When i need a top up, i tend to lean in to many of the things that have given me life for as long as i can remember. I head for my private collections which tend to contain my fave disco classics including the film, Paris is Burning, plus interviews with some of my all time inspiring folk including Maya Angelou and of course, Björk.

It´s no secret that i´m a big fan of Björk. Ketil too. This year we gave ourselves the best anniversary present - a trip to her long awaited exhibition at Somerset House. For weeks (and to this day) we still talk about our experiences, nynning our fave songs because, well, she has been such an important soundtrack to our lives. We actually went back a second time and took the Worms (my folks) because it was so magnificent. And sat through two hours of her music videos too…..because, they are awesome, right?

So today, i thought i´d collate some excellent classic clips and bits by Björk that have inspired me, and sharing some of my faves from my collection of interviews, music videos, images and music along with words on what they meant to me. Sure you can appreciate how challenging (and impossible) it was to narrow down because there is so much gold! So if you´re a fan, or simply want to dig deeper, you can find bigger collections of faves via playlists from my youtube, Pinterest and Spotify collections, so simply scroll on down for those!

Prepare to be inspired!

Discovery + Venus

I found Björk quite late, aged 13 in 1993, and Venus as a Boy had just been released. I´d just moved back to the UK from the Caribbean and was feeling all kinds of "not fitting in". It was a lonely and strange time, going through adolescence and not really feeling i belonged anywhere. I heard this song and was mesmerised by the sounds chosen - very Bollywood inspired - as well as her voice of course. Intrigued and mostly relieved- it was as though i´d discovered someone who could articulate things i´d thought about into words and songs, and i continue to feel this way to present day. Also, this is my mum´s fave song of hers!

Stonemilker

As mentioned earlier, Bjork´s Somerset House exhibition couldn't have come soon enough. Highlight was my first VR experience, an intimate serenade where i wept uncontrollably. Here´s a not so intimate but still very beautiful version of it.

All is full of love

In the darkest times, when it´s easy to forget, i slip on this song. It never fails to lull me into a state of dreamy bliss. A remembering. It even saw me through a tooth extraction, despite the blood and gore and pain, i felt immense gratitude. The video is a special one for me too, spending my early 20s entranced by the work of Chris Cunningham (Michel Gondry too - Bjork has some good taste in who she choses to collaborate with!).

Björk talking about her tv.

Cosmic real talk!

This documentary >

The Inner or Deep Part of an Animal or Plant Structure - is another fave, a fascinating journey into human sounds!

Hyperballad

My fave song ever - i think. coupled by visuals by Gondry - one of my fave directors ever - i think.

Baby Björk!

In case you´ve never had the pleasure of her cover of a disco classic from 1976!

Medulla memories

When i lived in Barcelona, i spent a lot of my time wandering around, writing in nature, connecting with strangers, and listening to Medulla. Lucky for me, i saw this video years later, and couldn't believe my luck. It´s my fave and i relate to it on every level of cat-dancing relations!

Forever pushing boundaries

An exploration of Homogenic and Vespertine, the extrovert and introvert. I always appreciate the way she creates her own route in everything she does, looking at the world in ways that aren´t "vanlig" - whether that´s the sound of a telephone or car horn, or job titles and the hierarchies that are sometimes created to divide people. I really relate to her stories about challenging her teachers about the curriculum and imposed ways of learning (except i didn´t get away with it when i was at school or university!). It´s inspiring, because we all have artistic capabilities and sometimes the older we get, the more removed we become from it. She reminds me of the importance in using my voice, no matter what anyone else thinks.

“You have it all inside you. You don’t have to imitate foreigners...”

— Björk

Giving as good as she gets!

Her excellent cheeky humour! And accurate unpicking of our psychology!

More music!

Here´s a playlist of some of my faves.

a scrapbook on Pinterest should you want to follow my collection.

My life with Björk