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ENTERTAINMENT

A quickie with… Ben Kersley

Englishman Ben Kersley is billed as Sweden's only Swenglish stand-up comedian. The Local catches up with him as he prepares to perform two shows in Stockholm this weekend.

Published: 17 February 2009 14:36 CET
A quickie with... Ben Kersley

So, what was it that brought you to Sweden in 2006?

Well, me and my Swedish girlfriend were living in a flat in London. But after we had a kid we realized it wasn’t the ideal living situation. To live in a house with a garden in Sweden seemed like a more appealing alternative to us. So we decided to move.

Now that you’ve been here for over two years are you starting to get homesick?

Not really, since England is not that far away. And also, now when friends come to visit they’ll stay for longer whereas in London they’d only pop in for a half hour or so. In that way it’s almost as if I see them more now.

Is there a difference between performing for a Swedish audience compared to a British one?

I think the British audiences are more aggressive and people will react more to jokes that are offensive. I was actually surprised by how tolerant the Swedish audience is when it comes to jokes which come across as racist or otherwise offensive. Overall I’d say the Swedish audiences are less critical and less concerned about political correctness.

Is it challenging to perform in Swedish, since it is your secondary language?

Well, in England I used to do a lot of characters and sketch comedy, but in Sweden I can perform in a more natural state because I don’t have to put on an act: I already have the advantage of being a stupid foreigner.

I think Swedes have a strange relationship with the British. We are foreigners but acceptable. I think Swedes look up to England when it comes to things like music, art and culture.

I read some statistics about integration. And apparently in America they’ve calculated that it takes three years to ”fit in” as a foreigner whereas in Sweden it takes three generations. So, even though you’ve lived in Sweden your entire life you’ll still be viewed as a foreigner.

Apart from your own stand–up performance and journalistic writing, you also dedicate yourself to training Swedes in performance techniques. What’s your impression, are we easily trained?

I think Sweden is similar to other western countries when it comes to performance. Although one difference is that Swedes are more afraid of conflicts and more nervous about speaking English. Which is strange since Swedes generally are very good at English. It’s about the opposite of a French person who of course will perform with great confidence, speaking terrible English.

What do think is the most prominent cultural difference between Sweden and England?

In England we pride ourselves on being different or eccentric. Swedes on the other hand will do anything not to stand out. So, when it comes to Swedish stand-up there are a lot of people with foreign backgrounds.

Finally, do you have any words of wisdom for aspiring comedians out there?

There is this quote that I like. It was Bob Monkhouse, a famous British comedian who said it. It goes: ”When I was young and said that I wanted to be a comedian, people laughed at me. Well, they’re not laughing anymore.”

See Ben Kersley in action:

Price: 150 kronor (100 kronor for students and groups)

Time: Friday, February 20th & Saturday, February 21st – 8pm

Location: Playhouse Teater, Sibyllegatan 29 (Östermalm)

Tickets: Ticnet

More Information: www.speakup.se

MUSIC

Meet the Spanish rapper bringing flamenco and bossa nova into hip-hop

Spanish rapper C. Tangana was taking a big risk when he started mixing old-fashioned influences like flamenco and bossa nova into his hip-hop -- but it's this eclectic sound that has turned him into a phenomenon on both sides of the Atlantic.

Published: 23 May 2021 08:38 CEST
Meet the Spanish rapper bringing flamenco and bossa nova into hip-hop
Spanish rapper Anton Alvarez known as 'C. Tangana' poses in Madrid on April 29, 2021. Photo: Javier Soriano/AFP

The 30-year-old has emerged as one of the world’s biggest Spanish-language stars since his third album “El Madrileno” — the Madrilenian — came out in February. That ranks him alongside his superstar ex-girlfriend Rosalia, the Grammy-winning Catalan singer with whom he has co-written several hits.

C. Tangana, whose real name is Anton Alvarez Alfaro, has come a long way since a decade ago when he became known as a voice of disillusioned Spanish youth in the wake of the financial crisis.These days his rap is infused with everything from reggaeton and rumba to deeply traditional styles from Spain and Latin America, with a voice often digitised by autotune.

“It’s incredible that just when my music is at its most popular is exactly when I’m doing something a bit more complex, more experimental and less
trendy,” he told AFP in an interview.

And he is unashamed to be appealing to a wider audience than previously: his dream is now to make music “that a young person can enjoy in a club or someone older can enjoy at home while cooking”.

‘People are tired’

The rapper, who sports a severe semi-shaved haircut and a pencil moustache, has worked with Spanish flamenco greats including Nino De Elche, Antonio Carmona, Kiko Veneno, La Hungara and the Gipsy Kings.

In April he brought some of them together for a performance on NPR’s popular “Tiny Desk Concert” series, which has already drawn nearly six million
views on YouTube.

Shifting away from trap, one of rap’s most popular sub-genres, and venturing into a more traditional repertoire was a dangerous move — especially for someone with a young fanbase to whom rumba, bossa nova and bolero sound old-fashioned.

“I think people are tired. They’ve had enough of the predominant aesthetic values that have previously defined pop and urban music,” he said.

Parts of his latest album were recorded in Latin America with Cuban guitarist Eliades Ochoa of Buena Vista Social Club, Uruguayan
singer-songwriter Jorge Drexler, Mexican folk artist Ed Maverick and Brazil’s Toquinho, one of the bossa nova greats.

“What struck me most everywhere I went was the sense of tradition and the way people experienced the most popular music, and I don’t mean pop,” he said.

A new direction

C. Tangana started out in 2006 rapping under the name Crema. When the global economic crisis swept Spain a few years later, hard-hitting trap was
the perfect way to voice the angst of his generation. But after more than a decade of rapping, things changed.

“When I was heading for my 30s, I hit this crisis, I was a bit fed up with what I was doing… and decided to give voice to all these influences that I
never dared express as a rapper,” he said.

The shift began in 2018 with “Un veneno” (“A poison”) which came out a year after his big hit “Mala mujer” (“Bad woman”).

And there was a return to the sounds of his childhood when he used to listen to Spanish folk songs at home, raised by a mother who worked in
education and a journalist father who liked to play the guitar. The Latin American influences came later.

“It started when I was a teenager with reggaeton and with bachata which were played in the first clubs I went to, which were mostly Latin,” he said.

Studying philosophy at the time, he wrote his first raps between stints working in call centres or fast-food restaurants.

As to what comes next, he doesn’t know. But one thing he hopes to do is collaborate with Natalia Lafourcade, a Mexican singer who dabbles in folk, rock and pop — another jack of all musical trades.

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