Back in 2013, the renowned naturalist David Attenborough took part in a slightly unexpected collaboration with Björk, in the aptly-titled documentary When Björk Met Attenborough. The film saw the pair discuss their shared love of music and nature, revolving around Björk’s then-latest album, 2011’s Biophilia.
Now, Attenborough has reminisced on working with the musician in a new interview with NME. While he’s “not into the music scene really”, he says: “I took her interest in me as a considerable intellectual compliment.”
“She’s very up to the mark and very concerned with the relationship between human beings and the natural world,” he adds. “I don’t know whether that’s a prominent characteristic of the Icelandic character, but I suspect, having been in Iceland, she has a relationship with the natural world which some of us urban dwellers of the South don’t have.”
Attenborough also discusses her songs, saying: “I mean it’s strange music but it’s very original music!” Which is a pretty fair description, to be honest.
Elsewhere in the interview, Attenborough also promotes A Life On Our Planet, his upcoming Netflix film on how humans have overrun the world, and talks about the new generation of climate activists such as Greta Thunberg: “My generation had their chance and muffed it, but the younger generation are very passionate and concerned about the next 60-70 years.”
In another crossover with the music industry, Attenborough called for producers to remix his 1965 gamelan field recording last year.
Watch the trailer for A Life On Our Planet below.