Two months ago, Adam Green released his eleventh studio album entitled THAT FUCKING FEELING. On this occasion, we talked to the American singer-songwriter about the subject of success. The full topical interview was printed in the current issue of MUSIKEXPRESS – you can read a small excerpt here.
ME: In 2003 you experienced your breakthrough as a solo artist with your second album FRIENDS OF MINE – at least in Germany. The feuilleton rolled over and everyone was talking about this New York singer-songwriter named Adam Green. Was there a key moment when you thought, “Now I’ve done it”?
Adam Green: When I came over in 2005, German “Rolling Stone” had named FRIENDS OF MINE album of the year. That had a big impact on the audience. I remember a tour with the Tindersticks: every night I played a concert as the opening act. But suddenly the audience gave me a standing ovation for ten minutes, they clapped and clapped. It didn’t make any sense to me until someone said, “The music press raves about you.” And I was like, “But I’ll just do the same thing I did last night. Why are people behaving so differently?” That is the power of the media. My shows in Germany had become very big at that time: I was a headliner at festivals like Haldern Pop, a guest on talk shows like “TV Total”, with Sarah Kuttner …
ME: … and with Harald Schmidt.
Adam Green: Harald Schmidt, exactly. He doesn’t have his own show anymore, does he?
ME: Unfortunately not.
Adam Green: You know, actually that episode in Germany was very interesting. I can put myself in the position of pop stars a little bit. Because for that specific, very short period of time… it was six months, maybe even less, that I couldn’t go out in Germany: when I went into a restaurant, I had to sign an autograph for every single person in the place – including the chef. When I went to the museum, people followed me. You tried to break into the tour bus just to talk to me. It was totally insane. Only: Actually, I’m more of a kind of indie artist. That’s why it didn’t really work. In Germany they tried to make a pop star out of me – but that’s not what I am in any way. My roots are in the subculture. In all the other countries I just did what an indie artist does: I toured and played shows in small clubs.
ME: Do you mind that the venues have gotten a little bit smaller than they were in 2005?
Adam Green: That was so long ago – it was really only this short period in Germany where I played in these big halls. Mostly I played in rock clubs, before and after. A very intimate affair: I get there and do a sound check; there is a small bar and backstage for snacks and a few beers. I can give high fives to the audience and sing with them up close. This is a very typical indie rock experience. That’s how I’ve lived my life. Except for that little slip-up when I was Britney Spears for a second.
(…)
The full interview with Adam Green can be read in the current issue of Musikexpress. In addition to his breakthrough in Germany, we also deal with the influence of money and starting a family on the reality of his life – and the question of how the Moldy Peaches song “Anyone Else But You” was able to develop into a veritable indie hit.
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