For so many weeks, we were waiting for today's concert of Julia Holter, but unfortunately it is not gonna happen. Economic crisis, you see...
Nevertheless, Julia Holter had a wonderful talk with Dimitris Antonopoulos and we would like to publish it.
Dimitris Antonopoulos: Hi Julia, it’s a privilege really! Working as a radio producer here for 25 years now, it’s wonderful to have a conversation with one of my fav artists for 2012.So, how do you feel? Are you ready for ATHENS?
Julia Holter: Yes
DA: What can we expect here from Julia Holter? I am not asking for the set list (laughs!) of course, but give us an idea.
JH: Songs with a drummer, cellist, and meon keyboards.
DA: 'Ekstasis' a SURE thing for my December/Best of list @ my radioshow (Rockzone/Channel One) it’s an amazing record, full of fantastic songs. Can you tell me some details Julia? Some 'inside stories' about the making of?
JH: I recorded it mostly myself but sometimes I had guest performers. The recording of it wasn't particularly interesting because I was doing it all myself
DA: Tell me about 'In the same room’, it’s such a great song, so full of emotions.
JH: Coincidentally it's a similar scenario to that of "Last Year at Marienbad", which I never saw until much later. It’s about two people sitting in a room. One person says to the other "I’ve seen you before" and the other person says "I don't remember" but they feel an attraction to one another for some reason and so that person who doesn't remember says "But I want to remember".
DA:
Is there a strong connection at your heart as a musician with the
ancient Greece if I may say so? Is there an inspiration really?
JH: No, just because I don't know anything about ancient Greece to be honest. I wish I did, but I would be lying if I did. I recently learned some of the alphabet a bit. I am intrigued by it, but I am not a historian and I don't know anything about it. I am excited to visit Greece though.
DA: What about the Los Angeles nowadays? Is there a strong music scene for artists like Julia Holter? There’s a great tradition of course.
JH: I have been involved in a lot of different collectives of music in Los Angeles. It is so spread out that there is so much room for different things, and things happen very quietly in some cases. I like that mystery about it. So there is room for me, but I have never been popular in Los Angeles, or particularly well-known. People are finally starting to know my name I think. But i like the secrecy of it. There is never one particular strong scene in LA, at least as far as I know. I am a bit out of the loop. But that is sometimes good for one's work--to just happen upon things if they come your way, but to also have the room to explore your imagination and try things out, either as an individual or as a small group of experimenters.
DA: We're under some really tough times here, because of the economy crises...I think that It’s all about the markets, or even the banking system...Seems like a BANKS VS WORLD 'game'...Democracy was born in Athens, as you know, and maybe Democracy (as a system) have to die here...Desperate time..What do you think as an artist?
JH: Thinking about capitalism in relation to art is really exhausting and depressing. We have our own trouble in the US. I prefer not to dwell on it, though I will always try to be a responsible citizen and do what I can to make things better. Not sure that I do that all the time, but I am trying.
DA:
How do you feel really creating' a song, being in touch with your own
soul? There are some top level songs in 'Ekstasis', it’s one of the 3-4
best albums so far. So, it’s a natural question really..
JH: Haha thank you. I don’t know if I am in touch with my own soul. Like I've said before, I really create things without "knowing" what I'm doing conceptually--only formally. I require a lot of mystery in creating things, because too much thinking is really better for the editing process than the first creative step.
DA: Can you tell me 5 of your fav albums ever?
JH: Court and Spark--Joni Mitchell
Parallelograms--Linda Perhacs
Any Roxy Music albums
right now:
Laurel Halo "Quarantine"
Jason Grier "Clouds"
Nite Jewel "One Second of Love"
DA: And here’s my 'classic' question. Let’s go to a time machine for the next 24 hours… Do you wanna go to Woodstock in '69 or to watch the first ever gig of THE DOORS? And why really?
JH: Hmm Woodstock in 69 but I would ask for a hotel in stay in ;)
DA: And for the end, are you living in a digital era..? I think so…
JH: Yes
Thanks for your time and let me know if we can have a radio interview for my show too!
Thank you!
See you in ATHENS,
Dimitris.
Nevertheless, Julia Holter had a wonderful talk with Dimitris Antonopoulos and we would like to publish it.
Dimitris Antonopoulos: Hi Julia, it’s a privilege really! Working as a radio producer here for 25 years now, it’s wonderful to have a conversation with one of my fav artists for 2012.So, how do you feel? Are you ready for ATHENS?
Julia Holter: Yes
DA: What can we expect here from Julia Holter? I am not asking for the set list (laughs!) of course, but give us an idea.JH: Songs with a drummer, cellist, and meon keyboards.
DA: 'Ekstasis' a SURE thing for my December/Best of list @ my radioshow (Rockzone/Channel One) it’s an amazing record, full of fantastic songs. Can you tell me some details Julia? Some 'inside stories' about the making of?
JH: I recorded it mostly myself but sometimes I had guest performers. The recording of it wasn't particularly interesting because I was doing it all myself
DA: Tell me about 'In the same room’, it’s such a great song, so full of emotions.
JH: Coincidentally it's a similar scenario to that of "Last Year at Marienbad", which I never saw until much later. It’s about two people sitting in a room. One person says to the other "I’ve seen you before" and the other person says "I don't remember" but they feel an attraction to one another for some reason and so that person who doesn't remember says "But I want to remember".
DA:
Is there a strong connection at your heart as a musician with the
ancient Greece if I may say so? Is there an inspiration really?JH: No, just because I don't know anything about ancient Greece to be honest. I wish I did, but I would be lying if I did. I recently learned some of the alphabet a bit. I am intrigued by it, but I am not a historian and I don't know anything about it. I am excited to visit Greece though.
DA: What about the Los Angeles nowadays? Is there a strong music scene for artists like Julia Holter? There’s a great tradition of course.
JH: I have been involved in a lot of different collectives of music in Los Angeles. It is so spread out that there is so much room for different things, and things happen very quietly in some cases. I like that mystery about it. So there is room for me, but I have never been popular in Los Angeles, or particularly well-known. People are finally starting to know my name I think. But i like the secrecy of it. There is never one particular strong scene in LA, at least as far as I know. I am a bit out of the loop. But that is sometimes good for one's work--to just happen upon things if they come your way, but to also have the room to explore your imagination and try things out, either as an individual or as a small group of experimenters.
DA: We're under some really tough times here, because of the economy crises...I think that It’s all about the markets, or even the banking system...Seems like a BANKS VS WORLD 'game'...Democracy was born in Athens, as you know, and maybe Democracy (as a system) have to die here...Desperate time..What do you think as an artist?
JH: Thinking about capitalism in relation to art is really exhausting and depressing. We have our own trouble in the US. I prefer not to dwell on it, though I will always try to be a responsible citizen and do what I can to make things better. Not sure that I do that all the time, but I am trying.
DA:
How do you feel really creating' a song, being in touch with your own
soul? There are some top level songs in 'Ekstasis', it’s one of the 3-4
best albums so far. So, it’s a natural question really..JH: Haha thank you. I don’t know if I am in touch with my own soul. Like I've said before, I really create things without "knowing" what I'm doing conceptually--only formally. I require a lot of mystery in creating things, because too much thinking is really better for the editing process than the first creative step.
DA: Can you tell me 5 of your fav albums ever?
JH: Court and Spark--Joni Mitchell
Parallelograms--Linda Perhacs
Any Roxy Music albums
right now:
Laurel Halo "Quarantine"
Jason Grier "Clouds"
Nite Jewel "One Second of Love"
DA: And here’s my 'classic' question. Let’s go to a time machine for the next 24 hours… Do you wanna go to Woodstock in '69 or to watch the first ever gig of THE DOORS? And why really?
JH: Hmm Woodstock in 69 but I would ask for a hotel in stay in ;)
DA: And for the end, are you living in a digital era..? I think so…
JH: Yes
Thanks for your time and let me know if we can have a radio interview for my show too!
Thank you!
See you in ATHENS,
Dimitris.
Relevant article