The man behind the words part 1
Posted by Patrik Edvardsson | Posted in Aimee Mann , Amsterdam , Bright Eyes , Coldplay , de Baarsjes , driven , Frida Hyvönen , funny , Håkan Hellström , Hets , nickname , Red House Painters , Ryan Adams , serious , The Daily Show , The National | Posted on 6:06 PM
This blog says nothing about my life. It is a bit cryptic and I think that was the plan. I think that is what I wanted. But, as a road to the person behind the words I will present a three legged series of posts that might shed some light on the individual that hides behind these words. Inspired by a questionnaire in one of the Swedish blogs I read I have made an Airportline version of it. So those of you that will be near a computer with an internet connection this weekend can follow this as it evolves. Here is part one, about sad songs and nicknames. Please note that the answers are about two weeks old. Can't let you get too close.
Nickname:
I’m not a fan of nicknames, except the one I created about a year ago: Dr. Mike Freedom. Calling it a nick name might be strong, its more of an alter ego, but it was a nice alter ego. Some of the nick names I’ve had include: Edvard, patte, hypotetisk and Patrix (a nickname me and two other Patrik shared, yes, it was around the time of the first Matrix movie). Lately P Diddy has been suggested and I’m sure there are many more but which I have repressed to a dark corner of my memory.
Songs that you mourn with when you are sad?
Have You Forgotten / Song For A Blue Guitar – Red House Painters, Ryan Adams – Call Me On Your Way Back Home (see video above), Aimee Mann – Wise Up, Bright Eyes – Lua, The National – About Today, Hets! – Du Är Också Dum, Håkan Hellström – Nu Kan Du Få Mig Så Lätt, Coldplay – Fix You, Frida Hyvönen – N.Y. and yeah, I have tons of great songs to be sad together with.
What do people think of you?
I think people have an ambivalent view of me. I think some people find me serious, driven and ambitious. Generally I think people struggle to pinpoint me but I hope most people find me kind, caring, unselfish and quite funny. This idea might be as far from the truth as the ‘serious, driven, ambitious’ idea. Maybe people describe me as calm; this is probably one of the defining things about me. This all goes out the window after a few beers though as I tend to be one of the most intense drunk persons that people have met.
Is this correct?
I think there is some truth to all these things, I enjoy being serious and not so serious. And I am a calm person.
What do you most often receive compliments for?
I think it is that I am funny, and that I have good taste in music. I respect both those opinions of course. Although it is worrying that the funny compliments often are highly correlated with alcohol consumption. I guess it is the curse of the Nordic man.
What do you tell people that you try to impress?
I make jokes about myself. Works surprisingly well since the world is full of self congratulatory motherfuckers. Yeah, I said it. I also enjoy showcasing my knowledge and interest in rap music since people find this highly unlikely based on my appearance.
How does one impress you?
By winning an argument. It might sound strange but I enjoy people that ague with me and win. Otherwise I am impressed by people that have qualities that I do not posses; for example, I am very impressed with people who have a good memory. I’m also impressed with people that have taken a chance and failed and who stand by it. The least impressive people are those that never risk anything.
Do you laugh on your own?
Yes, when I watch the Daily Show, when I read something online and watch youtube.
What does your last incoming text message say?:
I forgot my phone so can’t check, but it might have been regarding a police stake out in out apartment from my flatmate.
Where do you live?
In de Baarsjes in Amsterdam, apparently right by a major drug trafficking operation
Perhaps you've had different experience [and would be quite curious in this respect], but from my experience 'people who've taken a chance, failed & stood by it' aren't quite so impressive; or how do you mean 'impressive'?
Nice post.. I like the answers. Yes. Planning to win all arguments from now on ;)
Teo: I mean that people that really believe in something and go for it, risking emotional, financial and social stability are interesting than people that do not. These are experiences that makes people interesting and gives perspective to life even if they fail or hurt at times. People that go from one success to another tend to be quite uninteresting.
Enda: You can try, but you will fail!
Should one infer a definition of interesting-ness as from side-effects/ contextual elements pertaining to failure? Psychological scars do not point to witty conversations except for exceptional cases, imho. [pun intended]
In most cases, sticking to heroin or alcohol -as random examples- will get one killed and not quite so interesting in an one-on-one interaction..
[as you may notice, I'm still curious to learn more here! (: ]
When I talk about people risking something I refer to matters of love, art, political beliefs, these are choices of the heart and not the mind or logic. Drugs and alcohol are not examples of risking something, except for ones own health perhaps. I just find the whole notion of everyone trying to be so perfect all the time to be both uninteresting and plain false. You can't have the sweet without the sour, as someone says in the movie Vanilla Sky.
.. but I contend that the quest for better-ness is there nonetheless, independently of that which is to be better-ed.
That is to say that "everyone trying to be so perfect all the time" is equally applicable to those who take risks, only the reporting system [as in the context to which the better-ness is to be achieved] is different: instead of being 'so perfect' professionally, one aims/tries to be 'so perfect' artistically, emotionally, or politically.
Should we get to meet again in this life time, I will tell you a story :)