The Brita Åhman Treachery
It’s party time for the guys in the Tower of Babel,
Sodom meet Gomorrha, Cain meet Abel.
Have a ball, y’all. See the letches crawl
With the call girls under the table.
Watch ‘em dig their graves
Cause Jesus don’t save the guys
In the Tower of Babel.
No, no, no!
(Elton John: “Tower of Babel”. Album: “Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy”, 1975)
It is unbelievable, but it has happened. Agnetha herself had a foreshadow it would
happen in her interview with Lasse Bengtsson. The English gutter press paper "The Mirror" now decided to be the dirty vehicle of this untold breach of trust. I won't set a link to the article, advertising its
perfidious content, it doesn't matter what it says. It is enough to know it's an incredible crime. The whole fan community is in furor, but can't do anything against it. Myself, and I know many others did it as well, have
written protest notes to the author of the article. I know it's an expression of helplessness, we can't make it undone and we won't reach the hearts of the people responsible for this. But I felt a little bit better afterwards.
Here is what I wrote to the reporter:
"Dear Ms. Davies
I'm not going to make many words. This is vicious and you know it. You give this untold traitress called Brita Åhman a platform to tell the world about things she only got to know absolutely off
the records and confidentially. Do you ever reason about how the people you write about may feel when they read it? I know you now will say: "Mate, in what a world do you believe to live? If I haven't done it, somebody
else would." That might be true. But if I were you, I would be ashamed of the job I have.
This "Garbo" shit you and the others are spreading is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If I were Agnetha, I wouldn't
only hide in the deepness of the Swedish forests, I'd consider to emigrate to another planet. A planet without any gutter press.
Regards, Johnny"
Agnetha,
when I read this article I cried tears of desperation because I knew how much it must
hurt you. I can't believe that a person can do something like this. Let me tell you that we, your fans, will love you forever and we don't believe one of those lies these scoundrels are spreading. I've seen all of your 2004
interviews and I know you are a completely different person than they want to make the world believe. Everybody who wants to see it, can see it.
This suffer you have to bear is the downside of fame, you have said it.
But when you sometimes ask yourself whether it is worth it, please try to imagine that there's an upside as well. We try to be your upside, the fans who are so thankful for your songs and your music. If this could give you just
a little bit of consolation, if it could be a small payback for the joy you're bringing to our lives, we would be happy.
Love,
Johnny
The following fan comments and notes of solidarity to Agnetha have been sent from the friends of abbafeatures.com forum and others to agnetha-forever.de and I’m glad to publish them here. (Contributions are in no particular order)
Here’s the email that Diego (UK) has sent to the “Mirror” reporter. I must admit that I’m impressed how calm and reasonable he managed to stay.
Barbara,
I read today your article about Agnetha Faltskog. I have to say
I was disappointed in your angle. Agnetha Faltskog is not a recluse, a Garbo. Today’s article only fuels more speculation as to her state of mind.
You write that Agnetha attended the Mamma Mia Premiere that she fled
after the show, that she refused to talk to her fans at the theatre and that she held up her hands at the bright flash lights inside the auditorium.
Barbara, were you there that night to see this actually happen? I was
there, outside waiting with all the other fans, I was lucky enough to have a ticket to see the premiere, and Barbara, I sat 5 metres from Agnetha, above and to her right which gave me a perfect unrestricted view of her all
evening long. I happened to be passing by her limousine when she arrived outside the theatre and I watched her get out of the limousine, adjust her poise and walk down the red carpet with pride, stopping to wave, smile and lap
up the atmosphere.
Many of us fans outside did not think she would show up. Why should she? Abba is no more, she no longer socialises with the other three, and she holds no financial interest in Mamma Mia The Show. She
came because she knew we would be there. I flew from Britain, but I spoke to others who had come from Australia, South Africa, Germany, Belgium, USA, and Japan ONLY to see if she showed up. The crowd outside went absolutely
crackers when they got wind of somebody important about to arrive. When she did, the crowd exploded. She was swiftly whisked along the red carpet by an over zealous bodyguard, but Agnetha did stop and pause on the red carpet
and just before entering the foyer, she paused, stopped, turned and stood with Gorel Hanser, (Abba’s ex-secretary) and was happy to be photographed.
Barbara, I did a “video diary” of the whole day. In it you see the
start of the day, the build up of fans, atmosphere, the laying of the red carpet, the arrival of Bjorn, Benny and Frida, I got Agnetha as she arrived and walked the red carpet. I also got some good and clear footage inside from
my seat.
As the crowds found their seats prior to the show, I sat and filmed as Agnetha signed a few autographs from her seat, I saw her looking around and enjoying the “buzz”, I saw her wave in my direction at a fan who
was calling out for permission to take a photograph - Agnetha said yes as she smiled over to us. You see and hear this all in my video diary.
The picture you used of Agnetha holding her arms up, was taken out of context,
she was saying to the flashing cameras, “Don’t take pictures of me, I am not the centre of attraction tonight, the cast on stage are”.
Expressen and Aftonbladet, two tabloid Swedish newspapers used the exact same
photograph, and they started this ridiculous “Agnetha Fled after the show” headline. She did not, she stayed for a while after the show, and she left exactly the same time as others.
We loved the fact she had come to see
Mamma Mia ! She enjoyed the show, from my seat I could not help but keep glancing down and over to Agnetha, to see her reaction during the show. She laughed at the jokes, she clapped with the rest of us to the magical songs,
and she stood and sang along at the encore of Dancing Queen, Waterloo, and Mamma Mia. This was not a lonely woman; this was a woman enjoying a night out with a close friend.
The main theme of your article is the suicide
of Agnetha’s mother. This nobody knows how she took. It would be obvious that a daughter mourns her mother. The statement in the article that she has “moved further into the forest” – Is this a fact? As far as we the close fans
of Abba are concerned, Agnetha remains on her ranch, yes in privacy, but definitely not a prisoner there.
Your statement that Agnetha’s marriage ended in 1981 is not true, she and Bjorn separated in 1978, Christmas Day
and let the world know early in 1979. The opinion that the recent documentary to promote the album “My Colouring Book”, was “amateurish” is just that, an opinion, others would say the documentary had a “raw” and “unplugged”
feel to it, an intentional image running throughout the documentary. “My Colouring Book” was a great success reaching number 12 in the UK charts, not mentioned in your article.
Quoting Brita Ahman also is a dubious
source, a long history of a “feud” is well known to fans, and we are aware of Brita feeling bitter at Agnetha for restraining her from having total editorial control of “As I Am”, the biography released in 1996.
Agnetha
has many “enemies” in this world, especially amongst journalists. Aftonbladet and Expressen have long made it known they wish to portray Agnetha as a “Garbo”, in the recent Swedish TV4 interview, Agnetha spoke at length about
the “Garbo” image, about these so called “phobias”, did you perhaps do some research and view this interview to see what Agnetha had to say about all those allegations?
Your article has caused a stir in the world of Abba
fans; your article is referred to many times on all the popular fan web sites. Maybe view the web sites and see the reaction to your article. Some simple research, a few phone calls to some of the people who were actually AT
the premiere and your article may well have taken a different angle. I do ask, why April to publish this article? Why not February when the premiere took place and the buzz within Abba fandom was at its highest.
Yours,
A dedicated fan,
Diego Lopez.
Agnetha,
yesterday was one hell of a day for me. At about midnight, I got an email with a link to
an article in the Mirror. I couldn't believe what I was reading. My feelings ranged from sorrow to anger. I wanted to send a hug out across the miles to you, because if it hurt me that badly, I could only imagine how you must
have hurt.
Know this: your fans love you, and no, we do not believe the press. You have absolutely no need to defend yourself to anyone. You have not only our love, but our respect and support.
God bless you.
Scott Booth (USA)
Dear Agnetha,
How awful that Ms Ahman has decided to profit from your one-time
friendship with her in this way. She has no right to tell the gutter press personal details about your family and your life. It feels intrusive of your privacy to know about these things from a second party. I want to express
my sympathy and support for you.
Please be assured that you have many fans who will always genuinely care for you and are only interested in your health and happiness.
With much love and respect’
Liz, UK
Dear Agnetha,
Im sorry about what happened with Brita Ahman.
She had no right to do what she did! She'll get hers one day,
dont worry about it. You have many fans that love you and your music and respect you as a person. Don't ever forget that!
Sincerely,
Allison Nance, 17
United States
Barbara Davies,
Brita Ahman is a devil and you volunteered in being the devil's
companion. You are responsible in the same way as she for committing this crime on the human being Agnetha Fältskog. Be assured that your name now is burned into the memory of every single fan. And be assured that we will hate
it with all of our heart.
A furious fan
Dear Agnetha,
The article that appeared in the UK newspaper The Mirror upset me a great
deal. I can't imagine what it must have done to you. I, myself, was sickened so
much by the newspaper's intrusion into your privacy, that I felt compelled to
email the journalist and tell her how I felt.
I am more upset with Brita Ahman. She has abused that fact that you were
once friends, and that you trusted her.
Whatever the press say about you, your fans will always be by your side,
supporting you.
We love you, Agnetha.
Jennie, UK
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If it counts to be among the leading bloodhounds in the battue, of course Swedish gutter press paper EXPRESSEN can’t stay behind. No question they had to publish a big follow-up to the British “Mirror” raid on April 24th, 2005. Here’s my letter to publisher Otto Sjöberg and responsible reporters Ida Thunberg and Robert Borjesson:
Beträffande: Sluta klapp-jakten! |
Agnetha! Only rely and trust on the people who love you. Try to don’t care for the rest. We’re out here, you can be sure about it. That’s what counts.
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