Despite his website boasting a long list of album releases and performances stretching back to 1987, Greg Malcolm is hesitant to describe his life as a musician as a 'career': "It's more of an obsession.... Something that has given me immense pleasure and ruined my life". A collection of conceptual and sound works by the Christchurch-based experimental musician is on at the Film Archive in Wellington from 9 November. If you're new to his music, the album What is it Keith? is his personal favourite - and also his worst seller. The best way to listen to it? "With ears because eyes don't work with sound."Despite his website boasting a long list of album releases and performances stretching back to 1987, Greg Malcolm is hesitant to describe his life as a musician as a 'career': "It's more of an obsession.... Something that has given me immense pleasure and ruined my life". A collection of conceptual and sound works by the Christchurch-based experimental musician is on at the Film Archive in Wellington from 9 November. If you're new to his music, the album What is it Keith? is his personal favourite - and also his worst seller. The best way to listen to it? "With ears because eyes don't work with sound."During what hours of the day do you feel most inspired?
Morning.

How would a good friend describe your aesthetic or style?
Unpopular.

What aspect of your creative practice gives you the biggest thrill?
Discovery.

How do you think your environment affects your work?
Completely.

Do you like to look at the big picture or focus on the details?
It varies - sometimes I can become obsessed with the smallest details.

Your upcoming exhibition appears to be a visual take on your musical experimentation. Is this a new departure for you?
Yes and no - I have worked with video a lot in the past and Malcontent has a large sound component.

Experimental music is sometimes brushed off as self-indulgent by listeners. Are your current customer feedback forms a way of ensuring audience interaction?
To be honest I don't really care but was interested in the disparity between customer-based and experimental music plus it meant that I was able to throw a suggestion box at hecklers.

You've spent extended amounts of time living overseas during your career. How has this affected your relationship with New Zealand?
My stays in Berlin were important developmental times. When we moved to Prezlauberg in 1995 there were so many great musicians and so much innovative music around. We also had lived in Prezlauberg in 1991-92. I got to know record company executive Volker Schneemann who lived at the same squat as us. We got chatting and he was complaining about the lack of good music in Berlin at the time. I was like: "What do you mean?", as this was the only reason that I was living there.

I took Volker along to a solo Evan Parker show and he loved it and got quite enthusiastic about unusual music. In the meantime, Jenny and I returned to New Zealand for three years and made a living touring and performing with Such n Such (our children's show) and lost money on all the 'adult' shows I arranged.

After three years we were sick of the kids' show and New Zealand a bit - the whole Plumley Walker thing had blown up - so we returned to Berlin in '95. When we arrived back, Volker was running this club The Anorak with a collective of people.

The Anorak was kind of a centre for a lot of interesting improvised/new music that was developing in Berlin at the time. Musicians such as Tony Buck, Axel Dorner, Olaf Rupp, Burkard Beins, Leonid Soybelman and Joe Williamson would perform there regularly. As well as heaps of touring acts, it was a very social hotbed of ideas - probably the centre in Berlin for that sort of music at the time. I loved it.

I was an uncooperative member of the collective, which meant I would light the oven/heater and clean the toilets in exchange for free entry and free beer. I lived just two flights of stairs above the club and was at every show I could make it to. Berlin was great - I could go out two or three nights a week and see some pretty inspiring music and chat with people about their approach and methods. I was impressed by the level of commitment most of the Berlin based musicians had and because I lived in a squat my costs were very low and I could find the time to play music nearly all day long.

I suppose Berlin gave me time and inspiration but the ideas that I was and am working with are essentially the same as they have always been. I am still working with tunes that I have now been playing for 15 years, still kicking the floor guitars, still droning on. These days, another main interest/inspiration is old field recordings of ethnic music. Both for the content and the sound of the old technology, like wax disc recordings.

Your partner Jenny Ward has been a long-time collaborator. How has that fed into your work?
Sometimes we perform together and other times she is more behind the scenes such as in this blurb from my record Swimming in It:

"Swimming in It was recorded live at 12 Truro Street over the summer of 2004/05 to an audience of one - Jenny Ward - who would usually fall asleep on the couch. However, her role of executive producer/girlfriend/audience was not compromised - quite the contrary. When woken with a cry of "What did you think of that one?" her subconscious state provided lucid explanation of the pros and cons of each of the many renditions. Her advice was invaluable."

What's your number one business tip for surviving (and thriving) in the creative industries?
Keep your overheads low.

Which of your projects to date has given you the most satisfaction?
I like them all. I often describe What is it Keith? as my worst seller and personal favourite, however I do lots of different projects including my solo releases, Any Suggestions, Surf Klemzer (Surfing USSR), music for children's theatre, playing in jazz (?) ensembles (The Crust) etc.

At the moment, my simultaneously played multiple guitar performances seem to gain the most international interest regarding releases and festival tours etc.

Who or what has inspired you recently?
Music like:
Joseph Spence: Folkways recordings 1958
Charlemagne Palestine: Strumming Music
Music! 1900-2000 Berlin Phonogramm-archiv
Conlon Nancarrow: Studies for Player Piano
John La Barbara: Voice is the Original Instrument
Musique de la Grece Antique: Atrium Musicae
Man's early musical instruments: Ethnic Folkways edited by Curt Sachs
Harry Partch: Delusion of Fury
Joëlle Leandre: Urban Bass
Elizabeth Cotten: Freight Train and Other North Carolina Folk Songs

Sometimes I find inspiration in everyday life but mostly I just find it depressing.

If you could go back and choose a completely different career path to the one you've chosen, what would it be?
I think I'm stretching it to think of music as my career - it's more of an obsession.... Something that has given me immense pleasure and ruined my life.

What place is always with you, wherever you go?
My arse.

What's the best way to listen to music, and why?
With ears because eyes don't work with sound.

You are given a piece of string, a stick and some fabric. What do you make?
Art, of course.

What's the best stress relief advice you've ever been given?
Libraries were and are important, as I would borrow lots of music. It's risk free, as it was a free service. So I would borrow everything that looked interesting from John Cage prepared piano to Korean folk and social music to some FMP recordings.

What's great about today?
That this is the last question and I can go to bed.

6/11/07