Interviews 2014
 

There's a new interview with Damien on an Italian newspaper... it has been done in Iceland a few days ago, when he met the press for that showcase of the new record at sundlaugin. I suppose he has done interviews for other newspapers too, in all Europe... so keep an eye on newspapers and websites in your countries! ;)

In the Italian one he basically says he's more willing to do interviews now, that he has a better relationship with fame (or at least it won't get overwhelmed by it now) and that it won't take long for him to start working on album 4, because he has a lot of unfinished songs that he wants to record as soon as possible.

Al contrario: voglio iniziare a registrare il quarto album prima possibile. Ho già molte canzoni che aspettano solo di essere finite

there should also be some radio interviews coming up

A few days ago Kristen Kurtis (program director and host of a radio in Austin)posted

Hi glo,

Can you please send me link to that italian interview so I can read it?
Thanks

here it is: https://www.facebook.com/download/50...r-rep-2014.pdf
if it doesn't work, you can find it here https://www.facebook.com/groups/ninecrimes/

Here's a great article I haven't seen shared here yet. It's not quite an interview, I think the writer was sent canned quotes, but a nice record review:

http://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/m...y-9728421.html

I don't think I've ever been this excited for a new album, ever.

ok, thanks. waiting for pending.
Now I'm gonna be italian Damien Rice fan even though I'm from Croatia :smiley10::icon_kidr

edit: that was quick! I had good time reading the interviews. As I said, he really seems like happier person now.

can someone translate?

this is the italian interview in case some of you wants to google-translate it: http://www.repubblica.it/spettacoli/...31/?ref=search

Will take another eight years for the new album?
"No, on the contrary. Want to begin recording their fourth album as soon as possible. Already many songs just waiting to be finished."

(wonky google translation)

From Google Translation. Would love clarification on some parts, though.

REYKJAVIK - It's been eight years since the last album released and for his big comeback the Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice decided to leave Iceland, a sort of retreat where he wrote the new album, My favorite fantasy faded, leaving the November 4th. "If it was not for this island, probably would not have finished the drive," he says.

Forty years old, born and raised in Celbridge, near Dublin, Rice is one of the rare anomalies of the contemporary music scene, a much loved artist, able to sell three and a half million copies around the world and yet continue to ignore the status of a superstar to the point that rarely gives interviews and fan does not give autographs or photographs, preferring a conversation or a hug.
"Why fame is a bogus thing. Did not exist. If I meet a fan and spend an afternoon with him at the end of the day you will realize that we're just two human beings who have spent a day together."

She hardly gives interviews, ten years does not make it. Because this time he decided to talk about?
"I stopped doing interviews because me uncomfortable. Was afraid of creating a character, another Damien Rice that had nothing to do with me. And then I prefer to have that talk, if I say something I find it much better with a guitar . Once finished recording the album, however, I felt that this time I could live these meetings in a different way, as long as I brought here, in this interview, each side of me. Especially those that can not stand. "

His previous record, 9, was released in 2006 because it took so long to record the new album?
"I think I was rather confused. I started playing at age thirteen, for me the music meant in the first joy, sharing, desire for beauty. But then my first band (the Juniper, ed) signed a major contract with a label and I found myself doing a job. innocent aspect of making music was gone, it was gone., in 1998, I abandoned everything and a few months after I arrived in Italy, in Tuscany, decided to become a farmer. For me it was finished all there. "

But then he changed his mind ...
"After a few months spent in a farm, I thought that I was too young to be a farmer and I felt I had still inside the songs that I had recorded. Went back in Ireland, decided to record an album and end his career. Though I published O, which went very well and I found myself traveling the world playing my songs with a group of people that loved and we were glad of every little step of the way. had recreated the magic intact. "

That record remained on the charts for nearly two years and managed to sell over two million copies. If you expect?
"None of us expected anything.'s Why it was wonderful. But after that album, the pressures began to record the follow-up, got back to work-related stress and the group began to disintegrate. And I, that I should be happy, not I was not. Consequently, after that experience, I decided to take all the time that I would need to return to the joy of making music. "

Why did you choose Iceland to share?
"I needed a place where you do not feel pressure, where I could sit at home, invite friends over and play for the fun of it. It took a bit 'of time for everything to come back to be spontaneous, but in the end we are successful. During these years, however, I also changed way of thinking, of living my life. Once I was the victim, I felt the whole hostile world, but now I'm open to any opportunity. know I can be the man most sensitive in the world or the most idiotic. at the same time. And it is a liberation. "

She is loved by many of his colleagues, by Thom Yorke of Radiohead to U2's Bono. Who is your audience?
"Probably Leonard Cohen, a wonderful man. I had the privilege of opening some concerts for him and meet him was a very powerful experience. Him, more than others, taught me how to use the songs to reveal the darker side of me and to live with awareness. I learned a lot from him, from his humanity, by its enormous simplicity. "

Tickets for his only Italian concert, on October 23 in Milan, were sold out in two days. How is the fact to be a star for many people?
"If you had asked me ten years ago, I would have said you have a lot of problems in this regard. Nowadays no, it's something I understand, and deeply. Basically I myself have had this fascination for many singers, with Cohen, for example. But my answer is that it is not me, but my music is to get people. They may believe that it is Damien Rice to do so, but it is not. I'm just through. "

Will take another eight years for the new album?
"No, on the contrary. Want to begin recording their fourth album as soon as possible. Already many songs just waiting to be finished."

It must be hard to have people just wanting stuff from you. He just put out album 3, and there's already talk of album 4! Exciting, but so much pressure. Perhaps because I already have so many songs (thanks to the people here), I will be patient and grateful for whatever he shares. I'm finding I like his songs in their imperfect states because they feel authentic.

He is just so grounded and stays so true to his music, and that is what I love about all of his songs, they are genuine, like him.

If you don't understand or you need clarification of some parts, plese c/p in new post so I can translate from italian version ;)

Thanks for the translation, great interview!

Here you go. I tried to translate everything as faithfully as possible. I will say I took a few liberties with his responses just to make them sound more natural in English, but I promise I didn't alter the sentiment of what was being said anywhere. Enjoy :)


REYKJAVIK - It's been eight years since his last published album and for his much anticipated return the Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice has decided to leave Iceland, the scenic retreat where he has written his new album, My Favorite Faded Fantasy, available November 4. "If it weren't for this island, I probably would have never finished the album," he says.

Born and raised in Celbridge, near Dublin, the forty-year-old Rice is one of the rare anomalies in the contemporary music scene; a much loved artist, capable of selling 3.5 million copies of his albums around the world, and yet continually eschewing celebrity status, to the point that he rarely grants interviews and almost never gives signatures or photographs to his fans, preferring to offer a brief conversation or a warm embrace. "Fame is an artificial thing. It doesn't exist. If I meet a fan and spend the morning with him, the most important thing he will remember at the end of the day is that we were just two people that spent some time with each other."

You rarely give interviews, in fact it's been ten years since you've done one. Why have you decided to speak now?

"I stopped doing interviews because they struck me as rather hazardous. I was afraid of creating some media persona, this other Damien Rice who had nothing to do with who I really was as a person. And also I just prefer to sing than to speak. If there's something I need to say I can usually manage it much better with a guitar in my hands. Prior to recording the album I used to feel that I would conduct these sorts of interviews in many different ways, with many different personalities. In this interview I want to show every side of me, especially the sides I don't necessarily like."

Your previous album, 9, released in 2006. Why did it take so long to record your new album?

"I think I was rather lost at the time. I started playing music when I was thirteen. Music for me, first and foremost, means joy, sharing with others, seeking for beauty in the world. My first band (Juniper) signed this huge contract with a label and suddenly I found that I had a job. That innocent side of the music was gone, it wasn't there anymore. So in 1998 I dropped everything and several months later I arrived in Italy, in Tuscany, and decided to become a farmer. For me, everything I loved was gone at that point.

One day, however, something changed...?

"After spending a few months working on a farm, I realized I was too young to be a farmer and I felt myself getting lost again in the songs in my head, songs that I was longing to record. I returned to Ireland and decided to record an album and end my career with that. Well, I released O, which was received very well and suddenly I found myself touring the world and playing my songs with a group of people I truly adored. We were really happy just being together playing music, through thick and thin. The magic, that innocent aspect of the music, was back, just the same as it had been before. Untouched."

That album remained on the charts for nearly two years and went on to sell over two million copies. Were you surprised by its success?

"Well none of us really expected anything, honestly. It was astonishing. But after that album did so well, we started suddenly really feeling the pressure of recording another, the stress of working returned and just like that the group of us started to crumble apart. And myself, who wanted nothing more than to just be happy.... well... I wasn't. So after that experience, I decided to slow down and give myself as much time as I needed to rediscover the joy in making music."

Why did you choose to leave your home again, this time to go to Iceland?

"I felt I needed a place where I could be away from all the pressure, a place I could just be by myself at home, invite over friends and company when I wanted, and just play music for the love of playing it. It took a while to adjust to the new situation and lifestyle there, but in the end everything started to feel normal, comfortable. During those years, I changed the way I thought too, the way I lived my life. I used to play the victim quite often, feeling the world was a harsh and hostile place. Now, instead, I try to open myself up to new opportunities. I realized that it's possible for someone, myself included, to be the most sensitive person in the world but also the most heartless. Sometimes you can do both at the same time. And realizing and accepting that is very liberating."

You are greatly admired by many of your contemporaries, from Thom Yorke to Radiohead, even Bono of U2. Who do you look up to?

"Probably Leonard Cohen, a simply wonderful human being. I had the privilege of opening a few shows for him and meeting him was a very powerful experience. Leonard, more than anyone else, taught me to use msuic to discover even the darkest and most obscure sides of my mind and to live with that newfound awareness of myself. I learned so much from him, from his kindness, from his wonderful openness and simplicity in living."

The tickets for your only concert in Italy, on October 23rd in Milan, sold out in two days. How do you handle knowing that you really are a celebrity to so many people around the world?

"If you had asked me that ten years ago, I would have had a very problematic time dealing with something like that, responding to that sort of question. Today though, it's something that I have come to understand and accept at a very deep level. I've seen this type of adoration for many artists, Cohen included. My response now is that it's not me, it's my music that reaches out and touches all those people. They might believe that it's Damien Rice doing it, but in truth that's not how it is. I am only the channel through which the music flows."

Will it be another eight years before we hear your next album?

"No, actually. I want to start recording my fourth album as soon as possible. I already have several songs that are almost done, just waiting to be finished."

From luminousnz or /r/DamienRice

Thank you for the true translation. It's beautiful! This was the clarification I was looking for! Such amazing insights into himself.

There was a new interview in The Guardian today. I don't think Damien was too keen on the writer, it seems like he was messing with him a bit ;) . And revisiting the whole Lisa thing in every story is becoming so tired to me...

http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...-faded-fantasy

Another great read! Thanks! The writer doesn't seem to get him, but he is complicated.

all I noticed was "new album next year" haha☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆

Thanks for the links and the translations!

just saw this interview - but google translate isn't helping much in some parts:
http://www.volkskrant.nl/muziek/dami...6860f095535b66

I would help you, but I can't access the article.

you have to register first!

last sentence: the studio to record the new album is already booked :D :D :D (sure :p)

he also says that those headlines for Hotpress (I would give up everything to have Lisa back in my life) were taken out of context, and that they´ve been in contact again <3 <3 <3 at least, that´s what I understand in my rusty Dutch :p

The best news ever! :hello2:

Take this with a massive grain of salt but it kinda confirms what I heard from someone I met at the Chicago show. His wife was drunk and she was saying that her husband "has a contact high up at Rolling Stone" who told him they've been texting and talking and that they discussed them touring together again. And said that Lisa was considering coming in for that chicago show but damien told her not to since he was getting sick. I brushed it off as drunken bullshïtting. I still find it hard to believe. But now I'm also a bit intrigued. Maybe it was a slip of the tongue. Her husband did seem uncomfortable that she was telling us this. I assumed it was because she was shïtfaced.

hmmm... interesting... can you imagine a surprise appearance in one of the London or Dublin shows?