For all the dozens of young bands who played this year’s Oblivion Access in Austin over the weekend, the marquee performer at the four-day festival was actually more than three times older than a large contingent of the crowd.
Before the festival, 74-year-old Faust original member and kraut-rock pioneer Jean-Hervé Péron marveled to New Noise over what it was like headlining an experimental music geared toward the younger set. He also sounded joyful when talking about the litany of newer experimental acts that Faust may have inspired to form, to one degree or another.
All of which is to say that, among all the special engagements and once-in-a-lifetime performances at this year’s Oblivion Access, headliner Faust’s Saturday evening was the most treasured of the fest’s installments.
Shortly before Oblivion Access, New Noise conducted a very rare interview with Péron over Skype to catch up with him.
What are you up to today?
Cleaning the house. My wife had a reunion of old friends… some (from) 50 years ago. I helped her do the cooking, set up the tables, clean.
Who are the people in that picture behind you?
That’s my Nirvana’s box set, With the Lights Out. Speaking of which, did you ever meet Kurt Cobain?
No, I didn’t. (Faust) played twice (in Seattle) but never met (Nirvana). Would’ve loved to, of course.
Why did you decide to play at Oblivion Access?
Maybe I will disappoint you, but I didn’t even look at the lineups. I wanna (go to a festival) fresh when I come. I don’t want to have any preconceived idea. I always work like this. I don’t investigate too much beforehand. I want to be a virgin when I come to (get exposed to new music). And then, whatever comes our way, cope with it and react to it.
Is that the purest way for you to feel inspired going into a live performance now: showing up without a set list or any expectations?
That’s right; that’s right. We do have a skeleton (set), something that we might play. You know, I’m not that young anymore, and I need a bit of a guidance. I don’t have the internal fire, the internal naiveness, and the energy that I had 52 years ago.
Given the improvisational nature of Faust’s sets, do you look to audience response for guidance on where the set should go? Or do you let the compositions themselves, and Faust’s performance of them, direct the set?
More the audience. Half of what a band plays (onstage) is created by the energy of the audience. If you have a very passive audience or one that is not interested at all… it’s very difficult. But if you look at the first three, four, five rows, and you see stars in their eyes… it’s like cocaine. It very much makes you want to give more.
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“You know, I’m not that young anymore, and I need a bit of a guidance. I don’t have the internal fire, the internal naiveness, and the energy that I had 52 years ago.” -Faust’s Jean-Hervé Péron
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How do you feel about festivals in general? Do you enjoy playing in clubs versus festivals?
The real issue is good festivals or bad festivals. A bad festival (usually has organizers who are) obviously just in it for the money. I have one immediately in mind: Electric Picnic, which is held (in Stradbally, County Laois, Ireland). It’s a huge festival. They have 10, 12 huge tents. And every time, there is a monster group playing. So you feel like a sardine in a (can).
Now, if the venue is more intimate, of course we get closer to the audience, and it’s better for the vibes that we like to create. In smaller venues, you can create more mood.
How have concert audiences have changed, especially in the last couple decades, in your opinion?
When we started, we went on tour, and we were young—you know, in our 20s or so. We were aware that we were doing a music that was not very popular, but still, we were expecting to have fun and girls… rock ‘n’ roll. But the people that came were more intellectual people of a certain age, all wearing beards and listening very carefully to the music that we were playing.
And then the audience became younger, and then there were young people dancing to our music. This is the big change that I experienced. (Nonetheless,) as a musician… I’m still nervous when I get onstage.
That feeling you just described, is that what keeps you going and keeps you inspired as a musician?
Meeting people is what keeps me going, and maybe what keeps Faust going. When Faust started, we were very close because we lived in isolation for a long time. So it was very hard for us to let people in. (But now) what keeps me going is collaboration.
Are nice places to walk or hike around where you live?
I live in the countryside, so if you come around Hamburg, give me a call. We’ve got a large house and good wine, and my wife is an excellent cook.
For more profiles on Oblivion Access participants, check out our brand-new interviews with Yellow Swans, Midwife, City of Caterpillar, Cloak, Cloud Rat, Bosse-de-Nage, Pallbearer, and the festival’s co-founders.
Picture courtesy Ebet Roberts
