Argentinian-Swedish artist José González stopped by the KEXP studios last week for a session with The String Theory, a Berlin and Gothenburg-based artist collective, think tank, and experimental chamber orchestra. After a stunning in-studio performance, we talked with González about his music, his own previous battle with psychosis, and news on a new album. Read excerpts from our chat below, and listen to the full interview.
When I was younger, I felt like Swedish was too direct and also Spanish, but with English, I could sort of hide behind the words. Since then it's been changing, of course. When I actually started touring and played in the UK and the States, it felt awkward and very open, but I'm stuck with it.
When I wrote it, in my mind I was referring to a part of my life when I was feeling pretty bad psychologically. So [the lyric] "sirens inside you", these expressions were references to how I felt during the time. But it's meant to be a comforting song. So [the line] "don't you know that I'll be around to guide you", it's like doing the voice that's calming anyone who's in that position.
KEXP: Would you say the position is anxiety or depression?
It's supposed to be open. Now it's so long a time ago that I actually had psychosis. So it was pretty hard.
How would you describe psychosis?
Ooh. Yeah, it's having weird ideas of things that are happening around you in a way that's obviously wrong. So a bit schizophrenic ideas, and ideas of being pursued. That was pretty harsh. I usually don't mention it that much, but it was such a long time ago now.
How were you able to overcome that?
Back then it was hard. Of course, it took some time. But nowadays I am all about being healthy which means sleeping well, eating well, moving well, having good social interactions with people and good family bonds. Everything sort of affects a healthy brain.
On the road nowadays, I have my running days and my meditation moments during the day. I think about what I eat. I like drinking alcohol, but I know that if I drink too much and I don't sleep enough then I'm heading towards that threshold that's lower for me than maybe some other people. But, yeah, that's how I work. And touring, there are so many moments where you want to be part of the party. And that's the balance that I think I know by now how to manage. A couple of times a week is good but not every day.
And also as a vocalist, you don't want to be drinking either.
With me, it's different because I'm not pushing my voice so I'm able to sing. It actually sounds better when I'm hungover. [laughs]
Sound & Vision airs Saturday mornings at 7 AM PST. Hosted by Emily Fox and John Richards, the show "uses interviews, artistry, commentary, insight, and conversation to that tell broader stories through music, and illustrate why music and art matter."
