Dizzie Tunes Tor legend Erik Gunstrøm and his girlfriend Marit Kulbeck
Tor Erik Gunstrøm was never meant for a retirement life. But luckily the calendar is full and love is blossoming. Then it can only be that the legend of “Dizzie Tunes” moves towards 80 years.
– I lost my baptismal certificate, so I think I’m 35 years old. But of course this is fun! When you are first involved in entertainment, it’s fun that requests come in, admits Tor Erik Gunstrøm (79).
It has been 63 years since the famous star of the magazine started her career as an artist, at just 16 years old. But she had never thought of becoming a full-time retiree, even though she might have been for a long time.
On the contrary, Tor Erik thrives on having many irons in the fire. Earlier this fall, viewers got to see him in the popular comedy series “Next Summer” on TVNorge. Here he played the father of the main character Per Ivar, a character who emerges from exile in Thailand when Per Ivar’s mother dies.
– The production called and asked me if I could imagine the role. I was sent the script and then I said, “I’ll participate in this”. It was fun and it was a great group to work with, says Tor Erik.
DIZZIE SOUNDS: Dizzie Tunes formed in Skien in 1959 and the dance orchestra called itself the Rex Band until some witty souls put “DU” in front of the band name. Then they moved on to Dizzie Tunes. From left: Yngvar Numme, Einar Idland, Tor Erik Gunstrøm, Svein Erik Høgberg and Øyvind Klingberg.
Photo: Private
“Sounds dizzying”
The comedian says he pondered what to do after the Dizzie Tunes group disbanded in 2001. “Where did the two decades go?” He wonders.
But he doesn’t need to stay too long. Since then there have been several solo exhibitions and event assignments. Together with Sturla Berg-Johansen, she staged the play “Hør now …!”. Tor Erik also played in the summer musical “Den Gode Hensigt” in Svelvik.
Born: October 14, 1943
Age: 79 years old
Profession: musician and comedian
Residence: Skien
Children: Gitte and Tor Gunstrøm
Girlfriend: Marit Kulbeck
Last year he appeared on the big screen in the film “Dager Waves”, alongside Aksel Hennie and Atle Antonsen, among others. He recently received a request to play in a show in Spain, which he hopes to do by the end of the fall.
And when not on stage, he devoted himself to artistic painting, with subsequent exhibitions.
Tor Erik is grateful that the demand for him is still great.
– I was afraid the phone was silent, but it keeps ringing. It’s terrible to say, but I’m happy every time I get a call. Then I don’t have to stare and wonder.
PENSION: “When I got my pension, I thought,“ Damn, does he come every month? ”The steady salary was new. I freelance with a smile and desire, and it’s nice to earn a little on the side, says Tor Erik Gunstrøm.
Photo: Private
– Now I can also manage the calendar myself. After 42 years in Dizzie Tunes, where we were five men and a manager, there was one vote on every job. If there were a majority, we could, for example, stay away for several months in Stockholm. I’m letting that go now, and it’s lovely. If I get a request that I don’t want, I can just say it doesn’t fit, she says.
Full-time hotel musicians
But shaking off old habits after decades with fellow Dizzies wasn’t entirely easy.
In the years following the breakup, Tor Erik could call the hotel reception when he was on a solo tour. “What room number does Yngvar Numme have?” The question was met with complete confusion.
– I missed being able to call the other guys after work to have a drink at the bar or eat at the restaurant. Instead, I sat alone in the room. It was a weird transition, she says.
When Dizzie Tunes formed in Skien in 1959, the boys couldn’t have imagined how long and successful the musical journey would be.
The dance orchestra started out as a hobby and they played in restaurants and community centers in the district. When there was a request from Sandefjord’s Park Hotel for a lifelong commitment as hotel musicians, they decided to go all out and quit their “normal” full-time job. Drummer Tor Erik thus ended his career as a glassblower at Norsk Hydro.
– We became full time restaurant musicians and eventually started shooting at other Park hotels across the country. But we soon got tired, Tor Erik remembers.
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WENCHE MYHRE: Dizzie Tunes has regularly collaborated with Wenche Myhre throughout her career. Here from the tour bus in 1971.
Photo: Jan Greve / VG
Tournament with Wenche Myhre
The big breakthrough came when they were booked for a tour alongside idol girl Wenche Myhre and deputy singer Ivar Medaas. For eight months they traveled with the duo, from Kirkenes to Sørlandet.
From there it was a short walk to the magazine stage at Chat Noir in 1967, when they staged the show “Oh, so lucky we are”. The fact that they were well received by their great magazine heroes like Leif Juster, Arve Opsahl, Carsten Byhring and Elisabeth Granneman was a highlight for the newcomers.
– We were big fans and they took care of us. After all, we were just the young ones on a stage where old ring foxes were. But they welcomed us with open arms. If we did something wrong, they gave us nice advice. “Rotate the two sentences over there, move this comma: there it is.” They could do it, Tor Erik recalls.
The artist feared that he would have only such beautiful memories left when the pandemic hit him.
The boxes were empty, everything had been cleared and the phone was naturally silent.
Read also: (+) When the pandemic came, I was terrified. But then something amazing happened
MUSICIAN: In Tor Erik’s apartment in Skien, a colorful piano took pride of place. He painted it himself from white to purple.
Photo: Morten Bendiksen
Girlfriend Marit Kulbeck
But by pure chance she found love again, just before the closure of the country. At a party with a couple of friends, he was sitting next to Marit Kulbeck (69). They quickly found the tone and found they were more than close enough. It has been the two of them ever since.
– It was a stroke of luck to meet Marit. We were in the same cohort during the pandemic. I got tired of fixing the wallpaper with a mask. It saved us the time of the pandemic for both of us. We talked about it later – that it had become difficult to manage the last two years without each other, she says.
The couple spends their time strolling, drinking a glass of wine at a local pub and visiting each other. She often accompanies her boyfriend on work assignments.
– I think Tor Erik is very charming. And then he is careful, he has a nice way of being. He always makes sure I’m okay and we have a lot of fun together.
– What is it like to meet love at a mature age?
– Obviously it’s very nice. You are not madly in love as young people can be …
– Oh? Tor Erik jokingly replies.
– But it’s a good feeling. It reminds me a lot in everyday life, smiles Marit.
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MARIT BOYFRIEND: A chance encounter brought Tor Erik and Marit together. -I was fine as a bachelor and violinist, but I’m lucky to have met Marit, he says.
Photo: Morten Bendiksen
He turns 80
The drummer turns 80 next year. It is an anniversary that he thinks he is coming soon.
– I think the 80s are bad and I don’t like it. It was okay to turn 75, even if I didn’t understand where 75 had gone. That year I published my autobiography. I feel the work has kept me young and fit as I work a lot with the new generations. But it’s not like I’m turning the cap back for that reason, she jokes.
– Only now do I realize how short life is. Life is like a breath in a barrel. I’ve been to several funerals lately, those around me disappear. It is terrifying. I just hope I don’t go crazy. It must be terrible, she says, and reveals that she has no plans to celebrate her 80th birthday at the moment.
However, Marit suggests there may be something to be done.
– Oh good? I hope to be invited, says Tor Erik with his distinctive twinkle in his eye.
