Your debut album, Huge Science (1982), opens with: “Good night, that is your captain, we’re about to try a crash touchdown”, while your newest album, Amelia (2024), chronicles Amelia Earhart’s tragic ultimate flight. Do you end up drawn to the marvel of aviation and its inherent dangers? VerulamiumParkRanger
Not solely aviation, however transport, as a result of I did [Songs and Stories from] Moby Dick a couple of large ship that went beneath. I suppose I like sinking ships and loopy captains. I’ve accomplished three variations of Amelia which are very distant cousins. The primary model, at Carnegie Corridor in 2000, was a cacophony, in all probability the worst factor I’ve ever heard from an orchestra! Just a few years later Dennis [Russell Davies, conductor] stated there have been some actually stunning melodies in there, so we made an association for the Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra and toured Europe. It sounded actually fairly. Then we recorded the brand new model remotely through the pandemic, along with his [Czech orchestra] Filharmonie Brno.
I fell in love with Amelia’s story in the beginning, however by then had narrowed it right down to her final flight. She wrote telegrams to her husband, who was additionally her press agent, and liked to inform the world the place she was. She was the unique blogger. She was very related to her public, particularly girls. She’d go: “Girls, you’re in your kitchen and I’m in my cockpit at 10,000 toes.” The factor that made me actually need to write about her is that she stated that if she made it by that final flight she wished a workshop for women to do woodworking, engines, metallic. Within the Thirties, girls did cooking and cleansing. Quick ahead 87 years and what number of girls are in engineering and so forth? Not sufficient. I have a look at the pop world and assume: “Why aren’t extra folks writing about that?”
As an experimental musician, what was your response to O Superman’s business “success”? eternalsceptic
I used to be and possibly nonetheless am a snob. I didn’t know what charts have been. I used to be on this artwork scene the place we thought what we have been doing was an important factor ever. We have been jerks. However when O Superman was profitable, I used to be completely satisfied that folks heard it. After I hear it now, it nonetheless sounds unusual and I like that. Not too long ago it went viral on TikTok. They used the “You don’t know me, however I do know you” line to ship a whole lot of hundreds of little messages. These 12- and 13-year-old children completely obtained what the music is about. It tapped into the zeitgeist once more, which makes me very completely satisfied.
With the creation of an AI chatbot of Lou Reed [Anderson’s late husband], how do you assume expertise is shaping the way in which we work together with these we’ve misplaced? Is that this maybe even a brand new dimension of the afterlife? NenadGeorgievski
No. I imply, folks may need black-and-white images of their grandparents or perhaps a VR illustration, however nothing can seize these folks. They’re useless. I like what the Dalai Lama stated about a man-made flower being nearly as good as an actual flower, as a result of it reminds you of the actual one. I’ve accomplished variations of Lou’s voice and Lou’s writing created from [AI] skilled on his work. It’s not Lou but it surely jogs my memory of Lou. It’s in regards to the reminding of how you’re feeling about that particular person.
Is there something creatively you wished you had accomplished with Lou that you just by no means managed to? GonzoGCB
Oh, we have been going to take action many various tasks. Lou was all the time saying: “What are we going to do when folks don’t need to see us any extra?” He had this plan to have a bar someplace out west referred to as the L and L Artwork Ranch, the place he may play each day and no one may kick him off! As a result of the enjoyable is within the taking part in. Getting previous is an artwork type and I’ve discovered rather a lot about it from my canine, who sit within the porch, let the solar go down and really feel it. I’m good at that however I’m additionally a workaholic, which supplies which means to my life with the folks that I really like. So I can’t say I remorse the issues we didn’t do. I’m not nostalgic, however I’m a Swede. We like darkish stuff. Gloomy days. Leafless timber. Gray oceans. That’s what I like!
Did you be taught something specifically collaborating with William Burroughs? seineview
An important factor I discovered from him was second particular person. I did some excursions with him, and he was all the time going [adopts austere Burroughs voice]: “You folks. You assume that …” He wasn’t speaking like a author does about “I” or an essay about himself. He was speaking about “you”, which was very difficult and fascinating. He got here to golf equipment as a result of he liked studying and the viewers turned “you”. It was a wonderful gadget which I’d by no means actually thought of, however he taught me do it.
Is it true that David Bowie learn your thoughts? axolotly
He really referred to as me up and stated: “I believe you can learn minds.” I stated I couldn’t so he instructed this challenge the place we each concentrated for a minute, made a drawing after which concurrently faxed it to one another. It gave the impression of a enjoyable concept however I’ve to say it was actually creepy. What are the probabilities that each drawings would have a home, one thing protruding of the second storey window and a person hanging? The possibilities are zero. The opposite issues have been a field, a spiral, a star … It threw me. He was a beautiful man. A really, very particular particular person. I simply love mysteries.
Given your correspondence with JFK as a younger lady, have you ever written any letters just lately? AllyB
I used to be 12 years previous once I wrote to Jack Kennedy, when he was a senator working for president. I wrote: “I’m working for president of my scholar council. Can I’ve some suggestions?” He wrote again a really lengthy and detailed letter, saying: “No matter college students need, promise it.” In different phrases, don’t be idealistic, discover out what they want and be consultant. A few months later I wrote again saying – God, that is cringey – “I gained the election and greatest needs in yours.” The subsequent day in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, a telegram and a white field of purple roses got here to my door. The entrance web page of the Glen Ellyn Information was “Native lady receives roses from Senator Kennedy” and each lady and lady in Glen Ellyn fell in love with Jack. He was a romantic and wrote nice issues in regards to the American idea of magnificence. It was actually inspirational. I would like to seek out that letter!
You used to work with (and wrestle!) the nice Andy Kaufman. Did Andy affect you in any respect? Willmerr
Andy was a type of meta comic I first noticed within the late 70s. I went to this bar in Queens, the place he was taking part in bongos and sobbing. The viewers have been like: “Ought to we applaud? Ought to we cease him?” He liked creating these actually awkward conditions. I stated, “That is the best factor I’ve ever seen,” and I turned his type of sidekick. I’d go to golf equipment the place he’d faux to be consuming and doing this macho factor, saying: “I hate girls. I’m solely going to respect a lady if she comes and wrestles me down.” Which was my cue to wrestle him and he fought – he would slam me down! He’d additionally do stuff like get strapped right into a rollercoaster and say: “I’m actually unsure in regards to the security of this trip.” Then everybody would panic and get off. He would push and push it. He was a rule-breaker. I liked Andy, as a result of guidelines are ridiculously stiff and he was the other.
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Inform us about ARK: United States Half 5. Are you pessimistic about America or optimistic? magic-man
It’s a present beginning in November in regards to the finish of the world and constructing a Twenty first-century ark. There are issues like countdown clocks to zero and the tipping level the place temperature is irreversible. It’s about integration and conflicts. You possibly can be very apocalyptic about all this, however solely three weeks in the past within the States we have been heading in direction of a dictatorship. Then all of a sudden it modified and there’s a special type of vitality. I’m an optimist for one single cause: you’ve a happier life.
I actually take pleasure in your reveals for people however I’ve additionally been blown away by your ideas for canine. How do you get them to sing alongside or keep silent? mrcussen
[Cellist] Yo-Yo Ma and I each had the identical fantasy of a live performance for canine, then once I was doing a competition in Sydney I instructed it to the producer. We thought a few hundred canine would present up with their house owners. There have been hundreds, all up the steps of the Sydney Opera Home, with 5 of us taking part in high-frequency issues that we thought they might take pleasure in. Canine aren’t used to going to live shows, so that they have been all tremendous well mannered. My favourites have been the droolers within the entrance row. On the finish I stated: “Canine, it’s time to howl.” We made some howling sounds they usually all began up this heavenly howling. It was the most effective days of my life.
