"I used to drink a lot of alcohol on tour"
Finian Paul Greenall, known as Fink, is a highly energetic musician who has never quite made it into the mainstream. With "Beauty In Your Wake," the British artist based in Berlin, who was once a Dubstep DJ and still often releases electronic versions of his albums, presents a new studio album as an Indie-Folk-Pop-Singer-Songwriter. On it, he once again conveys large emotions with few means and a special lightness.
However, Fink recorded an album with the Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2013, released a Blues album with "Fink's Sunday Night Blues Club" in 2017, and most recently produced the soundtrack for the latest installment of the video game saga "Prince of Persia" together with his partner, the Iranian musician Mentrix. And if Fink is not in his studio in Berlin-Wedding or pushing a stroller in Friedrichshain, he is likely touring the world.
In an interview with ntv.de, the 51-year-old talks about the decision to return to his birthplace Cornwall for the recording sessions for the new album and why he stopped drinking alcohol in 2018.
ntv.de: Fin, you were born in Cornwall and grew up in Bristol. For the recording sessions for the new album, you have returned to your birthplace. Why?
Fink: Yes, I was born in Cornwall. In a very small place, there's not much there. Cornwall is very romantic if you like the weather and the coast. In the 70s, it was empty in the winter and very rural, and it's still that way today. My parents were teenagers when they moved to Bristol, the next big city is about three hours away. I grew up in Bristol, but my entire family is in Cornwall, so I've been going back there my whole life - for winters, summer vacations, all that. I have a deep connection to Cornwall, even though I didn't plan to record there.
Is this the first album you've recorded there? And is the proximity to the sea particularly inspiring?
My first album "Biscuits for Breakfast" (2006) was recorded in my loft in Brighton. Brighton is also by the sea, so it has a bit of a West Country feel. Every time I go to Cornwall, I get inspired, but there was never a studio there. Many rich musicians move there and build studios, but they don't rent them out. A friend of mine wanted to record a session and asked around. A guy was building a new studio in a chapel in a very small village. It was still under construction when I first saw it, but he promised it would be ready in time. We came on October 1st, and it was all new and smelled of fresh paint. It was great.
Did the album influence it in any way that it was recorded in a chapel?
It was a special atmosphere, even though it wasn't a real church. It was a Methodist chapel in a small village. The owner is a former Abbey Road engineer who wanted to change his life. He built the studio, and we were the first to record there. We're not a pretentious band and only need some time and space. I could stay with my parents, swim in the sea every morning, and prepare for the recordings. It was a great experience, especially compared to the previous albums I recorded in Los Angeles.
What decides where you record an album? Your current mood?
"Hard Believer" (2014) is also a L.A. record. I needed Los Angeles to feel the ambition. But now I wanted to make something more intimate, like in "Perfect Darkness" (2011). When I had the opportunity to record in Cornwall, I suddenly felt everything was right and made sense. Before that, we were considering New York, London or again L.A., but nothing fit the album I was writing. Cornwall was perfect, it matched the mood and emotional state.
With the pandemic, did this time change anything in your plans, aside from not being able to tour like usual?
Yes, I had planned to ride my motorcycle through the Himalayas and visit monasteries, but because of Corona, I couldn't even leave Friedrichshain. Cornwall could have been an option, but it's very expensive there. There's not much and real estate prices are high. I would love to live there, but the city life offers more possibilities and inspiration for my work.
Listening to the album, one feels reminded of the 2011 released "Perfect Darkness". Do you have a specific direction in mind beforehand or does it happen automatically?
At first, I often don't know exactly what I'm doing or what it's about. It shows itself later. My albums are like unconscious snapshots of my future. In a few years, I'll listen to the tracks and think: "Wow, I felt that back then?" Everything that happens in my life finds its way into these songs, even if I wasn't aware of it at the time. As an artist, one has to write about one's life experiences. Many artists who are deeply engrossed in their work have no other choice - it's like a calling. We feel every emotional movement. Every argument with your partner feels like a potential divorce, and every great day is the best day of all time. It's quite intense, without any protection from these feelings. When I have difficult moments, existential crises or philosophical breakdowns, I write about it.
Is it then a form of self-therapy?
At least it's like a good meditation: Who are you really, without the labels of society? What can you let go of and what can you gain? These reflections help me with songwriting. Sometimes the texts in my notes are full of cliches and pretentious stuff, but in between, I find valuable thoughts. For me, my albums sound happy, but I understand that others might hear them and connect them with deep emotional moments in their own lives.
That depends on their own life situation and emotional state ...
Exactly. It's like channeling emotions. My life as a songwriter is a journey through strong feelings, and I want to capture these moments and emotions. I've learned that when I have a bad time, I write many songs about it. When I have a good time, I try to write songs about it, like on my new album. Sometimes I find myself in a really happy, wonderful moment and think: "How did we manage to get here? That's crazy!" It's amazing and surprising what has happened, and I'm glad I was able to capture it. But then others might hear this song and ask: "Man, how are you doing?" And I say: "I'm doing great. That's a happy, joyful song." Let's be happy for me. Other songs come about when I find myself in a dark place and have to process the feelings. Then I write to make it bearable.
Following you on Instagram, one notices that you're always busy with something. When do you ever rest? Is there anything like a vacation in your life?
In essence, no. (laughs) But this year will be different. We're leaving next month for a week-long vacation. As it is, one says one needs a vacation, searches and books it, which is quite exhausting in itself. Then the deadline approaches and one feels too busy to actually go. "We can't go on vacation, there's too much to do." But this time we will. We've been booking and canceling vacations for years, it just didn't fit. The last time we actually went away was five or six years ago in Jamaica. But even then, I wrote half an album. (laughs)
Do you have a part of your job that you enjoy more than the others?
When I have to switch between live music and writing music, those are two completely different worlds. Both push you to your limits in their own way. When you play live music, you think, how can I write an album? I have a gig tonight. When you write music and get into that creative flow, it's hard to imagine standing on stage for 90 minutes, four nights a week. Especially after Covid. When I had Covid, I was so exhausted that I thought I could never perform again. I could only hope that the feeling would go away. And it did.
How do you keep yourself fit for long tours?
As an experienced musician, you really have to work hard to bring the mental energy for a tour, just like I want it. Yes, I have to be fit for it. On tour, I live like a monk: I meditate every day, train every day, do yoga. That's the only thing that keeps me going. Earlier, that didn't matter. You just drank or did whatever you wanted, and it was great. But today, I can't overcome fatigue. I want to give everything on stage. For that, I have to gather energy. I don't drink, don't take drugs, and have a healthy, holistic balance in my life. That gives me a different kind of energy. I go to bed early because I'm tired, but I have enough strength to do what I need to do.
So are the days of Sex, Drugs & Rock ’n’ Roll over?
In a way, yes. (laughs) I stopped drinking alcohol in 2018. Before that, I was a DJ and was often in an environment where everyone was having a great time and it was hard to say no. I've seen how unhealthy that can be, especially for older DJs. Now many of them are vegan and do meditation. It's just about living longer and healthier.
What was the trigger for this decision?
One reason I saw John Peel play a DJ set at London's Fabric club was challenging, the most impressive I'd seen all year. He was in the DJ booth with me, and he was approximately 65 years old at the time. If he's cooler than me and older than my father, then I must be doing something wrong, I thought. Another reason was that I went to clubs with older DJ mentors. They were there until three or four in the morning, took a nap, and drank orange juice. That didn't look like the party life I led. The opposite, the DJs who constantly consumed substances, looked terrible in the morning, as if they were much older. The dance music scene in the 90s was very intense. I think it's a bit different now and the audience has a different attitude. It's not as hedonistic as it used to be, I believe.
Is going out now a new and perhaps boring experience?
One of my best club experiences was in Brooklyn, when I was sober. It was more about the music and the experience itself. It was pure and astonishing. I wished it had always been that way.
Your parents were teenagers when they had you. You, on the other hand, were well over 40 when you became a father. Was that a conscious decision or did it just happen?
I was simply not mature enough before. Other things occupied me. There are young parents and older parents, and I was not ready to be a parent before. I lived only in the present, without planning for the future. That's not bad in itself, but it means not thinking about what could be in ten years. Maybe I'll be a billionaire, maybe we'll live like in Star Trek or in a desert. I don't know. (laughs)
Has fatherhood changed something for you as an artist?
Yes, definitely. I think more about the fact that my daughter will one day listen to my music. Some songs on the new album contain messages for her. My music has taken on a deeper meaning for me, and I feel motivated to capture these emotions and thoughts. It has given me a new perspective and more hours in the day because I now get up early for her.
Nicole Ankelmann spoke with Fink
*The album "Beauty In Your Wake" is available from July 5th.
Fink mentions in an interview with ntv.de that he recorded parts of the new album "Beauty In Your Wake" in his birthplace Cornwall, which is located in Great Britain. During the recording sessions, he was inspired by the proximity to the sea and the relaxed atmosphere of the Methodist chapel-turned-studio.
In another interview, Fink shares that he once released a Blues album with "Fink's Sunday Night Blues Club" in Great Britain. This collaboration took place in 2017, showcasing Fink's versatility as an artist and his ability to explore different genres beyond his Indie-Folk-Pop-Singer-Songwriter roots.
