Interviewdatum: 17. Juli 2006.

Wil Seabrook wurde in Nord-Carolina geboren. Als er 8 Jahre alt war, zog er mit seinen Eltern nach Deutschland um. Dann lebte er in China, Thailand und Neuseeland, bevor er in die Vereinigten Staaten zurückging. Durch das viele reisen entwickelte Wil ein großes Interesse an der Musik. Wil Seabrook lebt und arbeitet heute in Pasadena, Kalifornien.

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INTERVIEW!
OBZ: Schreiben sie die Songs selber? Und schreiben sie über Ihr Leben?
SEABROOK: I write the songs myself, yes. I do write about my life and also about things I observe, so not every story is personal to me but it comes from my environment.

OBZ: Wie entstehen ihre Songs?
SEABROOK: Usually I start with a melody and then the words come as I sort of realize what I want to write about. I often write when I am feeling a strong emotional response to something, so often the writing happens very quickly.

OBZ: Ihre Songs klingen ein wenig nach Freiheit. Sehen sie das auch so?
SEABROOK: I believe that every individual is looking for freedom in a spiritual sense as well as in their day to day lives. I try to write about things I perceive to be true in life, at least what is true and real for me.

OBZ: Erzählen sie uns doch mal was über das Album "NEW". Beschreiben sie bitte die Texte. Haben diese einen Hintergrund? Gibt es Geheimnisse?
SEABROOK: The lyrics for that CD are maybe more personal than other songs I've written because I felt I had a lot I wanted to say. This was after I had lost my first major label deal and parted ways with my band and it was very important to me at the time that whatever I communicated felt very real to me personally. So the whole CD has a bit of a melancholy feel because that's where I was at the time.

OBZ: Erzählen sie uns doch mal was über das Album "One Dozen Summers". Beschreiben sie bitte die Texte. Haben diese einen Hintergrund? Gibt es Geheimnisse?
SEABROOK: This CD was more about me getting back to what I love, which is writing songs that I feel have a broad appeal. It's always been my goal to reach a large audience with music that they can identify with and see aspects of their own lives in but is also just great music to listen to. I worked hard on the melodies and the arrangements to make sure the songs were something I would want to listen to myself without getting tired of it after just a few listens. I also got to throw the whole thing together quickly with some friends in LA. They are essentially just demos of a moment in time so I enjoy that aspect of it, too.

OBZ: Mit wem würden sie gerne mal zusammen Arbeiten?
SEABROOK: I will be working with Justin Meldal-Johnsen (Beck, Ima Robot) on my next CD. There is no one I'd rather work with more right now!

OBZ: Was ist das wichtigste in ihrem Leben?
SEABROOK: Integrity. To be true to myself. To help as many people as I can. To be the kind of person I know I am capable of being.

OBZ: Waren sie schon mal in Deutschland? Oder warum sprechen sie so gut Deutsch?
SEABROOK: Ich habe in Deutschland gewohnt als ich ein Kind war. Ich habe Deutsch von meinen Freunden gelernt aber ich habe fast alles vergessen. Schade!

OBZ: Würden sie denn auch mal an einem deutschen Projekt mitwirken?
SEABROOK: I would love to. I am dying to go back. The last time I was there was Berlin in 1996. 10 years ago!!

OBZ: Gibt es für sie ein Traumprojekt (Musik, Filmmusik)?
SEABROOK: I am concentrating on making my next CD everything I want it to be. Looking into the future, I would love to score films and write music that appears in films. That style of music has always greatly appealed to me.

OBZ: Würden sie auch mal die Welt der Musik verlassen um etwas anderes auszuprobieren? Wenn sie ein Schauspielangebot für einen Film bekämen? Oder würden sie von vorne rein sagen: Nein! Ich bin kein Schauspieler! Und wenn doch, was für eine Art von Film dürfte es sein?
SEABROOK: When I was young I wanted to be an actor. When I tried it as a teenager I found I was definitely not a natural talent! I am friends with many incredibly talented actors so I know a little bit about what it takes to be successful. I would never say "never" but it is not something I am actively pursuing right now. I love music so much I can't really see doing anything else full time. I am always interested in work that helps other people somehow.

OBZ: Auch sie kennen die Bezeichnung „Independent“. Ist dieses Wort für sie wichtig im Bereich Musik und Film? Oder sind sie der Meinung, dass wenn man in diesen Geschäft ist, das man sich anpassen sollte und genau das machen sollte was andere einen sagen? Hat „Independent“ etwas mit Freiheit zu tun?
SEABROOK: I think independent work does have a certain freedom because there is not so much financial pressure weighing in. I have always wanted to reach millions of people with my music. Some of my favorite artists (U2, The Police, The Beatles) are some of the biggest bands in the world but I think they make music that has integrity and also communicates to a huge number of people. Art is only as successful as it communicates. My feeling has always been that if you operate with artistic integrity, people will respond. Audiences are smarter than most corporations give them credit for.

OBZ: Was möchten sie Ihren Fans sagen?
SEABROOK: With no fans, there is no career, no life of being a musician, which is a great gift and a great pleasure. I love to make the fans happy because they give so much back to me. I am truly grateful!

OBZ: Arbeiten sie schon an einem neuen Album? Könnten sie uns darüber schon etwas verraten? Wie wird das Album heißen?
SEABROOK: I am working on a new album. I am flying to Australia in April to work with an amazing producer there. I don't know the title of the album yet but I do know these are the best songs I've ever written and I'm very excited about the opportunity to work with the producer, Jamie X. He is the kind of guy I've been looking for my whole professional career.


© Wil Seabrook.
© Dewey Darko.