Music > Interviews

Interview with John Grant

02/05/13

It’s hard to remember the joke after the punchline has reached its destination; it seems to whip through the railway platform carrying a sign saying ‘this train will not stop at this station.’ If it’s so high impact, why can we never recall the gag? It seems us humans are predisposed to dwell on the bad and sad, and so it’s happened that we cannot seem to separate man from his memoirs. It’s hard to listen to John Grant’s two albums now without letting his battle with addiction and his startling announcement that between albums, he found out he was HIV positive, contextualise your listening experience. But perhaps on next listen, you can remember this instead – John Grant is a funny guy. On the exquisitely written ‘Queen of Denmark’, let’s remember that Grant explains, ‘You tell me that my life is based upon a lie’, he replies, ‘I casually mention that I pissed in your coffee’. His is a wonderful mind, and he shares it with us over an email… 

The first two tracks on ‘Pale Green Ghosts’ lean towards the dance floor. What is your own relationship with the dancefloor, and dance music? You lived in Berlin for some time, an awesome city, with unrivalled nightlife; ‘Sensitive New Age Guy’ sounds wonderfully, playfully Germanic…Well, this relationship to dance music started way before my music career. I really fell in love with electronic music and sounds in the 80s, listening to things like Eurythmics, Missing Persons, DEVO, New Order, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Cocteau Twins, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Fad Gadget, Chris & Cosey, Yello, Ministry, Skinny Puppy, etc., so that has always been a very important part of my world and since this album is mostly about my adolescence which took place in the 80s, it makes a lot of sense for me.

The album is sonically quite a departure from ‘Queen of Denmark’. On the first album, Midlake were the band that helped you realise the output; this time it was Biggi Veira. What did Biggi bring out in you? Well, as with Midlake, I think Biggi just helped me realise what was mostly already there. He showed me how to achieve the sounds I didn’t know how to make on my own. I learned a LOT from him about “the way things are simply DONE” and he was always committed to the project from start to finish. He also is very disciplined, which taught me a lot too.

I read a quote from you that said, “Biggi would be sitting there in his stiletto heels and tights, and some sort of blouse, wearing his lipstick and make-up and fingernail polish, and treating me as a father would…” ‘Father’ contradicts the image - did Biggi provide some sort of grounding, despite an aesthetic flamboyance?Yes, I suppose he did. He has three young children and is a great father to them and he is very masculine in many ways, even though his choice of clothing isn’t necessary what one immediately connects with ‘masculinity’. He is unmistakably masculine and also very strong and patient at the same time. A great mixture of things, which provided a great foundation for this record.

You had the great opportunity of working with Sinéad O’Connor for the album. She features on more than one track; was this always the plan, or was it a result of a bourgeoning friendship, or kindred stylistic desires?Yes, this was simply the result of our growing friendship and of course I was absolutely delighted when this occurred.

Working on ‘Queen of Denmark’ came out of difficult times preceding the album. What kind of salvation did Midlake’s invitation to work together represent to you?They made all the difference. They gave me an atmosphere where I could be myself completely and didn’t have to hide anything or try to be anything or anyone else. That was extremely liberating for me.

I think my favourite song of yours is ‘Caramel’. Selfishly, I want you to be in the headspace where you could write a whole album of love songs that beautiful. Do you think they’d come easily to you?That’s sweet of you! ‘Caramel’ is a special song to me as well because it is one of the only songs I’ve ever done about an unconditional love toward someone. I think it would be difficult for me to do a whole album of songs like that, because that song came out of a moment of actually feeling those things and that was the only time in my life during which I felt those feelings, so it’s hard to imagine writing something like that again. But one never knows. Stranger things have happened.

For ‘Queen of Denmark’, you referenced ‘Marz’, Jupiter, extra terrestrial elements – your head seemed to be out of this world. On this new record, you talk about the very real connection with a highway in your home state…Is there a question in there? I would agree with both of those statements. I love science fiction and I like to bring the things I love into the songs. The connection of ‘Marz’ and ‘Green Rivers’ was just a happy coincidence and tied in nicely with ‘Sigourney Weaver’ and ‘Alien’.

You were brought up in the conservative Midwest, which you described “made being gay so catastrophic to self-worth”. As a gay woman, I can appreciate that we all have our own ‘Midwest’, but most of us also have the moment where we find we belong. We move, we meet new people; what was your moment of finally belonging, if any?Hmm, the Midlake moment was a big one for me. I’m not sure if there ever really was ‘one’ moment where I felt I belonged. I still often feel I don’t belong. I will say, however, that I feel very comfortable and part of a community in Iceland. That has been a very special experience for me. So maybe between Denton and Reykjavík I have found that place.

In ‘Silver Platter Club’ there’s a line that says, “I'm sorry that I wasn't able to become the man you think I should aspire to” – was there an image of the guy you were supposed to be?

[John sends us this striking image... Thanks John!]

At different times in my life, ‘Glacier’ would have broken me. Its support and understanding would have shaken me to the core. It seems resonant at this time when although battles are being won on the case of gay marriage, they’re unearthing disturbing arguments against. The lobbying seems to have unsettled hatred that lay dormant. Is that a necessary evil for progress?Yes, I think so. The conversations, which are taking place now as a result of this debate are some of the first ‘real’ conversations about this topic. Seems like people are really taking off the gloves at this point, which is great.

I wondered if you could help me understand how drug use for pleasure turns into drug dependency. Men in suits say that one drug is a gateway for others, but surely the only gateway for addiction is addiction itself?If you’re saying that the gateway to addiction is the predisposition already present in the person, then I think I agree. Some people do shitloads of blow and then quit from one day to the next without a problem and never look back. Yes, it depends on the person. It depends on what one is using these substances for in the first place. However, some drugs like heroin or crystal meth don’t seem to leave much up to the individual and just completely take over and destroy. I don’t know, there are many, many variables involved it seems.

I read another quote from you that said, “I really want to avoid being another one of these people who gets found in a bath-tub, having not quite made it away from the drug addiction”. I can’t help but think of the Amy Winehouses, the Whitney Houstons – there was an inevitability that was so obvious, you’d think they’d have seen it. Does that take some kind of impossible self-perspective though, do you think?I didn’t know either of those talented ladies, unfortunately, so, who knows? It’s certainly about loss of perspective, I think, and who knows why some people are given the gift of perspective when it seems too late and some don’t and are lost? I feel I’ve always had too much self-awareness, but I also feel it was this very thing that made it possible for me to get help when I really needed it.

Finally, you said just before finishing ‘Pale Green Ghosts’, “I’m glad it’s going to be over soon so I can maybe relax a little before I have to freak out about something again.” Is this the best part for you, touring a widely appreciated, and lovingly adopted new album?Yes, that is the best part. I enjoy being on stage and connecting with people, that is definitely the fun part.

Emma R. Garwood

John Grant comes to OPEN as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival programming, on May 19th. Tickets and more info are available from www.nnfestival.org.uk