Monday, December 09, 2013

Lizzie's old house

Lizzie's old house
Anyone who used the subway in Stockholm back in the 1970s saw her sitting there playing the clarinet at Sergels Torg. The street musician Lizzie Norlin, more known under the nick name The Garlic Lady. I saw her most every day when I took the bus to school from Tungelsta to Jordbro. Always dressed in black. Always with that smell of garlic around her. There was countless stories going around about Karin, which was her real name. This is where she lived, in a little house at Runvägen in Tungelsta. She lived between 1914 and 2000. The house have been left abandoned since her death.

8 comments:

Krille said...

Skön historia! Har aldrig läst orden vitlök + gatumusikanter + villa i samma mening förut. Nu vet jag bättre, tack vare dig Steffe :)

Bob Crowe said...

They should turn the place into a museum. The story reminds me of Moondog, a blind musician born Louis Harden in the Kansas town where my wife went to high school. He was very tall and used to play clarinet on the corner of 46th Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan when I was in high school. He always dressed as a Viking.

Anonymous said...

Minns hur hon väntade på att gamla Posten i Tungelsta skulle ta lunchstängt. Strax innan dess gick hon fram till kassan och satte in dagens inspelade pott på sitt konto.

Dianne said...

Every-one has a story ... I hope Karen enjoyed a meausure of happiness in her life-time but to see her home standing derelict and unloved brings a sense of sadness to my heart. You have captured the emotion well.

"Adelaide and Beyond"

Umepojk i Mason, Ohio said...

Was she the lady who took the train in normal clothes, and then would change into something making her look homeless for when she was sitting there playing the clarinet?

Stefan Jansson said...

Correct.

Anonymous said...

Finns en kortfilm om henne här, samt mycket info -->

http://www.sima.nu/film-kajsa.htm


/Kryddan

Stefan Jansson said...

Tack för påminnelsen Kryddan, jag har tidigare skickat den länken till Sune Nilsson, han hade faktiskt inte hört talas om Lizzie tidigare. Kanske blir det så att han skriver en artikel som hamnar på haninge.org så småningom.