The former press-officer at the recently defunct, yet alarmingly resurrected, Quart Festival in Kristiansand has whipped up a storm of national controversy with allegations in his recently released book, the title of which roughly translates as: Quart: The Naked Truth About Norway’s Most Important Festival.
Norwegian papers VG and Dagbladet both report on how Pål Hetland’s book claims that drug-dealers were given ‘access all areas’ passes, that festival staff did all they could to ensure that artists were well stocked with all manner of narcotics, and that the backstage area was made a police no-go zone with the authorities asked what they would rather have: an artist dabbling with drugs backstage, or 12,000 angry and dangerous music fans if the musicians got strumpy and refused to play ball.
Drugs were reportedly given to ‘Norwegian and foreign journalists, presenters, actors, sports stars, politicians, agents, record-label representatives, sponsors and other celebrities who came on visits’. Employees of NRK, Norway’s national broadcasting service, are also embarrassingly named amongst those to take most frequent advantage of the scheme.
Doubtless it’s all hyped-up and exaggerated in the hope of stimulating book-sales, but there’s no doubt the allegations come at a bad time for Norwegian music festivals. It might make them seem rock ‘n’ roll, but at the moment it’s the business side of things that really needs a boost when it comes to Norwegian events: Quart recently went under and Storåsfestivalen and Hove are both experiencing considerable financial difficulties.
Maybe they’re all too stoned to get a proper fiscal plan together.
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