So farewell, 2021! 

It’s been a funny old year and looking back, I can’t decide whether it’s been a fantastic year or a bit of a shitty one. First the shitty bits: Separation, death, fire, and of course a…

It’s a few hours before midnight on the last day of 2020. Even though I don’t really feel like it, I feel I need to force myself to write up a few things about the year that has gone, if…

Last night was the first of the socially distanced comedy nights. And in many ways, it went as planned. 

A beautiful summer’s evening, with a massive audience of 5 people, who got just over 30 minutes of bespoke stand up…

Here's a transcript of the event description on Facebook. 

1. Varför är det här på engelska? Linköping är ju i Sverige! Fy fan! 

The short answer to that is: Deal with it! The longer answer is a combination of ‘Come…

Like every artistically inclined soul out there, I have seen this period of social distancing not as an inconvenience, but as a great opportunity. My plan is to use this time to live life to the fullest.

In other words…

Corona. It’s here. It is amongst us. And like every other non-expert out there, I don’t really know what to do other than follow official advice. 

As the saying goes - Plan for the worst, hope for the best  -…

As the year draws to an end, it’s time to do a quick summary of the year that has gone. I’ve snuck away to my office to write this as the smell of cooking rises up the stairs and as…

A couple of Sundays ago stand up comedy in Linköping went underground. Well, into an underground carpark at least. 

The original plan was to put the show on with the audience lounging around on picnic blankets outside Stadshuset, sipping white…

It’s the end of an era. L‘Orient has closed its giant wooden doors for the last time and headed east. I went to the final couple of live events there and amongst the drinking and music there was a sense…

It's raining. It's mid-July. And I remembered that I have a blog. I guess I'm suffering from that mid-summer malaise of the freelancer. This is the point in the summer, usually when the rain is falling hardest, where you realise…

It was a funny old week last week, in more ways that one. I went to see some politicians from the culture department speak about their vision for Linköping’s kulturliv. The event came to me as a bit of a…

As 2018 draws to a close, here's a quick look back at the year that was. 

Like most years, when you sit back during those strange, long-weekend-like days between Xmas and New Year, it’s hard to remember what…

It's almost Xmas. I'm exhausted. My defences and usual cynicism have been gently eroded over an intensive month. I've been holed up, writing until my fingers bleed. On the few occasions I have ventured out into the real world…

Just a quick one to say that I am on my way to New York to attend the Nordic International Film Festival (NIFF) where we'll show a few scenes from the film, which is now called 'Big in Sweden'…

I need to start this blog post with a warning and a caveat. 

First the warning: This is about Linköping’s cultural life, so perhaps appeals to a very small group of readers. If you have any sense and…

Do you do sport? Sport, we are told, is good for you. If you do do sport, good for you.  

Sport is great. There's the getting sweaty and the bonding with other sweaty people. There’s the balls and…

In a few weeks, it’s election time in Sweden. What I have learnt over the years is that local politicians don’t really do a lot. There’s a lot of scratching of balls and drinking of coffee, with the occasional clipping…

I wanted to write a few words about Mr Cool-gate and what it means for Linköping. Within the context of Linköping's desire to be the third biggest event city in Sweden, I think it may be significant. I know that…

In the past, I may have inadvertently ejaculated barbed comments to the effect that you never get anything from Linköpings Kommun. I take it all back. I retract all previous allegations. Last Wednesday, on Sweden's national day, Linköping Kommun…

Friday was largely dedicated to spitting out the words ‘Linköping Bloody Kommun’ through gritted teeth. 

For accuracy, I should say that this wasn’t just an average day to day ‘Linköping Bloody Kommun’ swearathon - When you live in…

On Saturday night, I was back at The Crypt to do a short set as part of my friend Gustav's birthday celebrations. The Crypt has the potential to be one of the nicest venues in Linköping, if it weren't…

It's that time of year again when we have to remind Stångestaden that unless it involves singing, dancing, juggling, sword-swallowing, playing a musical instrument or making a dog jump through a hoop, it's not an audition.  

The word…

So that's Linköping Comedy Festival over for another year. Thank you to everyone who made it possible: Audiences, comedians, techies, staff at Frimis and sponsors, Visit Linköping, Botrygg and Mannersons. 

It was a smaller, more intimate festival this…

Ten years ago, I got together with Kjell Nyholm and Jessica Karlén, a couple of comedians from Kisa and put together the first ever LKPG HA HA! at Nationernas Hus in Linköping.  

I thought the anniversary was today…

Having tiny little hands is good for only a few things: Cleaning the inside of a clarinet, clapping enthusiastically without making too much noise, knitting a scarf for a gerbil and being the president of the USA.  

All…