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Damien Rice

Interview: Damien Rice

Reluctant star Damien Rice speaks to us about clearing his mind, the struggle to finish his latest album 'My Favourite Faded Fantasy' and the delights of Iceland

Written by
Douglas Parkes
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After cornering the market for aching, melancholic pop ballads with his singles ‘The Blower’s Daughter’ and ‘9 Crimes’ – and achieving platinum-sales in the process – Damien Rice vanished. He retreated to Iceland, then dropped My Favourite Faded Fantasy in 2014 almost out of nowhere, a full eight years after 9, the singer-songwriter’s previous album. Ahead of his set at The Star Theatre, Rice, ever the reluctant star, tells us why success isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

'I've realised that happiness is a decision: I just choose to be happy'

After your early solo success you said you felt unhappy and disheartened. What was it about succeeding that didn’t seem to make you happy?

When I had a goal, something to reach for, I postponed happiness in pursuit of that goal, thinking that I’d be happy once I achieved my dream. However, I eventually noticed that achievements only supply short bursts of relative happiness that quickly fade. 

I took time off because it didn’t make sense to continue doing something when I was unhappy, and I really wanted to figure it out. I can’t say that I found any clear answers, but I have noticed that I feel like I was doing it backwards before. I used to think that happiness either happened or it didn’t, depending on what took place in one’s life. Now I’ve realised that, for me, happiness is a decision: I just choose to be happy regardless of what’s happening. So I no longer chase goals thinking they will make me happy – I’ve found that to be an illusion. Happiness is now a daily practice, much like brushing my teeth.

How bad did it get?

Sometimes it felt as if the meaning had been stripped from my life. But, slowly, as I sat with these uncomfortable feelings, I began to see that they were mostly self-generated – I was actually the one creating and controlling this apparent mess in my head. Much like learning how to play an instrument, I did a lot of practice to learn how to keep my mind in tune, which has helped a lot. It’s very easy to get swallowed by madness or over-control.

You ended up in Iceland. What was it about the country that so appealed to you?

I love the open-mindedness of people there. No particular religion takes a strong hold in Iceland, so there’s a different attitude to life, at least among the people I’ve met. In Ireland I grew up surrounded by a lot of pointless shame and guilt, but Iceland seems to have a lighter load in that department.

There’s also an openness about following one’s artistic dreams in that country. People don’t seem to mind if their artistic ideas are considered unusual or crazy, they just go ahead and do it, and people support each other in it. It’s quite beautiful and inspiring.

'I’d become quite self-conscious and self-critical, and was caught in a loop of destroying everything that came through me with negative criticism'

What was it like working with Rick Rubin on My Favourite Faded Fantasy?

The relationship between us felt very nurturing. Rick has a great way of helping to entice the artistry to come through. Creatively, I was quite blocked and Rick helped to open the channels so that the music could flow. He also helped me put away the scissors that I’d used to cut up and throw out unfinished ideas. He helped me to stop judging my work and to instead see it through to the end.

The latest album’s gestation was a long one. Was there any particular aspect that was difficult to pin down?

The whole process was difficult. I had fallen out of the flow: that innocent and magical place where songs and ideas just flow through the body. I’d become quite self-conscious and self-critical, and was caught in a loop of destroying everything that came through me with negative criticism.

Are you back to releasing music on a more regular basis?

Who knows! What I will say is that I’m feeling very creative and inspired to release a lot of music, I’ll just have to wait and see if that happens.

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