“Wanting to but not being able to”: the story of Gunnar, Axel, and Lars-Erik Nyman. A musical performance by and starring Torsson. Narrator: Per Lasson.
–We’ve told a lot of stories in our songs. To be honest, they don’t really hang together, so now we’ve tried to take a more cohesive approach…
Torsson, one of our oldest and most beloved rock bands, is known for songs such as “Klippans centrum,” “Det spelades bättre boll,” “Jag minns en gammal bil,” “Öresundstwist,” “Volleyboll-Molly,” and many other classics. This year marks Torsson’s 50th anniversary as a band, so this fall they’re heading out on a major tour of concert halls and theaters alongside actor Per Lasson to present the musical Att vilja men inte kunna – Berättelsen om Gunnar, Axel och Lars-Erik Nyman. Tickets here.
It has now been 50 years since Det fjärde bästa bandet i Lundplayed their first concert at Lilla Teatern, right here in Lund. *Att vilja men inte kunna*is a play on the title of the band’s first album from 1980, *Att kunna men inte vilja*. The narrative of the performance is based on a fascinating story written by Torsson’sfrontman, singer, and songwriter Bo Åkerström. A story that ties together many of Torsson’s songs and lyrics, centered around the lives of three individuals.
We can thus recognize the events in Gunnar, Axel, and Lars-Erik’s lives in several of Torsson’stexts. When asked directly whether these three people exist or have existed in real life, Bo replies:
–Of course they never existed; they’re just as fictional as the song lyrics. However, many of their traits and details are taken directly from real life, from real-life role models…
The musical performance featuring Torssonand actor Per Lasson is a two-act show. Per Lasson narrates the story, andTorsson performs his classic songs, as well as several new songs composed specifically for this occasion. All framed by images on a big screen. The idea for this unique musical performance has developed over the past year as the band brainstormed during their tours about how best to celebrate their 50 years in the business. Many other bands in the same situation have done a number of so-called “farewell tours” that were marketed with great fanfare. Torsson didn’t really want to follow this example because the band has no intention of stopping touring . Tickets here.
–Why stop now, when things are going better than ever? This is when it’s really starting to get fun… says Bo Åkerström, who, after some back-and-forth brainstorming, came up with the final idea for a narrative that ties the songs together, explaining it this way:
–I usually just stand there and talk a bunch of nonsense between songs anyway. Why not write down a really interesting story and have someone who’s really good at it read it out loud?
Per Lasson became known as the police chief in the hit series Thin Blue Line and most recently, he’s starring in Felix Herngren’s series Where the sun always shines which is set in Mallorca. The series will have a sequel. Other contexts in which we have seen him include Eagles, Stenbeck, Whiskey on the Rocks, Ronia the Robber's Daughter, Solsidan, and The Bridge. He has also been a frequent guest performer at theaters such as Stockholm City Theater, Malmö City Theater, Östgötateatern, and Unga Dramaten.
Bo Åkerström and Per Lasson
Per Lasson says:
–When I was working on my senior project in high school back in 1989, I had a mixed cassette tape that I listened to on repeat. It was a mix of songs by various synth and punk bands…and there were a couple of songs by Torsson! So when I was asked to go on a rock tour in Sweden with them, there was never any doubt in my mind. Check that off the bucket list.
Torsson consists of: Bo Åkerström, Thomas Holst, Michael Sellers, Dan Persson, Rikard Swärdh
Narrator: Per Lasson
