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Bic Runga Interview

Original content copyright 2002 to XtraMSN

Original article is at:    XtraMSN

Date:                          03/12/2002 11:31 AM Gary Tayler

By:                             Gary Tayler

Email Interview - Gary Tayler in bold

Bic Runga - answers in plain

If I'd never heard of Bic Runga, how would you describe yourself?
Really good at shopping and quite a good driver

How do you think others describe you?
Really good at shopping and not such a good driver, this is unfair really, I can parallel park a Lincoln Town Car

Where does your music come from? - motivation/inspiration/s
My music comes from the pit of my stomach

What inspires your lyrics?
Food, mostly and caffeine

Any musical goals beyond singer/songwriter/performer?
Next year I'm doing a concert with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. I would like to learn how to write for an orchestra. That's my short term goal. I have until next November

You're about to commence your first extensive tour for a while... nervous?
No. Quite excited

Earliest childhood memory?
Counting my fingers and finding out I had ten

Favourite toy?
One of those egg shaped bits of plastic that Leggs Stockings used to come in

Career highlight to date?
Learning how to play a diminished chord. That was only last week.

What's the best thing about being Bic Runga?
Not having a day job

What's the worse?
Having to talk about music

Any advice for other artists?
Own your own recordings and do short term distribution deals

Anybody you'd like to work with... and why?
Rick Rubin. He's my favourite producer

Anybody you'd not like to work with... and why?
Mmm no

Are you cat or dog person?
Dogs for sure. Cats are vain and you can't tell what they're thinking

Where did you have the best meal ever?
At my Mum

Worse meal ever?
The International House of Pancakes

If you're invited to a party... what do you bring?
Pavlova

Top five records?
Neil Young After the Goldrush
Neil Young Harvest
Alexander Skip Spence Oar
Led Zeppellin Led Zeppellin
Billy Holiday Lady in Satin

Top five movies?
The Crying Game
Deconstructing Harry (Woody Allen)
Don't Look Back (D.A. Pennebaker's Bob Dylan documentary)
Hearts of Darkness (the making of Apocalypse Now, made by Coppola's wife)
The South Park movie (America goes to war with Canada)
Badlands
That High Lonesome Road (Films of American rural life and music by John Cohen)
The Man who fell to Earth

How do you have your coffee?
Black with a side of cold milk

What do you think is the worse habit in other people?
Talking for the sake of talking

Best piece of advice you have ever received?
It was about lyric writing. "Be specific. Why say 'tree' when you can say 'sycamore?'" - Leonard Cohen

The worst piece of advice you have ever received?
I don't know. I probably wasn't listening

If you could meet anybody that has existed up to now, who would it be and what would you like to ask them?
I would ask Marleine Dietrich how she got so cool

Elvis or The Beatles?
Elvis

If you could do something totally different for a week... what would it be?
I would like to design cars. Cars used to have more mojo. Now they're these naff looking bubble shaped things. What ever happened to fins?

Favourite Internet site?
Found Magazine

Gadget geek or totally technophobic?
I like dedicated equipment that does one thing really well. One knob. No tricks

Goals for 2003? - beyond?
To not get old and jaded