Interview with IAMX – Part 4/4

“…it’s all a wild experiment.” (Chris Corner)

In the first three parts, we spoke to Chris Corner about the new album “Fault Lines²”, animal soul balm, vacation as an illusion, desert life, the fall of masks, false friends and self-discovery. In the fourth and final part, we continue our conversation with IAMX.

Metamorphosis?

Orkus: When I think of the butterfly in “Infinite Fear Jets” – can the consequences of mental breakdowns also give rise to something quite extraordinary? Things that might not have been created without these psychological depths?
Chris Corner: I would say that intense psychological changes can bring about the most impressive fundamental changes in people. I wish people were different and we would all live like there’s no tomorrow, but we don’t. We bury ourselves in conditioning and safe habits and hide behind masks. It’s uncomfortable to admit it, but crises create movement. We just have to learn that this is a part of life and that it doesn’t always have to be desperate and negative. Depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses can be overcome and alleviated. The tight grip of darkness can be loosened. We need to understand deep down that life is change. It is chaos, but the negative can always be transformed into something positive.

Surprising similarities

O: You were able to get Hafdís Huld to collaborate with you on the track “The Oceans”. How did you come across the Icelandic singer?
CC: Many years ago I met Hafdís in London on the recommendation of Jim Abbiss, a producer and friend. He said we should get creative together, so we experimented in the studio for a few days. That was before IAMX. We ended up recording a demo of an old Icelandic folk song. She sang it and I played alternating drones on a squeezebox harmonium. It was never released in this form. It stayed in my mind all these years, waiting for the right track to go with it. When “The Ocean” came about, I knew it was the one. I contacted her about the idea and we re-recorded it remotely. Today we both lead completely different lives, but interestingly we are in similar life situations. She lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere, and I live on a ranch in the middle of the desert.

Boundless?

O: “War of Words” is about boundaries, among other things. How do you deal with it when someone crosses your boundaries?
CC: I keep going and create distance. Life is too short. Although this song really paints a picture of my own lack of boundaries. My lack of boundaries gets me into trouble sometimes, but I’m finally starting to realize that it could turn into an advantage. I have this burning universal love that always tends to focus on the big picture. I feel so intimately connected to everything all the time that it’s challenging for me to connect and commit to just one other person. I can do it because I know that makes most people feel safe, and I am caring and loyal, but I don’t know if the traditional way of being with others is starting to blur in my life. I sense a change. I’m not sure how it will evolve, but I’m confident it will turn into something beautiful.

Self-love?

O: Do you have any tips on how people can counteract self-hatred or how they can work on themselves in challenging situations in which they tend to make mistakes?
CC: Humor, humility and good physical health. Work on successes and understand that mistakes are an essential part of the learning process. Self-love is often overlooked and not prioritized, and then we wonder why loving others doesn’t work out. Like any other mental challenge, self-love is a skill that can be learned. Reprogramming and endless repetition. Our brain has plasticity, it can be reshaped, and habits of radical self-love can be developed. Willpower and desire.

O: Self-love is so important. In which situations do you really like yourself?
CC: I love myself in nature, in sexuality and in technology.

The promise is …?

O: Are you someone who is reluctant to make a promise because you can’t be sure you can keep it?
CC: Yes. I’m super loyal and caring, but promises make me nervous. I think it’s because I can’t block out the fragility and chaos of life, so promises don’t feel like true reality to me. As an autistic person, truth and hyperauthenticity take priority.

Creative explosion

O: How do you develop ideas for your extravagant outfits and masks? Do you have someone who designs things according to your ideas?
CC: Never, it’s all a wild experiment. I throw things around and glue them together. I’ve always loved being crazy on stage and in front of the camera. The ambiguous, the androgynous, the strange. It’s a message again. A message that being different is beautiful, that it’s okay to give a shit, that sexuality is good. I’m very impulsive and I just don’t give a shit if my clothes are shitty, ripped, cheap or expensive. I love getting dressed up and ripping everything apart on stage in public. Tearing off the mask. It’s an incredible feeling of community therapy.

Interview: Nadine Kloppert

Missed the other parts? No problem:
Click here for part 1
Click here for part 2
Click here for part 3

Watch the clip for “Infinite Fear Jets” here:

Experience IAMX live:
April 25, 2025 SE-Gothenburg, Monument
April 26, 2025 SE-Stockholm, Kollektivet Livet
April 28, 2025 UK-Manchester, Academy3
April 29, 2025 UK-London, Electric Ballroom
May 01, 2025 DE-Munich, Ampere
May 02, 2025 DE-Oberhausen, Kulttempel
May 03, 2025 NL-Utrecht, De Helling
May 05, 2025 PL-Kraków, Kwadrat
May 06, 2025 PL-Warsaw, Progresja
May 09, 2025 DE-Berlin, Columbia Theater
May 10, 2025 DE-Hamburg, Markthalle
May 12, 2025 CZ-Prague, Lucerna
May 14, 2025 AT-Graz, PPC
May 16, 2025 AT-Vienna, SIMM City
May 17, 2025 CH-St. Gallen, Grabenhalle
May 18, 2025 DE-Frankfurt, Das Bett
May 20, 2025 BE-Brussels, Ancienne Belgique
May 21, 2025 FR-Paris, Trabendo
May 23, 2025 ES-Barcelona, Apolo 2
May 24, 2025 ES-Madrid, Sala Mon

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