Westerberg is perhaps best known for the television programs "Vilse i pannkakan" and "Lillstrumpa och Syster Yster" in the 1970s and 80s. But he has also made an impression with his work with Teater Brunnsgatan 4 in Stockholm, where he worked closely with the poet Kristina Lugn.
Westerberg grew up in Luleå but moved to Stockholm after college to pursue theater. With the surrealist "Vilse i pannkakan" (Wandering in the Pancake), he became a sort of symbol of 1970s cultural radicalism and was nicknamed "The Man Who Ruined a Whole Generation."
The criticism was probably that they didn't understand who Staffan was. They didn't understand the imaginative game of an adult playing a child. They didn't get the point and then it became uncomfortable, says musician Thomas Wiehe, who worked on "Vilse i pannkakan" and "Med örat på jorden".
Left an impression
In addition to the puppet theater programs that were broadcast on television, Westerberg also worked with stage theater and was involved at, among others, the Dramaten, Stockholm City Theater, Riksteatern, Norrbottensteatern and Uppsala City Theater.
"Staffan was a wonderful person. Wonderful to spend time with, wonderful to work with. We miss him very much," writes the band Amason, who collaborated with Westerberg in a Christmas concert, in a text message to TT.
Director Maria Blom got to know Westerberg when she was 19 years old working at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. She appreciated his ingeniously told stories with “a lot of humor and crunch,” but they also irritated people, she says.
He was so personal, daring to be himself and allowing things to be a little dirty and lively. That kind of thing pisses people off.
Westerberg was a sensitive person who took offense when people wrote mean things about him, Blom says. He was very important to her.
It's cool to have artistry that leaves an impression, where you get a little bit of resistance.
Farewell performance
Westerberg's last performance was the theatre revue "Do we have the capacity, madame?" which was staged at Löfnäs Gård in Sundborn last year. This summer, Norrbottensteatern is staging "Kabaré solstugan - a farewell with a bang" which is based on his texts.
Thomas Wiehe and Westerberg kept in touch sporadically over the years. For example, they met 20 years after “Vilse i pannkakan”.
When we were sitting at a restaurant, I asked him: “Well, Staffan, what should be written on your tombstone now?” “Well, it will probably be 'Vilse i pannkakan',” he said.
Staffan Westerberg turned 92 years old.
