I get up when I have to and go to bed when I’m tired. I am pleased to present you this interview with Dan Reeder.ĭan Reeder: I’m kind of a middle thing. On the first Sunday of January 2021, I decided to visit the current exhibition of Dan Reeder at the Gallerie Bernsteinzimmer, two days later I wrote him an email requesting an interview for English Post. However, it was more than enough to arouse my curiosity and desire to find out who this guy is and get in touch with Dan. I concluded that this is all very impressive, but at the same time, it seems to reflect only a small fraction of his life and personality. His second living room (pre-lockdown) was the legendary artist’s pub “Gregor Samsa” close to the city park in the north of Nuremberg.He published an art book and overview of his work entitled Art Pussies Fear this Book in 2011 (now out of print and only available second hand).But despite these successes, he has remained a publicity-shy artist. Referred to as “one of the foremost outsider artists in modern folk” by New Yorker Magazine’s editor Ben Greenman, he was featured on the Emmy award-winning show Weeds (“Work Song”).It has over a billion streams and is kind of a hit on Spotify, TikTok and YouTube. His song “Born a Worm” is his most popular song on the internet.Dan Reeder has a contract with the very exquisite record label, “Oh Boy Records”, and any that he will release will be through Oh Boy.My first Google results came up with the following, which amazed and surprised me: It also feels entirely appropriate as one thing quickly becomes clear to me – Dan Reeder seems to be rather a quiet, reserved, self-ironic and taciturn person.
It’s a strange feeling to approach someone for an interview whom you have never met before. Instead I did a lot of internet research and went through my notes from his art exhibitions that I have visited. Please downvote if incorrect! Self-deletes if score is 0.Due to the current difficulties with the global spread of the COVID –19, I could not meet Dan Reeder in person to talk about his life and artistic career. Last.fm: 15,736 listeners, 273,791 plays tags: folk, acoustic, blues, pop, rock In a world where most pop culture is about finding out what the maximum number of people desire and then manufacturing something that will max-out that desire till you puke, Reeder’s quiet, sharp-witted, literally home-made music reminds you why some people create: to satisfy themselves, and then, if possible, make some money in the bargain. There’s a certain stubbornness here, and I’m not just talking about the 37 years Dan says it’s taking for his cappuccino to arrive in Sweetheart’s lead-off cut, “I’m Waiting For My Cappuccino.” Reeder has the stubbornness-the creative persistence-of an artist: You get the definite feeling he’ll do or make whatever he wants and the hell if anyone else likes or wants it. But most of the time, Sweetheart is about the sound of Dan Reeder’s cracked, dry, confiding voice and the pleasant noises he gets out his homemade guitars, his multi-tracked harmonies with himself and his occasional puff on a harmonica. Certain themes recur on Sweetheart: Dan likes to be alone (“I Don’t Really Want To Talk To You” “Just Leave Me Alone Today”) Dan likes to think about, and have, sex (“Pussy Titty” “Pussy Heaven”-for the son of a minister, he’s got quite a mouth on him).
It isn’t so much a sequel to his wonderful out-of-nowhere, out-of-time 2003 debut, Dan Reeder, as it is an extension of-a more freewheeling elaboration on-his first musical offering.
DAN REEDER WORK SONG PLUS
Dan Reeder’s new second album Sweetheart consists of 15 original songs, plus a cover of Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” that sounds like the demo version Gary Brooker probably dreamed of singing 39 years ago before all that baroque production-work got in the way.