Jokke & Valentinerne (
Jokke and the Valentines) were formed in 1982, consisting of Nielsen on guitar and vocals, his longtime partner May-Irene Aasen on drums and Håkon Torgersen on bass. The band went on to become one of the most popular bands in
Oslo's underground rock scene. Their first album was released in 1986. The band is regarded as one of the "Great Four" Norwegian-language rock bands of the 1980s, along with
deLillos,
Dum Dum Boys and
Raga Rockers. The band drew their influences mainly from
punk and American
Southern rock. Much of the band's lyrics were about alcohol, and Jokke had a reputation of frequently getting drunk on stage. In 1992, he created a scandal when he received Spellemannprisen (the Norwegian equivalent of the
Grammy awards) visibly drunk and/or under the influence of drugs. Still, one must not dismiss his lyrics as being shallow drinking songs. All his lyrics, including the much-played and catchy
Øl ("Beer"), have a deeper tone describing a harsh lifestyle with drugs, alcohol and general anxiety towards the society and the people close to him. Nielsen's lyricism is closely related to the American writer
Charles Bukowski, in describing societal underdogs, misfits and so-called
anti-heroes. Nielsen's lyrics show strong sympathy for people who are somewhat scarred by life, and in addition, are deeply working class-conscious. The Norwegian poet
Rudolf Nilsen and musician
Alf Prøysen are two other influences, in both a literal and a musical sense. ==JEPS==