Australian-born Girl Mountain has been making records since 2006. Currently living in London, he’s not only self-released 12 albums but also created some amazing comics and other works for art galleries. In his music, Girl Mountain serves large helpings of wild idiocy and unabashed stupidity. Each track instantly leaps into a realm of unfocused flailing and abrasive constructions. Besides pushing his music, Girl Mountain is currently looking for a publisher for his completed 244 page full-coloured 'GIRL MOUNTAIN BOOK ONE', an epic, laconic teenage drama set in a small town. It chronicles the weeks leading up to a strange event and various mysteries. It involves sexual depravity, space travel, ghosts, black magic and endless crushing and fawning. Meanwhile, his comic series 'MEGG AND MOGG' is to be featured in a series of posts by Tiny Mix Tapes. Dazed sat down and spoke to him...

Dazed Digital: How did you get into writing music?
Girl Mountain: I started making music as 'Girl Mountain' four years ago, but I haven't gotten much better at it since starting. I’ve self-released twelve albums. I also run a 'record label' putting out cassettes and CDR's of friend's stuff and noisy side projects with friends… I’m planning three new Girl Mountain albums.

DD: What’s Girl Mountain about?
Girl Mountain: It's a project is about awkward teenage delusions, bad poetry and misplaced enthusiasm.

DD: I think notions of “misspent enthusiasm” come through in your music - could you expand on that?
Girl Mountain: I have no business making music. I do not feel I have any aptitude for it at all but ever since I was a kid I've always wanted to make music, really beautiful sweeping sad-pop noise epics but it never works out, no matter what I do…but I don't care. I try my hardest. My voice is awkward and I have bad rhythm.

DD: So, other than music, what is your ‘business’?
Girl Mountain: I should be working on my comics, which I honestly believe are "good works, of value".

DD: But you like making music, right?
Girl Mountain: I waste too much time trying to be this "musician" character. Sometimes I feel embarrassed, but I try to forget that I'm a 28-year-old man and just stay in that world of a hopeful, awkward teenager… Music is fun. I like playing shows. I like making stupid merchandise.

DD: Yeah, I remember when I saw you last you were selling T-shirts for like £2.
Girl Mountain: On most merch tables I'll have 15 different CDR's, a bunch of cassettes, a bunch of ‘zines; I made a bunch of guest soap and bubble bath. I also had my own brand of cigarettes, "junior supakools". Nobody ever buys this shit - it's like a fantasy camp,  my ‘musician’ fantasy camp. For some reason I continue to be able to get shows, although some promoters seem to sorely regret booking me after I’ve played. I've played some weird bills to some excessively disinterested audiences. At those times I will "work the room" doing my "traveling salesman" routine. I talk to everyone and try to sell my rather attractively packaged products. I often harass people and act like a total arsehole, disgusted with humanity and indifferent to social niceties. I AM A MUSICIAN.

DD: Could you describe techniques to how you achieve "misplaced enthusiasm"?
Girl Mountain: I never have any money so I have shitty gear: consumer electronics, the cheapest pedals available, tip-shop keyboards, out of tune guitars, badly homemade contact mic's, a junior drumkit covered in t-shirts, pizza boxes, crappy computer programs. I set myself writing goals like, "write lyrics for five songs today". I tend to drink a lot or get high and say "I'm going to record an album today", and do it. I don't tend to rehearse much, I rush things.

DD: What have you been working on recently?
Girl Mountain: In April and May of this year I did a thing called "dailysongs" where I recorded a new song everyday. Some of my best stuff ever came out of it. I make a lot of stuff, most of it is terrible but I put out everything I make.
I am about to start work on a new book called 'FIDDLER'S GREEN'. It is an adaptation of an obscure fantasy story from the 60's by Richard Mckenna. It is about a group of sailors dying of thirst who attempt to break into a mental realm of their own making.

DD: And finally, what would you say is you goal when you construct a song?
Girl Mountain: I try my best at each song. I try to make it the best song ever. Anything can happen during those two minutes when the mic is on.

I have had to embrace my limited skill.
It's my "thing".
I suck.
I am sucky.
but I am excited.
I'm playing a show here tonight.
I am going to play my songs I made.



Girl Mountain is playing the Big Chill Festival this weekend