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Russia's Putin pays thousands for secret 'Abba' show
www.thelocal.se ^ | 02/06/2009 | David Landes

Posted on 02/06/2009 11:10:53 AM PST by WesternCulture

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To: WesternCulture
http://www.americablog.com/2006/12/vladimir-putin-might-be-gay.html

ZAHN: ... including reports, Nikolas, that would suggest that people wouldn't be surprised if Vladimir Putin wouldn't want him dead, after he went public with allegations that Mr. Putin was having sex with men.


21 posted on 02/06/2009 11:55:43 AM PST by TSgt (Extreme vitriol and rancorous replies served daily. - Mike W USAF)
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To: RoseofTexas

From Wikipedia: “A cover band (or covers band) is a band that plays mostly or exclusively cover songs. Other common terms are wedding band, party band and function band.[citation needed]

Cover bands play songs written and recorded by other artists, usually well-known songs (as compared to “original” bands which play music they themselves have written). There are a wide variety of cover bands - some cover bands play material from particular decades, for example a 1980s cover band. Others focus exclusively on the music of a particular group, usually iconic groups, and are called tribute bands: it is not uncommon to find Led Zeppelin tribute bands, Pink Floyd tribute bands, Aerosmith tribute bands, or U2 tribute bands. Some cover bands will play a variety of song styles, of widely different artists, genres and decades. Another type of cover band is one that covers songs in a different genre or style than that of the original composition (e.g., jazz versions of what were originally hard rock songs).

Cover bands are very popular[citation needed] for weddings and corporate events, as well as in bars and clubs because they play many songs guests are familiar with.”


22 posted on 02/06/2009 11:59:07 AM PST by Ben Reyes (Palin 2012)
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To: WesternCulture

I think I read something a few years back that some promoter was trying to get them to do a reunion tour.

He was pretty serious about it, and offered them a couple bucks.

Rumor was he offered them a guaranteed BILLION DOLLARS.

They declined.


23 posted on 02/06/2009 12:00:25 PM PST by djf
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To: WesternCulture

$29,000? Mamma mia! Money, money, money.

Being a Russian leader, Putin probably demanded encores of “Waterloo.”


24 posted on 02/06/2009 12:06:04 PM PST by pogo101
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To: MikeWUSAF

In my eyes, Putin has now “come out”.

Being a guy admitting that Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (the male members of ABBA wrote all of the music and earned 90% of the money or something like that) were gifted composers is one thing.

Hiring an ABBA cover band to perform “in secret” for you, on the other hand, is something completely different.


25 posted on 02/06/2009 12:10:11 PM PST by WesternCulture
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To: djf
I surmised at the time that the reason ABBA declined was that after having to pay the extremely high Swedish taxes, they have another 90% tax on top of that on rich people. After all taxes they wouldn't have made much.

Lived next to the town of Abha Saudi Arabia. Around town we would occasionally see signs mistranslated into English as ABBA. I wonder how many were done on purpose by the translator as a joke.

26 posted on 02/06/2009 12:20:04 PM PST by Hillarys Gate Cult (The man who said "there's no such thing as a stupid question" has never talked to Helen Thomas.)
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To: WesternCulture
Isn't G Gordon Liddy also an ABBA fan?
27 posted on 02/06/2009 12:23:40 PM PST by sticker
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To: djf

“Rumor was he offered them a guaranteed BILLION DOLLARS.”

- Yes, according to Aftonbladet (Scandinavia’s largest daily newspaper), they were offered this sum to re-unite back in 1999. However, Aftonbladet wrote it was an American-British consortium that made the offer, not a single promoter.


28 posted on 02/06/2009 12:27:51 PM PST by WesternCulture
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To: Ahithophel

Hey! Oingo Boingo is too good for that commie bastard.


29 posted on 02/06/2009 12:29:41 PM PST by ExpatGator (Extending logic since 1961.)
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To: Hillarys Gate Cult
“I surmised at the time that the reason ABBA declined was that after having to pay the extremely high Swedish taxes, they have another 90% tax on top of that on rich people. After all taxes they wouldn't have made much.”

- This is true, to some extent. However, it has always been possible to build great fortunes in Sweden as long as you keep them in a company (that you own) and don't use them for private consumption.

In theory, this might stimulate investments, but in reality it's rather easy to move money around the world and use it for whatever purposes you like. By today, Swedish politicians have begun to rethink and even rich people live quite well, even on Swedish soil (while most rich Swedes still own much more luxurious apartments/condos/houses abroad):

http://www.skeppsholmen.se/english/displayObjectList.php?list=flats&section=hemTillSalu

http://www.skeppsholmen.se/english/displayObjectList.php?list=houses&section=hemTillSalu

http://www.skeppsholmen.se/english/displayObjectList.php?list=newProductionsForSale&section=nyproduktion

30 posted on 02/06/2009 12:37:51 PM PST by WesternCulture
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To: ExpatGator

Good point! He’s more deserving of the Dixie Chicks or one ply Sheryl Crow.


31 posted on 02/06/2009 2:25:03 PM PST by Ahithophel (Padron@Anniversario)
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To: WesternCulture

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his controversial kissing of a boy on the stomach was just a spontaneous gesture of affection.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5155448.stm


32 posted on 02/06/2009 3:38:14 PM PST by Whitebread
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To: Whitebread

“Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his controversial kissing of a boy on the stomach was just a spontaneous gesture of affection.”

- As a Swede of some education and a little experience of foreign countries, I’m well aware members of other cultures display affection in ways that differ a lot from ours.

But a head of state kissing a little boy on his stomach (in public or not) and explaining that it was all about wishing to “cuddle him like a kitten” constitutes an abnormal behavior and attitude by any standards.


33 posted on 02/06/2009 4:31:03 PM PST by WesternCulture
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To: Rum Tum Tugger

ABBA wrote many songs that were hits songs all over the world.


34 posted on 07/23/2013 1:27:22 PM PDT by Borges
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