When I was greeted to the elegantly bearded John Grant over the phone, he was sitting out the front of a bar in Reykjavik, Iceland, a place the Colorado native has called home in recent times.
The festival “Airwaves” was just about to kick off, which he was set to play, so there was a lot of excitement in the air. He told me that Björk had just entered the bar he was at. It was night there… something along the lines of 11pm… but in Iceland, that’s still pretty “early”. We spoke about life in Iceland, Pale Green Ghosts, his upcoming return to Australia for MONA FOMA and Sydney Festival, he impresses with his knowledge of Australian cinema and much more…
It looks like you’re not going to be spending all that much time at home over the next few months?
Yeah that’s true, I’m not going to be around much at all. But that’s all right! I enjoy what I’m doing, and I had a nice week off in Devon with my Sister last week so that was a lot of fun. I’m feeling energized. And it’s nice a cold here in Iceland. Nice and crisp fall weather. So I really enjoy that too.
You must enjoy the cold if you’ve lived in Iceland!
Absolutely *laughs* I do.
You’re playing Airwaves this weekend, are you looking forward to that? I’m guessing there are going to be some great bands playing along side you?
I am looking forward to it! Midlake and Villagers and Kraftwerk are all going to be here… lots of great stuff.
The last time I saw you, at SXSW a few years back, Midlake were your backing band. Any chance you’ll be jumping back up with them?
I don’t think we’ll have time but I’m definitely going to go to their show. I’m pretty excited for it because I know they’re going to be doing a lot of their new material, which is sounding amazing… beautiful, I think everybody’s going to love it.
And you’ve had some new music come out this year yourself. A very belated congratulations on Pale Green Ghosts… how has the year treated you since its release?
It’s treated me really well, I have to say it’s been a good year for me. I’ve been touring a lot. Just really enjoying what I’m doing with my band, being out with them. I really like them as people, and they’re also amazing musicians. So we’ve been having a lot of fun. There are some hectic times, but that’s what it’s often like on the road. I can say with conviction that I’ve really been enjoying myself.
And you’ll be bringing the band to Australia for the first time in January! I know you were solo back in 2011. So you must be looking forward to that…
Yeah I’m really excited for us all to come to Australia together. I’m going to have a couple of days off too before we start playing, so I’m really looking forward to that. And I get to go to the MONA museum in Tasmania, in Hobart. I’m really excited to explore that area… and get to know Sydney and Melbourne a bit better too. There’s a lot of things about Australia that I like. I like a lot of the people I’ve met down there, and I lot of music I’ve heard from there, and I love a lot of Australian films as well. So it’s an important place for me… it’s definitely a place I need to get to know!
When you think of Australian films, what comes to mind?
I’m thinking of Picnic at Hanging Rock, Walkabout, I think Kenny is absolutely amazing, Lantana is an amazing film… and one called Look Both Ways…
Not the answer I was expecting! Those are some great films, but I didn’t realise many of them were known outside of Australia.
You know, I’m really aware of Australian film, and I really love it. I just saw this great documentary about the history of Australian art on the BBC… British TV can be quite amazing, and this documentary about how art came to Australia and how it developed was fascinating. I heard a lot of names I’d never heard of before, and saw a lot of amazing art on this program. So that’s a whole new can of worms that has been opened up there for me, which I look forward to exploring. I’m not a connessieur of art, but I certainly like good art, and there seems to be a lot of it there.
Well hopefully you get some time to explore that while you’re here!
Yeah definitely. And I wouldn’t mind seeing a funnel web spider, or a blue bottle jellyfish…
Yeah you just don’t want to be touched by one of those!
*laughs* no, definitely! But would it kill you to stop by and just say hi?
Yes, it might. It actually might.
Well, me… probably not them!
They’ll be fine! Well we can’t wait to get you back down here to hear some of the newer material, especially. Are there any particular tracks off Pale Green Ghosts that seems to be resonating with crowds?
Well, “Pale Green Ghosts” itself has been great, and “Black Belt” as well… and “GMF (Greatest Mother Fucker)” and “Glacier” has been a really good one for the live setting. “Ernest Borgnine”, “It Doesn’t Matter To Him” … those too!
You mentioned before that you’ll be in town to to play the festival MONA puts on in Hobart… MONA FOMA… and you mentioned your love of Australian art – and certainly your interest there. Do you know much about the MONA gallery?
Yeah, it’s a really interesting one – my understanding is that it’s the private collection of a collector who made his fortune in gambling?
Yeah, (Tasmanian millionaire) David Walsh… he developed a gambling system? Something along those lines.
Yeah that sounds right! The museum looks astounding. I’m looking forward to seeing it.
In addition to the museum, they now run the MONA FOMA festival in January and the DARK MOFO festival in June…
*Laughs* Oh that name is perfect for me! “Dark Mofo”… the perfect description for me!
After Australia, what do you have in store for 2014?
Well you know, I hope to start recording my new record. I’m thinking a lot about that. Writing new songs. Creating sounds. Trying to find new ones. I think it’s going to be really fun. I’ll likely have the guys in my band playing on the record, too, which I’m look forward to.
Is that a first?
Well, they were on the last record, but they weren’t involved to the extent that they probably will be in the next one. The last one was mostly me and Biggi (Veira) and then on a couple of the acoustic songs I had a couple of the guys in the band playing on them… but now that we’ve been playing together for a year, and really gotten to know each other, and like working together. I’m sure they’ll be more involved. I think I’ll record it here in Iceland again, too. Just because I really like the atmosphere here. I still have a lot of ideas and things to explore. I don’t think I need to shake things up and move to Sri Lanka just yet…
It doesn’t sounds like the weather would agree with you there!
Yeah, I’m pretty sure you’re right. But I do like the heat… my body just doesn’t seem to function well in it. I wish I did better in it, I just feel like a sloth! The cold though… it really puts a spring in my step.
Quite apt as the dark mofo…
Yes absolutely!
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John Grant will be in Australia to play MONA FOMA, Sydney Festival and a few other dates, which you’ll find below. Tickets are on sale now!
16th Jan 2014 – Sydney Festival, Sydney
17th Jan 2014 – Adelaide Arts Centre, Adelaide
18th Jan 2014 – Corner Hotel, Melbourne
19th Jan 2014 – MONA FOMA, Hobart
Pale Green Ghosts, his latest record, is available now.
