Can you really learn anything about a person by how he or she vacations? Is someone who pines for long cruises fundamentally different from someone who bakes on a beach -- any beach -- for a week or two at a time? Is an eco-tourist a better person 9:00 to 5:00 than someone who floats from five-star hotel to exotic villa, leaving a trail of bad cologne and shoddy tips along the way?

The Microphones' Phil Elvrum presents us with a test case. Upon completing his ambitious new album Mount Eerie -- and a hectic year of producing and generally loitering over at Dub Narcotic studios -- Elvrum decided a vacation was in order. But in the midst of winter, did he choose a sunny beach? No, he rushed headlong into the heart of the season: northern Norway.

Is there a greater truth in this behavior? Does this choice belie a certain masochist streak that drives Elvrum's art? Do the fjords of scandinavia inform his spiritual perspective? Or does he just dig blondes? Evanston Wade rode the perks and pratfalls of the email interview to find out...

Splendid: You've been through this a few times now, but what's this like for you? Waiting for your work to hit the streets?

Phil Elvrum: I usually forget all the songs and forget what the cover looks like and stop being able to play any of the songs long before the album comes out. The "release date" is such an arbitrary thing, especially on the independent music level, because everybody I know has already heard it. It's all word of mouth. Release dates only really matter to Madonna and Keanu Reeves. I am not waiting. I am forgetting.

Splendid: Do you listen to music -- or absorb any media whatsoever -- while you're working on a project?

Phil Elvrum: Yeah. I am always "working on a project" and I do listen to music and read a lot. Although, lately not that much. I have been travelling for a long time and the tapes I brought are getting really bucked up.

Splendid: You once said, "I try to remain as open to sensation as possible and let it all be my influence." Have you always had this inclination or have you had to nurture it and if so, how have you done this?

Phil Elvrum: I don't think I have always tried to be as open minded as I now try to be. I think it's more of a realization that everything has an affect on the things we make, and to try and trim it down to a neat list of "influences" is ridiculous. I am constantly learning lessons in perspective changing, compassion, trying new things, eye opening, food chewing, etc... From people, thoughts, books, music, movies, animals...

Splendid: Is there an attempt in your work to reach for the more evocative reasons that we create music in the first place? A lot of the discussion about your work deals with your flaunting of "traditional" song structure, when I actually hear a far more "traditional" ethic at work in your music -- one that seeks communication more than commodification. If this is so, how did you learn to focus on your work in this manner?

Phil Elvrum: I don't know if this answers your question exactly, but I have always been annoyed when people repeat the same thing over and over in songs. It seems to me that people make a lot of aesthetic decisions out of laziness, like "That song I like has a chorus five times and they say the title of the song 20 times at the end. I guess I should do that too, because I guess that's what songs do." I have tried to explore the "traditional" style of "folk music", where a chorus is repeated over and over. But playing that and singing it feels like a chore, and like I am being condescending to the audience, assuming that they didn't understand me the first time! It is a communication. Nobody says the same thing six times in a conversation. At least not in the same exact words, and at least not grown-ups.

Splendid: When you pick something to make a sound, are you primarily seeking something that sounds different from more conventional instrumentation or something that more closely approximates the sound that's in your mind? Or is it perhaps a bit of both rebelliousness and sonic experimentalism?

Phil Elvrum: Yes, probably a bit of both. I often don't really have conventional instrumentation at my disposal. "Necessity is the invention of mother invention mothers."

Splendid: This might sound weird, but do you see colors or feel textures while you're working?

Phil Elvrum: Probably. It's all pretty blurry when I am in "the zone".

Splendid: You've been experimenting with your voice recently; how much control do you wield over it as an instrument? Is there a sense of embracing the "happy accident" or perhaps a little method acting in your singing?

Phil Elvrum: I love the happy accident. That's my secret weapon. But, also, I have no control. I usually record something and think it sounds perfect and then six months later all these reviews will be like, "Elvrum's off-key singing is off-key, but it's still okay" and I listen to it and I'm all "Whoa, I was so off key! How did that sound perfect before?". So, I don't have any control over my voice, but I also don't have any control over my ears.

Splendid: You've said that you're getting better at picturing a song or a project in your head before setting it down in the studio; are you finding this to be a benefit or are there negatives associated with this kind of pre-visualization?

Phil Elvrum: No, it's good.

Splendid: You enjoy working late at night; do you find or seek out a certain psychological "zone" while working?

Phil Elvrum: I actually prefer the sunrise hours. For many reasons. Thoreau said it pretty well in his passage on morning work in Walden. I think what he thinks.

Splendid: Do you remember what you've worked on after it's done? Do you remember how you found it and how you put it all together?

Phil Elvrum: No. Not at all. Especially not Mount Eerie because I left on this long trip right when I finished it and didn't bring a tape of it. Well, I brought a tape but I gave it away at the very beginning. So all I have to remember it by is the notes in my journal sketchbook that let up to it, which is pretty far from it. It's nice. One of my favorite things is to listen to my albums after a year or so has passed, so I can hear them freshly, as if it was someone else. It always sounds like the exact kind of music I would like. I think that may be why I even make music, for that one little experience.

Splendid: Do you find that you explore your own past work? Digging deeper into ideas you've already touched upon?

Phil Elvrum: Whoa! I just started talking about that! Weird! Doodoodoodoo doodoodoodoo (Twilight Zone theme... me trying to be a dork in an email, failing miserably.). Mostly I write songs by expanding on little ideas that didn't get explained enough, or that I have something else to add to. Mount Eerie was inspired by a line from a song on The Glow pt. 2. It's all extremely self referential, and also referential to all the people I work with and all their work.

Splendid: I'm reading that Thoreau and Whitman are lyrical influences on your work; what's the appeal?

Phil Elvrum: Whoa! What's going on?! Second Thoreau reference! Your question is "What's the appeal of Thoreau or Whitman?" Are you seriously asking that?

Splendid: I completely deserved that. I suppose what I'm asking is what specifically about Thoreau and Whitman appeals to you? The missives from essentially solitary living? Thoreau's rebelliousness? Whitman's candor? The philosophy? The rambling meter? The "American-ness" of it all?

Phil Elvrum: I have read much more of Thoreau than I have of Whitman. He is incredible. I guess he's my favorite artist/writer whatever, ever. It is probably impossible to put into words the way his work has affected me. It is so broad and powerful and infinitely deep... it comes so close to describing a purpose for living, without saying it explicitly. It sheds light on so many dark corners. I was named after Whitman (my middle name). I have yet to explore him that much, but I have travelled with a little book of "Song of Myself" for a long time. I know I will get deep into him when I do.

Splendid: Is your process for writing lyrics different from writing or producing music?

Phil Elvrum: Yeah, big time. I am always writing lyrics, always. In my head or on paper or on my hand or whatever. I walk around and sing to myself. It's my favorite activity. Producing music is more of a deliberate thing. Although often when I walk around singing to myself, I am also doing weird overdubs in my head.

Splendid: Do you consider yourself self-trained and if so, has it made a significant impact on your style?

Phil Elvrum: Yes. And I don't know. I am not "flamenco trained".

Splendid: How are support and criticism set-up in your work environment?

Phil Elvrum: Sometimes nobody hears what I'm doing until it's done. Sometimes I consciously ask friends for advice about a specific thing. Sometimes I really like what I'm doing and I play it for people just because I'm proud and they usually like it. My friends are all very helpful and honest when it comes to advising each other (hence the title of Mirah's album, Advisory Committee).

Splendid: Do your live shows provide some of the feedback you need to move your recording projects forward?

Phil Elvrum: It's a totally different thing. The songs maybe are the same but I always play them totally differently. And there are many many songs I have not recorded and won't. It's like another band.

Splendid: Are you still tweaking your live performances? It seems you've been experimenting with making them more "interactive".

Phil Elvrum: Yeah. I try. Lately I have been getting bands together at the show. Playing with a different band every night of tour. It's awesome. "Does anybody here play bass?"

Splendid: You've been so busy up at Dub Narcotic that -- quite honestly -- I'm a little worried. How much sleep do you get? Any fears of burning out? Or put another way: When you do what you love -- or when what you love is your "work" -- how do you switch off? Are you constantly "on"?

Phil Elvrum: Right now I am in northern Norway doing Nothing for the winter and spring. It is hard for me. I am addicted to a daily sense of "accomplishment" but this is ridiculous. It is deeply satisfying to be happy with Nothing. I sleep about 14 hours a day. And when I am awake I just sit there and stare at the floor. I am still "on", I guess, because I still stare out the window and sing little songs to myself. The only difference is that I can't record them and so instead of putting out CDs of them I will just let them disappear. It feels good.

Splendid: How do you like producing for other artists?

Phil Elvrum: I have only really had success with Mirah. And Old Time Relijun, because I was in the band. I can not just set up mics and press play and record. It is painful. I have to be able to butt in with my ideas and do them.

Splendid: In your own words, how does Mt. Eerie compare to your previous work?

Phil Elvrum: I think it's weird and very different and more challenging to like. But, as I said, I don't really remember what it sounds like. Sometimes I think it might be good and sometimes I think it is embarrassingly bad. I am looking forward to listening to it in 2005.

Splendid: It's on your website, but could you briefly explain what the album is about?

Phil Elvrum: It is a "story" about a person named "Phil" who watches everyone he knows sail off in ships and when he's staring at the horizon after them a scary black raiding ship comes over. So he runs away in fear up through this valley, singing to the sun as it sets and reminiscing about a pretty girl, and then by the time he gets out of the valley onto the open ridge of the mountain the sun has set and he sings to the Universe. Then on the top of the mountain King Dark Death comes along and kills him, then some vultures come in and eat him and fly off. Then there is a song that comes from the Universe in Phil's voice. It's like an "invisible" song. That's what it's about, with all kinds of other implications.

Splendid: It quite literally picks up where The Glow Part II left off, doesn't it?

Phil Elvrum: Yes. I played my own record and recorded it onto the 16 track to start working on Mount Eerie. It felt weird and "too easy".

Splendid: How do you mean, "too easy"?

Phil Elvrum: I mean that I just played a record and recorded it onto the new record and that was that. I guess that's what sampling is.

Splendid: I got the same feeling while listening to it that I used to when I was younger and listening to old narrated records like War of the Worlds or Huckleberry Hound dramas. At what point in the process did you decide to make this a story album?

Phil Elvrum: Well, the first thing I thought of was the five song titles and the progression of a mountain climb followed by another invisible mountain climb. Then the first song I wrote turned out to be a story of what I was doing at the time, so I just kept going. The very first origin of the first song, "The Sun", is when I was in Gainesville, Florida on tour in Oct. 2001, walking around before the show singing Sade's "Slave Song" to myself. There's a line where she says (in an incredible way) "See them gather. See them on the shore, and turn to look once more..." and I just sang that over and over and pictured myself just off shore in a little row boat facing a crowd of people on the shore and I sang the story of my own life from there.

Splendid: What -- if any -- relation is there between Mt. Eerie and the St. Ives release Little Bird Flies into a Big Black Cloud and/or its related book? (And how can I get my hands on this St. Ives stuff when I'm stuck in DC?)

Phil Elvrum: "Well, there isn't a literal connection..." "Face it Walter, there isn't any connection!" (Big Lebowski) There isn't an intentional connection, but I'm sure some of the same things are said. I think you can order the stuff from Secretly Canadian, but they are sold out of the St. Ives releases.

Splendid: Is there a specific reference point that the drums in "The Sun" were influenced by?

Phil Elvrum: Yes. The soundtrack to Black Orpheus. I pretty much plagiarized it. Don't listen to it. I would be embarrassed. It's maybe my favorite record ever. And definitely my favorite movie. (1959, Brazil)

Splendid: There's a real sense of the natural and the supernatural co-existing on this CD -- in both romantic and combative ways -- do you feel the two are related?

Phil Elvrum: Of course. Big time.

Splendid: Headphones are almost required equipment for your recordings; are you mixing specifically for headphone listening? If so, is there a technical or thematic reason? (i.e. emphasizing the intimacy of the recordings by encouraging and rewarding independent listening?)

Phil Elvrum: I never thought about it like that. But yes, I recorded the whole thing exclusively in headphones. I love headphones. Love.

Splendid: Would you recommend Mt. Eerie to someone unfamiliar with the Microphones' previous work, and if so, how?

Phil Elvrum: I guess. I don't know. I don't want to force myself on innocent people.

Splendid: My best experience to date with Mt. Eerie was at dusk; where or how do you imagine people listening to this recording?

Phil Elvrum: I would always lie on the floor when I was recording it...with my head under the mixer table looking up with my eyes closed and headphones loud... but that's just me. I couldn't really hear it otherwise. Too many distractions. My favorite music listening experiences with other people's music has always been in headphones lying down, usually in bed with the lights out, half asleep, body in a sprawled out X, palms up, eyes three quarters closed, mouth slightly open, window cracked.

Splendid: Do you see yourself making music for recordings for the rest of your life or are there other projects on the horizon?

Phil Elvrum: I have a fantasy of getting involved with a northern Scandinavian church choir and pretending to be Christian and singing with them and slowly convincing the old ladies to sing something I wrote. It would take a long time, but it would be worth it. I would like to work with a choir. Huge groups. I would like to work with huge groups.

Splendid: Would you prefer your audience to listen to your music or to create their own?

Phil Elvrum: Don't make me choose.

Splendid: How long are you planning to stay in Norway? (By the way, my brother lived in Norway for a summer and recommends Frogner Park in Oslo and the fjords in and around Bergen...and regardless of the answer, please don't stay away too long; we need artists like you around here.)

Phil Elvrum: People say "come back" but it makes me want to push myself to stay longer just to see what happens. I don't particularly "like" it here yet but I have a weird feeling I should stay for some reason. I have never done anything like this before so I don't want to give up too quickly.

Splendid: Why Norway and why now? The northern lights? The blondes? The Akvavit? Is there anyone up there with you?

Phil Elvrum: No, I am alone. I don't know exactly why. Just because. You know in Ghost World where Enid talks about her fantasy of getting on a bus and disappearing to "some random town"? I have always had the same fantasy, so this is my version of that. Although I'm doing a terrible job of "disappearing" if I'm telling everybody about it.

Splendid: Finally, how old are those lollipops K sends out with their orders?

Phil Elvrum: Well, K changed over from a lollipop factory to a record label in '82, so at least 20 years.