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SILENCE INTERVIEWS IN ENGLISH
Orkus, November 2004
Zillo, December 2004
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SILENCE INTERVIEWS IN OTHER LANGUAGES
Terrorverlag.de,
March 2005 (Interviews section - in German)
Electric-diary.com,
March 2005 (Interviews section - in German and English)
INTERVIEWS IN ENGLISH
ORKUS, November 2004 issue
Interviewer: Thomas Sonder
Interviewee: Benko
1. The story of Matej Smolnik a.k.a. Vain - is it really true? Sorry
for this question but his name isn't really well-known in Germany.
It is an imaginary story. Certain parts of Vain's biography are based
on actual events from our past, but most of it is fiction. However,
don't let that fool you: an idea can be oftentimes more alive than real
people.
2. While reading Vain's biography strange emotions came up... in
which points you feel as soulmates to him? What fascinates you in his
life/work?
Artists that are uncompromising to the point of self-destruction and
unburdened by social norms are always easy to admire. However, the thing
I admire the most about Vain is not his artistic untamableness. It is
his humanity.
3. Are all lyrics written by Vain (except Hall Of Mirrors and Pitaju
Me Pitaju)?
All lyrics were written from Vain's point of view.
4. When and why have you decided to realize this tribute album?
It's hard to say. We started with three basic ideas: 1. We wanted to
do a conceptual album, 2. We wanted to find a way to incorporate as
much as possible of what interests us besides music in the album (drawings,
prose, philosophy, design...) and 3. We wanted to conceive a project
in which the line between fiction and reality is blurred - something
like Orson Welles' "War Of The Worlds" radio play - in order
to unveil certain sociological phenomenons that are extremely curious
(such as; why is an open discussion about death still considered a taboo?,
why does the author's death raise the value of his work?, why is a preposterous
lie always easier to accept than the truth? etc.). Over the years, all
these ideas gradually evolved into Vain.
5. You included some arabic/african instruments. Was that just to
"enrich" the sound or is there any special meaning to it?
Did you want to create a particular atmosphere?
Not really. We just love new and specific sounds. These often come in
the form of beautiful, exotic instruments from far sides of the world.
I must say I'm allergic to the classical bass-drums-guitar-vocal pop-rock
combination. With all these magnificent instruments just waiting to
be used in rare and exciting ways, why should one confine himself to
three or four over(ab)used instruments?
6. Five years without a Silence longplayer... but you've been very
busy with soundtracks, performances etc. And now a concept album - who
composed the songs? Vain or you? How many of the songs are "real"
Silence compositions?
It's hard to say who composed the songs. Technically, I wrote them,
though in order to write them in accordance with the concept of the
project, I had to feel and think like Vain. I had to become Vain. I
used musical solutions that are atypical for Silence, wrote lyrics that
are oftentimes in stark contrast with my personal point of view... So
I guess it is a matter of choice. I leave it up to you to decide who
wrote Vain's songs.
7. What is Pitaju Me Pitaju about?
Pitaju is a beautiful love song about a man parting with his lover.
He's letting her go, even though he is still very much in love with
her. The lyrics can be epitomized with the title of Sting's famous track:
If you love somebody, set them free.
8. Why did you put an acoustic, very gentle version of Runalong
at the end of the album?
Three versions of this song were recorded and we are quite fond of all
three of them. We knew we couldn't put all three on the album (a pity,
really), so we settled for two.
9. It seems you work more for other people than you write songs
for the band - is that right? Is the band less important than the composing
work in general?
No, of course not. You see, we don't consider our songs and the theatre
soundtracks we write as two separate things. To us, all of this is Silence.
Different sides of the same coin.
10. Vain is filled with the special, inspiring and fresh sound of
Silence, the kind of music that doesn't want to be specified, simply
"other music". What are the things you pay attention to while
writing new songs?
Thank you, that is a great compliment. Well, we never record the song
immediately after it is written. We always let it "mature"
for a while. We also have a profound disdain for musical trends. As
for the writing process itself... it's hard to describe it because it
relies on elements that are constantly changing: our state of mind,
experiences, whims, aesthetic preferences... I guess you could say we
are emotional alchemists of some kind.
11. Can you make a living with your music or do you have a secondary
job?
We could make a living with music, but that would imply renouncing to
other things that interest us. I can hardly imagine a life without illustration
and graphic design, my "official" lines of work. I'm sure
Primoz feels the same about his sphere of interests.
12. What's your status in Slovenia? Are you stars of the Slovenian
music scene? What kind of expereinces have you gained in your country?
We're not stars. But we do have an extremely devoted following that
we're very proud of. As for Slovenia... it's the environment we live
in. A land that recently experienced a glimpse of war. A country suffering
from all the basic diseases of transition. A country with Kafkaesque
bureaucracy and amazing natural beauty. A good place for gathering experiences,
I guess. These experiences - some good, some bad - are oftentimes the
inspiration for our songs.
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ZILLO, December 2004 Issue
Interviewer: Dirk Hoffman
Interviewee: Benko
1. The title and the concept of your new album deals with the artist
Matej Smolnik a.k.a Vain, who died in 1998 in mysterious circumstances.
How did the idea come to being to make an album about him?
I don't know, really. It's hard to say when it all begun. We carried
many of the issues we're addressing in Vain in our heads for years.
For instance; why does the artist's death raise the value of his work?
How can art - the greatest fabrication of all - reveal so many profound
truths about life? Why is a preposterous lie always easier to accept
than the truth? Why is talking freely about something as common as death
considered a taboo? There was a myriad of thoughts and ideas like that
that slowly and gradually evolved into Vain. First we came up with the
concept. The music followed shortly after.
2. When did you get in touch with the art of Vain for the first time
and what is so special about his art and his person to you?
I find him special because - unlike us - he never compromised. It is
a quality one seldomly encounters nowadays.
3. The info about your new album mentions the connection between
you and Vain regarding several things. Where do you see parallels between
Vain and your own art?
I see a myriad of parallels. Though the most important, by far, is our
stubborn, self-destructive, typically slavic contempt for social norms
and common sense. We simply love to do things the hard way.
4. In Vain's case, it is difficult to distinguish between myth and
reality. Is this part of the fascination you share for this person?
What does "A tribute to a ghost" exactly mean to you?
To me, this project is a sneak-preview of one of our potential destinies;
it is what our lives could have looked like had we made different choices
in our past.
5. How did you start working on "Vain"? Was the art and
life of Vain the basis for your songs?
Of course. All the songs are written (or chosen) from his point of view.
It wasn't hard to get into the mind of someone who is partially you
and - in a lot of ways - a better version of you.
6. To what extent were Vain's drawings and lyrics the concrete basis
for some of your songs?
They weren't, really. The lyrics and drawings came after the music was
written.
7. In which way does Kraftwerk's "Hall Of Mirrors" fit
the concept of the album? How did you get the idea to cover this classic
song?
We were asked to contribute a Kraftwerk cover for "Trans Slovenia
Express vol. 2", a compilation featuring Kraftwerk classics reinterpreted
by Slovene alternative acts, which is to be released in a few months.
The first compilation - released a couple of years ago by Mute Records
- was quite succesful, so they decided to make a sequel. We chose Hall
Of Mirrors because it has the kind of lyrics (that dissect human vanity
with amazing shrewdness) Vain would've surely liked. It also has an
extremely catchy melody.
8. How did you get in contact with Anne Clark for the song? How did
you work together with her?
Our publisher proposed a duet with Anne (an idea we liked very much)
and took care of everything - the meeting, the recording session...
An enthusiastic initiative that goes above and beyond the duties of
a publisher. As for Anne, working with her was very gratifying. She's
a great lady.
9. The music on "Vain" combines electronic and acoustic instruments.
How did you manage the combination of these parts? What was the idea
behind it?
Well, we were never synthesizer purists. All Silence tracks are originally
written on the piano or acoustic guitar and then "electrified".
I guess the producers of our previous albums perceived us as an "electro"
band and re-shaped our music according to that perception. Vain is the
first record we produced, so - for the first time - we had the opportunity
to incorporate this acoustic side into our sound. These acoustic elements
are very important to us because they are specific - they are our musical
fingerprints, the most accurate way to identify us.
10. What about your next plans?
Huh, surviving the album promotion, I guess. Just kidding. We're actually
working on two new theater soundtracks and preparing the Vain songs
for live performances.
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