David-Ivar “Herman Düne’’ (right, with Néman “Herman Düne’’) said that the group will likely cover Jonathan Richman during tonight’s show at T.T. the Bear’s.
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A disc jockey and Dylan fueled their quirky folk
David-Ivar “Herman Düne’’ (right, with Néman “Herman Düne’’) said that the group will likely cover Jonathan Richman during tonight’s show at T.T. the Bear’s.
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Serge Gainsbourg brought us lust. Edith Piaf brought us passion. Herman Düne, a new musical export from the French, is bringing whimsy to America. Herman Düne is the quirky folk brainchild of David-Ivar “Herman Düne’’ and his percussionist, Néman “Herman Düne.’’ With an arsenal of narrative songwriting, an acoustic guitar, and a seal of approval from the late BBC disc jockey John Peel, David-Ivar is ready to show us how to have fun. We caught up with him by phone in anticipation of Herman Düne’s performance tonight at 9 at T.T. the Bear’s Place in Cambridge.”
Q. Do you like touring in America?
A. I love it, and what I like about it is many things. I love being on the road here. I love the cities. For me it is very special as a European who has been listening to American music all my life and the whole mythology. I’m playing in Nashville tonight. I love it there.
Q. Did you grow up listening to country music?
A. My father only listened to one artist all my life, and that artist is Bob Dylan. It’s always been Bob Dylan. Especially the Nashville album. And growing up a little bit more I listened to other music that had been recorded in Nashville like Leonard Cohen with Bob Johnston.
Q. You’ve been incorporating some Eastern European instrumentation into your more recent albums. Is that a byproduct of your sonic upbringing?
A. I grew up in a Jewish family, so we have the vibe for Eastern European music. To be honest with you, it came to me via the United States again because I tried to listen to something else beside Bob Dylan and the Beatles, and John Zorn [the avant-garde American composer and saxophonist] had this project called Masada. It was my favorite thing.
Q. You know Bob Dylan has a Christmas album out now, and you also have a Christmas recording that you did with radio legend John Peel. Can you tell me about that?
A. When we started playing music we had no experience playing live; we had only a 7-inch and another album, but for some reason John Peel liked it and he started playing it. The first tour we did was to go play a “Peel Session’’ at BBC. Then when we got back we played another show for John Peel at his house. It was around Christmas time. It was a Christmas session. He used to do them every year. People sing Christmas songs of course, but I didn’t know any. I sang a Hanukkah song. It was funny. . . . I think before John Peel died we had recorded 10 sessions. Every one was a great recording experience but the man was great, too.
Q. I know that you are known for the covers of songs that you play in concert. Do you have any songs picked out to cover for this tour?
A. Since I’m talking to Boston, I would say that I play a lot of Jonathan Richman songs. I remember one of my first Boston experiences - I was on a trip to get records by the artist of the city in every city, and I remember going to Newbury Comics, and they didn’t even have the little board that said his name. I was so disappointed.
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