Kings of Convenience Fight Clear Channel

Pitchfork recently spoke with half of the Norwegian duo, Eirik Glambek Bøe, about the band's performance at an October protest against the evil empire. The protest concerned a deal being brokered between the group's hometown of Bergen and Clear Channel, which would have involved the company's providing the city with 900 bus shelters in exchange for advertising rights on 240 of them for a period of 15 years. In the beginning, seven of the nine political parties in Bergen's city council were all for The Man, but according to Bøe, "massive protests from a wide range of groups and individuals eventually made all parties, except two, change their mind in the last minute." Victory!

Bøe believes that the fight against Clear Channel is much bigger than just ads on bus stops. "If a private company grows to the size and importance that Clear Channel has, democracy is weakened," he said. "Clear Channel operates in the sphere of culture, an area which has an important role in commenting on the rest of society. If a band can get boycotted by radio stations for an anti-war statement, what areas of society are then left to protest? The answer is public space."

Though he maintains a firm stance against the privatization of public property, Glambek Bøe is not a "fanatic opponent" of Clear Channel. He mentioned that the president of Clear Channel Norway has expressed his appreciation for Kings of Convience's music. "I am prone to forgive even the most evil company," Bøe said with a laugh.

Bøe also filled us in on his non-political activities of the moment. He's busy finishing a degree at the University of Bergen in architectural psychology, which is the study of the effect of physical structures on human behavior and cognition. How cool is that? He told Pitchfork, "Besides music, city planning is my greatest passion. My girlfriend thinks that I'm a crazy nerd."

Bøe added that he has been busy writing songs at night, and that Kings of Convenience have a tour of Southeast Asia in the works for early next year. Meanwhile, his Kings partner Erlend Øye has been playing scattered solo shows around the globe, and is scheduled to DJ at the Indierave party in Stockholm, Sweden on New Year's Eve.

* Pitchfork Review: Kings of Convenience: Riot on an Empty Street

Kings of Convenience: http://www.kingsofconvenience.com/