Reykjavík Grapevine - 21.10.2005, Qupperneq 4

By Paul F Nikolov PHoTo: GuNNaR SvaNBERG
>>> Ghostigital is the brainchild of former
Sugarcubes frontman and Smekkleysa
(bad Taste) record label owner Einar
Örn Benediktsson and artist Birgir Örn
Thoroddsen, also known as Curver.
formed in 2003, the duo recruited other
musicians around the concept of a band
that employs improvization and surprise
– when playing live, the other musicians
are often expected to accompany music
they’re hearing for the first time. Known
for their energetic live act and hardcore
electronic industrial beats, Ghostigital
managed to out-perform indie legends
Sonic Youth, whom they supported last
month. The Grapevine spoke with Einar
and Curver to find out how chaos has
kept them together. <<<
TEll ME AboUT ThE ElEMEnT of
SUrprISE yoU lIKE To USE In yoUr
lIvE ShowS.
Einar: we don’t tell the other musicians
what we are going to do, and we don’t
discuss it with each other. we just go on
stage, and listen to each other. what we’re
trying to do is create a situation where we
become surprised by what we’re playing.
So if we’re putting the other musicians
under pressure by not telling them what
we’re going to do, we’re putting ourselves
think it sounds that great, sound quality
wise, but I think it has a more melodic
sound than a digital programme. plus,
this thing is so easy to fix when it breaks
down. I think it was made for the army or
something.
onE Song of yoUrS ThAT’S bEEn
STUcK In My hEAD lATEly IS In coD
wE TrUST. I’M gUESSIng IT’S AboUT
IcElAnD?
Einar: It’s about the 60th anniversary
of the end of the Second world war.
They had a commemoration in Moscow
and (Icelandic prime Minister) halldór
Ásgrímsson was present. he came on the
news here and he said that it seemed
to him that there was a lot of emotion
there (in Moscow). The man must not
have realized what the Second world war
meant to the russians, how many people
died there. but then he meets bush. he
does not talk to bush about the war in
Iraq, or famine in Africa, or Third world
help or anything like that. he uses the
opportunity to talk to bush about cod.
This is what these two great minds talk
about when they meet.
Curver: but then there is a thing in
Iceland where we trust in cod, you know.
Maybe we try to put more trust now in
fashion or computers but the land is built
on fisheries. So, in cod we trust. That’s
what we do.
how hAS yoUr (13-yEAr-olD) Son
hrAfnKEll bEEn fArIng AS yoUr
bAnD’S TrUMpET plAyEr?
Einar: really well. he’s been with us since
day one, since he was ten. he started
learning the trumpet so I asked him if
he wanted to play one song on the first
album. from that experience I asked him if
he wanted to play live, he said yes, so we
took him along.
Curver: he’s the only member of the band
who knows how to improvize. I don’t need
to worry about him at all.
Einar: he’s the only one who gets
applause.
So whAT Do yoU All hAvE lEfT To
Try, In TErMS of MUSIc?
Einar: Actually, there is a play that we’re
doing later this year. It’s a play by Jón
Atli Jónasson, who also did the play
Draugalestin, that I really want to do
because then we’ll be taking old Icelandic
songs and making news songs out of
them. And there is a horror movie that
(Icelandic poet and björk lyricist) Sjón has
written that we are pencilled in to do the
soundtrack for.
Curver: The only thing that we really
haven’t explored is minimalism. we’ve
been working so much in the maximum,
with all the data in the songs, that we’ve
been thinking of going into the minimum.
Einar: That’s maybe the way to go.

>>> Ghostigital plays Gaukur á Stöng on
Friday, oct 22. <<<
under even greater pressure to create the
environment that we’re a part of.
Curver: If the guitar players start learning
the songs, then we’re in trouble. we’ve
had some problems where the guitar
players are starting to learn the songs,
and then they’re not playing freely
enough.
whAT ADvAnTAgE Do yoU ThInK
ThE ElEMEnT of chAoS hAS ovEr A
MorE STrUcTUrED SET, whErE ThE
MUSIcIAnS Know whAT ThEy’rE goIng
To plAy?
Einar: It’s live music. I mean, what
advantage is there to seeing a show live?
It’s because there’s something happening.
Something creative is being done, where
you can’t figure out what happens next.
what we’re doing is deconstructing the
songs. we’re not destroying them; we’re
freeing them up.
In SEEIng yoU plAy lIvE, I SAw ThAT
yoU hAvE A loT of ThESE STATE-of-
ThE-ArT coMpUTErS AnD MIxErS on
STAgE, bUT yoU AlSo hAvE ThIS olD
AnAlogUE loop TApE MAchInE. IS ThIS
for noSTAlgIc rEASonS, or IS ThErE
SoMEThIng ThAT MAchInE cAn Do
ThAT A coMpUTEr cAn’T?
Einar: yeah, it can break down.
Curver: It’s a roland Space Echo. I don’t
Surprise! We’re Not Just
Playing, We’re Deconstructing
An Interview with Ghostigital
featureINTERVIEW
Einar Örn passed the trumpet he used with the
Sugarcubes over to his son, but he is still an
accomplished jazz musician. he recently made
contributions to local jazz king Tómas Einarsson.
{  }Grapevine Airwaves 2005 Friday October 21 – Issue 1 of 3