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Jonny Zetterström
Stockholm, Sweden
homepage: http://www.zetterstrom.net/
eMail: jonny@zetterstrom.net
When surf's up you've got dance in your pants and a stark raving love for the lost boys and golden girls who came right out of the frying pan and into the fire. You want love and death and an American guitar, still you know that two out of three ain't bad.
If only there was the invocation to the Original sin... but on the other hand a kiss is a terrible thing to waste, for crying out loud; even for a bat out of hell who'll be bad for good; who found paradise by the dashboard light only to be left in the dark. Is that what you are, Jim?
I was a teenager in love, long overdue for a miracle. I was all revved up with no place to go when rock and roll dreams came through. And I was going nowhere fast, even faster than the speed of night. I was cold, no matter what I did... It's all coming back to me now, as objects in the rear view mirror appear closer than they are. The moment I found your music.
I remember... I tried not to be afraid even though the future wasn't what it used to be. And it just wouldn't quit either.
You'll always be ravishing, you're gonna peel out. When you come in the night everything is permitted as you're making love out of nothing at all -- that's the nocturnal pleasure.
Is nothing sacred, you wonder as there's a total eclipse of your heart. You've been dreaming up a storm lately; you've been dreaming of daring to say:
"Hey boy, you're a rebel without a clue and I'm gonna love her for both of us even if I have to wrestle with the devil. She's more than you deserve." And for the girl to reply: "You sure are a dead ringer for love, so I'd do anything for love (but I won't do that)." As so many girls dream of saying to you.
Tonight is what it means to be young, and I've been holding out for a hero since my life was a lemon and I wanted my money back. I never got what I prayed for, but I still wanted my happy ending. You gave me a lot of that. And even though loving you's a dirty job at times, somebody's got to do it. That's why we all love you and your music.
There was a time in my life when I felt a little weird for liking music no one else liked -- or almost no one else, anyway. I really didn't care much for the music they were playing on the radio. It all changed one day...
It was an "outdoor day" in school and we were supposed to walk about 10 kilometers or something. I had the company of my two best friends and I really don't mind walking. Anyway, Tobias, my best friend, had been watching TV that morning. TV4 was the first Swedish channel to air "I'd Do Anything For Love (But I Won't Do That)". He kept talking about it and how great it was, only to go into town to buy the album as soon as we got back.
It wasn't until the next day that I got to his place and had him play me the CD. I remember thinking "this isn't bad" and I spent the following weeks humming "Good Girls". It was autumn then and it took him at least two weeks to make a tape for me. Just before Christmas I could finally listen to the tape; from sunrise to sunset and beyond. I had gotten into IDAFL by now and Christmas Eve as I opened my presents (that's when we do it in Sweden), my parents had bought me the album on CD and a CD player.
This was almost a decade ago and I went from one song to another; I was hooked on "Objects" for months. I got the first Bat album the following year, but it wasn't until I got "Welcome to the Neighbourhood" for Christmas, was a bit disappointed and ended up finding and buying "Deadringer" that I really realized your greatness. Even though I skipped through the Neighbourhood-album to listen to the Steinman-tunes first. Meat Loaf wasn't good enough without your songs.
My first girlfriend had "Falling into you" and we used to listen to "It's All Coming Back To Me Now", when I had a look at the lyrics and found your name there. At some point I also discovered that you were the one who had written "Total Eclipse", a song I grew up listening to on the radio.
It went on from there... Now I really don't care what others think about the music I like. I know I like it and that's all I really need to know. As a bonus your songs are on the radio every now and then too. The highlight of this millennium was going to Stuttgart and seeing Tanz der Vampire with the fellow Steinmaniacs.
This was, in short, the story of me finding your music; it was also the story of the important parts of my life. Words can't really say how much your music means to me. It's been there for good times as well as bad. My life would have been a lot worse without it and I would probably never have met all the nice and interesting people who are my fellow fans.
I just noticed that this could be summarized in two words: THANK YOU!
Have a happy birthday!
Jonny
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Short Stories | Narratives | Drawings | Poetry + Prose | Digital Art | Novels
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