A lost sheep?
Gorgon Berømt, guitar player of the notorious norwegian cult band Shagging Sheep, seems to have strayed from his flock. Rumours are that he is fed up with the wild, drug-soaked lifestyle of the band, and wants to take a break. The news have caused something of a stirrup, among band members as well as record company bigshots. Needless to mention, the fans are in a fury. At Bender Records nobody wants to comment on the rumours. The band's manager has been equally unwilling to shed light upon the subject. The band members, however, have surprised everyone by setting aside their principle against giving interviews. "Because", as they put it, "we want to set the record straight, once and for all". We meet the guys in a little room behind their studio. The place must have been quite cozy once. Now it's cluttered up with papers, CDs, dirty glasses and empty bottles. Lord Svartfaen is obviously very upset, kicking off the whole session before we could even find a chair: "This is ridiculous!", he shouts, spitting the words at us, "Gorgon never left the band at all. He just happens to live somewhere else!" "Well, where does he live, exactly?", we ask. Suddenly there is a lot of shifty eyes and shuffling of feet. Then Roman Bender speaks up: "We don't know the exact location, and so what? He is a grown-up man, for heaven's sake! A man of the world! He leads his own life, and none of us wants to meddle. Not as long as he shows up in studio, we don't." "Ah, but that's the problem, isn't it", we ask carefully, "he hasn't really been there a lot lately, has he?" "Well, not at every single session, of course", Donaldo H. Sjørbug says. He puts down his filthy glass of whisky and gives us a big, reassuring smile; "After all, it is quite a bit to travel. But there's email and there are phones. Let's not make a big fuzz out of nothing". We decide to approach the subject from a different angle: "It has been said that Gorgon doesn't approve of your extensive partying..." "That's bullshit!", dr. Nervan snaps. "Gorgon has never said no to a drink! Ever! Besides, we're not as heavy on the booze as people seem to think we are. The damned media is exaggerating. But that's typical! You bloodsucking journalists are obviously willing to do anything to sell your stinking papers!" We try to explain that we're only referring what we've been told. "Ha!", Lord Svartfaen cries, waving his fists furiously above his head, "that spoiled playboy should be the last to talk, cruising around in fancy cars with easy women and drugs and, and... The nerve!" At this point there are more wavering glances, and the guys take turns clearing their throats. We find that this is an excellent moment to round off the conversation and leave these shy and gentle artists to themselves. A merciful silence sets as a mist in the room as we close the door behind us. We have of course also tried to talk to Gorgon Berømt himself. His voice sounds a bit blurred as he calls us back from a pay phone at a noisy bar somewhere in Europe. When we confront him with the rumours, he is silent for a moment, giving it all a good thought. Then he speaks: "I'm kind of busy these days, but hey, I'll play with the boys whenever there's a gap in my schedule! Well, gotta go! I have a cute pint of Caffreys and a cold, fresh blonde waiting." |
More to life than this?
The commotion around Shagging Sheep has reached a new high after the release of photos showing the band's drummer, dr. Gustav Nervan, together with the icelandic superstar Björk. The possibility of a joint project between the two artists has become fuel to the speculations already going hot: is the band about to split up? Dr. Nervan himself refuses to comment on the pictures. On direct question he denies any romantic relationship between Björk and himself. "No, unfortunately not", he says, "but a man can dream, right?" The latter remark may explain the rather smug look on his face. Home is where the heart is
Renowned freelance guitarist Ziggy T. has dedicated himself to charity. Together with a couple of other idealists he arranges and promotes an annual "Rock- & Reunion Festival" in his own hometown. The main purpose of this festival is to revitalize old rockers from the glorious past, but also to present some of the hopeful youngsters. In other words: a second chance for the burned-out nostalgic who once dreamed of a career as a rock star (but ended up with wife, kids and a well-payed office job instead), and a first change for the wannabe who's still dreaming. We think this is a nice gesture from a great artist who obviously hasn't forgotten his own early years of trial and error. Where are they now?
Have you ever wondered what happened to all those old time heroes? Well, we're proud to present the latest update on the former rock group Led Similies, famous in the 80s for their weird happenings and rather intimidating appearance.
Back row from left to right:
Front row from left to right:
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