Daniel Agust
Star Shaped
Daniel Agust has had something of an illustrious career without ever
threatening to become a household name here in the UK. Way back in the
eighties he had a not particularly successful stab at the Eurovision
Song Contest, had a brief flirtation with the big screen, had a very
successful rock career in his native Iceland and achieved three number
one singles there – as well as nationwide acclaim – with the
off the wall dance ensemble Gusgus. Now he’s released a fine debut
solo album, so we’ve collared the guy for you and asked him to
talk you through his career…
Making the Album
It was a lot different to making the GusGus stuff because I was
working on my own and the songs were a lot more personal. It was also
a really refreshing change for me to arrange the songs for classical
instruments. I’d never done that before and it was a real challenge.
The Album’s Content
It’s a concept album really, in which I set out to fathom my
own existence. I was trying to describe how I see things and express
my own feelings. It’s autobiographical in as far as you CAN be
in just over thirty five minutes! I’d say it POSSIBLY covers all
my story but it DEFINITELY covers big chunks of me anyway!
Inspirations
Nick Drake was a big inspiration, especially one particular song
– “Way To Blue” – and I tried to get that kind of
intimacy across in my own music. I wouldn’t say I set out to make
ten replicas of that track necessarily, but it was definitely my biggest
inspiration.
The Film Career
I didn’t find it very exciting or rewarding, to be honest.
It was fun to see myself on a huge silver screen in that film (NB -
English title “As in Heaven”), but I didn’t take much
pleasure out of it. It’s hard to stay in character when you’re
not in a leading role and there was a hell of a lot of waiting around
involved. That’s why I prefer making music – I can always
keep myself busy even when there’s nothing to do.
The Eurovision Entry
That was back in 1989 and it was all just fun to me. I was just
laughing the whole time. I don’t regret it and I enjoyed it a lot
– except that I didn’t actually want to win the pre-contest
to find a Song For Iceland! I only went in for that because I wanted
to work with a guy who I respected very much. I’d say Eurovision
was an education really, but it’s just a silly competition and
it was fun to do.
Staying Original
GusGus have been going for about ten years now, and I think we manage
to stay fresh because we’re all in it for the excitement and are
willing to experiment. There are always things I haven’t explored
yet and I’m always curious and open to new ways of writing or recording.
I see making music as an excursion and there’s a lot of sightseeing
to do.
Career Highlights
It’s impossible to pick just one. There have been so many,
but I think probably finally having my new solo album out is the highlight
for me because it’s so personal. Of course, with GusGus we sold
a lot of records, we toured the US and Europe, had number one hits back
home…and even Nydonsk (the rock group) was amazing. Still, I think
I’ll go with my new album as my career highlight.
Future Hopes
I’d like people to still be listening to my music when I’m
seventy. Not just the stuff I’m putting out now but the music I’ll
be making THEN as well! And I guess, ultimately…to die in peace…
Collaborating
Bix is a huge inspiration to me. He’s the soundscape man and
he comes up with all these filtered noises and basically he’s just
sprinkled the magic all over my album.
The Songwriting Process
I have many different methods. Sometimes I can just pick up an acoustic
guitar and try to sing a melody over the top, or maybe I’ll go
straight to the computer and start building beats. I normally do the
lyrics a bit later and that can be inspired by hearing someone say a
phrase or even just a single word sometimes. It generally flows as long
as I have some kind of basic idea what I’m going to do.
What’s Next?
I just want to go out and play as many pieces as I can, and I’m
already looking forward to recording my NEW album. After all, this one’s
been five years in the making and one tends to write more than just
ten songs in that time!
“Swallowed a Star” is out now, so hurry along, because
there’ll be another Daniel Agust album out by…ooh…2011?
Interview: Tone E
One Little Indian - Artist Site
