Speed Round Daniel Gildenlöw Pain of Salvation

PROG POWER V - USA 9/25/04 Interviewer: Karma E. Omowale

Click here to access Daniel's full length interview

Pain of Salvation’s mastermind & singer/songwriter/guitarist, Daniel Gildenlöw

Karma: Okay, here is quick Speed Round of Questions.

Daniel: Okay cool! 

Karma: What's the one album you have in your collection that no one would believe you own?

Daniel: Wow!!  That’s a difficult one!! I know there are quite a few; I just can’t come up with any now.  Uhh, there are probably some really good ones where people will go, “WHAT!”

Karma: Well, give me a couple of them then.

Daniel: Well I have some of Swedish albums but that wouldn’t really give you a good impression.  But I have, you know the band Roxette?

Karma: Yes I remember them!

Daniel: Well the guy from Roxette, Per Gessle, had a band when he was younger called, Gyllene Tider, which means Golden Tides really.

Karma: Oh, okay !

Daniel: I have a bunch of those albums and I think probably anyone will go, 'What!’ on that a pretty good one!!  You have to imagine a 10 years younger Roxette, really!

Karma: Oh wow!!  That’s awesome!

Daniel: Yeah!

Karma: What's your mantra?

Daniel: Mantra?  [Snickers]  In regards of what I’m repeating probably most of the time, it would be, “It just has to go!” “It has to be possible!”  [he laughs quietly] Because I am a time optimist; you have 10 more lyrics to go and you have 1 week before you’re suppose to reach the deadline.  And I’m like “It has to be possible!  It has to go!!” So that has to be my mantra.  Something like a mixture of braveness, naïveté, and complete stupidity probably!  Yeah!!

Karma: Favorite quote?

Daniel: Right now it’s a quote that may be in relation to the previous answer here.  I remember reading, what’s it’s called…it was the last book he wrote he wasn't finished yet.  Half of the book is in there and the rest is just a mixture of the things that he said and people talking about Douglas Adams and stuff like that.  At one point there was a quote where he says…it’s not a direct quote or word by word but its kinda close, this is what he says, “People think that I don’t like deadlines, but they’re wrong, I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound as they go by” [his laughs fill the phone]

Karma: [I start to laugh heartily] 

Daniel: I really love that quote!

Karma: I can see why you would!!  What are your top 5 favorite movies?

Daniel: Wow, these are really difficult questions!!  Fisher King is on the list, [directed by] Terry Gilliam.  Yeah, that was a very good movie.  Basically I just I should consider what movies I’ve been watching most of the time.  The superstar of the movie [Jeff Bridges] is really one of my favorites.  I can watch it over and over again!!  When it comes to the music and the movie, you really have to be forgiving at heart when you’re watching it, because you have to consider the times and the charm factor.  It doesn’t have Steven Spielberg effectual, you know!  The original Star Wars Trilogy, because I really see them as one movie, because that’s how I perceive them!  Really something I always loved when I was a kid. 

Even though the new ones are not the same thing!  I’m kind of forgiving when it comes to them as well since its Star Wars. The new ones are much more interesting from a political point of view because they deal a lot with how mankind is willing to sacrifice democracy.  And because there is so much fear in the world in any kind of direction and how soon we are willing to give up our democratic right and give more powers to the ones that should not have the power!

Karma: So true!!

Daniel: I don’t know how the third one will be but I know that I & II contain deal with those interesting topics.  Keeping in the same political vein, it reminds me of Brave New World which I think is much more interesting than 1984.  If you want to be a dictator, it much easier to make the people want you to oppress them.  If you want people to have microchips under their skin, don’t force them or take them into a factory, in fact they are doing it right now!  But just tell them it will make it easier to shop and they will pay you to install those microchips!

Karma: I think you’re giving them ideas!!

Daniel: It’s already being done…IN AMERICA [laughing] I read that a company has the system instead of having your plastic [credit card] you can have this little chip under your…what do you call it… your wrist.

Karma: Wow!! Really!

Daniel: Yeah, so instead of paying with plastic, you’ll just move your hand under this reader thing.  And people have actually paid to get this chip!

Karma: That is CRAZY!! 

Daniel: It’s wonderful, isn’t it!!  [snickering sarcastically] That’s why I think Brave New World is much more interesting than 1984 because if you’re forcing dictatorship upon people they will lie, as soon as you turn your back they will eat you alive!  As long as you can make it entertaining, they will pay you for it!!

Karma: Favorite city ever played so far?

Daniel: Oh wow!!  My favorite city…it’s really difficult because when you play in a city you very rarely get to see any of it!!  So it’s really annoying especially when you’re on tour and the schedules really tight: you will arrive by bus, have your soundcheck, you will then have your gig, you will have your shower…whatever and you will go back to the bus and then maybe you will have some interviews.  People will go, “So what do you think of our city?” And we have to go, “Well, the parking place is really, really nice!!” [we both laugh hysterically]  “Oh, and I saw this tower this morning on the way…and that was really nice too!!”  “Oh, that was the Water Tower”  “OK!!  Well very nice too!  I have no idea what it was…”

Karma: [continues to laugh]

Daniel: [laughs under his breath] It’s hard really to say anything about the cities you play in usually.  I remember one little town because it was so hilarious but unfortunately I don’t remember the name of the city.  I think it was in Switzerland or something but it was like watching a movie from the 60’s of this really perfect little place.  It was so neat it was impossible.  Every thing was just beautiful, nature was beautiful and every body seemed happy.  It was like being in this weird little fairytale.

Karma: Wow!

Daniel: [laughs] And we were going downtown, there I think it was in a phone booth or something like that or on a wall but whatever the name of the town was someone had written ANARCHY!!  It was just so wrong!  Its like who would ever want to have anarchy here?  It was the most peaceful place ever!!  It was just so weird to have a combination of weird punk guys writing anarchy in graffiti on the walls in this little, nice town where you’d figure everybody was like Christians everyday!  So that was really odd!!

Karma:  What’s your favorite color?

Daniel: It differs but I had a period in my life where I loved the combination of green and black.  But right now I have somehow learned to appreciate all colors I think.  When I was younger I just hated brown but I like brown now.  But it’s always a matter of where the colors suppose to be.  My least favorite color is probably red and blue because they are kinda flat in a way.  And I think that also because they are so frequent!!

Karma: Well I guess you would feel that way since blue is in your country’s flag.

Daniel: Yeah!  That’s true!! 

Karma: What's under your bed?

Daniel: Underneath my bed…usually a pile of books!  And my wife’s like, “Couldn’t you just move those books?  I mean how many of those books are you reading anyway?”   “Well, like 8 or 9 of them!”  “Well couldn’t you move the other ones to the shelf?” [we both laugh loudly]  Yeah, if there’s anything under my bed it would be a pile of books fighting to tuck them away! 

Karma: Introvert or extrovert?

Daniel: I think I am a strange mixture probably!  I am kind of an extrovert but I’m really shy at the same time.  I can have a big problem talking to people because we have so many people coming up to us and their like, ‘Oh, you are my god!’  I never know what to reply to that, thank you doesn’t really seem appropriate!!  [as he plays out another scenario] ‘You’re like the best ever!’ “Thank you!” [laughs heartily] I don’t know what to say really!  You wouldn't want to go, “Yeah, you too!” That seems worse because you have no idea if they could sing at all!

Karma: [falling over with laughter]

Daniel: I don’t know I guess to be honest I am an extroverted person but I’m kinda a shy guy and I can be kinda be troubled at times.  I like to bury myself in a lot of philosophical reasoning and stuff like that.  At those points, I am probably an introverted person.  I feel I never really truly communicated with anyone the way I would like to!!

Karma: That’s very interesting!!

Daniel: Yeah!

Karma: Live or dead: if you could host a dinner party with 5 people, whom would you invite?

Daniel: I would probably go for the extremes.  I would think it would be really interesting to have Gandhi and Hitler at the same party and let them have a go at each other with their different philosophies.  [we both laugh hysterically]  So then I could say, “So Gandhi, what do you think of that?” “Well do you agree with that Hitler?  Does it make sense what Gandhi is saying right now?”  “But wouldn’t you say Gandhi that Hitler’s ways have a certain sense of effectiveness to it?” It could be really interesting though seeing that combination though.  Those two would definitely be on my list, Jesus Christ, and then I would go for 2 of my all time heroes which are 2 Swedish writers: Astrid Lindgren, who was the woman who wrote Pippi Longstocking and Brothers Lionheart.  Does it ring a bell, no?

Karma: The first one was but the second one no.

Daniel: Okay, I think it is called Brothers Lionheart in the English edition.  I am not really 100% sure but…

Karma: That’s okay!  I am sure I can find it [on the internet]

Daniel: But it’s the same woman that wrote Pippi Longstocking, but that book should be…ahh… Should be like, what do you call it, when you have to read it…complimentary?  No, obligatory?

Karma: Oh, yes, obligatory!!

Daniel: Yeah, everybody should be forced to read this book when they grow up because it’s just a really good story about friendship and courage and kindness.  It’s like a good story but it really revolves around humanistic and humane problems or things that you should really think about probably!  So I think that’s one of the most important books ever written for children.

Karma: Wow!  That’s amazing!!

Daniel: Yeah and the other Swedish writer is Tage Danielsson.  I don’t know if he was translated out of the Swedish language but he was also a comedian together with another guy [Hans Alfredson] and he was… I could really appreciate what he was doing and I sometimes feel kind of related to him in many senses.  Exactly in the same way that he was a comedian and he was dealing a lot with important social-political issues through comedy.  I think at some point he was like a troubled philosophical nature that channeled his thoughts [through his works].  Those people would contribute tremendously to this dinner party!

Karma: So far it has shaped up to be a pretty awesome dinner party!

Daniel: I take for granted that I can bring my wife along.

Karma: Yes, you may!

Daniel: I mean all of these interesting dinner guests I would hate not having her meet all of these people. 

Karma: Now that’s sweet!

Daniel: [giggles]

Karma: What is your biggest pet peeve?

Daniel: My what?

Karma: What really irks you or gets under your skin…what pisses you off?

Daniel: In a positive or in a negative way?

Karma: In a negative way

Daniel: In a negative way?

Karma: Yes, something that people do that upsets you

Daniel: Something that really upsets me, even though it is really small thing but that’s the whole point of it!

Karma: Right!

Daniel: Obviously I could say when people drop nuclear bombs on other people that really annoys me and people would agree with that of course!  Everything starts at a small level and what really annoys me is that we have these grocery stores in our hometown [Eskilstuna, Sweden], and we have the ordinary milk and then the same company that makes that milk was starting this new line of ecological milk with no pesticides. The whole process is environmentally friendly.  And it’s a little bit more expensive but people will still go buy the previous one.  Now that kinda annoyed me!  Okay, people think that cent difference will really make a difference in the long run but okay…they’re saving money…whatever.  But one of the grocery stores actually in an attempt to work with the environmental issues they lowered the price on this ecological milk and took the loss out of their own pockets basically so that people could but the ecological milk without paying more money on it.  I mean it was the exact same company, the exact same milk.  The only difference was that it was environmentally friendly…and you know what?  People were STILL buying the old one!!

Karma: Wow!  That’s bad!

Daniel: Yeah, that really, really pissed me off!  Sometimes you hear people say that politics and music doesn’t mix…whatever!  To me, everything is a political decision really!  It’s just a matter of seeing that.  Between the choices of two brands, actually the same brand even, of milk is a political decision.  When people are not buying the ecologically friendly one, you [are supporting] the environmental “enemy” one… [as he struggles to compose his thoughts through his freshly kindled anger]

Karma: I understand what you’re saying…

Daniel: Pfff…so that really pissed me off because it’s such an easy thing to do and they [the consumer] didn’t even lose money for it.  That really pissed me off!!

Karma: Hmmm…wow!  Unbelievable!!  If not music them what?

Daniel: Writing books probably

Karma: Favorite comfort food?

Daniel: Comfort food?

Karma: As in whatever food you default to, that makes you feel better when you consume it.

Daniel: It’s hard because I am a vegetarian so you are really in the hands of what’s available.  Of course there are some ready made food brands that are some Swedish ones that really would say anything to you but I always love pancakes!  Not like the ones you have for breakfast…

Karma: Swedish pancakes?

Daniel: Not the ones that are thick and have maple syrup on them…  But they are really thin pancakes and then you have what do you call it…its kinda like jam but it’s not really but it’s made out of fruit…it’s like raspberry.  But the whole process of doing that is not really similar to how you make jam but it is similar so I think you could call it jam. 

Karma: Okay!  And if stranded on a desert island which 5 CD’s would you like to have with you?

Daniel: Oh man!!  [laughs]  Excluding the Pain of Salvation CD, you’d want to hear them every now and then to see what kind of mistakes you made and to see what good you did as well but I’d have to say Abbey Road by the Beatles, the Jesus Christ Superstar Soundtrack.  I mean it’s really sloppily performed and half of the musicians are probably high so they basically don’t know a 4 beat from a 5 beat really but it’s still the most dramatic one in a way!  [we share a hearty chuckle] Those two and then Album Of The Year by Faith No More probably.  Oh, this is really hard I would like to bring a Tori Amos album but the thing is my all time favorite song by her is “Winter” which is off her Little Earthquake album.  But the best album in general is Under The Pink.  This is difficult!  Maybe before going to this Desert Island I would be allowed to make a compilation CD! 

Karma: Sure, why not!!

Daniel: [laughing loudly now] Okay thank you very much!! Wow!  One more… uhhh, I’d go for a newer one then and see if it makes the grade in a few years, I’ll say Man From Utopia by Frank Zappa. 

Karma: Okay!

Daniel: That’s a nice little mix!

Karma: I’d say, it nice and eclectic!!  Before I let you go, I learned something for this interview, I wanted to say tack så mycket!

Daniel: [laughs] Very good!  Very good!! Tack så mycket!  I learned something for this interview too, you're welcome!

Karma: Tack!!  It's been a real pleasure!

Daniel: [laughing] It has!!

Karma: And something else I learned was hejdå!

Daniel: Oh, hejdå, Bye!