Q+A THOMAS ROBSAHM
CLASSIC POP CHATS TO THE DIRECTOR OF THE CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED NEW LONGFORM DOCUMENTARY, A-HA: THE MOVIE
BARRY PAGE
The son of actors Ugo Tognazzi and Margarete Robsahm, Thomas Robsahm, has been directing documentaries for the past 30 years. His latest feature focuses on Norway’s biggest pop group, a-ha. The movie delves deeply into the complex relationship between the trio.
When did a-ha first come to your attention, and what were your initial impressions of them?
I saw them when they performed the first released version of Take On Me on Norwegian TV station NRK back in 1984. I wasn’t impressed. At the time I had my own band, also synth-based but darker. Some friends had been to London and had met them and heard their demos – they thought they sounded dreadful! But when I heard The Sun Always Shines On TV I was blown away. No Norwegian band had ever been anywhere near something so masterful – and I’d say that nobody has since.