MARTIN LJUNG: UPPTÄCKSRESANDEN (live version)

Today I heard the sad news that Sweden's funniest comedian of all time, Martin Ljung had passed away. He was born in 1917 in Notviken, Luleå, which is not far from where I grew up and played as a child. Speaking about children, Ljung was somewhat of a child prodigy and the entertainment legend Ernst Rolf met the young Martin Ljung in the early 1930s, and was impressed by him and even offered him to join his stage shows in Stockholm. That did not happen though, since Ernst Rolf committed suicide just when Martin Ljung was about to leave Luleå for Stockholm. Ljung stayed in Luleå and worked as a blacksmith for some years before moving to Stockholm where he met the young comedian and musician Povel Ramel (1922-2007), who I've already written about and talked about several times here. Ramel was impressed by Martin Ljung's ability to imitate a Wurlitzer Theatre Organ with his voice and invited him to appear on a radio show. Ramel and Ljung would work together for several years, and during the 1950s, Martin Ljung was a true star in Povel Ramel's stage shows called "Knäppupp". Martin Ljung had a very deep distinct bass voice which he could modulate in a very comical way and he also was a master at putting the stress and emphasis on words in a very comical style. He was probably the best comical monologue performer of all time in Sweden and he was also a good singer and dancer. Way later in life he also started composing music, and he was described as a man who never stopped being curious to learn more things. He also has been described as a man who was just as fun offstage as onstage. Now he's gone. He died September 30, aged 93, but we still have his records and DVDs of his movies. Rest in peace.

This is a very rare live version of the monologue "Upptäcktsresanden" (=the Explorer) which was released on EP and 12" 78 rpm record by record label "Knäppupp" in March 1955. That version was a studio recording but as you all know, comedy needs an audience to react to all the funny things being said, and this version was released on the very scarce Knäppupp LP "M -- som i Martin" (=M as in Martin) from 1961. It is as you may hear quite worn and it skips at one point, but never mind. If you understand Swedish, you'll hear a version of a famous monologue (written by Povel Ramel) which is less known (and much funnier) than the common studio version.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Martin Ljung
• eulogy
• Knäppupp
• Povel Ramel
• record collecting

[ananders53]

Vila i frid Martin, har letat länge efter denna monolog. Tack 78rpmblog.

[TheStig1961]

Frid över Marting Ljung's minne.