The story of my lifeMy father worked as the main gardener in a large mental hospital by the Oslo fjord, in a small place called Asker, twenty minutes drive south west of Oslo city. He worked there all his life until he retired, planting hundreds of trees, growing vegetables, flowers, apples, plums, carrots, salad, strawberries, everything you need of such in a large hospital. We were six children and I was number three, with two larger brothers. My playmates were my brothers, sisters, neighbours, mental patients, some had done bad things but they never hurt us. At all times I have had the highest respect for every human being, regardless of their background and who they are. I grew up in the most scenic place on earth by the fjord, and I do still live with a view to the home i grew up in, and live my childhood playgroud every day of the year biking, walking, running, swimming.
By six I was biking around all over, and by nine I started as a newspaper boy. I had been biking with an older kid, when he delivered the newspapers, and one day he asked me to take over his evening route of the deliveries of Aftenposten, the largest newspaper in Norway. I loved biking, and I got paid to do it. I would not know what money was for at age nine, but I took the job. There were a hundred or so newspapers to deliver, I did my 10 km (6 miles) Kirkesletta route in an hour or so every day after school. A year or so later the newspaper asked me if I could do the morning papers too. I said yes. So I was up 5am in the morning to deliver those very heavy morning papers, then I had the other evening papers to deliver after school.
For the rest of the day I was enjoying what must have been the perfect place to grow up in as a kid. We were six children in a large family, the mental hospital is placed on the most scenic place there is by the fjord. I climbed trees, I was swimming in the fjord during summers, and in the winter we were out on the not always to be trusted ice that froze all over the fjord. My parents gave me all the freedom a kid could ever dream about. I learned to see every person as a different individuals, and I had few limits.
During summer I had extra jobs during school leave. I grew my own vegetables and sold them, I worked on the fields to make sure the carrots were growing in clean rows, and I picked strawberries every summer. Winter was hard, some times my mother turned on the stove so that I could warm up my frozen feet after delivering the newspaper in very cold weather. Biking in snow could be hard.
At age 16 I got "Sticky Fingers", the album, and that changed my life. Soon after I met the love of my life, my wife I am still married to. The biking and climbing in trees were replaced by Univerity studies. I left home at 8am and arrived home 8pm, while we had three small children. In order to be able to buy 90 vinyl albums as shipped to me in a large box by Cob Records in Wales every half year on a student's budget I worked extra jobs every summer. There were no money for holidays. One week before University started late August we took a week of camping out, so that we could have some more time together, and a short holiday.
I have always worked double shifts. I left the previous job I had in 1990 and started my own company, because I had one year's worth of unpaid work. I had three small children and a large loan on my house, and my education loan, but I thought it was unfair they did not pay me for all the extra hours I worked.
So for 25 years I have been running my own company, with an increasing number of employees. I do still work double shifts, except now I get paid for my work. I have a family and a company to take care of. I get a lot of trust and loyality from family and friends. That is my energy in life. Also I get a lot of freedom. I do believe in freedom and trust.
In 2009, a bit after the previous Rolling Stones tours of 2005-2007 ended, I was going with my oldest son to a large biking race in Norway called Birken. On our way back he told me it was such a great race, lots of fun in the off-roards tracks, many people, lots of fun. I wanted to do this race. After a break or some 40 years I was back on the bike and it felt like I was never off the bike. I am still biking like a 15 year old kid, partly because I do still have the skills, I was sort of born on the bike, but also because I do still feel like a kid. Also, I know of few borders.
As I kid I never had a helmet when biking. I fell of trees and I climed back up. I fell of my bike and I climbed back on my bike. It is by failing you improve. These days I just love biking and mountain running. When the Stones tours are over I will be back on the tracks as soon as I can.
Why do I tell you all of this? Because some ask me questions I feel offending and intruding, like "How can you afford it?", or "What are your secrets?", or "How do you get your tickets?". Or they simply express envy, direct or indirect. Believe me, I could not care less. I have worked hard through my entire life. I do still work hard. Very hard. During tours I work even harder, because first I have to travel between shows, that takes time, then I have to do the work for my company, that is 8-12 hours of work every single working day Monday to Friday, then I edit pictures, read e-mail and edit reports on IORR, that is almost a full daytime job during tours.
Then people ask to meet me. Some times I take time to meet people on tour, even if I am a private and shy person. I don't see myself as an interesting person, I wish people could focus on the Stones, but I love to meet fans and talk about all our stories and great memories. After an hour or so time flies and we share the same dreams and we love the same songs and we have the same goals of attending another show and another show and another show.
There is no magic into going to every show of the tour. You just have to work hard, very hard, all your life. Then after sixty or so years you should be able to still work hard and spend everything you have extra on shows and travel and staying on the tour. If there is something left you may use it to paint your house, but to be honest the house may be painted later. My wife just told me we are now four years late on any sorts of painting the house and so on. This is of course due to the tour start in 2012. I have spent all my energy and income on the shows and the performances these four years. And as long as I live and as long as the Stones do perform their great shows live across the world, I will work hard to get to as many shows as I can on this planet.
Please do not envy me what I do. Please do not ask me how I can afford it. It is just hard work, a lot of hard work. Anyone can do it, but you have to sacrifice a lot, you need understanding and loyal family, friends and collegues, and you must love it, otherwise it will become a burden. But I love it, I love every bit of it. Now I hear the planned for South America shows are off for this year, so I will have more time with my family. May be I can even go to Kilimanjaro for a short trip December 2015, did not do that since 2012 either, but please don't tell my wife... Well she would know anyway. We don't have any secrets.
Finally, my name is Bjørnulf, or Bjornulf in English. Not bv, bjorn or other rare variatons people invent. My mother and father named me Bjørnulf, I am proud of that name, it is very rare in Norway and that is the only name I go by with friends. I took many fights as a kid when other kids made a fool of me or my name by twisting it, that is why I would never accept any twists of my name.
I am still enjoying the tour, on my way to Buffalo I am now counting the days. In a week from now I will be on a flight back home. It has been a great tour and the last week of the tour will be like crossing the line after a 42 km marathon. It feels great for sure!
For comments please contact me at e-mail:
iorr@arena.noBjornulf
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 2015-07-09 23:55 by bv.