same thing I've been doing the last 3 years. I couldn't do that thing anymore. I guess the best thing about the TPD-tour was that the drummer in the band, Johan Nilsson, practically forced Micke to do something with his own songs. And now Johan is co-producer on the album that is released this spring. The recordings are practically done and now the members can't agree on which single is going to follow up the commercial hit 'Too much of nothing'.-"It's just the question of which song we should choose", says Josef - and Micke counts candidate as 'In love', 'Higher ground' and 'Salvation in time'.
-"It's possible that the audience may decide. With Atomic Swing we were out and played before the first album came, to check the response. We're doing that with this band too." Another parallell to the former orchestra is that the Kooks are on the same record-company.
-"But all that is actually just coincidences. You can't compare these two bands. I guess the big difference is the way we work now - we work as we think you should work in a band."
Micke is the obvious frontman but wants that the others should be apart of this at least as much. And he has seen to that it isn't only his songs that will make it to the first album.
-"At the same time there's no communistic spirit, everyone doesn't have to take all the decisions. It's more that everyone are dictators and then it will have to be the best way. It's a lot of nonsense, but it's only creative." Many times during the interview Micke says that Kooks is the best band he has ever been playing with, and you can hear he means it.
-"I don't worry about all that is going to happen. Everything feels just great, soon it's a new millenium and what if we're still a band then... the chances are pretty big. I love to play in bands!"
And when someone else at the table says that "we'll get through the hard moments together" the atmosphere becomes almost sacral.Kooks like each other, but will everyone else like the Kooks?
-"We're damn satisfied with these 15 songs we've recorded. And it'll be a very interesting debut-album with a lot of variety. Too much of nothing is just one of the styles."
-"But everyone will probably recognize the band and the sound, after only three seconds. That's both good and bad. You'll either like it - or detest it!"
