Bjdrk has been making her unique brand of endearineg eccentric
BJORK
music for 30 years, but she
feels like she's only just
getting into her creative stride. She talks to Jonathan Wingate
t is a mugg} summer's alitei‘nnnn. and
althnugh she has heen dning interx Ie\\s in an
airless \\est I.nndnn hntel suite lnr se\eral hnurs. the Queen nl Quirk is in line t‘ni'in and lining \sith energ}. Ila\ing recentl} released Iii/m tnuted as her iiinst accessihle alhum in a decade mark has a Int tn smile ahnut.
.-\lthnugh she has tint recnrded an}thing remntel} cninmet'eial snunding lni‘ wars. her alhums cnntinue tn sell \sell. she still has iiinst critics eating nttt iii the paltn nl her hand. and. iiinst impnrtantl} lnr her. she still dnes e\actl} \\ hat she \sants tn dn. just as she ahsa} s has.
“In he hnnest. I \\nttld lta\ e expected penple tn Inse interest a lnng time agn. hiit I “as gnnna stick tn what I haxe tn dn an_\\\a_\'.' she explains. nursing the lirst nl' se\era| cups nl' steaming Iiarl (ire). ‘I dn I‘eel \er) luck} that penple are still arnund and still interested.‘
Bjnrk is the snrt nl' persnn it is prett} much impnssihle in he neutral ahniit. Whether _\nu In\e nr lnathe her music. _\'ntt simpl} cannnt tail tn he Iascinated h_\ the \tntnan \s’hn creates it. 'I‘nda} she is nearing a Inng. hea\ il} emhrnidercd hlack kalitan. sil\er leggings and dnll_\ shnes. and a strange necklace tllttt Innks its ll. it is lashinned nut nl deer antlers.
In the current climate. )nu cnuld he l'nrgisen linr thinking that her puhlic persnna Bjnnkers Bini‘k \sas largel} a media creatinn. nr at the \er} least. a massise distnrtinn nl the truth. In liaet. in the lilesh. trim-k is actuall} prett} eccentric.
The papers delight in repeatedl} reminding us nl her nl‘ten strange heha\inur: \thether it‘s punching a televisinn repnrter at I)nn .\Iuang .-\ii'pnrt in Bangknk alter she tried tn intersieu her _\nung snn nr the rutnnur that she \\ as sn unhinged \xhile shnnting I.ars \'nn 'I'rier‘s Dancer In The Dark that she ended up eating her nun cardigan. Bjnrk insists that while there is snine truth in the stnries. the} are mnre nl‘ten than nnt greatl) e\aggerated.
‘\\'ell. the media al\\a_\s simplifies things and the} take nne incident that happens t’nr the minutes in nne _\ear and then that's )nur lil‘e l‘nr the next ten _\ears. But I had all these nther mnments _\nu knnu. and the nther 364 da}s in the _\ear \\ ere \er} dit‘l'erent l'rnm that particular da_\. I mean. there is still a grain nt truth there. hut it's just taken a hit nut nt prnpnninn.‘
Ha\ing relncated tn I.nndnn and initiall} enjn} ed the huge cnmmercial success nt‘ Debut. it wasn‘t Inng het‘nre her tame began tn .sul't'ncate
Him-k ad\enturnus artist nl hei generatinn lelt the capital iit I‘Nn tn ti} tn hting snine snit nl nnrmalit} hack iittn hei lile.
'I did l'eel hnnnuted hecause I'm .i lnieignei and I \\as Iix ing in IzngIantI and I “as nlleied the chance tn he an .'\—lister.‘ she insists. '.\'nini.ill_\ I spend a Int nl in_\ time snhtaire. It tust tell .i hit \seird. hecause I ha\e tn he ahle tn \\l'|lc music. and “hen l \\alk dnun the street I Ita\e this music gning nil in lll_\ head. I‘hat's lll_\ lile. attd it tell like a thnusand penple had inan lll theie and the} new leaning their tltt‘l} sticks ;tlittlltil. sn I cnuldn‘t \xrite music. I‘m a pi'ett} tnugh cnnkie )nu knn\\. and il I cniild endure that and still \\ rite gnnd music. I \\tttlltl haxe endured it; hut it \sasn't creatixe. sn it had ahsnluteh nn interest I'nr ttte. It \\;ts hnring.‘
Iii/m cnntains ennugh unnderlulh \xeird stull tn keep the ln_\aI leI'tIielders happ}. aiid tust ahnttt ennugh huinmahle tunes in entertain the mnre tickle tans \shn gnt intn liinik \ia Helm! and then graduall} Inst patience \\|IIl het increasingI} \ia} nut music met‘ the last ten )c'at's. Still. n\erall. Iii/m is as pnpp_\ as liinrk is e\ er likel} tn get at this stage nl' the game.
'Bccatise I'd dnne tun nr three prniects in a rim that “etc quite serinus. mashe I |tlst needed
‘I'M NOT GONNA DO THE SAME STUFF AGAIN. IF I DID I'D BE BORED SHITLESS'
hntli pet‘snnall} and cie.itne|_\ llie iiinst
'z': '1 80:, ' THE LIST 7