Sharp Focus: The Ian Svenonius Interview
Quite often you’ll read scented articles in ad-fattened magazines telling you that multitasking is a woman’s realm. Enter Ian Svenonius, the indie savant who makes this theory seem like utter bullshit. In a career that spans almost two decades, Svenonius has done 15 albums and countless singles with various bands like Nation Of Ullysses and Weird War (he rarely works under his own name). He’s also done a bit of film, published a book called The Pocket Soviet and DJ-ed.
On a chilly, wind swept New York day, he chatted about one of several current projects, VSB.TV’s Soft Focus. Taped in the Guggenheim Museum, the program is an online talk show minus the cheap one-liners and half the promotional agenda. So far, it has featured artists from Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) to Ian MacKaye and is currently heading into its second year.
Between police sirens and the sounds of crowded streets, Svenonius touched on his show, the current Beatnik scene, Lester Bangs, and all points between.
How did Soft Focus come about?
I was approached by [producer] Jesse Pearson with the idea. We collaborated for a while and came up with this format. Weird War provided the music [during the opening]. The format was just to do a freewheeling chat, air out ideas, propagate the myth, spread lies. Just give a forum for these people. Having put out a book, I realize people are very receptive. There’s an underground music movement and there’s so many people involved. Music is obviously the starting point, but it’s branching out. People are really excited. I’ve found that if you push the boundary people are really receptive.
Did the fact that this was a re-launch make you a bit apprehensive?
No, not really. I’ve worked with Jesse before. The re-launch is the official version. The first launch was just sort of a test to see what worked and what didn’t. But I don’t really pay attention to that stuff to tell you the truth.
Why use the Guggenheim as the venue for the show?
I think the design appealed to the producers. It sort of made it an event, to come out and see the shooting at the Guggenheim. The idea was it was going to be like a talk show, really wide shots. Once we shot the first interview, we realized it’s sort of irrelevant. Since it’s web, it’s very claustrophobic, very tight and close shots. Besides, it’s about the person – not the venue.
What’s the booking procedure for guests? You seem to lean away from people that’d come on with an agenda or something to promote. Do you keep that door closed?
We’re just interested in people who are doing interesting things. I’d also like to talk to people who are less iconic. To launch it, we’ve talked to a lot of established figures.
Do you have a wish list of guests? Have you gotten a no from any of them?
We’ve been pretty successful in getting the people we’ve wanted so far. Some haven’t come through yet. Hopefully in the future. It’s all been sort of Indie music stars. Beatnik music stars. So that’s the sort of people, they don’t have handlers so there’s not the conceit or arrogance. They’re all really approachable.
How have you changed since you started doing the show? Have you learned anything about hosting, interviewing, etc.?
I haven’t really, no. The show is sort of changing. Now it’s receding and it’s doing more of a one on one. I’m trying to not talk over them. There is no Conan O’Brien sort of thing here. The guests are interesting cause we think they’re interesting. It’s really easy. It’s like a live show, the first one is really difficult and you sort of self-correct as you go along.
So these interviews are the sort of chats you’d have with the artists even if the cameras aren’t there?
No, that can’t happen. You can’t get that when there’s a camera lens pointed at you. It’s very staged. It’s very aware. It’s like the anthropologist and studying the stone-age tribe, he or she changes everything in the room with their presence.
Any idea of expanding to an outside outlet, broadcast TV, etc?
No, we’re just having fun with it. My reference points are dated. I don’t really watch much cable TV. Not to sound too much like an underground or a beatnik. Yeah, that’s a possibility to do that, but it’s nice being on the web. It’s not very slick. It’s a sort of warts and all production.
One of the good parts of being online is the interaction you can have. Have you thought about the message board and blog aesthetic and how you can fit into that sphere?
That’s interesting, but it’s sort of horrifying too. It’s funny. Reviewing, you know music reviews? I just hate them. [The reviewers] have no idea where the person is coming from. Music reviewing was ruined by Lester Bangs. He was a good writer, very literary. But he turned it into a autobiographical thing. He made it about how the effect the music has on you. As opposed to Lee Roy Jones. He broke jazz down to its part and judged it on its own merits. And reviews these days try to hard to be funny. And I think message boards and that sort of thing fall into that category, so I have no real use for them.
What about in terms of user-submitted content, like video questions?
Actually that’s an interesting idea. I’d be up for that.
You’ve dabbled in a lot of different art forms. From music and books and now the show. Has any of it slowed you down?
No not really. We’ve only done 16 episodes over a year. I’m making a record. And trying to write a book. It’s going to be an instruction manual. It’ll be less ambitious. I’m making a record with Brendan from Fugazi. Spoken word with musical accompaniment. But the show itself is really low intensity so it hasn’t really stopped me.
>>>Joe Orovic
