The Scandinavian pop rock group Roxette paid their first visit to Hong Kong in February. Ms Marie Fredriksson, 35, and her partner Mr. Per Gessle, 36, started their music careers in 1978. But it was not until 1986 that they really worked together, recording the one-off single, Neverending Love, under the name Roxette. The group became a big hit in Sweden. The craze blew to the United States in 1989 with the album The Look. The album climbed the charts fast, topping them in the States and 24 other countries.
In Hong Kong, Roxette hit the Territory in the movie Pretty Woman and the song It Must Have Been Love. They also became one of the most imitated Western pop-rock groups by local pop singers in the '90s. Local versions of their songs include those by Leon Lai (Joyride), Aaron Kwok (Sweet Hello, The Sad Goodbye), Shirley Kwan (Paint) and Alan Tam (The Look, Dangerous), just to name a few.
P: Per Gessle
M: Marie Fredriksson
Q: Reporter
Q: What film should everyone see?
P: Andy Warhol's Sheep.
M: Steven Spielberg's Schindler's List.
Q: Name two songs that make life worth living.
P: Tin Soldier by the Small Faces & Ever Fallen in Love by the Buzzcocks.
M: The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Joni Mitchell's Blue.
Q: Name two groups or artists who changed the course of your life.
P: The Beatles and David Bowie.
M: John Lennon and Joni Mitchell.
Q: Who do you think is a true hero?
P: Bengt (Bona) Hansson.
M: My father Gosta.
Q: Assuming you had the physique, what other full- time job would you like to have gone in for?
P: Motor racing.
M: I do have the physique.
Q: Which two events do you remember from the '60s?
P: The first man on the moon and The Monkees on TV.
M: The Beatles and Vietnam.
Q: Which two trends you remember from the '70s?
P: Live albums and platform shoes.
M; Platform shoes and shorts.
Q: How would modern Europe look with Marie Fredriksson as Sweden's Minister for the EU?
P: Everyone would qualify for a free pram.
M: Total chaos.
Q: What would the States look with about the States if Per Gessle had been elected President?
P: Bankruptcy almost immediately _ but it'd be great while it lasted.
M: Things would remain pretty much as they are. But Roxette would have a monopoly on the No. 1 slot in the charts.
Q: Describe yourself in five words.
P: Greedy, unfair, calculating, cold & unemotional.
M: Amiable, thoughtful, modest, fair & kind.
Q: Which two songs would you like to have been written by yourself?
P: Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks and God Only Knows by The Beach Boys.
M: Hotel California by The Eagles and My Funny Valentine by Rodgers and Hart.
Q: What is your favourite hobby?
P: My wife.
M: My daughter Josefin.
Q: What is your ideal country for a great vacation?
P: France.
M: Sweden.