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Among the most remarkable contacts I have made occurred in the summer of 2001, when I received an e-mail from Ingar Knudtsen in Norway. Ingar's story unfolded over a series of e-mails. Initially, he told me modestly that he was a "writer" but after a few more inquiries from me, and some research on the internet, I discovered that he is a much-published man in Norway, where he is the country's most celebrated science fiction and fantasy writer. He has published about 25 books (six of them national prize-winners) and his very first published item, as a teenager, was a piece about Billy in the national publication Det Nye.
The book is about magic, rock and roll, witches, the life of Ivan, a poor sewing machine repairer and the beautiful and terrible Indian goddess Kali. Ingar, a full-time writer since 1975, has written articles about Billy, Marty Wilde and Joe Brown for Norwegian publications. He lives in Kristiansund (don't confuse it, as I did initially, with the ferry port of Kristiansand).
"One TV interview ended with me smiling and snapping my fingers to the beat of the up-tempo part of Since You've Been Gone," he told me. Ingar said he had never grown tired of the magic of rock and roll and Billy Fury. "His music is still a source of inspiration and strength to me, a way of getting in touch with the gentler and less cynical side of myself, as well as making me remember important things that were momentarily forgotten or put aside." Radio Luxembourg introduced Ingar to Billy's music and by the greatest good fortune, he recorded (and kept) parts of some of the Billy's Pad programmes. I have copies, which will be archived on this site for everyone to enjoy. Ingar told me that in a Norwegian biographical encyclopædia, he is quoted as saying that Billy's early recordings taught him that commercial success and quality were not necessarily the same. "And it is true. I remember being surprised and even hurt that Colette, Wondrous Place and A Thousand Stars didn't go straight to the top of the charts." Ingar's daughter, Toini, is leader and singer in a rockabilly band, Toini and the Tomcats, and she recorded A Wondrous Place in 1988. It's a great pleasure to have heard from Ingar and I'm very grateful to him for his generosity and for sharing his personal experiences. It's also a reminder that although the vast majority of Billy's fans are in the UK, he spread his magic throughout the world.April 2005: Since the above was written, Toini's version of A Wondrous Place has, of course, been included on our Without You album. I've also heard from Ingar that a second book, which also mentions Billy, has now been published, and he has produced a page on his website which explains (in Norwegian) how he came to be interested in Billy. You'll find it at http://www.forfatter.net/knudtsen/artikler/2005/billyfuryart.shtml In case it disappears from the web, I've also archived it here. |
Among the great rewards of producing this site are the fact that it brings me into contact with so many genuinely good people, and that I am often the first point of contact for those, in different parts of the world, whose lives have been touched by Billy.
One of his novels, Kalis Sang (Kali's Song) is set in 1963 and its hero, Ivan, is a Billy Fury fan. There's even some Billy Fury artwork on the dust jacket. Ingar has been kind enough to send me an autographed copy of Kalis Sang, which unfortunately, is now out of print and much sought-after.
Ingar tells me that he takes every opportunity to promote Billy in Norway, mentioning his interest during interviews, and often persuading the producer to play a Billy Fury number.