narrator: Listen up.
Everyone is going to die.
[energetic orchestra music]
Oh, not these people.
No, no, no, no. Don't worry.
I mean, sure, one day,
they will die.
We all will.
But the point is,
they all need
the gentle art
of Swedish death cleaning.
What is Swedish
death cleaning, you say?
Basically, getting your sh*t
together before you die
so that others don't have
to do it when you're gone.
- This is the stuff we inherit
from Grandma.
- If you can't keep track
of your things,
you know you have too many.
[both scream]
- I have a lot of penises.
- I don't need it,
but my father used to make
breakfast every weekend,
and this is what he would
make bacon in.
- Ah.
narrator: See, Swedish people
are kind of fine
talking about death.
They actively prepare
for it...
- Get your sh*t together, Doug.
narrator: While the whole idea
freaks Americans out.
- What if I get rid
of something
and then I need it
and it's gone?
- sh*t happens.
[laughter]
narrator: So we invited
three Swedes to come help.
- When I'm done in here,
you're gonna want to entertain.
- Okay.
- Death cleaning is about
discovering what's important
to you.
- It has to go.
You can't save everything.
- This is Ella.
- Ah, yeah!
- Oh, baby!
narrator: And sometimes,
things get a little bit weird.
- An inflatable wiener.
- Enough of this wiener talk.
I'm getting horn--
hungry, I meant.
[laughter]
- I have one question for you.
- Yes.
- What the f*ck?
[laughter]
narrator: But they are here
to make our lives better.
- There's a lot of life
in death.
The love, what really matters.
It gives you
this kind of perspective,
this sharpness.
- I don't want
to live this way.
- Yeah.
- I need your help.
[gentle music]
- My mom really wants me
to have this.
- Mm. But you don't like it.
- No, I don't like it.
[both laugh]
- Let your home be
a reflection of you.
- It's not every day
we find out
that we have terminal cancer.
- I haven't heard anyone
say that except my doctor.
[gasps]
- The toughest thing
I ever had to do
was tell my kids
their mother was dead.
- Going through death cleaning
has helped me
become a fuller person.
Oh, my God!
Life-changing. Thank you.
- Look at the screen.
They have Landon.
- Oh.
- [gasps]
narrator: This is not
a show about death.
- [sobbing]
narrator: It's about life.
- We say that death cleaning
is for life.
both: Yes.
- So it's about here and now.
- I guess we do have a legacy.
Maybe everyone does, really.
[laughter]
- Cheers.
- You guys were gonna declutter
my house.
I didn't know you were going
to declutter my soul.
* *
- [inhales]
[dreamlike music]
narrator:
Meet Suzi Sanderson.
According to Suzi,
she's a 75-year-old pothead
with an appetite
for adventure and men.
Suzi's house is a map
of her memories
with trinkets from her travels
everywhere you look.
Also penises.
Lots and lots of penises.
Suzi needs a death cleaning
to unload
some of these penises,
or is it peni?
You know what?
Let's just call them
souvenirs.
[birds chirping]
This is Ella.
Ella is from Sweden.
[whimsical chord]
And she's an organizer.
* *
This is Johan.
Yep, also from Sweden.
Johan is a designer.
[car horn honks]
[tires squealing]
* *
And then there's Katarina,
a Swede, clearly.
She's a psychologist.
[car horn honks]
all: Hey!
- So where are we going?
narrator: [laughs] Well,
you're going to America.
- What?
- What?
[all exclaim]
[laughter]
narrator: Together, they are
a team of death cleaners.
Yes, you heard me right--
death cleaning.
Cleaning out your crap
so others don't have
to when you're dead.
It's a very Swedish thing.
You'll get it.
[bell dings]
[Orchestra Charlie Steinmann's
"Smitten Kitten"]
- What's great about being 75
is you don't give a sh*t
about anything anymore.
You don't care what anybody
says about you.
Meh, I never did anyway.
I'm a turkey vulture.
That is a person who is
20 years older than a cougar,
still likes to hunt,
but can't quite catch the prey.
[laughs]
That would be me.
I mean, how long
can a person live without sex
in this world?
* *
Just a question, and anybody
jump in on that answer.
[laughs]
"Swedish Death Cleaning."
I read the book.
It is going
into somebody's life
and decluttering the stuff
that they have accumulated
all their life,
and I've got a lot of stuff.
I am a prisoner
of my possessions
because nobody wants them,
and I think there are
treasures.
They're priceless to me.
But it's keeping me
from moving on with my life.
And I didn't want kids,
but I'd love
to have grandkids.
So maybe I'll find an old man,
you know,
who's got, you know, grandkids
and hook up.
[laughs]
[top cracks]
Oh, yeah.
I'm expecting very two
very tall robotic gentlemen
with blond hair.
narrator: Well, some blonds
are comin' your way.
- I have no idea
what they're gonna do.
To me, this is an adventure.
And they might be
really kinda cute too.
narrator: Oh, we guarantee
they're adorable.
- [laughs]
Says the horny old broad.
both: Hello!
- Hey.
- [laughs]
- How are you? I'm Suzi.
- Hug.
- Oh, I give hugs.
I love hugs.
- [laughs]
both: Aww.
- You know, you can't get
too many hugs.
- No, you can't get too many...
- What's your name?
- Johan, Johan.
- Johan.
- Johan.
- How do you spell that?
- J-O-H-A-N.
- Okay, I got it.
narrator: Amazing flirt.
Like, varsity level.
- Ella.
- Hello.
- Mm.
- [laughs]
- Nice to meet you. And you?
- I'm Kat, Katarina.
- Katarina, nice to meet you.
- How lovely to meet you.
- [laughs]
- So you know why
we're here today?
- Well, I--I have a feeling
that you're going
to kind of give my--my home
a death cleaning.
[laughter]
- That's true. That's true.
- I wasn't quite ready
to die yet.
I'm still--I'm still trying
to get laid, okay?
- That's really good.
- So let's not rush into this.
- h* h* h*, this week
is gonna be a lot of fun.
[laughter]
- Can you tell us a little more
about yourself?
- I'm a vagabond.
- Mm-hmm.
- And I've traveled
all over the world
and collected all these things
from my travels.
- Okay.
- I've become very attached...
- Yeah.
- Oh.
- To these things
because, really,
that's all I have now.
- Mm.
- Everything brings back
a memory.
both: Yeah.
- You know?
And you'll notice
as we go through my house
I have a lot of penises.
narrator: Oh, really?
Huh, we hadn't noticed any.
Uh, oh, yeah. Well, yeah.
Okay.
- Just pull it off.
narrator:
And then that one, yep.
- Surprise!
This little guy...
[laughs]
- "Little" guy?
It's a little
out of proportion.
[laughter]
She really likes her penises.
You can see that
all over the place.
[laughing] So--
and who can blame her?
[laughs] Actually.
- Come on down.
- Oh, wow.
narrator: Oh, here we go.
This is gonna be fun.
- This is my photo room...
- Ooh.
- Dedicated
to spiritual enlightenment.
- Okay.
[laughter]
- And they're laughing.
narrator: The photo room,
where you keep
all your memories
of friends, of family,
of Kevin Costner.
- That's my celeb side.
- Oh. [laughs]
- We have--
- I was seeing Kevin Costner.
- We have Jimmy Buffett
and Kevin Costner,
John Denver.
I met 'em all.
On that side there
are the Crystal Place,
where I sang in Aspen.
- Were you, like, singing
in the evening, going out--
- Yeah, yeah.
I worked as a singing waitress.
[flowy ambient music]
The Crystal Palace.
I was a schoolteacher
in Kansas City,
a first-grade teacher,
and I went out to Aspen
for Christmas vacation
and went there
for dinner one night,
and I was like,
"This is where I belong."
narrator:
Picture this: Aspen, 1975.
You've been skiing all day,
and you just wanna have
a hot meal
with some entertainment.
Great news--
there's a spot
around the corner
with a gravel-throated singer
just waiting for you.
[applause]
[Lara Saint Paul's
"Play the Game"]
- I sang
for about 11 years there,
and it was the most fun
I've ever had in my life.
To this day,
those friendships
are the most precious to me.
I sang there for 11 years.
- Oh.
- And then I got married.
And then...[laughs]
Well, I have to tell the truth:
it ruined my sex life.
[laughter]
- Okay.
- I cannot tell a lie.
[laughter]
- We're gonna learn a lot
from you, Suzi, I think.
I'm sure. I'm sure.
You're gonna be our teacher.
- Probably more than you want.
- [laughs]
- Anyway--
- Love it.
- So my sister lives here.
And, uh, she had two children.
She's the total antithesis
of me.
- Okay.
- And my sister was
a schoolteacher all her life
and has children,
just like you're supposed to.
But you know, I feel lucky
to have that second family.
- People is everything.
- It's alarming,
the rate I'm losing friends.
I lost 38 friends last year.
- Ah.
- And I'm up 17 already
this year.
- Ah.
- What?
- Yeah, well, it's my turn.
- That's so much.
- [laughs] That's why they call
this death cleaning, right?
[laughter]
- True.
- No, life cleaning.
Clean to get laid.
[laughter]
- Now that would be
a wonderful idea.
- That's the goal.
- Suzi needs a death cleaning
because she lives clearly
in the past.
She doesn't think so highly
about her future
or even her current life.
Like, she loves having people
around her.
Obviously, she's so social.
But her house is not
very inviting for anyone,
unless you want to have
a p*nis in your face.
[light music]
narrator:
As the tour continues,
we find ourselves
in Suzi's office,
where organization and manila
file folders go to die.
- Okay, welcome to my chaos.
- Wow.
- Here you have
a lot of papers.
[laughing] Yeah, get this.
- Yes.
Yes, I have two jobs.
I'm a travel agent,
and then I'm also
a real estate broker.
- Do you like to be
up here and work,
or is this like your--
- Uh, no,
because I got so much
sh*t around.
- Yeah, you really have.
- You know?
- You really have.
- You know, I have gotta--
I've gotta get this organized
somehow so that--
so that I do enjoy
coming up here.
- Yeah.
- But do you ever, like,
take a client up here or, like,
do you have, like...
- No.
- Meetings at home? No?
- No, no.
- Why?
- Because, you know,
I'm kind of a hermit.
But I just noticed
in the last five or six years
that I'm starting
to get lonely.
- Yeah, and I guess
that's why, like,
one big reason why you've been
holding on to all this stuff.
- You know, you're right.
You're probably--I mean,
to me, my life is looking
at where I've been
or the people I've known,
and that does give me
some kind of solace.
It makes me smile.
- But, I mean, it's not so--
I mean, you don't have, like,
a crazy messy home, you know,
in a way, but it--but I do see
that it's like,
I think it's the hermit type
of you...
- Yes.
- That, you know,
you're like--you're
an old g*y man, you know?
[laughter]
- Now you tell me!
Thanks a lot, Johan.
- As a designer,
when I see a room like this,
my brain implodes.
- [laughs]
- My goal is to redesign
this office
so she can function in it.
Ella's gonna help you
with organization...
- Great.
- And taking care of stuff.
- Yeah, and there are
a couple drawers
I don't want her to look in.
- Do you have a goodie drawer?
- Oh, yes I do.
[laughter]
And there's one I have
to put under the bed 'cause--
I call him Thumper,
The Terminator of sex toys.
- [laughs]
- He's about that long.
Oh, don't get me started
talking about vibrators.
- [laughs]
Sorry.
[laughing]
[moody music]
- Your house should be
the canvas of your life.
You can have, like, a house
that's really--
fond memories that
you're walking around in...
- Yeah.
- But it's a fine line
when it becomes like
a dodens rike.
What's it called in English?
both: Yeah.
- What's that--
- Like... [laughs]
- No, like a kingdom of death.
- Yeah.
- You know, a kind of--
you know, like if you don't
sort all these things
it can also, you know...
- I know.
- Make life heavy as well.
- Well, it already is,
because...
I have been asking my family,
"What do you want, you know?"
What, you know, and they don't
want any of it.
So I'm thinkin',
"What's gonna happen to this?"
- But now it's time to dig in
on all those things.
- I know, I know.
- Yes.
I have a really good system
that I am going to show you.
You have red
and you have green stickers.
And you decide
what item you should save
or what you should get rid of.
I know that you said
that the poker table
was not so important.
- No.
I really--I would really like
to retire this.
- And then we put, like,
a red dot on that one.
Then we know that could
be recycled or, like--yeah.
- Yeah, or put someplace else.
- So yeah.
And of course,
that's a good piece
for someone else maybe
to enjoy, yeah.
- Basically I just need a place
to put all the stuff
that I've got somewhere
on a shelf...
- Yes.
- Because I still have to have
all this stuff.
- The idea of death cleaning
is really
to work through your stuff
and see what serves you
in your life here and now.
You change during your time.
It's like a timeline.
I'm doing this now.
It's happening.
This one was green you said?
- Oh, God.
- Suzi?
- Yeah, that's green.
And that can go,
that beautiful screen
in the corner.
- I'll put--
- Well, now I do still need
something...
- Yes.
- For my--for my office stuff.
- Now we are going
to empty this room
and taking it down
to the organization station.
Do you have any good space
that we can set up?
- I've got a huge basement.
You can set up tables
down there.
- When I see a space
as cluttered as Suzi's loft,
it's better to empty the place
and start all over
and bring in the stuff
that you really need and want.
So Katarina, you want--
- Yeah, we can start, uh,
digging in.
- Bring in some muscles
and dig in.
- Yes.
- We are starting to carry--
- Yeah.
- We're just gonna start doin'
it now?
both: Yes.
- You know, that's amazing.
I mean, seriously, those--
[clacking]
- Ooh!
- Oh.
narrator: Wow, you don't
see this often.
sh*t literally
just hit the fan.
- We're tearing
this place apart now.
- Would you put a green thing
on my fan?
narrator: With the efficiency
that can only come
from people of a country
that gives them healthcare
for free, our Swedes carry
Suzi's stuff down, down, down
into her basement.
- So we start by divide
the things into categories,
and then we decide what to keep
and what to get rid of.
- Oh, my God!
[laughing] No!
- We have divided it in...
- Oh, my God.
- How it was in the rooms.
So we have it in different
like sections now.
- Uh-huh.
And Carlos can watch over us.
- [laughs] Oh.
[funky music]
* *
What is that?
- Yeah, the girls in Aspen
gave me that--
they didn't want me
to be driving in the car alone.
narrator:
We all need a Carlos.
You can drive
in the carpool lane,
and you don't have to deal
with a lot of chitchat.
- This is, of course,
trash bags.
- Yes, I recognize those.
- The things that you say
that this is, like,
yeah, throw away.
And then we have a keep box,
the things you want to...
- Want to keep. Okay.
- Save. Yeah.
So if you want
to keep Carlos,
take one of those green dots,
and then put that on his d*ck
[laughing] I think.
- I think
that's a perfect place for it.
- Yeah,
that's the perfect place.
- Okay.
- Yes.
Yes.
- Love you, Carlos.
- [laughing] Yeah, yeah. Good.
- I wanna keep that.
This is my remembrances
from Cuba.
And I took a group there
not too long ago,
and I had a terrible crush
on Che Guevara
when I was in Cuba.
- [laughs]
- So I like to have his picture
around.
He was a bad boy.
- Yep, yep.
- Very bad boy.
[laughs]
Well, God, I wonder what
she's coming up with next.
- [laughs]
- It's your stuff.
- You can throw that away.
Oh, my God.
I bought that pitcher
in early 1970s,
but maybe somebody else
could use it.
- Yeah, yeah.
You're doing really good.
- [laughs]
- Good.
- Yeah, and that's really good.
- [whispering] Oh, my God.
You know,
these are really nice pillows.
Here, stick that big ol' baby
in there.
There's another one
to match it.
You can't ever have
too many pillows.
I have a pillow fetish.
narrator: If Suzi thinks
that pillows are her fetish,
she has obviously not been
to any of the other rooms
in her home.
- And now we have this blanket.
- Oh, see, my grandmother
made this.
- Yeah, yeah?
- I can't give it away.
- Yeah?
It's a sentimental thing?
- Very sentimental.
- Yeah?
But you have here--ha-h*.
Hallo. [laughs]
- You know?
- It's quite a little
broken there.
- I know, I know, I know,
but she, you know--
it's Grandma.
- Mm.
Suzi, sometimes
it can be hard to let
these kinds of
sentimental things also...
- Yeah.
- Go, but sometimes
you need to
do that tough decisions
as well.
When you're death cleaning,
you're gonna bump
into sentimental things,
and it's important then
to realize
that you don't need
to keep it all.
Do you have any more of these?
- I have one that's upstairs
in my photo room
that is really elegant.
- Yeah?
So that is a better version
or better one--
- Oh, yeah, it's much better.
- I think if you have others
that you can remember her by--
- You're gonna talk me
into this, aren't you?
- [laughing] Yeah, yeah.
- Bye, Grandma.
- I mean,
you have her
in your memory anyways.
- I know.
- It's not about the things,
and you still have some left.
- Okay.
- So I think we should--
- All right,
I think we should to.
- Yes. Good.
Is it tough when I pushing you
like this or...
- In the back of my brain,
I know it's so.
- Know it, yeah.
- You know?
But you do it gently,
you know?
That's probably why they
call it "the Gentle Art"...
- It is.
- "Of Swedish Death Cleaning."
- [laughing] Yeah, of course.
- I was having trouble,
you know,
balancing gentle and death.
- Yeah, yeah.
- But now I really kind of--
I'm starting to understand it.
- They are, like, tough words,
and "death"...
- Tough.
both: Yeah.
narrator:
When life gets tough,
the tough get Johan,
and Johan gets wine.
- Hello, girls.
Ha ha ha.
- Oh!
[laughter]
- Is it for me or...
- No, it's not.
I thought we could go
and discover other parts
of the basement as well,
show us some other stuff.
- Oh, okay!
- So...
- I think I'll bring
my wine with me.
- Yeah, do that.
[laughs]
- So tell me a little bit more
about the basement.
What do you have down here?
- I needed more room
for my clothes
because I have clothes
and then I have costumes.
And I don't throw anything
away.
- No.
- You know, I have clothes
from the '60s...
[laughs] still.
- Cool, let's see.
Look, I'm the designer.
Normally it's Ella
who goes through the stuff,
but when I heard about a rack
of costumes from the '60s,
thank you.
I'll take it from here.
- This isn't from the '60s,
but this is a great jacket,
you know?
- I love this one.
- God bless America.
- Oh, my God,
it's so beautiful.
- Isn't it gorgeous?
[Werner Tautz'
"Razz My Berries"]
I always kept my gold lamé
and my silver lamé pants.
Now, that I wore when I did
my first comedy act in Vegas.
Putting a costume on
lets you be somebody else.
That's what I like
about costumes.
- But how do you pee
in this one?
I mean, it's kind of--
- Well, you don't.
[both laugh]
My ex-boss said
I had the voice
of a monotone bullfrog.
I'm the one person who has
the least amount of talent
and the best presentation.
- You're like Madonna.
[both laugh]
- Yes!
- The body, the movement,
but no voice.
- But no voice.
I have no idea
what's in here anymore.
Oh, that's my favorite.
- I love this one.
- I love that one.
- It could be a turban.
- Oh, yeah.
And this was
my little p*ssy outfit.
[laughs]
- Oh, this one is cool.
- Oh, that's fabulous.
I didn't know I had that.
It's gonna be a little tight,
big fella.
- Yeah.
- But it looks good so far.
[laughs]
narrator:
Sequins and gold lamé
are a recipe for not only
a fantastic outfit
but also a fantastic idea.
- I have an idea actually
for some of your items...
- Okay.
- While browsing through.
These ones could be reused,
you know?
- Oh, yeah.
- Just, like, passing on
the legacy.
I mean, maybe--
- Watch 'em come alive again
on somebody else.
- Exactly.
- But it's hard
to find somebody in Kansas
that will...
- Well, I think I could find
some people.
You know?
- I'm not sure, Johan.
[laughs]
- Do you trust me?
- Let me think about this.
[laughs]
- There's no time to think.
We're gonna do it anyway.
[both laugh]
[David Payne's "Funny Bones"]
narrator:
And now it's Kat's turn
to red dot all
of Suzi's emotional baggage.
- I know
this is a very dear room.
- Oh, my favorite room!
- Come, come.
- My photo room, my joy.
[both laugh]
This is my life.
- Yeah.
narrator: And when she says
"her life," she means
a photo from every single
day of her life.
- I'm the psychologist...
- Ah.
- From the three of us.
- Ah.
- So my part of this is really
to get into contact
with the emotional sides
of going through your stuff.
- Oh, yeah.
- Yeah.
- So Ella told me about
the afghans.
And I--
- My grandma's.
- Well, I have no idea
what an afghan is.
- This is an afghan.
Now they're--they come
in different styles.
This is handmade.
My grandmother made this.
- It's beautiful.
- I mean, it's just gorgeous,
and, you know, how do you give
away something like that?
- Mm.
- You know?
- Yeah.
- And she even has a--
there's even a tag on it
that says "This is for Suzi."
- Aww.
This afghan
is a perfect example
of why Suzi needs
to do a death cleaning.
I couldn't even sit
in this room,
and clearly this is
an important piece for Suzi.
- You know, everybody's got
a room where they--or a chair
where they dump everything.
- Exactly, yeah.
- And what I ran into was
you see I have all
these pictures over here.
I ran out of room on the wall.
Everything I look at reminds me
of a time or a person or--
- Right.
- And some that who not
or aren't here anymore,
you know?
- Of course.
- You can't repeat the days
we had in Aspen,
so I come in here
to visit my friends.
- Oh, so this is
your friends' room.
- This is my friends' room.
- Friends and family.
- Friends and family.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
We just wanna make sure
that you're holding on
for the right kind of reason.
- Right.
- That it actually
gives you something.
That it doesn't take from you.
Like I can see that you were
fond of your grandmother,
and if this makes you feel
closer to her...
- Yeah.
- Of course we're gonna
keep it for you.
- She's--
- But I do think
we should show it more.
- Yeah.
- Like, we can't even enjoy it.
- I know. I know.
- Yeah.
In Swedish
we have this saying...
[speaking Swedish]
- I said that all the time.
- Something like that.
Yeah, it basically means like
"When you're going
for everything, you kind
of often loses everything."
- I know.
I mean, I-I would like
to be free.
- Yeah.
- Again.
- Yeah.
- And as long as I've got
what I've got here,
which I love...
- Yeah.
- I'm not gonna make
any changes.
- This is actually
a really important part
of Swedish death cleaning,
to actually take the time,
do the cleaning...
- Yes.
- In your own pace,
having a moment to reflect
and reconnect to this item
and just--wow,
this is such a great memory,
but now I want to pass it on
to someone else
so they can also feel the joy
from having it.
- You know,
with these pictures,
I've been thinking
that I would start
sending these to the people
who are in the pictures.
narrator: [gasps]
Wait.
Are we having a breakthrough?
- I am 100% with you on that.
- You know, they need to be
shared with people.
- Yeah, and just going--
following that thought,
what do you think
that could give you
in terms of like
what would happen?
- Oh, I'd feel good about it.
It'd bring me a lot of joy
because I know when they would
look at that picture
that they would remember.
- Mm.
narrator:
I don't know about you,
but I would love
to see the look
on Kevin Costner's face
when he gets this.
[both laugh]
[melodic music]
As Johan explores
the rest of Suzi's house,
it's inevitable
that he's going to meet
some of Suzi's
biggest influences.
- And what's this?
* *
[vibrating]
Oh. Hi, Thumper.
[peaceful music]
narrator:
While Suzi sorts photos
and tries
to find the best address
for Kevin Costner,
our death cleaners
are ready to partake
in a very Swedish tradition.
Or as we call it,
a coffee break.
- [clears throat]
Yes, what do you think now
about when we have met Suzi?
What's your thoughts?
- I mean, Suzi's just such
an interesting character,
and she feels
very American to me.
She's loud, talks all the time.
She's funny. She's outgoing.
She's a performer.
I mean, she's everything,
like the cliché of an American
you know,
on vacation in Stockholm.
And I think it's interesting
that she want to let go,
she doesn't want to let go.
- Yeah.
'Cause that home is quite...
cluttered.
- Yes, it's quite cluttered.
- Quite something.
- And it feels like a museum
in some kind of way.
- That's it.
It's a museum, yeah.
- Yeah, and all these piles
all over.
- Yeah.
- Yeah.
- I do think that she needs
this kind of lift.
all: Yeah.
- Absolutely.
- She's definitely got
into a place in her life
where she's just...
- Yeah, stuck.
- Yeah.
[laughs] Really stuck.
I thought you were said
"f*cked."
- [laughing] No.
- But she's f*cked, too.
- In kind of a way.
It's good because, Ella,
she's f*cked.
- [wheezing]
- "But no, she's stuck."
- No, she--
- But no, she's f*cked.
[laughter]
- [indistinct]
[laughing] That's not nice.
- She wants to get f*cked.
- [laughing] Yes.
- Now we're getting somewhere!
- Now we're getting...
- Yes, so okay. Listen to this.
We're not gonna make the house
only likeable.
It's gonna be...
[speaking Swedish]
- It's gonna be f*ck,
a f*ck house.
- Yeah...
a [Swedish] home.
- Let's make America
f*ck again.
[laughter]
narrator: Honest to God,
I don't know if I've ever seen
Swedish people
laugh this hard.
- [laughing]
That's why we're here.
[Werner Tautz'
"The Winslow Boy"]
* *
- Where are we going today,
Johan?
- We are going
into the future.
- Wow.
- Yeah.
- I have never been here.
So I was thinking about
you yesterday said
that you had a lot of stuff
in your house
that no one wanted.
- Yes.
- This is the place.
They want all of your stuff.
- God bless them.
- Yeah.
Suzi keeps on saying
that nobody
wants her old stuff.
I brought her to Scraps
to show her that there's
a new home for her old crap.
Are you Brenda?
- I am.
- This is Suzi.
- Hi, I'm Suzi.
- Hi, Suzi. It's...
- Very nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you too.
Welcome.
- What is this place?
- Well, this is
a creative reuse center.
It's similar
to a secondhand store.
We're a nonprofit.
We accept donations.
- That's where you come in.
- Yeah, of people's...
- Oh, yeah. [laughs]
- Things and belongings
that they no longer
want or need.
We have arts and crafts.
- Love these.
- You like that?
- Oh-h*-h*-h*.
- Byproducts
from manufacturers.
We give them a second life.
We have people who come in
and purchase them.
- I love this place.
This is exactly
what we do in Sweden.
A fun fact is that
only 1% of trash
goes to landfill in Sweden.
- This space is where
we can teach people
that recycling is really
harmful for the environment.
narrator:
Wait, what did she just say?
- Recycling is really harmful
for the environment.
We want people to reduce,
reuse, and refuse,
so if you see something
you like,
you've gotta look at it
and say,
"Do I really need that?"
and "No, thank you."
narrator:
Okay. Moving on.
[laughter, chatter]
- Yes, "No, thank you"
is the answer.
* *
We take markers,
dried-up markers.
- I got a lot of those for you.
- That's good, we love that.
So we take the dried-up markers
and we actually take them
apart.
This is the inner cartridge.
And if you actually
soak this in water,
in a small amount of water,
it'll make watercolor paints.
- No!
- So you don't even have
to buy watercolor paints
anymore.
- I mean,
this is death-cleaning heaven
in a way.
I mean, this is the future
of taking care of stuff.
- It is.
- And so where can you do this
if you live elsewhere
in the states?
- So--well,
it's actually worldwide,
so creative reuse centers
are everywhere.
narrator: Think of all the
things her melted penises
could turn into--
a salad plate, a frisbee,
a boomerang.
- Look at this. Check this out.
- This could be a really--
like a cool Mugler-type
of dress.
You see, like a shoulder pad.
- I'm telling you.
- I can see it at the Paris,
you know, fashion show.
- Really?
[groans]
Like this maybe.
And where's my hat?
- Vous chapelle.
narrator:Vous chapelle
translates to
"you chapel" in French,
which might not be what Suzi
was going for,
but Johan on the runway
is something
of a religious experience.
[upbeat percussive music]
- I need
to come around a corner.
- Johan!
[laughs]
Yes.
Oh, you've got the walk, baby.
[laughs]
- And the glare and the pout.
You've got it all going on.
- Yes, he's done that before,
I think.
- Oh.
- Maybe I have.
Maybe I haven't.
[laughter]
[soft serene music]
* *
- So Ella is back home
and redecorating
and organizing Suzi's space,
and I thought this would be
the perfect opportunity
to take her out, have a drink,
and check in with her.
So I can just imagine that this
is kinda a wild ride for you,
having all of us over.
- Yes.
- Yeah.
- Yes. You know,
but I'm excited too.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- You know, 'cause it--
along with that comes the--
comes that new chapter.
- And actually that is kind of
why I wanted to talk to you
today about that new chapter,
'cause this is really, like,
Swedish death cleaning
for life.
- I like that much better.
- Yeah. [laughs]
It's quite clear
that you are this colorful,
vibrant, charming woman...
- [laughs]
- Who is so funny and, like,
makes sure everyone around her
is having a laugh
and feeling good
about themselves.
I'm also sure that there's been
another part of you
that's a bit more silent
and maybe that feels sad
sometimes
or maybe
that feels a bit empty.
What does life look like
for you
when you're with that part
of yourself?
- I just avoid it.
People don't really wanna
see that from me.
- Mm.
- You know? They don't
wanna hear
I've got problems.
They don't wanna hear
I'm lonely.
- Mm.
- You know, I have trouble, uh,
with establishing
a relationship with a man,
I think, because I'm so strong
and so big.
- Sometimes the part of us
that grows the strongest
gives us, like, opportunities,
work, job,
connection to other people,
but it can also make us, um--
what's the word? Uh--
- Isolated?
- Yes, and you always get
to connect with people,
like from stage or, like, when
you're the center of party.
- Yeah.
- But it's only one kind
of connection.
- Yeah.
- And it won't fulfill
what your heart is longing for.
- I'm longing for love,
you know?
I make--I make a lot of,
you know, jokes about sex.
- Yeah.
- And it's--it's my way
of deflecting
what I really want.
To me, that's the only dream
left I have.
- Mm.
- You know, I find people
don't really want--
wanna be around sad people.
- Ah.
- You know?
So when I'm sad or depressed,
I just don't go out.
- Ah.
- If I don't feel like
I can make people laugh
or smile--
- I totally
get what you're saying.
- 'Cause that's what
they expect from me.
- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
I think a common mistake
for elderly
is they tend
to get very nostalgic
and stuck in the past.
Suzi has so much to live for.
She is so vibrant.
She needs to make a plan
for her future.
- When I was three years old,
my mom used to take me
and set me
on the neighbor's table
and have me sing
"Let Me Go, Lover!"
By Teresa Brewer.
Three years old.
And then by five,
I was tap dancing
and entertaining.
- Wow.
- I did that my whole life.
I was the entertainer
for everybody.
And I think that I realized,
wow,
you know, people enjoy this.
People--and that makes,
you know,
that makes them like me better.
So I just kept doing it.
- Yeah.
- And, uh, I have
never stopped.
So...
- Yeah, I just--
[choked up] I just feel
so much for her...
[both laugh]
- For this, like, yeah,
tiny Suzi.
- [crying] Thank you, Katarina.
[both laugh]
Okay.
- No, but it's, I think,
we all have our own version
of this, like,
and I would just want to add
that, with this picture
that I just got of you
as this tiny girl trying
to, like, find her way...
- Yeah.
- That it was once upon a time,
you had parents
and it was actually--
and other grown-ups
around you--
and it was their responsibility
to learn how you can feel loved
and accepted and connected.
So I'm thinking about
how can we...
make a plan
so that the entertainer
part of you
can still shine
and at the same time,
this other part of you
doesn't have to feel like
squished away or isolated.
That's really what's gonna
create more, like,
different types of connection
and different types of emotion.
- You're right. You're right.
- So when you feel that,
you will become quicker
and quicker on, like,
"Oh, wait a minute,
"tiny entertainer Suzi,
let's put you here.
"I got this.
Like, don't you worry.
I can talk without you
running the show."
And this is how you shift
your whole life...
- Yeah.
- Like, over time.
- You know, this death cleaning
is all about, you know,
cleaning the clutter
in your house,
but it's also cleaning
the clutter in my mind.
- Mm.
- Most of my photo wall is--
they're places in the past,
and, uh--and I'm not dead yet.
[laughs]
- Of course. Of course.
- You know?
And so I do have a--some--
a future ahead of me.
- You do.
You do, and I can already see
it's, like, glowing,
and it's waiting for you.
- [laughs] Oh, God.
Yeah, it'll be--
well, I'm excited.
[uplifting music]
* *
[bright music]
narrator:
Suzi had a lot to organize.
She had tchotchkes,
she had documents, photos,
decorative letters
that spelled out things
that are important to her.
But our death cleaners
are pros,
and they revamped Suzi's space
to help her live in the now.
- My goal this week was
to declutter Suzi's space
and make it a functional one
where she actually can work.
And, of course,
I made it pretty.
Hi, Suzi!
both: Welcome home!
- Do I get to come upstairs?
both: Yes.
- You do.
- Yes!
[laughter]
I'm so excited.
- Yes, come.
* *
narrator: Before we show you
why her face looks like this,
let's take a page
from Suzi's book
and stroll down memory lane.
[reel clicking]
You get it, right? It's bad.
There's stuff everywhere.
Okay, great.
Now watch this.
- Oh, my God.
Wow. Unbelievable.
Oh, my God, I love the floor.
This is fabulous.
Oh, my God!
Oh, my God, isn't this cool?
Oh, I'm blown away.
I love this.
And you brought the liquor up!
[laughter]
Far out!
You know,
whistle while you work, huh?
- Early this week,
Suzi told us
she didn't even like
to go up here.
There should never be
a space in your house
that you don't like to go into.
- See.
- Isn't this cool?
- And look over here.
On the wall.
- Cuba!
- On the wall.
- Yes, Che Guevara!
- That you like so much.
- Oh, I do.
- That was covered with dust.
- Oh, this is just
so nice and peaceful.
I love it.
Look at this new desk.
- Yeah. Nice, right?
- And a swivel chair?
- Yep. You wanna try it?
- Well, I--don't mind if I do.
[laughter]
- You're like a royal now.
- Oh, it's so nice.
It feels so good.
- So what you can do up here
is actually
work more efficiently.
- Oh, yeah.
- You have the storage
behind you.
- Here you have all your files.
- Oh, yeah.
Perfect!
- Yeah.
- I love it.
- And the most important papers
we have put in here.
- That's my will.
- Yes.
So it...
- This is, after all,
death cleaning.
- [laughing] Yeah.
- Absolutely, but you're not
gonna die today.
- Not gonna die yet. Why?
Why not?
Why can't I die yet?
- You should have
knullrufsbefore.
[laughter]
- What does that mean?
- You should have that
special kind of hair
like after
a really good time...
- Oh.
- With another certain someone.
- Knullrufs?
- Knullrufs. Yes.
narrator: It's important to
lean Swedish that you'll use
in everyday life.
- And look at
this nice picture.
- What a gorgeous woman.
- It's so--yeah.
- You know what that's from?
This is when I went
into stand-up comedy
when I was 50 years old.
This is my headshot.
The caption underneath was,
"Not just another pretty face."
[laughter]
I love it.
- Yeah. Yes.
- America thinks that they
need to fill their houses
with a lot of stuff...
- Yes.
- To make them happy.
- Yes.
- And you see here,
we took away a lot of stuff
and who is happy now?
- Me.
- Exactly.
- I mean, it's really true.
I'm just thrilled.
I'm so thrilled.
- This is really, like,
the core
of Swedish death cleaning.
That--to bring out
the things that
actually gives you
a type of sentiment...
- Yeah.
- That you enjoy.
- I'm crying, you guys.
Don't do this to me now.
Oh. Well, this is unbelievable.
This is going to change
my whole life.
- Well, darling,
there's more to see.
- Oh, God!
- Let's go downstairs.
Come on.
- Oh, God. I'm so excited.
narrator: And now, the room
with the most memories
and the least amount
of wall space.
- [gasps] Oh, my God.
Wow. Oh, my God!
This is unbelievable.
The clutter's gone.
- Yeah.
- I love the color.
- Yeah, it's coral.
- Oh, I love it.
- Associated to summer, warmth,
vacation.
- Yeah.
- This gallery wall here,
you have the "best of"
when it comes to your memories.
But it's also about the future,
about living here now.
So we have a few
empty frames as well
where you can fill in
photographs that you take.
- Oh, my gosh.
- Here are
all the other images.
- Oh, that's wonderful.
- Yeah.
- Oh, great.
- And then you have
the afghan over there
that was totally hidden before.
- I know.
- No one saw it.
- No one saw it.
- Such a beautiful craft.
- Oh, look at this.
There's a picture of you guys.
Oh, my God.
I love that you put
that in here.
- Exactly. It's a new memory.
- Oh, it's a new memory.
- It's us.
- I will treasure that always.
And I'll never forget you.
You've changed my life.
- One fun thing with all
of these frames as well
is actually that they are very
easy to take down from the wall
and you can change the images.
- Oh, great.
- So let's say
when you have people over
and there's a party,
you take out--
- Slip their picture in?
- Yeah, you take out
the best Aspen pictures and
then you put them in here.
- This is fabulous.
I love it.
- Hello, my lovelies.
- Hello.
- Hi, Katarina.
What have you got?
What's in the box, baby?
- I got another surprise
for you.
- Another surprise?
- Yes.
- It's you who made me cry.
- At the heart
of death cleaning,
you know how we don't want
to just throw things away.
- Right.
- We want to gift things away.
- Yes.
- So we thought we could
gift these to the young people
in your family.
- Okay.
- So we...
- [gasps] Oh, my God.
- And we also put in
a little note.
- Oh, my God.
- "To my dearest loved one,
this afghan was knitted
"by your
great-great-grandmother,
Mary Madge Sanderson."
- Oh.
- "For decades past,
it has comforted me
"and brought warmth
to my heart.
I'm currently death cleaning,
while I'm good and alive."
- [laughs]
- "And I want you to have it.
"My deepest hope
is that you experience
"the same warmth and love
"that it has provided me
all these years.
I love you always.
Suzi Sanderson."
- [sniffles]
Oh, that's so nice.
[laughs tearfully]
That's so nice.
- I think I was so touched
by the gift
from your great-grandmother
because I was so close
to my grandmother.
- Yeah.
- And I would have loved
for my kids to have
this kind of thing from her.
- I know. It is special.
I feel very blessed
to have that, you know?
[both laugh]
Oh, dear. Oh.
Well, I love it all and--
and I will treasure this
and I will--
I will definitely pass along
her love
to the next generation.
- I love that.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome.
- Hello!
- Ella, hi.
- Hello.
- We have another surprise
for you.
- No way.
- We're gonna
take you out tonight.
I think you need
a bit of party
and fun in your life.
- Yes!
- I just need something
from you.
- What?
- And that is for you
to prepare a song.
We want to hear you sing.
Right? Yeah.
- Yes.
- I can do that for you.
I think we all deserve
to have some fun tonight.
- Exactly.
- Yes.
- You have worked so hard
to make my life so beautiful.
- Yeah.
- You know,
let's go get f*cked up.
[laughter]
That's English.
- Oh, yes. I didn't understand.
I didn't understand.
narrator: And with that, Suzi
teaches our death cleaners
the most useful
American phrase.
- Let's go get f*cked up.
[laughter]
[upbeat jazz music]
* *
narrator: After a week
of death cleaning,
everyone is emotionally spent.
So let's let loose
and see where the night
takes us, shall we?
- All right. This is great.
- See, there are quite many
people here.
- Lots of people. I know.
I can't believe it.
- Yeah.
narrator:
Suzi's old show clothes
have lived in her basement
for years.
But little does she know
that Johan has found
some new friends.
And they are going
to give them some new life.
- Let me know. All right.
[laughter]
narrator: If all these outfits
were still in Suzi's closet,
we wouldn't have been able
to meet
this Miami real estate agent
or this '70s crime fighter,
'90s country music star,
mistress on a secret
vacation in the Alps,
or our prom queen.
- She's gonna die
when she sees us.
- Maybe.
- She has no clue
what's coming.
narrator: Okay, everyone pause
and use the restroom now,
because we're about
to see Suzi's reaction
and we don't want anyone
to miss it.
- Skol.
- Skolfor Suzi.
- Skol.
[laughs]
[cheers and applause]
- Hello, hello, everyone.
Thanks for coming out.
- Yeah, baby!
- Are y'all ready
for some fashion?
[cheers and applause]
[MUSZETTE's "Makin' Moves"]
- * Hold up *
* Where you goin' *
* Lookin' like that? *
- Yeah, baby!
- * Lookin' so good *
- Whoa!
I love those pants.
- * Tryin' to get in trouble *
* Should be a crime *
* Flirtin' with the devil *
* Get out the way... *
- Ohh, my God!
narrator: And she's got it.
* *
- * Work hard,
get paid *
* Dressed up like a Sunday *
[cheering]
* I'll make a move *
- Oh, my God!
* *
- * I'll make a move *
* *
- Oh, yeah!
* *
Oh, my God.
That's just wonderful!
[cheers and applause]
Yeah!
I love it.
Yeah.
- * I'll make a move *
* *
- That's amazing.
That was fabulous.
[cheers and applause]
- All right, everyone.
We have one more surprise
for you tonight.
[percussive music]
narrator: There's beauty,
there's grace...
- Oh, my God! No!
narrator: There's Johan.
- [laughs] Yes, Johan!
- * I'll make a move *
* *
- Yes! Yes!
Oh, baby!
- * I'll make a move *
[cheers and applause]
- Oh, that is great.
* *
- * I'll make a move *
- Give it a round of applause
for all the beautiful queens!
[cheers and applause]
- All my clothes. [laughs]
- Yes.
And they serve a purpose,
you know.
- They look better on them,
if you wanna know the truth.
[laughter]
- This week has been
very special to me.
I met a very special lady.
Suzi, over here.
[cheering]
The biggest and brightest
smile.
This is a truly
magnificent woman.
We all, Swedish death cleaners,
love her.
She's also a great performer,
so we asked her
to sing a song for us.
[cheers and applause]
What do you say?
Come on, folks!
Yes!
- Okay.
All right.
[clears throat]
narrator: Yes,
warm those pipes, Suz.
- [laughs]
- Ohh!
- Now he--
he looks damn good in that.
Anyway, thank you for coming
so much, you guys.
I appreciate it.
This Gentle Art
of Swedish Death Cleaning--
I had no idea
what I was getting into,
and it's been the most
life-changing experience,
maybe, for me
because, really,
I was on a path.
Everybody around me--
all my friends are dying.
And so I thought,
well, this is--
I'm just on the road,
you know?
I'd sorta given up on life
and just was moving on.
And then, all of a sudden,
they've added new life
into my life.
So if you just
let your stuff go
and try something new,
it's amazing what life
will give you.
Truly.
[cheers and applause]
And I love you.
I love you.
And thank you all
for being here.
I love you all for coming.
Thank you, thank you,
thank you.
[cheers and applause]
[laughs]
Maestro.
[piano music playing]
Well...
* What good is whiskey *
* I've been through
the best in the bar *
* Whiskey ain't got whiskers
wrapped around a cigar *
* Pour me a face black
with bristle *
* And watch me wet my whistle *
* Just pour me a man *
narrator: Well, she wasn't
gonna sing us a song
about chastity
and table manners.
- * Better make it
a stiff one *
* Pour me a double *
* Nothin' but trouble man *
[end chords]
Thank you!
Thank you very much.
Thank you, thank you.
I love you.
I love you. Thank you.
[soft music]
Hey, Katarina.
- Hello!
- Ella, hi.
- How are you doing?
- I'm melancholy.
[laughter]
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
It was, you know--
the show's over.
[laughter]
- No, it just began.
My God, come on.
- Yeah, from doing this,
I got a new job in town now.
- You did?
- Whoa.
- I'm gonna come
and entertain here
during happy hour only.
- Oh!
- 'Cause that's--you know,
after that's my bed time.
- Really?
[laughter]
- But that's gonna be fun
for me,
you know,
to be able to get on--
I always liked to get on stage.
- Yes.
- That was great fun, though.
both: Yeah.
- And it was just
such a surprise.
- Yeah.
- You mean with
all the dresses?
- Yes. My dresses!
- Yeah, everything
got new life now...
- When they were not
on the hangers
in your basement.
- In my basement.
- Yes.
- You know, it's really true.
- Yeah.
- And that makes me
happy and sad.
I've learned a lot of feelings
this week with you guys.
- [laughs] Yes.
- And I thank you.
I knew that, you know,
you guys were gonna
declutter my life and my house.
I didn't know you were
going to declutter my soul.
You know?
- Yeah.
- I mean, it's good,
but it hurts.
You know, it's letting go
of a lot of stuff.
both: Yeah.
- I think, you k now,
I think you guys have--
You've opened up my life by--
by getting rid of my life.
- Yeah, yeah.
- Does that make any sense?
- That makes perfect sense.
- Yeah, and what's been
so beautiful this week
is when we came
to your house,
you were, like,
bombarding us with love.
And finally, we were able
to give love back to you.
- Yeah, you know,
that's right.
And I've never been really
good about receiving it,
and I really felt it
this week.
So--but thank you guys
for taking the time
out of your lives
to give me this gift.
- It was a pleasure.
both: Yeah.
- I just realized
that I'm sitting here
looking, like, ridiculous
at the same time.
[laughter]
That was a, "Yes."
- You know,
I didn't even notice.
I thought you looked
perfectly normal.
[laughter]
- But you can be
on the team anyway, you know.
- Okay.
Thank you for everything.
- Thank you.
- You guys have a safe trip.
It's really true, you know,
from this whole process,
it wasn't just the house
that was decluttered.
It was like somebody
kinda scraped off
the barnacles on my heart.
Goodbye, guys.
- Bye.
- I was living in the past,
but now,
I'm living for today.
Muah.
[applause]
[piano music playing]
* I always go
to Harry's service station *
* *
* When any automotive need
appears *
* I know, I know to go
to Harry's service station *
* He has serviced me
for over 50 years *
[laughter]
* But ever since
these fuel prices *
* Soared across the land *
* Harry can't supply *
* What I demand *
* He can do everything *
* That he did before *
* But Harry can't *
* Fill 'er up *
* Anymore *
[cheers and applause]
Thank you very much.
[laughs]
Thank you all for coming.
Love you all, thank you.
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01x01 - Confessions of a Lounge Singer
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on the Swedish practice of döstädning, where people get rid of unnecessary belongings and put their homes in order.
on the Swedish practice of döstädning, where people get rid of unnecessary belongings and put their homes in order.