Kari from Stillborn took the time to answer these
questions in October 2017. Fun that Stillborn is
running again I think.
A little story about the group? Why do you start
playing again? What have you done between
Stillborn and Stillborn?
-The band has the roots in the early 1980s, when we
were more at the Joy Division stage musically.
We liked everyone even heavy rock from the 70s,
such as Black Sabbath, and slowly we started
sliding over to heavier music. In 1987, we
decided to record four songs in the studio.
These came later on the debut album "Necrospirituals"
(1989). The same year as the album came, I left
the band, which continued in a different
direction musically and with some new members
for a few years. After that, many years followed
when we lived our lives in different directions.
Until the fall of 2015. Then we met us four who made "Necrospirituals"
all at the same time for the first time since
the early 1990s, and then we decided to rehearse
once, just for fun. It was awesome. We got
blooded tooth and decided to rehearse again, and
then we recorded two songs. And then two more.
And then some more. And suddenly we had made an
album.
Tell us a little about each member, age, job, family,
bands before and band on the side? This is the
original set well?
-We are the four members who did "Necrospirituals", but
there have been other members at other times. We
are all born in the 60s, have families and work
in different professions. I work in the media,
Ingemar is an IT specialist, Peter is Art
Director and works with 3D graphics and Erik is
a silversmith and stonecarver. Everyone has
played in some different bands on different
occasions, the most famous is Bombus, where
Peter plays drums.
I can hear a lot of old hard rock but I think I hear
other influences too, hear-me right? Was it
better before?
-The music we want to do should have weight, strong
riffs and melodies. There are certainly a number
of pieces of Sabbath-DNA in the structure, but
we have never really seen ourselves as a
hardrock band. Other parts, perhaps more hidden,
come from Finnish tango, Sisters of Mercy, Lee
Hazlewood, Jean Sibelius, Motörhead, Edvard
Grieg, Joy Division, Johnny Cash, Sex Pistols.
And a splash of Celtic folk music. And
Hurriganes. Then the result will hopefully be a
very own sound.
Stillborn, are you satisfied with the name? If you hit
Google, you get many things but not always on
you! Which is the best band name?
-I think that there are about ten bands with the same
name today. We may have been first, but it's
hard to know, at that time it was not possible
to google. Today, each small band is online in
some form. For us, the meaning of the name has
been a reminder of the vulnerability and sadness
of life, influenced by, for example, Samuel
Becketts "They
give birth astride of a grave, the light gleams
an instant, then it's night once more.." We were very young when we took the name, but we
never had plans to change. Good band name? Hard
to say, but remember we smiled when we first
talked about ”The Kristet utseende”.
What's the best thing about playing live? Will there be
a lot of life gigs now?
-The feeling of here and now, a hell of a discharge in
a relatively short period of time, and the
contact with the audience. There will be some
gigs, but hard to say how many.
Where is the best to play, where is the worst?
-The best shows are when you really feel that you get
along with the crowd, it's sweaty, the energy
flows and hyperintensively. Does not matter if
it's a small or big place, the audience decides
everything. Worst thing is the opposite.
How is it to play this kind of music in Sweden today?
What's the difference with playing now if you
compare when you started?
- Actually don´t know, we have not played out yet,
first since 1989 together will be on Sticky
Fingers December 1st. Then we know.
How would you describe your music in three words ??
-Energy, hard-hitting, lead heavy.
What does punk mean to you, is it just a word or is it
a lifestyle? I know you're not playing punk but
just funny to hear your opinion?
-Punk is primarily an attitude. Remember when Never
mind the Bollock's with the Pistols came. It
changed one's entire world, of course musically,
but above all: you can do it yourself. You no
longer needed to look up to unattainable
arenabands.
How do you look at downloading, mp3 and the like?
- I think that streaming services have become a
completely ok compromise, even though there has
been a lot of discussion about artists'
compensation. The option before was that people
downloaded illegally, neither artists nor
companies got a crown.
How do you think it's to live in Sweden today,
politically?
-Since we began in the 80's there have been major
changes in society, the classic struggle between
left and right has gained competition from other
new forces. Today we have an unclear
parliamentary position that gives weak
governments and instability. Polarization
between different groups has also increased. A
big danger today is that for anyone who wants
it, you can live in a bubble, via the internet,
where you only have contact with like-minded
people, where the image of reality of your own
group becomes the only truth. And unfortunately,
this development is likely to be worser.
Are there any good bands in Sweden today? In your
hometown? -There are always many good bands in Gothenburg, for example Bombus J
Do you play anything outside Sweden?
-Yes, we are playing at the Pumphuset in
Copenhagen on December 2. Then we'll see.
Other good bands from abroad?
-Is soo many. Muse, Mogwai, Radiohead are some.
Do you play anything outside Sweden?
-Yes, we are playing at the Pumpehuset in Copenhagen on
December 2. Then we'll see.
Other good bands from abroad?
-Is so many. Muse, Mogwai, Radiohead are some.
Your lyrics, what are you influenced?
-Nowadays, about dark events in human history, from the
perspective of common people. We have always
described evil of various kind, and you do not
need to directly sing about devils and demons to
portray it. It's enough to look at how people
treated each other through the centuries.
Unfortunately, there you can find a lot of dark
and sad stories. Certainly, of course, we have
left our love for fear and darkness, which we
occasionally season with black irony.
Is there anything you will never write about?
Politics and music,does it always belong?
-Good music touches and awakens feelings for the
listener, whether politically or not
politically. There is superlative political
music that affects as much as a bucket of cold
water, as well as there is music that can be
perceived as unpolitical, but which gives the
listener enormous energy and power to change the
world.
Best political band / artist?
-U2, Crass, KSMB, Joe Hill, Ebba Grön, Dan Berglund
(individual favorites, no common sense in the
band)
Do you think music can change someone's life, then I
mean lyrics etc?
-Absolutely. Take the punk for example, as mentioned
earlier. It changed the lives of many young
people, so that teens around the world dared to
form bands and do it themselves, instead of just
receiving what was served. Music has an
incredible power, and it is also because songs
and music that are considered to be deliberately
forbidden in totalitarian states. Music is a
direct channel to human mind and thoughts.
Your cover is really nice on your CD, who has done it.
Is it important to have a cover that you
understand what kind of music you play? What is
your favorite cover all the time? ...
-The presentation is a homage to our first album,"
Necrospirituals ", and a collaboration within
the band. Peter has done the most, Erik has
designed the crown on the front. I and Ingemar
have contributed ideas. , stylish and powerful
layout. Favorite cover all the time? Joy
Divisions Unknown Pleasures.
Is it important to get out physical discs? Vinyl or CD
or both ? Is there any good recordstore in your area?
-Yes, it adds value to the listener, something to watch
and swipe in. And there should always be lyrics.
Overall, it gives a greater experience of the
band and the music. Record store? Bengans has a
good range, and there are some more.
Please tell me something really fun that happened
during your career on stage or behind stage etc?
-On our way from Gothenburg to a gig in Copenhagen we
had a new guy as a driver who did not say so
much. When we’d been driving for an hour, the
bus suddenly started to slow down on the
highway, until we finally got out. Everyone
looked surprised at each other. We asked the
driver "How are you getting along?". He looked
down at the gear lever. "Not that good. Look".
He turned the gear lever like a whisk. "You see
the asphalt". Everyone in the bus stared at the
gear lever and the asphalt that was seen
underneath. "That’s no good," someone said when
the bus stopped. We jumped out and watched under
the bus.
No gearbox.
Someone looked along the highway we arrived. "It must
be there somewhere," and then we began to walk.
And we walked. And walked. Eventually something
metallic seemed far away. The gearbox.
Back at the bus it turned out we could drive on one
shift, which we did for one hour. In Halmstad we
found an open workshop (it was Saturday), and
they found that only four new bolts were needed,
the gearbox was fixed again, fully functional.
We came to the gig in Copenhagen on time.
How is your audience looking like? Do you miss any
kind of people?
-I think we will draw many who liked us before, and
some new ones who are curious about hearing what
we have to give.
Please rank five favoritediscs, five favoriteconcerts?
-Five favorite discs:
Is it boring with interviews??
If you could choose five bands , both dead and living
to have big concert wtih you, whih five have you
been chosen then?
Is music a great way to get frustration and become a
nicer person? Are you angier today than you were
young musician?
-Music is a fantastic valve in life. A finished song is
almost something physical, you have created
something that didn’t existed earlier. It's a
breathtaking feeling. That kind of creative
processes gives a lot of energy. Then we are
always angry because time is short and we can’t
do everything we want. We want to make up lost
ground here. But we have learned to deal with
our feelings, ha ha.
What is the strangest question you received in an
interview?
"Is it true that you, Kari, bitten the head of a canary
bird on stage?" (Answer: no, I do not even like
to fish, feel sorry for the fish.)
What is the question you never get, ask it and answer
it?
- "How high can a bird fly?" (Answer: about 12000 m)
Future plans for the band?
-To continue making our music, record it, and to play
it for people who like it.
For yourself?
-To continue making our music, record it,
and to play it for people who like it. And to
read Stagnelius's complete writings and get the
car through the survey.
Words of wisdom?
-"One should not own more than he can bring up in a
birch.
Easy to add?
-Thank you for us joining Sweden's oldest punkfanzine.
There are many bands named Stillborn: |