INTERVIEW: Beardyman

Ahead of Nozstock and various shows/festivals, which are no doubt making for a very busy summer, we chatted to the impeccably talented and charming Beardyman (AKA Darren Foreman).

After apologising for a late start and further delay – which he was very apologetic for – due to dad duties, we sat down and spoke about the Beardytron, Edinburgh Fringe and swimming in Smarties…

So, how is Beardyman today?

Not too bad thanks! My wife was supposed to take my son swimming and he’s fallen asleep… but you don’t need to know that! How are you?

Bit warm but not too bad either thanks! Let’s kick off with your latest album ‘Distractions’. It’s received some really high praise, with Rob Da Bank stating only Aphex Twin and Caribou’s efforts were a match to it. I guess it goes without saying, but are you happy with the reaction?

Yeah, of course. I mean I feel like this album is always something I’ve been building up to with my whole career. I’m already planning another one with some really good collaborations, but yeah it’s definitely been a good reaction.

Well, you’re never going to be unhappy when people are saying things like that! And then whole thing is recorded on the Beardytron 500 mkl… Could you give us a run down on what it is exactly? Or at least try, in peasant terms.

You know when you’re in a restaurant in like Spain or somewhere? And there’s someone in the restaurant playing a piano, and they can have pre-recorded tracks etc… it’s like that, but with really expensive parts. It’s an advanced looper, really; it allows me to do a lot more in real time.

And I suppose something like that is great if you can have it specifically tailored to your own needs…

Yeah – when recorded ‘Distractions’ it still wasn’t finished. That was kind of a test of what it could do and it’s advanced a lot since then. It’s weird with something like that because I could keep going, and it’s hard to know when to stop and actually make some really music rather than just carrying on building.

Are you happy with where it’s at now, then? You’ve got to avoid going mad-inventor about it…

I think it’s at a good place, yeah. It’s definitely time to stop.

Such fantastic self control… And you’ve got a tour coming up in October and November. Do you like touring or is it more just a commitment that comes with the job?

I’m going to say what I think every musician would say at this point; there are good shows and there are bad shows. It’s a lot of sitting around in the same dark rooms, or airports but as long as you’ve got a good crew – in my case it’s mainly me and my tour manager – it’s not bad. I guess it’s different now I’ve got a wife and kids; I miss them and there’s a lot less random parties with people I’d met 24 hours ago but no I do still enjoy it.

As long as there’s some element of enjoyment! And it’s got to be done, I suppose.

Yeah, it’s a funny concept, and you almost become a bit disconnected at points if you think about it too much. On the South America tour recently I did this thing where I’d go out and chat with people after the show. Usually I just go and sit in the dressing room and stare at a wall or something but no, I went out and chatted to people who’d been there. And it’s strange because there are people who’ve been waiting to see me for years… and then you start thinking about why someone’s paying to stand in a room watching me prance around on stage. It’s very weird, and that’s why you can’t think too much about it.

But it makes it all worthwhile, surely?

Of course! I’m always worried because a lot of people come just for the beatboxing – and I know that, but that’s what I’ll do as the encore now; and the rest will be newer stuff…

It doesn’t sound like anyone ever leaves your shows disappointed! I guess the beatboxing is just really mesmerising because so many people can’t imagine being able to do it.

Yeah, for sure. I suppose it’s the same with a lot of performance; it’s one of those things that you watch and think you’d probably be able to do it if you tried hard enough, but it’s still fascinating. But as much as beatboxing has advanced a lot since I first started, and it’s become a lot more of a normal thing, there’s only so many ‘new’ things you can make. It’s your mouth, after all! There are only so many sounds that can come out of it…

Yet people still enjoy it! What about ‘One Album Per Hour’… You’re taking that to Edinburgh Fringe, that’s exciting.

 Well, yeah… Edinburgh’s a funny one – it’s easy to get a lot of the same sort of stuff just in a slightly different format. It’s weird as well because it’s a comedy festival, and my show comes under comedy, but since I’ve got the ability to make an actually decent album in an hour, I don’t need to rely on the comedy as much…

I suppose it’s a welcome break from the same old stand-up shows though!

I hope so. I know I’m not the only one doing something original – there’s some great stuff like Showstoppers (who do improvised musicals) – but yeah I suppose it is a bit different… And it’s fun because no one really knows what to expect – not even me.

And what about Nozstock… Is it a festival you’ve played before?

Er… nope!

Ha! So what are you expecting?

People… There will be people, I expect…

People’s a good start…

Or we’ll get there and it’ll just be a pool of Smarties that you have to swim through. And then like a hand drags you down and you can still breathe but you have to be careful not to break the Smartie shells because then they’ll melt.

I think you’ve just come up with a wonderful idea for a festival. I was going to ask what your festival essentials would be but I’m assuming it’s just Smarties.

Yeah they’re great! And they all taste different, which M&M’s don’t…

With dad duties calling once more, it’s time to go; perhaps perfect timing before the conversation went on a complete tangent 

Well, thanks very much for your time! And we’ll see you at Nozstock.

Thanks! Bye

Nozstock takes place 24th – 26th July. For more information and tickets click HERE 

Melissa Svensen
@MelYeaahh

Melissa Svensen

Melissa Svensen

Melissa, 22. Editor. Student, music journalist, probably talking about Blur or Bowie