Take a Chance

Waiting for "Waterloo" by ABBA for Sweden.

I miss her incredibly.

Nearly not a day goes by where I don't think about her.

Agnetha Fältskog!

Do you have a favorite outfit?

Yes, personally I like jeans and pullover.

You and Frida always look, absolutely beautiful.

Sometimes, I think…

…that if I told people this…

…they'd think I'm just lying.

We loved each other.

We want ABBA!

The thing about fan worship…

…It's a fantasy.

Certain types of extreme fans truly believe that they know them.

You get a lot of letters and strange things from slightly sick people.

This was definitely idolatry at its most extreme.

He was the one who loved Abba the most.

From eight years old he was like, "I want her."

This was someone who took their infatuation

one step, two steps, three steps further.

Stalking is a pattern of unwanted, fixated, obsessive behavior.

It's very dangerous.

The Dutchman who for several months stalked and harassed Agnetha Fältskog

was today convicted at Solna Tingsrätt.

It was the beautiful blonde attacked by a terrible, ugly man,

but every story has two sides.

She wrote me a letter.

This is the proof I have of us having a good relationship.

This love story that he has created isn't love. It's a crime.

This man who stalked you, is he still bothering you?

I don't know if I can talk about that. Due to security reasons, I can't.

Today he was convicted of harassment.

I've rarely heard a story with such wild swings between euphoria and terror.

-Do you still love her? -Yes, I love her very much.

COEVORDEN, NETHERLANDS

22 YEARS AFTER THE VERDICT

"Hello, Agnetha."

"I will never send this letter, and you will never read it."

"But it feels good to write to you anyway."

"There's not a lot going on here in Coevorden."

"I still work at the warehouse."

"You don't have to think very much. I like that."

"I think way too much otherwise."

-Hello. -Welcome.

"I've begun seeing a therapist."

"We spoke about you today. About our relationship."

"He wondered why things came to an end."

"I didn't know how to reply."

"Why did you break up with me?"

It's very sensitive.

Because…

Because it's not over.

Not for my part, at least.

The thing is that I had a relationship with a famous woman.

And the woman keeps denying that there was ever a relationship.

And I'm in the papers again,

with "he's stalking me and ruining my life."

It sounds strange, but when I tell people, most people think:

"He's lying like crazy. It can't be true."

It's definitely a very unlikely story, unbelievable story, I have to say.

-Isn't it? -You're free to say so.

A man from the Netherlands that's no Brad Pitt, so to say.

That this has happened, so to say. This is very special.

When I heard about his story I only knew very little.

My picture was that he really did not have a relationship with her.

So I was just curious what is his real story?

Not only what's written in the media.

CLASSMATE

I went to elementary school with Gert van der Graaf.

And I remember him as a quiet boy. He kept to himself.

I don't remember Gert, probably because nobody noticed him.

But even then you should remember somebody. It's just strange.

It must have been hard on him as well.

I didn't have a lot of friends as a child.

I was a bit of a distant person.

When I turned eight, I got a turtle named Bram.

As soon as I got home from school, I gave him something to eat.

Some minced meat or a worm or something.

Bram was a sort of friend to me. I developed a bond with him.

He was always there for me.

My sibling always brought home classmates and they played together,

but I was always alone at home, alone in my room, playing with things I liked,

or listening to music.

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.

Welcome to the 19th Eurovision Song Contest.

I remember that I was eight years old.

My dad sat down on the couch, and we watched the Eurovision Song Contest.

First it was England, then France…

…and after that, it's Sweden.

We move into Sweden, the largest of the Scandinavian countries.

Although we are looking at streets, it's full of mountains, lakes, and forests.

Of course it's full of blonde Vikings. This is why it's good for pictures.

These are ABBA. If all the judges were men,

I'm sure they would get a lot of votes. You will see why in a minute.

Their song is called "Waterloo."

I remember that Agnetha and Frida walked down some stairs

and started singing "Waterloo."

I've seen this a hundred thousand times.

That evening, my life was changed.

A new world opened up.

I was caught by Agnetha's eyes.

Those beautiful, blue eyes.

They were pretty to look at, her eyes.

I loved the song and started singing. "Waterloo, Waterloo, Waterloo!"

And I sang again. "Waterloo, Waterloo!" Until my dad said:

"Stop singing 'Waterloo'! You're driving me crazy!"

The winning song of the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest.

Sweden with "Waterloo," performed by ABBA.

ABBA won, and I was really happy.

After that night, I was mad about ABBA.

As soon as the Eurovision Song Contest ended,

I went up to my room and tried to set up the radio to listen to "Waterloo" again.

For the next number, would you kids like to join us here?

It's a song called "Waterloo"!

The magic that happens when ABBA plays is crazy.

It was such a good song, so catchy and fresh. They looked amazing.

We got the song that won by the Swedish group ABBA. It's about Waterloo.

Eurovision was the perfect launching pad to go international.

Suddenly we've reached take-off, and the rocket lifts off. "Oh my God."

They are ABBA and their song that everyone wants to hear is at number 1.

In the '70s, there was an ABBA hysteria.

They had millions of fans from all around the world.

In Australia, more people watched ABBA on TV

than watched the coverage of the first man landing on the moon.

They had the whole package.

Geeky guys, gorgeous girls, fabulous music. It's irresistible.

ABBA is already selling hundreds of thousands

of records in the US.

They were touring, revered, loved, cracking America, cracking countries.

They were huge.

We're proud of what we've accomplished,

and that's what we want the world to know.

They were the modern Beatles.

How does it feel to be an idol?

I'm exhausted!

Gert sets his sights on Agnetha from a very young age.

This attraction was about her beauty and what she symbolized.

It wasn't that she was a great singer or that they were a great band.

"I love their music. It makes me want to dance." It was all about her.

Gert has loved Agnetha since he was eight years old.

It's hard to get rid of an obsession like that.

Here is a collection of CDs.

Agnetha's complete Swedish repertoire.

And here I've got lots of movies, Swedish movies.

Fifteen years ago, I wrote the book "Fans" about idolatry and obsession.

That's when I met Gert van der Graaf.

I've got a few t-shirts as well.

Everything I have is Swedish.

I interviewed Gert van der Graaf for three days.

One reason why I wrote "Fans"

was that I myself have been a fan of a number of artists.

So I could relate, in part, to his extreme devotion.

My room was in the attic. There I could be alone,

and I started gathering information about ABBA and Sweden.

I collected things, I read magazines, and I watched Swedish movies.

Emil of Lönneberga, Pippi Longstocking.

Gert loves Sweden, and he has a pretty idealized,

Astrid Lindgren-based image of Sweden as a nation.

I liked Volvo, Saab, Scania, Volvo trucks.

Electrolux, Ikea, Husqvarna.

Swedish food.

Salisbury steak, minute steak, hot dogs, falukorv sausage…

I loved everything that had to do with Sweden and ABBA.

Perhaps this can be compared with how some people have a hole inside,

and then they find Jesus.

ABBA may have become an ersatz family or circle of friends.

Since he didn't have any other friends, other than a turtle,

he could dive into these records,

into the glittering world that ABBA offered.

He found something that he could focus on, fixate on, and fantasize about.

Then it became… It grew into a fixation, a delusion, a fantasy.

ABBA's music worked as a medicine for him.

It healed his soul,

and Agnetha Fältskog became his obsession, his love, and his worship.

When I was a teenager, the others in my class

started getting boyfriends and girlfriends.

I went home and listened to ABBA.

I became more and more interested in Agnetha.

A very Happy New year to all our Dutch viewers.

-From Frida. -From Benny.

-And from Björn. -And from Agnetha.

It could feel deep down inside that Agnetha was becoming interesting.

I think she's amazing.

Where did you meet? Is it a long story?

Oh, it's a long story.

At first I met Björn, and Frida met Benny. Then we got together later.

-And joined up as a foursome. -But we met as friends.

Agnetha was my first true love.

But unfortunately, she was married to Björn.

You've almost been promoted as…

From the beginning it's been very clear that you are two couples.

You're a tight unit where you're not only recording, singing, touring,

but you're married to each other! It's not like they, "How was your day at work?"

"I've been with you in the studio. We're writing songs, singing, arguing, touring."

That's intense.

Something earth-shattering is happening

in the personal lives of Agnetha and Björn,

causing upheaval in journalists' minds: a divorce.

-As you can see, we are good friends. -Oh.