Interview

Happyness

Interview by Koen van Bommel
Photos shot by Isolde Woudstra in Amsterdam, Netherlands

Benji Compston, guitar player and vocalist of London trio Happyness, is an exceptionally cheerful and charming guy, even for someone from a group named after a pleasureable state of mind – and even after being asked a dozen or so nonsensical questions. We spoke to him about various kinds of holes, starting with the obvious rabbit variety and gradually moving on to more advanced subjects like wormholes and the sheer limitless void in the centre of a bagel.

Benji, have you ever been to Daresbury?

Have I ever been where? No, I have not. I think me asking, ‘Where?’ probably shows I haven’t been.

It’s the birthplace of Lewis Carroll.

Okay, great! That’s appropriate to the festival, I guess.

Coincidentally, there’s also a particle accelerator in Daresbury. So my question is: given the choice, would you rather go down a rabbit hole or enter a wormhole?

That’s a very good question. I’m reading a book about wormholes at the moment, by a physicist called Kip Thorne. It’s also about the theories behind the movie Interstellar. I think I’d rather go down a rabbit hole, though. The process of going through a wormhole might be slightly impractical given our touring schedule.

What I hope to find on the other side would be world peace

What would you hope to find on the other side?

Probably not a badger. I have no interest in badgers at the moment. They’re becoming a bit of a threat to my dog. But what I hope to find on the other side would be world peace.

Isn’t that implied by the absence of badgers?

Yeah, those are probably two mutually exclusive things.

So about holes in general. What’s your favourite kind?

The space in a bagel, probably. I like a bagel with salt beef, cream cheese and a pickle. And badger meat, of course.

One thing that separates humans from other animals is that we rarely live in holes. Why is that?

Probably because we enjoy sunlight, perhaps? Air-conditioning units are slightly more practical above ground. But I do think some of my friends would probably tell you that my first apartment when I moved to London was in fact somewhat of a hole.

If you had to live in an actual hole, what would it look like?

It would probably look like the basement in the film Barbarella, where the rebels keep all their stuff. With the kind of laundry chute that people slide down. Have you seen that movie?

I can’t say I have.

Watch it, and you’ll know exactly what I mean.

Well, can’t you just describe the basement a bit?

The film is a kind of erotic sci-fi adventure, and the basement is beneath this kind of city that floats on a psychedelic swamp made of some abstract energy.

If there was a black hole nearby, could I tempt you to jump into it?

Well, I think if I was in the position of being near a black hole, I’d probably be in a lot of trouble anyway, so yeah, why not?

Have you heard about the multiverse theory?

I haven’t; tell me what that is.

Well, it’s basically a feature of infinity. There are an infinite amount of universes, so there are also universes that are the same as ours, but with some changes.

Ah, yeah, I have heard about that – I just didn’t know that’s what it was called.

Isn’t it frustrating to think there’s a universe out there in which you’re filthy rich?

Yeah, that is frustrating.

But isn’t it also comforting to know there’s another universe in which you have elbows instead of knees?

That’s terrible. But wait, there’s multiple dimensions? Or just one?

Coriander. It’s a beautiful thing.

There’s a lot of dimensions.

So there could be hundreds of you…

Millions. With four-dimensional elbows.

Oh…

If you had to live in another dimension, where everything was different from ours except for one thing, what would you want that thing to be?

Coriander. It’s a beautiful thing.

I think it’s been genetically decided that it tastes like soap to me.

You know there’s a reason for that, right? Supposedly, certain people are genetically programmed so that coriander tastes like dishwasher soap. I read that somewhere. Johnny from the band used to hate coriander, and I started slipping it into our food, to try and persuade him to like it, which he now does.

So what does it taste like to you?

Kind of like what parsley was trying to be.

Happyness will be playing at Down the Rabbit Hole on Saturday 27 June as well as taking on de Nieuwe Anita, Amsterdam on 18 September.