All Apologies: Eirik Glambek Bøe aka Kommode
Eirik Glambek Bøe is perhaps best known as one half of Norwegians Kings of Convenience, but now records under the name Kommode. Having released his debut album Analog Dance Music yesterday, he takes some time to tackle the Best Fit Q&A.
What's your present state of mind and being?
"Relaxed and wet. I just got into my bath tub after soccer practice. Another feeling is lurking below. I'm worried what's going to happen if I drop my phone now."
What's the most overrated virtue
"Courage. Instead we should be paying more attention to people who are scared and doubtful. They tend to know more. Courage goes hand in hand with stupidity."
What the most desirable quality you look for in romantic partner?
"Hmm...maybe a girl who is not constantly checking her phone? Very desirable, but unobtainable quality. That would set her in the Angel/ Mermaid league."
What's the one thing your parents have taught you?
"If you have to choose between money and what's meaningful, go for the meaningful."
What and where was the greatest meal you ever eaten?
"Very hard question. I'm so decadent when it comes to food. It's like asking Don Giovanni which girl he preferred. For the last 16 years my other band have chosen our tours based on where the food is best. I've had ceviche in Lima, street tacos in Guadalajara, blow fish sushi in Osaka... There is a lot of really good food out there."
What's your most treasured possession?
"I don't easily get attached to objects. But if my brown Norwegian Rain coat from 2009 got stolen, I would be sad. All their coats are numbered and mine is number 11/ 350. It's irreplacable. Especially when you live in a city as wet as Bergen. Having said that, I remember being on a Virgin flight from London to New York where I noticed this increasingly loud argument from the back of the plane. This guy needed to be taken care of by the airline staff because he got so distressed when he discovered he had left his sunglasses in the airport. He struck me as possibly the biggest idiot I have ever seen."
What was the last dream you had about?
"I'm really bad at remembering my own dreams. But I'm good at interpreting other people's dreams. I think dreams generally come from two different sources: private, everyday experiences on the one hand and the deep, common subconsciousness on the other. The deep dreams are the most interesting ones because they contain symbols and messages that are relevant to everyone. I've only had a few of those, but I wish I would have more. I woke up with a feeling of enlightenment."
What's the biggest lie on your Wikipedia page?
"My Wikipedia page is so weird. I have no idea who wrote it. It covers things I did up until 2006, and then I must have become a hermit or something because it says very little about all the things I've done for the last ten years."
If you could say something to your 15 year old self, what would it be?
"Great question! I was 15 when I started playing guitar, so I would have given myself thumbs-up on that one. But I would also have told myself about one of my recent insights: Reward your accomplishments, but don't reward your own failures. When you face bad things in your life, what you need is comfort, not reward. If you start rewarding your failures, you will become lazy and detached from yourself.
Some parents run out and buy ice cream for their kids when they fall off their bike. Ten years later that kid stays inn all day and play computer games because the girl he 's in love with wasn't interested. Twenty years later he goes out and take drugs when he finds out he didn't get the job he wanted. It's really important to know when you need comfort and when you need reward, and that reward shouldn't be mixed up with comfort."
And finally, who would you most like to apologise to and why?
"Future generations, definitely. My generation is self-obsessed, even in the moments when we try to act responsibly. We are obsessed with organic food and electric cars and ethical consumption. But we forget that what really matters is politics and legislation: Until we change the laws and put price tags on coal, plastic and environmental destruction that reflect the real costs, things will keep getting worse. Why aren't there hundreds of thousands marching to ban coal? Because the people who should have been part of those demonstrations were busy taking day classes in home composting!"
Analog Dance Music is out now via Brilliance.
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