“I would like to leave people with a different
vibe at the end”, Paul says.

Paul has some encouraging words for those of us hoping that a-ha will end the December 4th concert with a more appropriate final song than “Take On Me”.

Here are a few quotes from a new interview with Focus.de:

– Why is this the right moment to bring a-ha to an end?
– It’s not the right moment at all, in my view! I’m the one who said that we should record another album instead. It would have been nice to end things with a larger, final statement.

– You didn’t manage to get your will?
– You have to take into account the band chemistry, which provides creative sparks, but which also can be tiringly destructive in the long run. 25 years is a long time. We want to end on a high note. In any case, it will be both fun and strange to meet again a year later, when schedules and business decisions no longer play a part.

– And if the other two want to start up a-ha again?
– Then perhaps I’m the one who doesn’t want to! That’s how it’s always been; one of us is against it. But I think that Morten will continue to perform songs that I have written.
(….)
– What is the last song that a-ha will perform live?
– At least not “Take On Me” – if it’s up to me. I have nothing against the song, but I would like to leave people with a different vibe at the end.

A selection of other recent interviews from Germany:

Video clips:
– Euromaxx (DW-TV, 5 August)
– Breakfast TV (Sat1, 4 August)
– a-ha MySpace page – EPK interview (29 July)
– Brisant (ARD, 28 July)
– Leute Heute (ZDF, 28 July)

Audio clips:
– Radio BR3 (5 Aug) + PDF of questionnaire filled out by Paul here

Other:
– Interview mit den Pop-Giganten (VirtualNights.com)
– Eine lange Popkarriere geht zu Ende Part 1 Part 2 (VIP.de)
– “Ich höre nie Musik” (Welt Online, 1 August)

Oh, and “Butterfly, Butterfly” has entered the German single chart at number 22 in its first week.