The radical musician, thinker, hacker, philanthrope, activist, and curious figure, Goodiepal, twists our expectations regarding art and pop music. Goodiepal saved me from being depressed about the future of music. This is a fan confession.
Personally, I suffered a lot observing an artistic world where compromise has become the norm because I still believe that art and music can be innovative and can matter. I even stopped listening to music at one point because everything that was presented as groundbreaking and new was simply a small variation of something that already existed. But the Danish/Faroese electronic musician, Goodiepal, awakened my interest in music again. Goodiepal made me discover another aspect of music: an inimitable and playful DIY style. Music doesn't have to be songs or tracks. It does not even need to be heard.
For me, Goodiepal is a hero, because he seems to be the last artist who refuses to sell out by complying with the restrictions of the art world – not to mention the ones of the music industry – where you always have to show a finished product and transform yourself into a product: something expected, understandable, recognizable, sellable, with no space left for surprise or challenge. Goodiepal is the opposite: his art is alive.
The Adventures of an Activist
Recently, Goodiepal decided to stop touring alone and form his first Band: Goodiepal & Pals. This Tel-Rock-Band inadvertently became a political band while touring Europe, often taking on the role of human smugglers, riot provokers, and action gamers. Their intent is to create protest music, while helping refugees during the ongoing migrant crisis: all the money the band makes goes straight to stranded refugees. So today it seems Goodiepal is fighting to save the world.
Goodiepal is also an adventure of every instant, for himself and for the ones who live around him. Goodiepal has put together an exhibition for the National Museum of Denmark comprising all his material possessions. He rides thousands of kilometres on a self-built bicycle. And every time he is on the verge of reaching success and fame he blows it completely by changing everything that has worked for him so far.
Every time he has to do something mundane (such as traveling, spending money, living in a house, becoming a father or whatever) he turns it into an experiment. Life is art and art is life. It's easy to imagine, that this behavior makes him quite difficult to follow, and therefore his career resembles a long suicidal path. What will he present to us on stage? As unpredictable as he is, we don’t know. Goodiepal stays a mystery. And my superhero. And we are excited.
