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May 09, 2005
Caribou Interview (Jan Fossbeck Interviews Dan Snaith)
Today USOUNDS treats you to a conversation between our archivist, Jan Fossbeck, former German tourist and radical communist, and Dan Snaith, better known as the musician Caribou (Manitoba). They get to discuss the amazing new Caribou album, as well as the live tour, vagina balls, crazy dreams, and dancing children. Enjoy Jan Fossbeck for USOUNDS: The tour with Junior Boys and Russian Futurists will be great. I am already whipping myself into a frenzy preparing for it. What will your live show be like? Dan Snaith of CARIBOU: Actually there's more to that tour than got announced already - it's gonna be a monster. We're just confirming the final dates now. our show is going to be along the same lines as last time (two drum kits, guitars, keyboards, samplers, synced video for each track) but we were kind of flying blind last time and have really figured out how to make shit better, sloppier and madder this time around.
CARIBOU: I've been super into this French prog dude from the seventies called Phillipe Besombes over the past year - he's been a big part of the inspiration for this album. As far as recentish stuff: Tyondai Braxton, still Animal Collective, Koushik's Madvillain remixes... I haven't heard it but I firmly believe that the new Quasimoto record is going to put everyone in the shade. USOUNDS: Are there vocalists you’d like to collaborate with? CARIBOU: Jizzz... I dunno. i always think that maybe i should get a singer in on my tracks because i can't sing worth shit but in the I like the way my shitty singing sounds in the context of my music and I don't usually like bands with singers that can really sing anyway. In my dreamworld I'd love to do a record with Leon Thomas but I'm afraid that's not possible. RIP. USOUNDS: Going back to the live shows, on your last tour what was the best stop and why? CARIBOU: So many good ones and for different reason. we did a big free homecoming show in toronto on the water that was pretty incredible and we did some festivals in europe that were mindblowing but a lot of the time it's be the
USOUNDS: What's the craziest dream you've ever had? CARIBOU: I've had the same dream every night for as long as i can remember. I start out in this tank full of water only i can breathe the water and there are these two naked women looking for me and one of them's trying to have sex with me and the other's trying to kill me but they're identical and there's no way of telling which one's which. Then a bike whizzes past and all of a sudden i'm riding on it through a land made out of decaying pig flesh. I can't get out of 3rd gear and then I wake up. I asked a psychiatrist about it once and he said it probably didn't mean anything and I shouldn't worry about it. USOUNDS: That is odd because your dreams sound like my reality! Or at least before I decided to clean my act. Dan I want to thank you for doing this interview, it was very courageous of you. Americans and Canadians are scared of me because of my luxurious hair, Teutonic masculinity and genius-level intelligence. You’re very brave—what’s the bravest thing you’ve ever done? CARIBOU: that's a tough one. I do extremely brave things routinely. i was a volunteer firefighter as a teen. more because I was wondering if i was gay and liked that stereotype than anything else. I wasn't (gay) but i did end up with smoke inhalation and the realization that I can do more go as an insurance adjustor. Apart from these and other brave acts I'm a complete chicken and even leaving the house gives me goose bumps.
USOUNDS: Let’s alternate shift-gears. Your new record is sure to be extremely exciting. Please describe it. CARIBOU: The new album is aptly described as being 'extremely exciting'. i heard someone describe my music as being 'scratchy music' lately. I don't know what the fuck they mean by that but I'm trying hard not to take it personally. There are drums on the new album... that's no big surprise i guess but there are other things on the album such as recorders and emotions. USOUNDS: To me, emotions are alien so I don’t understand them. I also don’t understand babies, small animals, and children. Why do children love to dance? CARIBOU: Children are simple-minded creatures. They like to dance as it's a simple pleasure. As we grow older we find out about things like topiary, stamp collecting and online sports gambling and suddenly the simple pleasures don't hold the allure they used to. USOUNDS: My readers are often sick techno-fetishists who want to know all the gear used by famous musicians… what equipment do you use? CARIBOU: Like dildos and stuff? Mostly just vagina balls. ...errr, I use ACID and one of them computers. I have a big pile of records that are making my apartment subside. USOUNDS: Vagina Balls. (note to self, buy Vagina Balls). Anyway, as a famous international musician, many people look to you for fashion advice. Let me inquire, how large is too large? (when it comes to sunglasses). CARIBOU: I wear those wraparound cataract ones so I suppose I'm more likely to be biased against the smaller end of the range. I'm gradually going blind and have given up sunglasses as it seems that blindness and light intensity correlate inversely. are there two r's in correlate? USOUNDS: Indeed. Danke, Dan Snaith of Caribou. I will be dancing like a simple-minded child at your show at Spaceland, near USOUNDS World HQ. Best wishes. CARIBOU: thanks for that................................and hope you're welllllllllllllllllllllllll! ------------------------ Sponsored Links: |
