17 July 2009
Jónsi Birgisson, the creative genius behind globally acclaimed band Sigur Rós, and his boyfriend Alex Somers are Riceboy Sleeps. A five-year artistic partnership, Riceboy Sleeps creates music as well as poignant, multi-media artworks which echo the enchanted dreamscapes of their songs. Their art derives predominantly from old rusty objects they find at flea markets, many of which conjure up boyhood memories or the nostalgic feel of archaic children’s books.
As the front man behind Sigur Rós and its phenomenal international success, Jónsi is known for his ethereal voice and inspiring compositions. He plays his guitar with a cello bow and brings his own square of carpet to every gig. His lyrics include his own invented language, Hopelandic, about which one critic observed, “To fans, this is the music that God would make if he existed.”
Jónsi is a consummate, two- and three-dimensional artist. Together with Alex, they draw, paint, make books, videos, music, and have even produced a cookbook. There is no end to their creativity. Humble, generous and stupendously delightful, they are one inseparable soul with immense imagination.
PP. The two of you work together as an artistic team called Riceboy Sleeps. How long have you known each other? When did you start to collaborate?
AS. We’ve been in our relationship for about four or five years now. How long?
JB. Five years [laughs]. We have been making stuff since then, as we are both musicians, of course. It came quite natural for us to make music together. We also share a love for everything old that is falling a part.
AS. We collect old books and photographs, and we love to draw and paint.
JB. So Riceboy Sleeps has grown out of that as well as our daily lives.
AS. We also live together so this collaboration happened organically.
PP. Why do you collect old things?
AS. Every time we travel we visit flea markets.
JB. I don’t know why we like all that old and dusty stuff in decay.
AS. It is because this material has a soul, a sort of memory that is captured and preserved within.
JB. Nostalgia.
AS. Yes, objects with a character that lived and have seen things. It is something about that which attracts both of us.
PP. Perhaps you need this material as a source of invention. How do you work? When does the creative process kick in?
JB. At first we were making videos, because we already had many songs and we thought it would be good to shoot some films together. Then we started to draw and paint. These old books and photographs are a great source of inspiration for us and we can’t stop playing with it.
AS. We also use computers in order to change and deconstruct images, to add to it, or take out certain fractions. It is just another tool, a way to treat things and also have complete control over it.
PP. As you also make music, when do you find the time for making art?
JB. There is always time for it.
AS. If you have enough time to watch TV, you also must have some time to draw.
JB. As it is two of us, it is not that hard. While one is cooking the other one sings [laughs].
PP. It helps to have two of you.
JB. [Laughs] We are a good team I believe.
PP. How do you feel about being openly gay?
JB. Great. It has never been a problem. I came out when I was 21 I think. For me coming out was a slow-motion process, a natural progression I guess.
PP. When and how did you two meet?
JB. My band Sigur Rós were touring and we happened to be in Boston. At first I met Alex’s brother, who gave me his CD as he is a music maker also. I was listening to it and it was quite good, not like many CDs we get from our fans [laughs]. After the show I met Alex’s brother again and there was Alex standing beside him. Wow! As soon as I saw him I thought that he was the most beautiful boy I have ever seen. But for some reason I thought he must be straight.
Then I had to get into my bus heading to another city to play. Anyway during six months I stayed in touch with Alex’s brother via emails and when I finally returned again to Boston, I decided to give him a call and meet for a beer somewhere. I called and Alex answered. He came to the hotel where I was staying and we just never went out for that drink. And that was it.
PP. Alex, I can imagine that meeting changed your life completely.
AS. It really was inspiring, absolutely amazing. We didn’t move in together until two years later. We liked each other very much but at the same time living in different parts of the world. I was a student at the time and he was always touring with Sigur Rós. It wasn’t realistic, but we didn’t care. We kept in contact.
JB. Love conquers all! We traveled a bit between Boston and Reykjavik… quite a lot sometimes.
AS. Yes, a lot. He came and stayed for one whole month once.
JB. But a long distance relationship is quite hard, so after two years we came to the point of making a decision: either I move to Boston or he comes to Reykjavik.
AS. I decided to move to Iceland and ever since we have been living together. It could have been a nightmare but as it happens it worked remarkably well. We get along really well. We work together. Make food together…
PP. In November 2006 you released your book with an embossed hardcover in a limited edition of only 1000 copies. Now the book has been reprinted and I am holding it in my hands. It is magnificent.
AS. Yes we made at first only a limited edition of the book in Iceland, which was sold out, so we decided to do an international edition as well. Then we wanted to make this box including the book in it as well as our album Riceboy Sleesp which we are releasing now. The idea was to create a box with a lot of treats in it to represent all aspects of ourselves.
JB. This book is our first project we accomplished together, which is very important to us, as is the new album, which represents five years of us being together.
AS. We never went to the studio and spent three months making this album. It was actually all recorded in our kitchen and the living room. This really is just about us. It feels like us at home.
There is also a second CD in the box called All Animals that we made for an exhibition in Seville, called Morning Line in addition to a Colouring Book and a set of colour pencils. We really want to see what would people do with it without feeling too precious about it. We want them to colour our drawings.
PP. So let’s ask anyone who reads this interview and gets ahold of your Colouring Book, to work on it and perhaps send you back their creations for you to see.
JB. Yeah, it would be cool to see that.
PP. How do you decide what to work on? Who starts, who finishes?
AS. These old things that we collect are usually the starting sparks for our work. Sometimes I would start to make a drawing and Jónsi will add to it and finish it. Every single piece contains both of us.
PP. By doing that it is almost like creating a new person, a third one, which contains both of you.
AS. I never thought of that. I wouldn’t have the strength to create on my own.
JB. We absolutely need each other.
PP. How old are you?
AS. I am 25 and Jónsi is 34. It seems like a big age difference but it doesn’t seem to matter.
PP. Jónsi, what is Sigur Rós working currently on?
JB. We are kind of on a break now. Everybody is having babies at the moment. But this also gives me the chance to work with Alex on our projects. It is just perfect as it is.
PP. You collect, recycle, add, invent as well as produce music and visual material. Where do you go from here now that you have accomplished five years of working together? What happens next?
AS. We were talking about it last evening. This is the time to push ourselves even further. We have each other and now we want to be brave. Colours will certainly be used much more. Just last night we made three pictures, here in this living room. We also want to experiment more with moving images, sound installation and different spaces.
JB. For so long we were afraid of colours for some unknown reason. I don’t know why. But this is changing.
AS. We have the foundation now which we can build upon.
PP. How does it feel to live in Iceland?
JB. Well, very depressing right now [laughs]. This depression is happening everywhere. It is global. But summer helps, I suppose.
PP. Don’t you think a depression and creativity go well? In times of crises some great works of art are produced.
JB. Definitely. It is not good when it gets too comfortable. People become lazy.
AS. I remember everybody was buying just digital cameras and Jeeps [laughs]. In a long run something positive will come out of this. Perhaps people will go back to more important things like nature, spirituality, innovation, creativity, or art.
PP. What do you do in order to relax, how do you chill out?
JB. We love cooking. We even made a recipe book. Next week it will go online.
PP. Oh that is wonderful. Making food is also art.
AS. We love inventing recipes. Raw food is what we really eat now. Years ago we heard about it and gradually included it in our diet until we finally went for it. We love it. It is completely different way of making food that we had to learn from scratch and be inventive as well, like making a substitute for cheese out of macadamia nuts.
JB. It is a very creative process. Just like making a song. Relaxing as well.
AS. We also don’t have a TV at home, just a projector for films. We like to watch movies, of course not in summer, only when it gets dark and cold.
PP. What kinds of films do you like watching?
JB. There is a Danish film we really love called You Are Not Alone. We watch everything.
AS. We also watch crap. Seeing a bad movie is a great laugh. We are not snobs who love only arty films.
JB. Just like we love listening to many different kinds of music. Sometimes it might be great Jazz, but other times very bad pop music. Why? To have as much fun as possible.
PP. If you were on a deserted island and you could choose only one song, what would that song be?
JB. Only one?
PP. Yes.
JB. That is impossible. It is really hard. There are few songs I absolutely love. How to choose one?
AS. Just imagine you are on a desert island with coconut trees and you could hear only one song.
JB. Something from Billie Holiday perhaps?
AS. This is like a classic musician conversation.
JB. Oh I know, Ave Maria by Alesandro Morechi, the last known castrato [sings in a high pitch].
AS. My choice would be the one with Ekkehard Ehlers playing John Cassavetes (2). You know we made a mixed CD, containing not our music but our favourite songs of all times, as if we would DJ.
PP. Yes with a great choice of songs, including two of those you just mentioned as well as I Can’t Believe You’re In Love With Me by Billie Holiday and Marche Funèbre played by Raoul Pugno amongst others. There is also Audrey Hepburn singing Moon River.
JB. [Laughs] That’s cool.
AS. [Laughs] Yeah.
PP. So there is something else happening this Monday the 20th of July. Shall we talk about it?
AS. Yes, it starts at eight in the evening in Soho. We got these two boys to dress in very old-styled clothes. They will probably not have shirts on, just some old fashioned shorts and knee length socks and maybe some feathers in their hair. They will serve the classic Icelandic drink Brennivian that we brought with us.
PP. Does it contain alcohol?
AS. It’s translated into Black Death [laughs].
PP. Are you planning to kill some people?
JB. [Laugs] This will be the launch of our exhibition for this summer in London at wonderful Maison Bertaux. There will be a video piece and a lot of pictures for people to see.
PP. Is it true that you also have requested face painters for the night, to draw moustaches on willing guests?
AS. I don’t know, what do you think about it?
PP. I adore moustaches, so I would say definitely yes. Let’s bring moustaches back into fashion! I also like the idea that you are bringing a performance aspect to your work as well.
AS. I love flirting with that idea.
PP. Oh you have to do it. It is expected that a number of celebrities will be at your opening. I would love to see their faces with moustaches on.
JB. [Laughs] We should definitely have men painted with rosy cheeks and women with moustaches.
Text: © Predrag Pajdic
Images & videos: © Riceboy Sleeps
