Counting with Karin Park
You can’t throw a stone in Sweden these days without hitting an avant-pop chanteuse. Not that you’d want to throw one at Karin Park. Her latest release, Highwire Poetry, proudly takes its place at the forefront of the country’s biggest cultural export boom since chocolate covered Surströmming. Bowie’s a fan. She’ll also be joining the Brandt Bauer Frick Ensemble and Fil Lavin in Montenegro this weekend for a special EB-presented show.
1 memorable line in a film or song:
“I don’t give a damn what men find attractive. It’s unfortunate what we find pleasing to the touch and pleasing to the eye is seldom the same.” – Fabienne, Pulp Fiction
2 decisions I regret:
I don’t regret decisions. I just deal with them. It’s part of my survival instinct, for better or worse.
3 people that should collaborate:
Vladimir Putin, Lydia Lunch and Eddie Izzard… in a musical. That would be one hell of a show. All three fascinate me in different ways, and I truly believe they have the potential to bring out the best in each other.
4 things I haven’t done yet:
Made friends with Dave Gahan and Martin Gore.
Been to Istanbul.
Headlined Coachella.
Collaborated with Gareth Pugh.
5 things I used to believe:
There’s really only one important one: That grown-ups knew better.
6 hours ago…
I tried to raise a flagpole in my dad’s garden. After near death, we conceded failure.
After 7 p.m.
I’ll be going for a bath in a big outdoor tub even if it’s fucking freezing outside. The water’s hot, around forty-one degrees Celsius. It’s Sunday, a good Sunday. And I just got home from a two-day studio session in Stockholm.
8 albums everyone should own:
Keith Jarrett – The Köln Concert (ECM)
Tricky – Maxinquaye (Island)
Burial – Untrue (Hyperdub)
Arne Nordheim – The Tempest (Aurora Records)
Scott Walker – Tilt (Fontana)
Whitney Houston – Whitney (Arista)
Fad Gadget – Under the Flag (Mute)
Flaming Lips – The Soft Bulletin (Warner Bros.)
My 9 lives …
Cats have nine lives; I have as many as I have twangs in my throat.
Wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole
True! I prefer touching it with my hands and my body.
Published November 20, 2012.