Page 13 - BiTS_05_MAY_2021

AS: Probably appeals to the melancholic temperature of the people there [chuckling]. It’s dark half
the year, so the blues is the perfect soundtrack to that, I guess. That’s my guess.

BiTS: That’s a wonderful answer. I love that. That’s absolutely terrific. What plans do you have for

the upcoming year? Are you going to the studio again?

AS: I’m trying to salvage the momentum that I had with the release. I got some pretty good press
and stuff and that’s the sort of momentum you use to get gigs and stuff, but nobody’s booking
anything. Now, a couple of days ago, the Prime Minister released a plan for reopening, so now it
looks like after July, things will open up a bit more. I have to get my associates that do the bookings
for me to find a way to salvage the momentum that we had and try to book gigs and get up and

play. That’s also a thing now. There’s almost no record stores anymore, so to sell the records, you
have to be out there and sell them one by one at the gigs. If there’s no gigs, you only rely on sales
via internet and all that. It’s like a slow dripping process. The web sales are like one every few
days, but it’s not big quantities that go out.

BiTS: Yes, I think it’s going to be a different world when things get back going again—a very
different world.

AS: Yes. Hopefully, there’s a live scene, places to play. How many businesses can we have closed

for one and a half years and [still] stay in business. It’s pretty horrible all over the place.

BiTS: I’m not going to take very much more of your time, Arne, but I’ve got a couple more
questions for you. First off, when did you start to become a slide player?

AS: Actually, my cousin was visiting us when I was a kid and he showed me. He’s two years
younger than me and I was maybe eight. He said “If you take this glass and pull it over the strings,

you make this Hawaiian sound”. It started there and I’ve always been fascinated with guitar players
like David Lindley and Ry Cooder and Lowell George, so that’s always been the go-to thing for me. I
actually got a photo the other day from the first time I was in the studio. This was in 82, 83 maybe,
and I’m playing the slide there, so it’s always been part of the weaponry, but it’s been a thing that
I’ve been called to do a lot. Most of the
recordings I’ve done for other people have
been slide related. Maybe bottleneck or

Hawaiian guitar or lap steel and some pedal
steel. It’s always been slide related. That’s my
go-to thing.

BiTS: Arne, one final question, please.
You’ve played all over the world. Has there
been someplace you’ve been playing in and

you’ve suddenly thought to yourself, good
grief, what am I doing here? This is
absolutely wonderful. Nikel, Russia

AS: Wonderful or horrible? The worst place
I’ve played was in 1990 in Nikel, Russia. This is right across the border from Norway. That’s way up
as far east as you get in Norway and it’s only like one hour by bus over the border and it’s a factory

town and the pollution is so bad, there is no life for kilometres around the city. That was horrible.

BiTS: It must have been an experience. It sprang straight to your mind.