Boken om OKEJ: 80-talets största poptidning (In Swedish)
By: Jörgen Holmstedt
Oktober 2010, 339 pages
The mouse that should have shouted…
Okej was really the magazine that took over for POSTER as the Swedish #1 music paper. And the magazine was around until the fall of 2010. In 1980 Hans G Hatwig was the editor of both Okej and POSTER, until POSTER folded. Okej was really a magazine for all teenagers and featured everything from really mainstream pop to trash metal.
Kiss was as in POSTER probably the most featured artist in the first four to five years of the magazines history. And It’s more or less safe to say that many of those who bought Okej in the 80′s were Kiss fans. A Kiss article was a fast and safe way to sell a lot more issues of each number. Hans Hatwig as a editor made the most of this.
The magazine featured Kiss heavily already from the beginning. This was around the time “The Elder” came out, so there were many new pictures from the Barry Levine photo sessions. Okej also had a couple of interviews that I have not seen anywhere else. And it seemed like Kiss really wanted to drop the makeup and wanted to become a “serious” band.
In 1982 Okej also had several articles about how bad the state of Kiss was. A couple of articles centered around Ace’s problems/addiction. There were a interview with Steve Buslow (Meat Loafs bass player and bass player on Paul’s solo album) that didn’t leave Kiss much of a future. Then there were an article about Killers and their new heavier style (quite similar to the Kerrang article that came out about the same time)
The first issue in 83 had a long article about the promo visit to Stockholm in November 82. Kiss had visited the Okej office and did a long interview and photo session for the magazine. Photos from this photo session was also featured heavily in other future editions of Okej. No.1-83 is in my mind really the best issue that featured Kiss together with no.22-83.
In the spring of 83 there were a lot of articles about Vinnie Vincent joining the band. There were also articles about the “10th anniversary tour” (Creatures of the night tour). Okej also had a make-up contest were the winning price was to meet Kiss on their upcoming European tour in the fall. Quite ironical when we now know that it was their first tour unmasked. During the spring of 1983 the magazine also started to feature posters (I believe this is correct?). The first Kiss poster was a cool posed “live-shot” from the Creatures photo session in no.11.83. The magazine had also gone from being released once a month to coming out every fourth night.
The first “LIU” article was about the unmasking on MTV combined with a Gene interview. There were also a couple of articles building the anticipation to the European tour. The next big Kiss article was in no.22-83. It was a big article about the concerts in Gothenburg and Stockholm in November 83. The article was a great “behind the scenes” insight on the band on that tour. Everything from their re-visit to the restaurant Räkan in Gothenburg to Eric Carr’s eye-inflammation. Just great stuff all around.“
This is probably the most difficult review I have written in this blog. Because the book in itself isn’t half bad. The problem with the book is that It’s piss poor when It comes to the Kiss content. And that’s why I bought the book, and Kiss is what this blog is about. Kiss is of course featured in the book. And It is of course the first chapter. But It seems that Jörgen Holmstedt has given the band space just because he had to. The pictures are just OK and nothing more. And when one knows how many pictures Hans H. took of the band in just in 1982, It’s incredible that he didn’t feature more. The article in itself is some generic drivel with Gene that could have been done yesterday. Just reprinting the 1982 or 1983 interviews would have been so much better.
So if you want to buy this book for the Kiss stuff. At least check It out in a bookstore first, you probably won’t buy It. If you just want an nostalgic book about the magazine Okej, and don’t care much about Kiss, then It’s a good book.
Verdict: 3/10