{"id":983,"date":"2019-10-10T14:50:03","date_gmt":"2019-10-10T12:50:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/?page_id=983"},"modified":"2019-10-10T14:50:05","modified_gmt":"2019-10-10T12:50:05","slug":"down-to-earth","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/down-to-earth\/","title":{"rendered":"Down to earth"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"http:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web01-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-984\" srcset=\"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web01-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web01-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web01-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web01.jpg 1400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Three Norwegians have spent the summer warming up for Metallica. Our Russia-correspondent meets Bokassa before their show in Moscow.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Text<\/strong> Mats Vederhus<br><strong>Foto<\/strong> Mats Vederhus <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p> Metallica, with its three giants from California and the small dane Lars Ulrich, are playing a show in Moscow for the first time in four years. In 1991, the first time they played here, it was in front of half a million people, a few months before the dissolution of the Soviet Union and <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Russian_Soviet_Federative_Socialist_Republic\">Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic<\/a>. Since then, the Russians have never had enough. And the ones who have been tasked with getting the crowd ready are a small band from Trondheim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bokassa - Vultures (Official Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bppcTB337mk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>On the radio in the States<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The reason? Lars Ulrich is a fan of Bokassa, and played their music on his program&nbsp;<em>It\u2019s Electric&nbsp;<\/em>in the States<em>.&nbsp;<\/em>Bokassa consists of Olav Dowkes on drums, B\u00e5rd Linga on bass and J\u00f8rn Kaarstad on guitar and vocals. In November og December, they&#8217;re playing a tour of Europe, and are playing some Norwegian cities before that. Next year they&#8217;re playing in several Norwegian cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We&#8217;re followed in past the stage by a big guy called Mik. The mood backstage is one of controlled chaos. On our way to Bokassa&#8217;s room we walk past riggers, technicians, managers, and russian security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In a run down room that most of all resembles a wardrobe for football players are Bokassa. They sit in each corner of the room, as if they&#8217;d most of all like to be alone before warming up sixty thousand russians hungry for metal. Even so, they automatically come towards me with outstretched arms when I arrive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn&#8217;t seem like they struggle with being grounded even when they&#8217;re warming up for Metallica.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 What I miss most about being on tour is actually being with my daughter, says Linga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"761\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web02-761x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-985\" srcset=\"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web02-761x1024.jpg 761w, https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web02-223x300.jpg 223w, https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web02-768x1033.jpg 768w, https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/bokasa_web02.jpg 1041w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 761px) 100vw, 761px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bigger abroad<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Neither Kaarstad nor Linga thinks that Metallica are purposefully promoting Scandinavian bands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 I think it&#8217;s completely coincidental. They&#8217;re also bringing Ghost now, but they probably aren&#8217;t just picking Scandinavian bands. They&#8217;re just picking bands they happen to come across and like, says Kaarstad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What&#8217;s it like warming up for Metallica?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 It&#8217;s pretty surreal, actually. This is our fifteenth show, says Dowkes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 I think this might be our twentieth, says Kaarstad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s discussed as if they&#8217;re talking about performances at a local pub.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 Yeah, something like that. There are six left. It&#8217;s still very weird to go out on such a big stage and play for so many people, even though we&#8217;ve done many concerts now, says Dowkes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the advantages of warming up for Metallica is wider recognition abroad, thinksKaarstad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 We&#8217;re already seeing a boost, but we&#8217;ve always been bigger abroad than in Norway. It&#8217;s just the last year we&#8217;ve suddenly become big in Norway. Our debut record was hailed by Metalhammer, a british journal, at the same time as Norwegian media didn&#8217;t write a word. But now they&#8217;ve come around, as they often do, says Kaarstad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bokassa - Mouthbreathers Inc. (official video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DZ86JrXrsZk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Extreme coincidences<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The members of Bokassa aren&#8217;t old. They could have just finished university. Would they recommend students pursue music?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s something that&#8217;s possible to recommend on a general basis. It&#8217;s so individual, and depends on the person. It&#8217;s something you have to figure out on your own,  Linga replies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kaarstad disagrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 I wouldn&#8217;t recommend anyone pursue it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 Extreme coincidences and a good helping of luck have lead us to where we are today, says Dowkes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nonetheless, Linga thinks that if \u00abyou really want to, and will think about it forever if you don&#8217;t do it,\u00bb you should at least try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bokassa is the second Norwegian band to warm up for Metallica on this tour. Kvelertak was the first band, and Kaarstad has a buddy there \u2013 Maciek Ofstad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2013 I sent Maciek a text when we got the tour and asked \u00abare we going to handle this?\u00bb He replied \u00abyou&#8217;ll do fucking great,\u00bb ends Kaarstad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three Norwegians have spent the summer warming up for Metallica. Our Russia-correspondent meets Bokassa before their show in Moscow. Text Mats VederhusFoto Mats Vederhus Metallica,&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/down-to-earth\/\">\u0427\u0438\u0442\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0434\u0430\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0435<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Down to earth<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-983","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry"],"translation":{"provider":"WPGlobus","version":"3.0.0","language":"ru","enabled_languages":["en","ru","no"],"languages":{"en":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false},"ru":{"title":false,"content":false,"excerpt":false},"no":{"title":true,"content":true,"excerpt":false}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/983","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=983"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/983\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1343,"href":"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/983\/revisions\/1343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/matsvederhus.com\/ru\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=983"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}