Veronica 1997-09 By Robert Heeg Sent to BEP by Jan Folkersma janf@DSDELFT.NL "[unknown title]" Her motivation to become famous was pure. Not for the diamonds, not for the caviar and most certainly not for the publicity. The music was and is all that matters to her. And yet the side effects are not left undiscussed during this exclusive interview with the Icelandic singer. The whole world knows Bjork Gudmundsdottir. Many know her as that sweet elfin with that cute Icelandic accent. Others know her as the eccentric singer with the beautiful voice and the unusual videos. But everybody knows Bjork first of all as the fierce bitch who, on Bangkok's airport in front of the camera's, jumped on an imposterous female reporter. A bit excessive, people said. But when Bjork lands in Amsterdam, only a few days after the tragic death of Diana, Princess of Wales, to talk about her third solo album "Homogenic", we have to admit that her reaction on paparazzi might have been quite understandable. "People don't realise how annoying it can get", the delicate singer says. "Many didn't understand why Diana kept on complaining about the paparazzi. Didn't she have all that she desired? But in the mean time they have killed her! Ofcourse she did get five times as much attention than me, but I can immagine how it must've been. Fame brings you more than just the fun part. For me the luxury is not the caviar, parties or a diamond watch. Biggest luxury of all is that when I wake up in the morning, having dreamt a song, I can just like that fly off to a studio of my desire to record it the same day. Where ever in the world, and with my favorite musicians. That literally is a dream come true. All the rest is luggage I didn't ask for. I agree to all these pictures, interviews and tours just to be able to keep recording all those songs." To Bjork there's a major difference between press and paparazzi. "When I'm doing an interview or a photo shoot, I'm making myself vulnerable and show a piece of me. Then, I'm like nude. But that's ok, cuz' that was the deal. But! When they photograph me standing in a window in me jammies, talking to my child, then that is rape! Paparazzi defend themselves like rapists, with the same excuse: "Oh, I wasn't raping her, she loves sex now doesn't she?" In my case it isn't all that bad, but Lady Di was followed 17 years for 24 hours a day: a recipe for insanity." Bjork's fine third solo album "Homogenic" is much darker and more modest than "Debut" and "Post". These ten moody songs are being released after an eventful year, in which the Bangkok incident wasn't even the lowest low. The singer surprisingly comes up with the explanation that she herself was looking for all this misery. "I was leading a delicious life in Iceland. I had a big family and was in one of the world's safest countries. I was touring the world with The Sugarcubes and could always return to this safe nest. I never thought I would leave Iceland. But when I got 27 I was looking for a challenge, wanted to meet my darker side. I didn't want to live this easy life any longer. I was looking for danger, and that's just what I found." Bjork moved out to London to submit herself totaly to the shiny dance scene. With the likes of Nellee Hooper, Tricky and Goldie she launced her succesful solo carreer but in the same time she got into the flash lights. That always results in the attention from some idiot or other, as John Lennon and Monica Seles found out earlier. Bjork (with an exiting giggle): "I felt attracted to people, even obsessed, who are in contact with their dark side. That's real important, cuz' you can't stay some sort of Julie Andrews for ever you know. I think that in that time I was conciously emitting some sort of message. A message that finaly got to some totaly unknown person who decided that he didn't want to live anymore and to take me with him. That's why he sent me a bomb." The story is well known: British Mail intercepted the dangerous package and the sender, a crazy American fan, commited suicide before the police could arrest him. A deeply shocked Bjork suddenly had enough of her dark side and went to Spain to record "Homogenic". Bjork: "It was time to think things over. I decided I had learned enough of the dark side, it can be a matter of life and death. Tomorow might be your turn." On "Homogenic" Bjork as usual does everything herself. Although assisted by others, the Icelandic talent herself decides what's going to be on the album. This makes Bjork more than just a singer. She totaly controls her own carreer. And still people look at her as "cute". And, it has to be said, like this child woman sits on the floor in her Amsterdam hotelroom, dressed in a Chinese dress and matching red slippers, constantly nibbling from all kinds of sweets, she looks like an extremely huggable doll. "Oh, very flattering" she says. "When you know that already in the eighties I was touring with all kinds of punk bands, I organize a lot of things, I am my own manager, I travel the world and I lead bands of 10 people or more: when you realize I do all these non- cute things and in my 31st year people still look at me as being "cute"... Yes, very flattered indeed."