Lorna Irvine talks about music, dreams, influences and Lady Gaga with the Canadian musician.
I first encountered Lederhosen Lucil supporting hip-hop prankster Kid Koala ten years ago, and she blew my tiny mind: dressed in blonde wig with pigtails, Alpine dress and leaping around the stage, trilling, ''You guys like valtz music, ja?'' while scratching on the decks and playing keyboards, she was nutty, postmodern and very inventive, her music a bizarre hotch-potch of Heidi-inspired Euro-kitsch, electro pop, hip-hop and indie. This was all pre-Lady Gaga, remember...
So impressed was I with her original and witty performance, I e-mailed her sweet alter-ego, Canadian musician/artist Krista Muir, and we have stayed in touch ever since. She always makes time for everyone, despite a constantly packed-to-bursting schedule...Top gal!
She still performs as Lucil, with her endlessly brilliant and hard to pigeonhole music, including Frozen Hosen, Tales From The Pantry, Accidental Railway and Between Atoms but has also recorded and performed using her own name since 2007, and creates art work, acting roles, projects for kids and collaborative music collages with Kid Koala.
It's always interesting to hear what Muir's been up to, so I interrogated her (gently) about her influences, plans and what she thinks of that overrated Gaga creature.
Lorna: Who would be your dream collaborator?
Krista: My list of dream collaborators is LONG but off the top of my head...I'd love to work with graphic/visual artists Parker Jacobs and Brendan Bird to create a Lederhosen Lucil cartoon (I lived for Saturday morning cartoons as a kid!). And I'd invite Toronto artist Temple Bates to paint the dream sequences. For the theme song I'd bring in Danny Elfman to do an orchestral arrangement, a la Beetlejuice.
Lorna: Obviously, Lucil is a very playful character, but there is always someone who misses the point with parody/ironic humour. Have you ever got into trouble because of Lucil?
Krista: Lucil is very playful indeed- a one-woman-electro-pop-cabaret born out of my love of folklore and 80's synth music. In terms of trouble...mmmm...not exactly. As a solo female touring artist, I've probably been much safer and avoided trouble because of Lucil. When I am in character, I look/act very differently than my day-to-day self so when I take off the costume and step into the crowd and mingle, no one recognizes me. On more than one occasion, post-show, I remember washing my hands in the restroom and a girl literally right beside me was talking about my performance to her friend. Ha ha!
Lorna: You've got new remixes out- who is badly in need of a remix, in your opinion?
Krista: Ha ha! Being remixed is a relatively new thing for me. There is nothing like a good remix. And, like comedy, when it's bad, it's really bad... Ha ha! Mmmm... I'd love to hear some heavy dancefloor remixes of Amanda Lear... Diamonds?
Lorna: To Gaga, or not to Gaga?
Krista: I grew up on a steady diet of Chrissie Hynde, Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper, Thelma Houston, Annie Lennox and Kate Bush (to name but a few) so in terms of female icons/artists Gaga doesn't really resonate with me. Well, perhaps on one level- she worked with MAC cosmetics for VIVA Glam and I think that's a great campaign.
Lorna: Where is your favourite place to play gigs?
Krista: Those venues that hold true history are always a thrill to perform in and often they have an elevated stage and bright, blinding lights (which I love, coming from a theatre background). A few places that I loved performing in that stick out in my mind are The Aladdin Theatre in Portland; Bimbo's in San Francisco, The Majestic Theatre in Detroit and The Bowery in New York. But oh yes, then there are those odd places- impromptu shows in abandoned hotels, dodgy venues where your head hits the ceiling if you decide to jump, airplane hangars where the sound is atrocious, but there is so much space to move and people are dancing around everywhere...Ha ha! Honestly, the best place to play is where there is a living, breathing, open-minded and music loving audience. No audience=no gig!
Lorna: Your work encompasses many disciplines- be it art, music, design, performance, etc. What's most creatively satisfying for you?
Krista: The most satisfying things for me, as an artist, is when all the elements come together to form a unique oeuvre. Like the Semi-Sweet video, directed by Kara Blake. Everything aligned for that project- the song, the costume I designed, the creative team including art direction by Louisa Schabas, puppetry by Jason Hopley and edible props by Camilla Wynne Inger.
Lorna: What's the next project for you?
Krista: Currently, I'm working on Guten Tag, Gemini! the final musical album in the 'Krista Muir' and 'Lederhosen Lucil' series in which Lederhosen Lucil and I finally meet. We are currently crowd funding to release this for friends, fans and family- there will be no official commercial release and copies will only be made for those who contribute to the project. A treat for those who have supported me and my work over the years... Also, Daily Tous Les Jours and I are shopping around the giant interactive operetta we created that opened in June 2012 at the Gaite Lyrique called Kit Operette. It is a fully immersive game for all ages in which you, the audience, are the star of the show. Clips from Paris are available to view (see website details below). Other projects include writing music for a children's TV show that is in development, as well as a short sci-fi film project.
For more information on these projects, go to:
http://www.kapipal.com/kristamuirlederhosenlucil
http://www.dailytouslesjours.com/project/kitoperette/
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