Hello 2022…

For some strange reason that scene from Monty Python´s “Life Of Brian” pops up in my head as I write this. You know, “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life”… Oh well… Bring it on…

(My shot of Babymetal, Stockholm 2020)

…

10th Anniversary Coming Up

Incredible as it may sound, Trinkelbonker has been around for nearly 10 years now. It will happen in 2022. When I created Trinkelbonker, I was still knee deep in publishing fanzines (this ended in 2015 and you can get most of the 1991-2015 stuff if you check out the Fanzine Newsstand tag now). Once that was over it became a nice little hobby for me to add posts here and I think it has been great fun. I think it is a pretty unique place and that is probably why the stats are pretty good. Some posts have a lifespan that is just incredible, with visitors every week. Some of the old Classic Rock interviews are always attracting traffic, some of the Babymetal posts as well (particularly the DVD reviews). Whenever I highlight a book, the response is good. Comics not so much, but I want to include this on the blog as well. Amazingly, the Prepping tag is always good and any new post on that subject is always attracting attention. I guess a lot of people have figured out that everything is going bonkers… At the end of the day, we all need to escape the drudge and for me this blog does the trick. If it is a good place to visit every now and then, then that makes me a happy camper. See you in 2022.

(My shot of some of the good things in life)

…

The Exile

Well this book is a bit special. Outlander author Diana Gabaldon actually started her career as a writer coming up with scripts for Disney comics. Years later, as her Outlander books had become successful, she had the chance to write a story for an Outlander comic and needless to say she jumped at the opportunity. “The Exile – Experience Jamie´s Side Of The Story” (Delrey Books, 2010) is a thick book in hardcover format, with art by Hoang Nguyen. Now this was published before the tv-show came along in 2014, so the illustrator did not have the advantage of having photographs of actors as they would eventually portray characters from the original books. Having said that, this book is still enjoyable. And with a story by Gabaldon herself, it is a pretty cool addition to your collection if you like this universe.

(My shot of said book)

…

2021 (Metal Hammer & Classic Rock Tributes)

Glad to see that UK publications Metal Hammer & Classic Rock have both survived another year, and I certainly enjoyed reading the 2021 Specials (MH 356 & CR 296). I especially enjoyed the pieces on Babymetal and Bill Ward within the pages of Metal Hammer this time around. Reading these magazines will keep you up to date up to a point. I mean, they are very British so they hardly cover everything out there, but they are what they are and I want to see them thrive.

(My shot of said publications)

…

Merry Christmas!

In a world gone bonkers, we need this Christmas to count. For fun, I picked an old picture of Babymetal from official platforms and created this christmas card – that is happiness right there!

And so, I wish you all a Merry Christmas!

…

Hans Hatwig Interview (2015, Part 2)

I interviewed legendary (German born) Swedish magazine publisher Hans Hatwig in 2015 for the final issue of Retrofuture (issue 8, March 2015). The magazine was launched at the Jane Doe Bar in Östersund on March 4 and we had Thomas Drevin (220 Volt) and Björn Höglund (Hoven Droven) as DJs playing Kiss and Deep Purple tunes all night long. This is Part 2 of the interview – Part 1 was posted on this blog on November 22 2021 – and it is a translation into English for obvious reasons. Copies of Retrofuture is available (see the Fanzine Newsdesk tag).

Old issues of POSTER has sold for very high prices on second hand outlets for a long time. This has to be the ultimate proof that people really loved what you did with that magazine.

– ”Yes, the kids in Sweden loved POSTER and the high value that is put to it now is proof that the old readers still appreciate it.”.

I understand that it was not easy for you to launch OKEJ. How long did it take and what happened there?

– ”When POSTER had reached the end of the line the publishers was not that keen on me having a go at another publication. I had to nag them about it for a year and they eventually gave me the chance to test the waters with three issues in pocket format. When these were published and sold really well, I was given the opportunity to make OKEJ into what I really wanted it to be, which was a weekly type of publication.

Once you had the chance, what exactly were you aiming for?

– ”I was hoping that it would become a weekly publication but I never got beyond the bi-weekly (every two weeks) format. The success was huge, we sold 156,000 copies every other week, which meant that for some time it really was the biggest pop magazine in the world, bigger than Bravo in Germany”.

How quick was the success, when did the publishing house realize that it was another winner?

– ”It happened pretty much right away”.

Except for a brief period, in which you were busy with a movie project, you successfully published OKEJ right through the 1980s until 1989. During this time, pretty much everybody was reading OKEJ. When did it peak?

– ”The mid 1980s, we reached an entire generation at that point, 500,000 youth read every issue”.

What made you decide to quit the job in the end?

– ”I was disapppointed in the owners in that they would not let me start up new publications. I felt betrayed so I left the company at that point”.

You created EN DING, DING, VÄRLD that was published in Scandinavia. How did you get the idea and where did you get the material? This was something completely new.

– ”I already had the idea for EN DING, DING, VÄRLD in my head when I still worked with OKEJ so it was a logical move to make once I had the chance to try. Several publishing houses turned me down before I could do it. The initial idea came from all my visits to the photo agencies, looking at pictures. I saw a lot of stuff that nobody was interested in and I just had this idea that it would be fun to get the craziest/funniest pictures and to create a magazine with them. I never had to regret the idea, it was an immediate success”.

How big was the circulation?

– ”The very first issue sold 54,000 copies and made a profit. It is very unusual for a publication to reach success that fast, it usually takes years. My publication became the exception to the rule”.

In 1998-1999 you created MÅNADENS DATE and GIRLPOWER. I have not seen these, can you describe them?

– ”MÅNADENS DATE was a small (103mm x 150mm) publication with two big foldouts. It was a calendar/diary kind of a publication that was published for about a year. It sold 24,000 copies every month but I had to end it since so many copies were stolen because of the size. GIRLPOWER was a hybrid publication in comic book format, with a long novel about the adventures of two teenage girls plus a section with the latest pop stars”.

Then you published SÅPA, which I though was better than OKEJ at the time. What was the idea behind that title?

– ”I did the SÅPA magazine for Jonas Bonnier at Bonnier Tidskrifter even though I was not really a believer. SÅPA failed, my first failiure”.

Then you went with VECKANS NU!, that kept you busy for eight years. You mention in your books that you had to fight to get that title published but that you were vindicated in the end. It is obvious to me that once you have an idea that you believe in you fight like crazy to make it happen.

– ”Well I offered the idea to both Allers Förlag and Bonnier but when these big publishers turned it down I went to Ove Jerselius at Frida Förlag whom was more than happy to publish the modern celebrity kind of publication that I had in mind. VECKANS NU! Became a huge success, over 100,000 copies sold twice a month. If I believe in an idea, I am willing to fight hard for it”.

You have also been involved in titles like SUDOKO, ROYAL and VÄRLDEN I BLICK. I mean, you have been busy since the early 1970s and been very successful for most of that time. Big books have been published about POSTER and OKEJ and a TV documentary has been made about the latter. Can you feel that you have reached the credit that you so clearly deserve?

– ”I never got much credit for what I did from my colleagues at the big publishing houses. However, there is a lot of love from old readers and that is good enough for me”.

The comic book industry is in trouble. How long do you think that titles like Agent X9, Fantomen etc will survive?

– ”I think the comics will come back, but maybe in a new, more modern, format. But that will only happen if the publishers catch on”.

How do you feel about people that read most of their stuff on computer screens now, rather than buying physical copies? Is that not the worst nightmare for a magazine publisher?

– ”It is better that people read them online than them not reading at all. I still believe in the physical magazines, but they have to move with the times, both content wise and technically”.

When you arrived in Sweden in the 1960s, the sexual revolution was in full swing and there was a decade when our freedoms were tested and when it was OK to push boundaries. I could sense a clear decline of this spirit in the 1980s that publications like OKEJ got to experience. Lately, this decline has catched on again but now it seems that even freedom of speech is in danger. How do you look at this?

– ”Yes, freedom of speech is in danger as far as magazine publishing is concerned in this country. New talents are not allowed to test the waters because of Tidsam (distributor), they want 500,000 kr (about 50,000£) for you to even publish your first issue. Then you can just forget about it. This alone would have stopped me back in the day had it existed then. It is sad. When freedom is curtailed the liberal ideas are always attacked. It has happened before and it will happen again”.

What can we learn from the 1960s and 1970s today? Have we lost something that we took for granted?

– ”What we can learn from those days are less anxiety, in everything. People dared to do things back then. You need more courage in Sweden. Not least in my business, publishing magazines. Without this spirit the printing machines will soon be silent. And this time, forever”.

Was there ever an idea that you never got to do?

– ”Yes, there was an idea that I never got around to do at Frida Förlag, since they were bought by Allers Förlag”.

Are you still checking out what is out there? I love keeping up with what is going on out there in the magazine world, I will buy copies just to see what they are up to.

– ”Yes, I still keep track on what is going on, but I can see the decline in the kiosks and the super markets. I do buy magazines every now and then to check them out and to see who had the balls to do it”.

Are you still in touch with any of the artists from the golden years or does one leave it behind and move on?

– ”No, I no longer have any contact with artists from the golden years, which would be 1974-1986”.

I noticed that you visited a KISS ARMY meeting recently, how often are you invited to things like this?

– ”Not very often, but I will be there if some organizer that is enthusiastic gets in touch”.

What do you think of the Swerdish magazine scene today?

– ”I can feel a certain admiration for the people that are trying to realize their goals in the media climate that exists today. I can not say that I envy them”.

One often hears that circulations is plummeting and that times are hard. Where is this going?

– ”I still believe in physical magazines, but the future will come from new places, not from the old dinosaurs, Allers, Bonniers. They are going nowhere”.

I saw an ad not long ago that said that 20% of the youth (up to 15) in Sweden could not read or understand comic books. What can we do to turn this around?

– ”First of all, the schools must ensure that the kids can read and write properly. If they can, things will look brighter for the magazine business. No illiterates will buy their product, physical or online. I myself came here and had to learn the language and I did it by reading magazines and books etc. Now I have written books about my journey. Is this not the best proof of all that we need more physical product, not less? The big companies are cancelling titles”.

(End of interview)

By Mike Eriksson (if quoted let me know about it) – Retrofuture 8 (2015) / Trinkelbonker (2021)

(My shots of Retrofuture spreads and Hatwig books)

…

CLASSIC ROCK INTERVIEWS ON TRINKELBONKER: MURASAKI 2021 (December 3 2021), PUBLISHER HANS HATWIG 2015 (Part 1, November 22 2021), CARINA LIROLA 2008 (November 9 2021), TOTO 1987 (September 17 2021), HEAVEN & EARTH 2001 (July 25 2021), STUART SMITH 1998 (July 4 2021), RAINBOW 1997 (June 28 2021), MARINA AMMOURI 2021 (February 12 2021), VISIONS OF ATLANTIS 2007 (November 10 2020), RITCHIE BLACKMORE & CANDICE NIGHT 2001 (October 27 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (October 18 2020), ACCEPT 1986 (July 17 2020), DEEP PURPLE 1996 (June 27 2020), EUROPE 1986 (June 16 2020), DEEP PURPLE PODCAST 2020 (April 6 2020), KIMBERLY GOSS/SINERGY 2002 (March 31 2020), RAINBOW 1997 (March 9 2020), RAINBOW 1996 (March 6 2020), MICHAEL BRADFORD 2003/MAKING OF DEEP PURPLE´S “BANANAS” (March 2 2020), URIAH HEEP 1988 (February 18 2020), ANNE-LIE RYDÉ 1984 (January 21 2020), CRYSTAL VIPER 2020 (January 16 2020), JOHN NORUM 1988 (January 12 2020), ARTOMUS FRIENDSHIP 2019 (November 10 2019), NAZARETH 1989 (August 26 2019), VELVET INSANE 2018 (September 11 2018), JON LORD 1981 (December 15 2015), DAVID COVERDALE 1981 (November 13 2015), GLENN HUGHES 1996 (May 12 2015), TOTO 1988 (March 31 2015), YNGWIE MALMSTEEN 1990 (March 1 2015), MARTINA EDOFF 2009 (December 4 2014), MICHAEL MOJO NILSSON 2014 (January 21 2014), THE HUGHES TURNER PROJECT 2001 (December 29 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1996-1998 (October 9 2013), GLENN HUGHES & JOHN NORUM 1988 (September 21 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1994-1995 (September 9 2013), JOE LYNN TURNER 1993 (September 7 2013), STEVE LUKATHER 1989 (September 4 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1983 (August 22 2013), RAINBOW 1995 (July 19 2013), MICK UNDERWOOD/GILLAN 1982 (June 11 2013), DEEP PURPLE 2002 (May 2 2013), DEEP PURPLE 1998 ( February 25 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1986 (February 12 2013), BLACK SABBATH 1987-1989 (December 31 2012), JOHNNIE BOLIN 2012 (December 24 2012), MARTIN POPOFF & RICH GALBRAITH 2009 (November 12 2012), DAVID COVERDALE 2000 (October 14 2012), JON LORD 1984 (September 7 2012), JOE LYNN TURNER 1992 (August 31 2012), JUDAS PRIEST 1986 (August 22 2012), RONNIE JAMES DIO 2001 (August 20 2012), NIGHTWISH 2002 (August 14 2012).

…

The Magazine That Ruled The 1970s

The Hans Hatwig interview from Retrofuture 8 that has been highlighted here on Trinkelbonker in recent days was good fun to do for sure, but it was not the first nod to the mans career in publishing within these pages. In fact, the 1970s POSTER magazine (and the book that had been published about it decades later) got a full page mention back in 2010 in Retrofuture 3. Great book, great magazine. Nice little tribute.

(My shot of said book and Retrofuture 3 homage)

…

Commando 5499-5502

Commando 5499-5502 is out in the UK tomorrow. Just search “Commando comics” should you want to subscribe.

(Covers courtesy of Commando)

…

Nice Christmas Surprise

Got the last batch of Commando comics in the mail this week and with them came a nice “Season´s Greetings” card from Commando HQs. The front art you see here looks like it was done by Ian Kennedy.

Inside we have what looks like authentic autographs by the Commando Team, which is very nice. I will continue to support Commando on this blog and I wish the crew continued success in 2022.

(My shots of said card)

…

Christmas Countdown & Final Preps

And so the big week arrives. Only a few days to go now and I am as ready as I can be. I have prepared the blog for some final posts for 2021 (and a few more will surely pop up) and that includes the second part of the Hans Hatwig interview that will be up on December 24 as promised. I am kind of relieved that the Fanzine History series is now complete, I really wanted to be done with that this year and I finally made it. That also goes for the Fanzine Newsstand posts as I really wanted them all in December so that it will be easier to update eventual changes. One more post to go though (the super rare stuff), then it is all done and the blog will return to basics again.

(Top image shows Swedish comic 91:an 26 2021 with superb cover art by Gert Lozell, and the updated Blackmore´s Night Christmas CD “Winter Carols” that is out now)

…