You must be very proud of „Dream Awakening” – It’s a masterpiece.
Thank you very much! It certainly took a long time to finish the album,
so it feels good to finally be able to hold it in my hand. It brings a
sense of accomplishment, rather than pride. It’s kind of like walking in
the mountains. You see what seems like a mountain top, and you want to
get up there and conquer that mountain, but when you finally get to the
top you realize there is another peak on the horizon. So the journey
just keeps going forward. The Japanese have a concept they call Yugen,
which signifies something that creates a great longing in you without
letting itself be pinned down or defined. This is the artist’s deep
longing for the ecstasy, not unlike that of the sufi mystic or the
shaman, which is truly a driving force in Oberon. Do we ever get there?
Only in the end will we know. But yes, I am happy, and if you think it
is a masterpiece it means it brought a smile to your face and a light to
your heart, and then I can safely say: mission accomplished!
Dou you have any favorites songs on this album?
I think “I Can Touch The Sun With My Heart” and “Age of the Moon” are
very strong tracks that I can still listen to over and over even after
having heard them probably a thousand times each. I think the best way
to enjoy Dream Awakening is to listen to the whole album in one sitting,
with headphones (and maybe some red wine) and your attention tuned
inwards. It’s a lyrics driven album, so each song has an ebb and flow
according to what the lyrics are trying to get across.
“Phoenix” kills – could you tell us some words about this song?
Something that has become more and more important to me is to understand
what it means to be a human being. A great part of the human journey
involves great struggles, both within and without. Living means
constantly measuring oneself against the forces of the world. We age,
our skin wrinkles. As our experiences grow more complex and their
consequences more far reaching, we harden and get wiser, and the as we
get stronger, so does the storm of life. We just have to clench our
fists until they crack so that we can do what we believe we are here to
do. Being human is about facing all the miseries and joys of living with
a warrior’s attitude. We have to be able to withstand the violence of
nature and existence in such a way that we can build a place inside
where the heart can still glow with the light of magic and love so we
can taste that place where the innocence of children still exists. I
think that is a part of what that song is about. People hate each other,
because of politics, religion and so on, and while that is quite
natural, at the end of the day, it’s really all about how well we live
our own lives.
I think Oberon has a very egalitarian message in the sense that we are
all in the same boat, basically, and we mostly have the same fundamental
needs. We might even – as children of the conscious, living and
breathing Mother Earth – share the same destiny. If so, that is
significant, and rather than fighting wars and letting our hearts get
darkened by hatred, let’s try to understand why we are here and do
something to make the world a better place. We are the flickering
thought of the cosmos, we cannot break apart!
What did you do during all these years between “Future Whirl” (2002) and „Dream Awakening” (2014)?
I followed my bliss. I settled down with the woman of my dreams, sought
out teachers who could help me move forward on my path. I moved to the
US and lived in one of the great cities of the world, Chicago, traveled
around and met great people who helped me become a better person. In
other words, it was a journey of discovery, a 12 year long rite of
passage. In our world there are hardly any rites of passage left.
Especially in this part of the world where we tend to not believe what
can’t be measured by ordinary means, meaning money and material
gratification. But even that kind of existential passivity, that impulse
driven nothingness, is in itself a rite of passage: From being a human
being full of potential, to becoming an empty vessel of what they call
The Nothing in that wonderful movie, “The Never Ending Story”. By taking
away the rites that allow us to review what we are doing to ourselves
and the world, the magic of nature will slowly die. That is something I
deal with in the song “Age of The moon”, too. The idea of the fall of
Nature’s God’s (who Robert Anton Wilson called the “Magician who makes
the grass green”) spell, something that will shatter our world and leave
us as true idiots, beings incapable of understanding our Mother’s
language and feelings. That leaves us with no hope, no destiny, and we
will perish like dogs. So anyway, I want to believe that I spent all
those 12 years well, passing through a gate where I could see myself as I
was, and understand how I could open my heart to the soundless words of
nature that can bring me closer to realizing my destiny. In reality,
this is the bottom line of what is being said on “Dream Awakening”. This
is IT.
Norwegian
bands like Gazpacho or Airbag and Oberon play very atmospheric music.
I’m wondering if it is because of the weather or climate?
I am not very familiar with the Norwegian music scene, but I do believe
strongly in the power of roots. The Norse sagas are very poetic and
share that sensibility towards the elements and forces of nature that I
think you are referring to. So yes, I would say it’s in our blood.
What do you think about Gazpacho’s music? They are very popular here in Poland.
I wasn’t familiar with them at all before you mentioned them here, but
after listening to some of their material I’d say it sounds pretty cool!
For some reason parts of it made me think of Miranda Sex Garden. They
got some really beautiful melodies going here and the songwriting is
very strong. Great band!
Is it easy to by a musician in Norway? Can you pay your bills playing music?
We have certain institutions that are supposed to endorse and stimulate
cultural initiatives, but I don’t know how much that actually benefits
artists who are outside of the mainstream or what’s considered “proper
art” by the powers that be. Back in the 90s it was quite easy for us to
get access to rehearsal rooms as there were a lot of incentives by the
local governments and city administrations to make gear, instruments and
space available. A lot of bands from my area had their start thanks to
this. In general, however, I think most of us are too busy with the
daily grind to be able to put in the time and effort it takes to make
money enough to live comfortably as professionals in the current
landscape. Besides I haven’t been a part of the music scene here since
the early 90s, so I don’t really know what it’s like for the bands here
now.
Could you recommend any other interesting Norwegian bands?
If you like laid back, lush atmospheres, check out Sleepyard. They
recently put out an album called Black Sails, but my favorite album by
them, Future Lines, has a lot of great material on it. That being said,
I’ll say that some of the most treasured albums in my collection have
been by Polish artists such as Księżyc and Schistosoma, both released
via Obuh records! Back then I was listening to stuff like Equinox ov the
Gods (Sweden), Soulgrind (Finland), Eterne (UK) and more mainstream
stuff like Depeche Mode or Fields of the Nephilim, but when I got these
cassettes the music on them opened me up to a world of sound and
atmosphere altogether different from anything I had been used to. Poland
is obviously a country that can be proud of having created some
fantastic artists!
Thank you so much – could you write some words to our readers?
First of all, thank you so much for supporting Oberon. This music came
from my heart. I didn’t choose to be a musician, but music happened to
be the vessel of an inner life that always wanted to manifest itself in
the external world. We live in crazy times, and our individual character
could be tested at any moment. To be able to reach out to people in
Poland, or Serbia, Holland, Germany, USA or even South America or the
far East is a privilege and an honor – and to find new friendships in
the process is a blessing no matter how modest the scope of that is.
Always stay true to who you are and keep going! Abracadabra!
Piotr Michalski
