| ABBA to reunite for movie premiere – Who cares? Some weeks ago, an Australian newspaper reported that ABBA will reunite for the premiere of "Mamma Mia! – The Movie“ in Stockholm in early July. What does "reunite“ mean? The four of them together on stage singing an old song like "Dancing Queen“? (Anything, but not "Thank You For the Music“, please!) A new song maybe? A new album, a world tour? Yeah right! And some newspaper in Australia has this sensational news exclusively. So it has to be true - after all, it was Australia that invented ABBAMANIA in the mid 70s! Now many fans who do not really care about the Mamma Mia! Movie consider travelling to Stockholm to see the unbelievable happen. If anything does happen, then it will be photo of the four. But who cares? I definitely wouldn’t want to put it into a lovely picture frame and place it on my desk, pushing photos of my beloved family aside, let alone put a poster of this photo on the wall. I mean – they’re in their 60s now. 30 year’s ago only 50% of the band were nice to look at, and this ratio certainly hasn’t improved since then! We know what they look like today. They have good moments and bad moments, and then Agnetha had her moment in 2004 when the world outside the fan circles was in awe looking at a beautiful woman promoting her new album. Only a few weeks later it was so obvious that some artists had done a little work on the photos to make Agnetha look so sensational. Occasionally Frida has similar wonders done too, but not to any photos. Only subtle "work", so there is no guarantee that she will be the most beautiful one of the four on every photo. Benny and Björn ... well, guess what, they’re the 50% of the band that even when they were half of their current age didn’t really look handsome. Now imagine those four people pushed together on a small stage like a herd of goats that had been lost in the mountains over the summer and were finally found and brought back into the village. They will be so scared that they’re about to freak out facing all those people with cameras, flash lights and microphones - even Björn the media whore! I am equally scared, but of the result of that photo session! I can imagine why the media and especially the PR machinery behind the Mamma Mia! movie would like to see the four former members of ABBA together for the premiere posing for a photo and giving interviews. It would be a sensational promotion for the movie that would be instantly everywhere in the world media - but without cost. I have no idea though why so many fans fervently wish for a photo of the four former ABBA members. It seems those people want to have proof that Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Frida still are good friends, that there’s still harmony and friendship - two of the things that made ABBA happen 35 years ago. Those fans obviously want to have a justification for their ongoing love for ABBA. The saying goes "How can anybody love you if you don’t love yourself?“. Translated into the ABBA fan world it means: "How can we still love ABBA when they don’t love each other anymore?" Those four former members of ABBA missed the chance during the premiere of the musical in Stockholm three years ago - when they were all in the same building - so they HAVE to do it now. No! Why? They didn’t want to do it back then and intentionally avoided situations where they could haven been photographed together. Does anybody think this has changed? When I push my indifference aside and think about it, I have to say: I don’t. The four former members of ABBA repeatedly say in interviews that they see each other only occasionally. To me that doesn’t sound like they eagerly want to show the world that they’re still best friends with each other. Would it make anybody happy if they didn’t do it because they wanted it, but only for the fans (and the media). And then only because they keep begging and whining about it? Yes, some people certainly would be on Cloud 9 if they had a photo of ABBA today and they would happily put this photo on their desk, right in front of the photos of their real life families – if there’s any worth mentioning. They long for some harmony in their lives, and if the only thing that could provide this is a photo of the four former members of ABBA pretending that there’s something that they have lost 25 years ago – then it has to be just this. If these fans don’t mind pretending the four former members of ABBA are family, then they certainly don’t mind this family faking harmony. More or less every family portrait doesn’t show the real feelings of the persons in it, doesn’t it? It might be the last chance for a photo of the complete band. Look what happened to Ola Brunkert : death comes quickly. Suddenly you’re dead and then you might regret not having posed for a last photo with your former spouse and the two former colleagues you spent years of your life with. Yes, I'm sure the last words of the four members on their death beds will be <heavy sarcasm intended> "I wish we had posed together for a last photo for our ever loving fans. Now that I face eternity, I finally realize that we do owe them something.“ Not!!!!!!!!!! For me it’s that simple: I love ABBA’s music and it’s a damned long time ago that Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Frida were ABBA. I don’t particularly adore the individuals that formed the band and who, with their synergy, created the best music ever. So I honestly don’t care what they do or don’t do now. Of course I will be interested to see if all four of them will show up for the premiere, what they look like and if they really pose together for a photo. But I am more interested in what the movie will look – and sound – like. And for 2009, what the ABBA Museum in Stockholm will be like. Oh gee, the museum! That will be in one year's time from now. So in one year we will hear the news again "ABBA to reunite for opening of museum“ - and again many fans will be lose sleep over the idea of a photo of the four former members of ABBA. To finally show the world that they have come to their senses and re-discovered their real feelings for each other. Guess what? – I plan to visit the museum in August, when I can be sure not to bump into any former members of ABBA. Erik | 
