Iceland music has its specifics and rules. Being original, give space to other types of arts and put effort to differentiate from the rest of the scene. These traits fits to the description of one of the most interesting Iceland groups which has not suppressed its uniqueness although they were considered as strangers. Our interview with the group GusGus took place during our festival in Katovice. It was very lively, sincere and funny. We talked to a group after one hour concert and 5 half hours interviews. Our turn came only at 1 AM and we finished only after the request from management who wanted to take the group to the hotel. But Daniél and Birgir wanted to talk. Below you can find an interview with a group that will perform on Saturday at the festival Pohoda.
I will start with this one.. first of all.. GusGus from Iceland. What does it mean this name?
Daniel – GusGus: GusGus means.. eehhh..
Birgir – GusGus: ..Food to share..
Daniel – GusGus: Nonono.. Yes.. food to share.. It means.. aahhh.. love.. music.. contact.. friendship.. and love..
Birgir – GusGus: ..To share
It is all in this GusGus?
Daniel – GusGus: It’s all involved in it.. well.. the original is couscous.
Birgir – GusGus: The Turkish sweet balls.
Daniel – GusGus: Yes yes.. so it’s a natural substance of sweet balls.. that you use in the kitchen.. and you can mix it with anything..
Maybe it’s not important this question.. What does it mean.. the name.. but I think it’s important (significant)…
Birgir – GusGus: OK.. let me this explain… it’s taken from a film.. a Fassbinder film.. Rainer Werner Fassbinder.. German filmmaker.. where this couscous serves a specific role.. it is a dish.. that a woman prepares inviting a man/male.. that she wants to induce..
Daniel – GusGus: Interacts with…
Birgir – GusGus: To be intimate with.. so GusGus is for us like a name to offer to the crowd.. if you like it.. we can get intimate…
Daniel – GusGus: Let’s eat food together.. let’s make music.. let’s make love.. that’s GusGus.
Birgir – GusGus: Start with one.. not all at the same time.. just pick one question..
OK.. one after another.. So what does it mean.. GusGus.. you already said.. guys.. I heard that you are trying to be like multi.. (multigenre)…
Daniel – GusGus: Nooo noo.. we are not trying anything..
You are dancing.. on the stage.. podium.. you like movement.. right.. so you are using music and you are dancing there.. and you are.. in these hills.. this is.. I don’t know.. some perpetual question.. but why these hills? (hills=heels)
Birgir – GusGus: This is my persona.. you know what persona is? something that defines a person.. I guess I have to say.. that.. my persona is kind of complicated.. ..it’s a very mixed persona..I don’t identify myself with the male persona.. it’s something that stands for me.. boring..
Daniel – GusGus: Under stereotype
Birgir – GusGus: The female persona is much more interesting to me….but then again..I don’t consider myself as male or female..
…just the persona
Birgir – GusGus: Yes.. I am just what I am.. what I wanna be.. I like to say.. universal -fucking universal- that’s truth.. whatever.. I just feel.. but this is in this age of time.. there are two really important ingredients about what we are trying to do best with our community.. one.. is that.. we want to create a society.. that everybody feels free to be who he is.. and to make the best of himself..
Without paranoia.. (without prejudices..)
Birgir – GusGus: And the second thing.. that is the most important.. is that.. people don’t realize it.. as that.. for them to be able to be free.. and exposing the best of themselves.. they have to have a community that is supporting.. what gives them a secure ground.. and gives them all the possibilities.. the community itself has to be really open minded.. and be supportive.. to their intuition in exploring their freedom.. because at the end of the day.. I have been studying economics.. you know.. at the end of the day.. it is better for the community.. if each individual finds a way.. to explore the best of them.. and by that he will then made the best of him and give the best of him back to the community..
I totally agree with you.. ..but is it not an utopia?!
Birgir – GusGus: Why can we not live in utopia!! lets live in the utopia!!!! lalalalala.. ..and.. if it’s not here.. if utopia is not here.. let’s just pretend it.. because if you pretend it.. it will become pretend..
So let´s have a smile when we will smile more.. maybe the smile will stay.. ..but maybe sometimes its ..artificial
Birgir – GusGus: Of course.. there is hard times.. and you have to.. work with it.. but at the end of the day.. ..you cannot lose the goal.. of where we are going.. and where we are going.. it’s that kind of community where we are totally free.. being who we are.. and we feel that we are part of a community.. that we are willing to share.. the best of us.. and getting back in response full support of the community.. and supporting what we want to be.. ..that its utopia.. let’s just go there.. ..we can
But we are people.. you know this thing.. -people are strange- another thing.. normal.. what is normality?!
Birgir – GusGus: Let’s talk about normality.. you have to realize one thing.. in statistics.. hmm…
Daniel – GusGus: Sociology
Birgir – GusGus: You have to understand.. that everything in nature.. most of things in nature.. follow the thing called the normal curve.. there is a medium.. but then you can see that it’s not only the medium. most of things are close to the medium.. but.. then.. there are people far away..
in another way.. from the orient.. the black and white.. Yin and yang..this paradoxes.. I live a lot of paradoxes in life..
Birgir – GusGus: OK.. so it’s like a normal curve.. everybody is placed somewhere in normal curve.. ..and if you look at normality.. it’s a straight line.. and basically no one.. nobody is on that line.. everybody is apart from that line.. some people more.. some people less.. most of the people are close to it.. some people are further.. but you have to realize.. that according to nature.. it is not supposed to be seen that.. irregularity.. something that is far from normal curve.. it’s a part of being normal.. but even if someone is far away.. it is a part of.. how things are..
Daniel – GusGus: The thing is.. I am normal
You?
Birgir – GusGus: Everyone is normal.. ..everyone is part of the normal
Daniel – GusGus: I don’t know about you (smile).
Birgir – GusGus: As a part of normal as they are.. it doesn’t really matter.. because we are normal.. it’s just the medium.. of everything
I am ambiguating. we are normal.. and we are not normal..
Daniel – GusGus: Sometimes I am small.. sometimes I am medium.. sometimes I am extra large..
What inspires you? Actually.. What inspired you today? you are in Poland now.. you had a concert..
Birgir – GusGus: Nonono.. I must to say.. nothing specific inspired me today.. I cannot say
Daniel – GusGus: What do you mean (to Birgir)? I was trying to be kind to you .) We were good friends.. right?
What was the inspiration..when they opened the concert today.. that will not seem.. as the next one.. they ll have.. they had?
Birgir – GusGus: I am trying to answer ..nothing specific inspires me before the show.. what it’s all about.. it’s just to be.. relaxed.. ..and restraining your energy.. and then we will come on stage.. then it happens.. between me and Daníel.. it happens.. between me and audience.. it happens..
So you are very.. in a way.. I cannot say prepared.. but.. you are like.. connected..
Birgir – GusGus: Exactly.. I don’t have the faith in.. being prepared for the show.. ..the only thing I have faith in.. is to be prepared.. to be prepared for the show.. you know what I mean?
Daniel – GusGus: The mentality the mentality
Birgir – GusGus: The only thing that you need to be prepared for is to be prepared.. for the show.. you know what i mean? so when on the stage.. you just have to be fully open to do it.. and before that? you know..
Daniel – GusGus: I try to be physically prepared.. I need a lot of sleep.. before I come on stage..
Birgir – GusGus: The same with me.. we are zombies..
Daniel – GusGus: I cannot be tired or anything.. because it affects my voice.. affects my mentality.. i have to be fully focused.. and some of my people.. my family.. don’t understand.. because they think.. i am available.. because i am not on the stage.. when i am talking to them.. I say.. listen.. ..or i go to the sauna.. or.. yes yes.. because i have to prepare.. it takes a long time to prepare for a show.. it’s no joke.. to stand on the stage.. and sing your heart out.. in front of thousands of people.. if you are not prepared.. you have to be charged..
Birgir – GusGus: Yes.. and somehow.. my stand of it.. it’s basically.. before a show.. I am really not detached.. I don’t detach of anything.. i am just like a zombie.. throwing around.. going to the mole.. or having coffee.. or whatever
Daniel – GusGus: Nothing here (pointing finger to head)
Birgir – GusGus: But when the show starts.. just press play.. and.. kkhhhh..ffuuu..
Daniel – GusGus: Putting your clothes out.. putting it out..
I would like to talk with you about another things.. about this gesamtkunstwerk.. you are making music.. but you are also visual.. you.. (Birgir) are in front.. ..you are making very crazy nice moves.. i like movements.. a lot.. but i have a question.. you had here (off katowice 2016) today (on the show) your own light design?
Birgir – GusGus: Nono.. it was from the festival.. from here..
It was enough.. you know.. but it wasn’t yours..
Birgir+Daniel – GusGus: Nonono
I am speaking about gesamtkunstwerk.. so if you ll have this things.. arranged.. if you would like to be a complex.. and also the projection behind you.. it wasn’t from you.. right..
Daniel – GusGus: We were talking about this.. how important each aspect is of the show.. the sound was good.. the performance was good.. but what augments.. or enhances the show.. is of course the lights.. the synchronicity.. of the whole thing.. you know.. how things work together.. it’s really important.. that.. each element is on the same wave.. and tonight.. our lighting engineer.. was not on the same page..
Birgir – GusGus: It did not matter.. because.. it was all of other..
How the classical music influences you?
Daniel – GusGus: Maybe we can have the conversation later..
I am kind of deformated.. I am focused on visual.. I am into it..
Daniel – GusGus: Classical music.. the first piece of music that influenced me greatly.. was a piece of classical music.. It was Johann Sebastian Bach.. it was Beethoven.. and the great minds of the classical era.. and i was fortunate enough to enjoy that when i was really small.. yeah.. and i grew up with that.. it’s in my bones.. it’s in my veins.. in my soul.. but i didn’t study.. any classic music.. but.. i was just influenced.. by a bringing of my mother.. she had a really good record collection.. and good stereo system.. from bang&olufsen.. which i appreciated really much.. ..i was really lucky.. i was one of the lucky people to enjoy.. this privileged of getting to know.. you know.. classical tones.. to begin with.. and that was the foundation.. of my upbringing..
You?
Birgir – GusGus: Everyone is normal.. ..everyone is part of the normal
Daniel – GusGus: I don’t know about you (smile).
Birgir – GusGus: As a part of normal as they are.. it doesn’t really matter.. because we are normal.. it’s just the medium.. of everything
I am ambiguating. we are normal.. and we are not normal..
Daniel – GusGus: Sometimes I am small.. sometimes I am medium.. sometimes I am extra large..
So you are very.. in a way.. I cannot say prepared.. but.. you are like.. connected..
Birgir – GusGus: Exactly.. I don’t have the faith in.. being prepared for the show.. ..the only thing I have faith in.. is to be prepared.. to be prepared for the show.. you know what I mean?
Daniel – GusGus: The mentality the mentality
Birgir – GusGus: The only thing that you need to be prepared for is to be prepared.. for the show.. you know what i mean? so when on the stage.. you just have to be fully open to do it.. and before that? you know..
Daniel – GusGus: I try to be physically prepared.. I need a lot of sleep.. before I come on stage..
Birgir – GusGus: The same with me.. we are zombies..
Daniel – GusGus: I cannot be tired or anything.. because it affects my voice.. affects my mentality.. i have to be fully focused.. and some of my people.. my family.. don’t understand.. because they think.. i am available.. because i am not on the stage.. when i am talking to them.. I say.. listen.. ..or i go to the sauna.. or.. yes yes.. because i have to prepare.. it takes a long time to prepare for a show.. it’s no joke.. to stand on the stage.. and sing your heart out.. in front of thousands of people.. if you are not prepared.. you have to be charged..
Birgir – GusGus: Yes.. and somehow.. my stand of it.. it’s basically.. before a show.. I am really not detached.. I don’t detach of anything.. i am just like a zombie.. throwing around.. going to the mole.. or having coffee.. or whatever
Daniel – GusGus: Nothing here (pointing finger to head)
Birgir – GusGus: But when the show starts.. just press play.. and.. kkhhhh..ffuuu..
Daniel – GusGus: Putting your clothes out.. putting it out..
