INTERVIEW: MIMAS
October 25, 2008,
Written by Wil Cook
After we fell head over heels in love with their debut album, The Worries, we at the 405 were delighted to put some questions to the best thing to come out of Denmark since Peter Schmeichel.
Can you tell me how and when the band got together?
The fun version: We met on this speed-dating service...
The boring version: Daniel and I got together and then we met Lasse and Gert through various bands, which they quit to join forces with the amazing Mimas!
It shows in your music that you are all obviously very talented musicians, how long have you been playing your instruments for?
We're not better than, say, Steve Vai or Les Claypool.
We've all been playing for some 10 years, except Lasse he played drums in this band 'Johan Sebastian Bach'.
When I was 13 I saw a band called Cecil and they blew me away, completely changing my life, can you pinpoint a defining moment in your life when you knew you wanted to make music?
Daniel: I saw Gary Moore playing 'Still Got The Blues'... I think... Or maybe I saw Scorpions. I can't remember.
Gert: I was really inspired by the music lessons in elementery school.. We played very bad songs.
Snævar: I was playing a video game while listening to Metallicas Master Of Puppets.. So I started playing guitar...
Lasse: I was to join Johan Sebastian Bach when I was 10 cause he won in Foozball.
Did you have any initial aims with regards to your sound or the content of your songs when you formed the band?
Daniel: A mix between Gary Moore and Sigur Rós.
Snævar: No, not really. We don't really have any intentions with the music except just having fun, and hoping that others have fun listening to us as well. Afterwards we'll have a huge party and get drunk and kiss everyone.
Daniel: We wanted more bad language in the world
How has the writing process changed since the early days?
Snævar: Good question, cause at this moment we're kind of changing regarding to that. We want to record some songs in February which kind of puts some pressure on us, I guess we're a bit more focused now that before. And songs come together a lot faster now than before.
Daniel: In the early days someone would bring some riffs or something to the rehearsal room, now we kind of make everything together.
Lasse: It hasn't changed. Chuck Norris has.
Your songs seem to build organically, is this a natural dynamic within the band or was it a concious decision?
Gert: Yes and no.
Daniel: Yes or no.
Snævar: No
Lasse: .....
Daniel (To Snævar): Tell him it's not a concious decision Snævar.
Snævar: Whenever songs build organically it's definitely just us doing what we do, but when things get technical we tend to jabber a lot in the rehearsal room... So... it's not a concious decision, I guess.
You have a sound that is instantly recognisable as your own, do you reject a lot of ideas on the way to achieving this? do you strive to have a definitive identity?
Snævar: When we start doing a song we tend to jam for 30-40 minutes, and than we kind of work through all that and try to make a pop song. I don't think many bands do that. So maybe thats why! We try to sound a bit different, but I don't really think we're revolutionary.
Your the music is often very grand and serious, while the lyrics possess a wide-eyed almost childlike eloquence, giving the often dark subject matter a playful charm. Is it strange for you to be singing about some of the darker facets of society while the audience are grinning away like madmen? Was that the intention?
Snævar: I really like singing about the more ironic sides of family-life and peoples weird needs for security and obscure sex. I definitely like humorous lyrics above sad ones. A journalist called the lyrics Monty Python-esque recently. I think that covers it pretty well.
Daniel: I don't write the lyrics, but I definitely perfer Snævars lyrics above other bands writing about crappy stuff like lost love and I Kissed a Girl.
Gert: I think you should sing like Jónsi and Sting.
I've seen how much audiences differ in different towns within the UK but how do the audiences differ from country to country? Where is your favourite place to play?
Daniel: We've been lucky with the crowds in England, as we're getting a lot of great feedback. It's also cool to play in Denmark, but many people don't really 'get' our kind of music. They like Alphabeat more.
Snævar: We havn't had the chance to play anywhere except Denmark and England, but we'll be touring Europe next summer. I'm going to have a croissant in France. Although I'd perfer a full English Breakfast.
Gert: I like Alphabeat aswell and I'm looking forward to experiencing other countries.
What was the first and last record that you bought?
Gert: The first was 'Like a Virgin' by Madonna an the last one was Portisheads 'Third'. It was for my mum.
Daniel: The last one I got was Pantera. Both 'Vulgar Display of Power' and 'Far Beyond Driven'. The first one probably Van Halen or something.
Snævar: The first one I got was Michael Jacksons 'Dangerous' and today I bought Okkervil River 'The Stand Ins'. It's good.
Lasse: The first one I got was 'Cutfather and Soulshocks': Greatest Hits.
Snævar, Daniel and Gert: Who?
Lasse: And the latest one was 'Why?': Elephant Eyelash.
What was the last thing that really inspired you?
Daniel: Last rehearsal session. I know it's gay.
Snævar: Probably 'Burn After Reading' by the Coen Brothers.
Gert: The last thing that really inspired me must be Battles live at this years Roskilde Festival.
After seeing you play my friend wants to marry you, all of you, shall i hook you up with her?
Daniel: Is she on Facebook?
Snævar: We only do online relationships, so if that's ok..? We could share photos and watch a clip on youtube together about a setting sun.
Gert: You can marry her.
Lasse: Can I marry you, wil?
What can we expect from Mimas in the future? When are you coming back to the UK?
Snævar: We're gonna try and record a new album in the spring, and we'll probably go on a biiiig tour in June. Other than that we're going to try and change ourselves into the squareroot of 5.
Daniel: 42.
Snævar: Is that the answer?
Gert: Yes, to everything.
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Will - 11/03/10
"is Grohls drumming really something that's gonna be the first point to come to mind?" Well, maybe not the first, but certainly one of the key points. I'm not sure about Nevermind, but I don't think I've ever had a chat about SFTD with someone who hasn't marveled over the drumming. He was never overshadowed Dave Grohl's fame peaked with Foo Fighters, not his talents. [view article]
Aaron - 11/03/10
So you're saying that one album captures Daves Grohl's talent better then the various albums he's put out with The Foo Fighters and Nirvana during their prestige? This might be the case if Grohl was the life and soul of that particular QOTSA album, but he wasn't. Granted its a good album, what would you say separates SFTD from say one of Nirvana's greatest albums Nevermind? Both have good points about them but is Grohls drumming really something that's gonna be the first point to come to mind? With The Foo's, Grohl's progression from drummer to lead ultimately forced his presence as a musician in the rock world to sky rocket. Now the attention and focus surrounded him and his band, rather then Kurt like it had been in Nirvana. How many drummers are better known then leads? None. So it makes sense to say that being in The Foo's is what allowed Grohl to come into his own as a musician and demonstrate his abilities without being overshadowed. I'd say Grohls talents peaked during The Foo's, so nothing before or after that can really be his best. The era of The Foo's was when Grohl was in his prime. [view article]
TheBooklovers - 11/03/10
I dunno Aaron. He certainly achieved more column inches and air time with The Foos, can't be denied, but as a guitarist and singer he's fairly average. Don't get me wrong, he's good and he more than gets the job done. But he's nothing special. When you get down to brass tacks though, there are very few people who have been inspired to pick up a guitar because of him. On the other hand, the vast majority of drummers around my age I know have cited him as one of their first drum crushes. Even older drummers I've met, who started playing before Grunge broke, have mentioned him as an influence. I'm always amazed that he never went into acting though. If Flea can have a side career as a walk on extra, then surely he must have been approached by now. SOMEONE needs to fill the void left by Jim Carey who isn't Jack Black. Just watch any of their videos, his comic timing is fantastic! [view article]
Will - 11/03/10
Front men generally do get the spot light. Doesn't make them better as musicians. Gotta be QOTSA [view article]
Aaron - 11/03/10
IMO It was The Foo's. As front man Grohl achieved more notoriety as a musician, much more so than when he was in Nirvana where the spotlight was heavily on Kurt Cobain. [view article]