After Dark (drag duo)
Encyclopedia
After Dark is a Swedish
drag act
, consisting of Christer Lindarw
and Lars "Lasse" Flinckman. The group was founded in 1976, simultaneously as they, together with Roger Jönsson, opened their own night club in Stockholm
, called After Dark Club. Since that time, they have become a major part of Swedish LGBT
culture. The duo has also had international success, performing in Barcelona
, Madrid
and San Francisco.
, the yearly Swedish song festival that selects the Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest
. Their song "La dolce vita" went straight from its qualifying heat to the final night, and there finished third. The single of the song became a major hit on Swedish radio, and were often played in Swedish day nurseries. Later that same year, in the autumn, they sat up a new drag show with the same name as the tune in Stockholm's main amusement park
, the Gröna Lund
.
In the fourth and final Melodifestivalen semifinal
on February 24, 2007, After Dark performed the song "(Åh) när ni tar saken i egna händer". The act was in the Top 5 after the first vote, but ended up in the 5th place after the second vote and did not proceed to the finals. This time, Christer Lindarw's former partner Flinckman did not participate. If the first part of the song name is spoken quickly (Åh när ni), it is pronounced "Onani" which is the Swedish word for masturbation. Almost all of the lyrics can be interpreted (in Swedish) as relating to masturbation. For example, "Tina, hon matar sig lugn. Hon pillar på knappen på sin varmluftsugn, glöm vispar och slevar här finns dip till tusen, använd fingret det gör susen". Roughly translated: "Tina, she satisfies her hunger. She touches the button on her oven. Forget whip and ladle, there is plenty of sauce, use your finger every time". The names used in the lyrics; Martin, Tina, Ernst and Bosse are all names of Swedish TV celebrities which, according to the Swedish news source Aftonbladet
, gave their consent. The song is however performed "elegantly, intelligently and with style" and can just as well be interpreted as being about home improvement.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
drag act
Drag queen
A drag queen is a man who dresses, and usually acts, like a caricature woman often for the purpose of entertaining. There are many kinds of drag artists and they vary greatly, from professionals who have starred in films to people who just try it once. Drag queens also vary by class and culture and...
, consisting of Christer Lindarw
Christer Lindarw
Christer Lindarw, born 3 March 1953 in Eskilstuna, Södermanlands län, is a Swedish clothes designer, the country's best known drag queen artist, and the leader of dragshow group After Dark.Lindarw was trained at Beckmans in Stockholm...
and Lars "Lasse" Flinckman. The group was founded in 1976, simultaneously as they, together with Roger Jönsson, opened their own night club in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, called After Dark Club. Since that time, they have become a major part of Swedish LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
culture. The duo has also had international success, performing in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and San Francisco.
Eurovision Song Contest
In 2004, After Dark participated in MelodifestivalenMelodifestivalen
Melodifestivalen is an annual music competition organised by Swedish public broadcasters Sveriges Television and Sveriges Radio . It determines the country's representative for the Eurovision Song Contest, and has been staged almost every year since 1959...
, the yearly Swedish song festival that selects the Swedish entry for the Eurovision Song Contest
Eurovision Song Contest
The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union .Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition...
. Their song "La dolce vita" went straight from its qualifying heat to the final night, and there finished third. The single of the song became a major hit on Swedish radio, and were often played in Swedish day nurseries. Later that same year, in the autumn, they sat up a new drag show with the same name as the tune in Stockholm's main amusement park
Amusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
, the Gröna Lund
Gröna Lund
Tivoli Gröna Lund or Grönan is an amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located on the seaward side of the Djurgården island and is relatively small compared to other amusement parks, mainly due to its central location, which limits expansion. Gröna Lund is a popular venue for concerts during...
.
In the fourth and final Melodifestivalen semifinal
Melodifestivalen 2007 (semifinals)
The semifinals for Melodifestivalen 2007 began on 3 February 2007. There were five semifinals in Jönköping, Gothenburg, Örnsköldsvik, Gävle and Nyköping leading up to the final at the Globen on 10 March, 2007.-Preselection:...
on February 24, 2007, After Dark performed the song "(Åh) när ni tar saken i egna händer". The act was in the Top 5 after the first vote, but ended up in the 5th place after the second vote and did not proceed to the finals. This time, Christer Lindarw's former partner Flinckman did not participate. If the first part of the song name is spoken quickly (Åh när ni), it is pronounced "Onani" which is the Swedish word for masturbation. Almost all of the lyrics can be interpreted (in Swedish) as relating to masturbation. For example, "Tina, hon matar sig lugn. Hon pillar på knappen på sin varmluftsugn, glöm vispar och slevar här finns dip till tusen, använd fingret det gör susen". Roughly translated: "Tina, she satisfies her hunger. She touches the button on her oven. Forget whip and ladle, there is plenty of sauce, use your finger every time". The names used in the lyrics; Martin, Tina, Ernst and Bosse are all names of Swedish TV celebrities which, according to the Swedish news source Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet
Aftonbladet is a Swedish tabloid founded by Lars Johan Hierta in 1830 during the modernization of Sweden. It is one of the larger daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. Aftonbladet is owned by the Swedish Trade Union Confederation and Norwegian media group Schibsted, and its editorial page...
, gave their consent. The song is however performed "elegantly, intelligently and with style" and can just as well be interpreted as being about home improvement.