Life and Inspiration. Glen Hansard: The Swell Season
December 22, 2009Songwriter Glen Hansard achieved global recognition acting in Once. The film’s pivotal romance became reality, and now the film’s stars play music as ‘The Swell Season’. By Jonathan Alley
Are people blindsided by the romance story in Once when they see The Swell Season perform?
“I don’t blame anyone for that. There was romance between me and Mar (co-star Marketa Irglova) – even if it was unrealised, or unspoken. People have taken the album very literally and assume it’s a break-up album, and it must be impossible for us to sing these songs – which is not true! We’re good mates. ‘Relationship’ songs can be about you and yourself, your God, your parents...”
Has the evolution of your personal relationship with Marketa helped your musical relationship?
“Since day one, she questioned my lyrics. She would say ‘what does this mean? Did it happen just like that?’. I’d say ‘well, not quite’. I’m Irish; we never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Mar’s approach is more Eastern European. Her argument is that life’s interesting enough already!”
Once was very naturalistic, very ‘real’, do people assume you and Marketa are your characters?
“We are! And, we’re not. If once touched them in some way, when people see The Swell Season, or read this article, they are catching up on those characters. (Director) John Carney didn’t name the characters, he just said ‘this is truly just you and Mar’.”
Cillian Murphy was cast in your role and pulled out. Where has fate taken you?
“Being on The Simpsons was surreal! I also sang at Eunice Kennedy Shriver’s funeral. They wanted an Irish singer. It made me realise what a classless profession music is. I stood by the graveside, and 2000 special Olympians came forward and dropped their medals into the grave as we sang Forever Young by Bob Dylan. It was profoundly poetic.”
Your other band, The Frames, were handpicked by Dylan to support him in Australia in 2007. Had he seen Once?
”No! I met him years ago, busking in Dublin. I said “Me meeting you is like you meeting Woody Guthrie. I got a call from his manager saying ‘You must have impressed Bob, he wants you to open for him in London tonight’! He’s not all distant; he’s got bigger fish to fry. He’s had decades of people wanting a bit of him – he wants to talk about the good stuff, about the blues. He’s a gent.”
The Swell Season’s Strict Joy is available now. They will tour Australia in March/April 2010.
Visit: theswellseason.com
