ARIEL PINK: «It has taken me three to four years to find my footing again» #InterviewEnglish por Facundo Guadagno - 07/05/202407/05/2024 Unpredictable, a creative powerhouse, a prolific DIY musician, and a fantastic artist, Ariel Pink will be returning to Argentina on May 14th, so we spoke to him in an interview in which he reminisced about his recent years: conflict, condemnation, and resurrection from the dead.Para leer la entrevista en español, dale click acáFacundo Guadagno (FG): Last time in Argentina – December 2012 – you presented Mature Themes (2012), and you were at the peak of your popularity two years after Before Today (2010). Pom Pom (2014) was a milestone that indicated you were going to play and compose whatever you wanted. Now we even have your «dark side,» or Archevil (2021). I always thought the Mature Themes era was something organic for you that you really wanted to do, but the old ARIEL PINK didn’t take long to reappear, for example, in Oddities Sodomies (2019). How do you remember the Mature Themes era? Ariel Pink (AP): I look back fondly at the days of Mature Themes. It’s bittersweet. I was in my early-mid 30s, coming out of a seven-year relationship, reassessing my life and priorities while living «the dream.» The future felt open for the first time. My tour of South America marked the end of that era. Upon my return, I learned of the passing of a dear friend, which plunged me into a despair I had not anticipated. Soon, I would be wrapped up in a year-long legal battle with my former drummer, Aaron Sperske, and his aggressive lawyer, which disrupted the band’s momentum and suspended activities. I had to start from scratch. FG: You’re touring again with the frequency you used to have. Is this related to having taken time off due to cancel culture, or are you presenting a new project? Because you have released a lot in the past two years.AP: It’s related to many things. The main reason is that I was falsely defamed in the press and cancelled after the events at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. The press said I was at the insurrection, which made me a terrorist. I was shunned everywhere, but I still am, mostly. There have been no shows in many of my major markets. It has taken me all this time, three to four years, to find my footing again. I had to part ways with my old band, agent, and label and start over. Now I have a new agent and a new band, but no label.FG: The setlist for this tour is wonderful! You have rarities like “Every Night I Die at Miyagi’s” or “Evolution’s a Lie”. At the same time, you combine Sit n’ Spin (2010) with the last four HAUNTED GRAFFITI albums. Is the «dark side» or your performances mostly of B-sides or oddities not to everyone’s taste for this tour? AP: We are playing many hits from 4AD and Mexican Summer, many songs from the early days, and a couple of tracks from my latest cassette-only release, Never Made A Demo Ever (2023), available on Crass Lips Records.Facundo GuadagnoRedactor en RocktambulosAntropólogo. Politólogo. Escritor.