WRITING THE HITS
I WANTED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH THE SHALLOW PARTS OF MYSELF. WRITE ABOUT BABES AND A SIMPLE LOOK AT THE PURE FEELINGS OF HAPPINESS, LOVE, ANGER AND CONFUSION. SOUNDS SIMPLE AND EASY, I KNOW. I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE ALL BUTTERFLIES AND SUN, BUT TO MAKE THESE SHALLOW, UNCOMPLICATED & FUN SONGS, I REALLY NEEDED TO DIG DEEP. IF YOU THINK IT'S EASY TO WRITE SOMETHING LIKE 'OUT TO GET MYSELF A TREAT -LOOKING FOR A GIRL TO EAT' WITHOUT FEELING LIKE A BOZO, THINK AGAIN. MOST OF THE LYRICS ON THIS ALBUM ARE SIMPLE AND DIRECT. THAT'S HOW I LIKE TO WRITE, BUT THIS TIME IT ENDED UP A LITTLE MORE EXTREME. ON THE SONG F#%!IN P!#$ I STARTED WRITING SOMETHING ANGRY, BASED ON REAL ANGER. I DIDN'T HOLD ANYTHING BACK, SO I ENDED UP WITH A LOT OF FUCKS, SHIT, MOTHERFUCKIN, PISS, WHORE, DICK WORDS. AND IT FELT GOOD. IT'S THE ONLY SONG WITH SWEARING IN IT, SO I HAD TO TAKE IT ALL OUT ON THAT ONE. BUT THEN THERE ARE SWEAT AND EASY THINGS LIKE GO 4 SIX WHICH IS ALSO TOTALLY HONEST. A VERY ORDINARY BEAUTIFUL LOVE POP SONG WITH A 'YEAH YEAH YEAH I THINK I LOVE YOU' CHORUS. ALMOST EMBARRASING, BUT TO ME, THIS TIME AROUND; THAT WAS A GOOD SIGN.

RECORDING
WHILE RECORDING WALKIE TALK TO ME I WORKED ON 30 DIFFERENT SONGS, MANY OF THEM RECORDED IN UP TO 5 DIFFERENT VERSIONS. I TOOK MY TIME, TRIED A LOT OF THINGS OUT AND TOYED WITH THE SONGS. I OFTEN FEEL LIKE A CROSS BETWEEN AN EXTREMELY PLAYFUL LITTLE CHILD WHO NEVER KNOWS WHEN TO STOP AND A CRAZY PERFECTIONIST. I'VE NEVER LIKED ONE SPECIFIC TYPE OF MUSIC, I ALWAYS LIKE SPECIFIC ARTISTS OR SONGS IN EVERY GENRE FROM METAL TO HIP HOP TO COUNTRY TO DANCE. THEREFORE I TEND TO MAKE VERY DIFFERENT TYPES OF SONGS. I TRIED TO GLUE THE WHOLE ALBUM TOGETHER BY RECORDING IT WITH SOME STRICT RULES. I WANTED THE SONGS TO SOUND SMALL, STIFF AND TIDY LIKE ELECTRO-MUSIC OR HIP HOP, BUT HOME MADE AND ACCOUSTIC. I MADE PLENTY OF SPACE FOR THE SOUNDS I CHOSE TO USE IN EACH SONG. IF A SOUND DIDN'T HAVE A PURPOSE, IT WAS DELETED. DRUM MACHINES IN COMBINATION WITH REAL PERCUSSION AND CYMBALS MADE UP THE STIFF AND ORGANIZED RYTHMIC SECTION. I ALSO USED FEMALE HARMONY-VOCALS ON MANY OF THE SONGS. I TRIED TO STICK TO AS MANY SHORT, DIRECT AND CLEAR SOUNDS AS POSSIBLE, LIKE GUITARS, CLAVINET, STABBY HORNS ETC. NO WARM ORGANS OR STRINGS TO TIE THE MUSIC TOGETHER THIS TIME. I WANTED IT TO BE INTENSE, IN YOUR FACE AND CARTOONISH. MOST SOUNDS WERE RECORDED IN A ROOM I MADE, COVERED IN FOAM TO MAKE THE SOUND AS DRY AND DEAD AS POSSIBLE. IT'S A REALLY NICE ROOM. I LIKE IT THERE. I WISH THE WHOLE HOUSE WAS COVERED IN FOAM.

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THE PEOPLE INVOLVED
I LIKE WORKING ALONE, AT HOME, BUT I ALWAYS TRY TO INVOLVE PEOPLE AND TRY NEW THINGS. I PLAY MOST INSTRUMENTS MYSELF. I DON'T REALLY KNOW HOW TO PLAY HORNS EVEN THOUGH I PLAY TRUMPET ON LOOK CLOSER. ON THE OTHER SONGS I USED ØYVIND KRØVEL ON HORN AND TRUMPET AND EINAR OPSVIK ON SAXOPHONE. I LOVE THE SOUND OF HORNS AND WOULD REALLY LIKE TO MAKE A HORN ALBUM ONE DAY. I HAD NEVER USED OTHER VOCALS THAN MY OWN ON PREVIOUS RECORDINGS, SO TO TRY SOMETHING NEW, AND BECAUSE OF MY LOVE FOR THE FEMALE VOICE, I USED A LOT OF FEMALE HARMONY-VOCALS LAID DOWN BY KAREN EIKREM AND MARIA HALSET. THE FORMER UNCLE'S INSTITUTION LIVE BASS-PLAYER; DR. SVI, ALSO DID SOME VOCAL PERFORMANCES ON A FEW SONGS. A FRIEND AND LOCAL GUITAR-HERO; STIG ULV, GOT ARTISTIC FREEDOM ON I BELIEVE IN MAGIC AND DID AN ALREADY LEGENDARY GUITAR SOLO. WHAT HE DID TO THAT SONG REALLY MADE ME BELIEVE IN LETTING OTHER PEOPLE GO CRAZY WITH MY SONGS. HE ALSO PLAYS THE MANDOLIN ON GOOD TIME. THE GREAT GRANDMASTA TRASH AND GULLA ALSO MADE APPEARANCES.