Kristian Matsson reveals days of running away from problems are over

He may be as publicity shy as ever, but Kristian Matsson tells Ed Power his days of running away from problems are over.

KRISTIAN Matsson, aka The Tallest Man On Earth, (actual height: 5’ 7”), is discussing his demons. “I’m really grateful that I have done well. But doing well doesn’t solve your problems,” sighs the Swedish singer-songwriter.

“Your problems stay with you. When you are playing big shows and people are saying nice things about your songs, you start to look at yourself from the outside, because that is how everyone else sees you. It changes your perception of who you are. Or at least it can if you don’t watch out. You need to take care.”

He doesn’t say it in so many words, but you sense Matsson has issues with commitment. All his life he has been running away — from places, from problems, from people. With his latest album, There’s No Leaving Now, he has decided to stop, to stand and fight. “It is the most personal record I have ever written,” he says. “The title says it all. Through my career I’ve written a lot of ‘running away’ songs. I was trying to get away. Now I wanted to stop down – to deal with stuff.”

Matsson’s grainy voice and bare bone guitar style are often compared to Bob Dylan and his Americana forbears, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie. However, Matsson’s music is far more introverted. He seems unsure of himself — or, perhaps, unsure if he has chosen the correct profession. A recluse, the spotlight does not agree with the 30-year-old. Surrounded by people, he craves solitude. Even talking to a journalist appears to place him beyond his zone of comfort.

“When I’m not playing gigs I spend most of my time in the countryside. I go fly-fishing a lot. For me, that’s a lot like touring. You’re out there in this bad weather and you probably won’t catch anything. But every so often you do. And it’s like a religious experience. Suddenly, all the unpleasantness is worthwhile.”

Touring brings a world of heartache, he continues. And then, at the end of each day, he gets to stand on stage and commune with his audience. For 90 minutes or so his shyness deserts him and he basks in the love. It is a strange experience, a highly addictive one too.

“Travelling around is difficult,” he says. “It’s a pain. You’re trying to bring all of this stuff together. Then I go out there and I’m in this special place and I love it.”

He has sometimes considered cutting back on his live commitments. He finds it impossible to stay away. The open road keeps calling.

“You return home and you are exhausted, physically and emotionally. You get better at dealing with it. You pace yourself. You cannot go around having a big party constantly. It is important to keep your head in good shape — stuff like that. You figure it out.”

On the other hand, he feels his rigorous live schedule has an upside. Constant touring has made him a better musician.

“You write a song and you don’t really think about how you are going to play it before an audience,” he says. “It takes a couple of shows for you to figure it out. You progress as a singer and a guitar player at the same time. When you record something you do so off the bat. Going on the road forces you to play better, for sure.”

Matsson was born in 1983 in Dalama, one of the most rural parts of Sweden (many wealthy Swedes keep holiday homes there). He started performing in the early 2000s, releasing his first EP in 2006.

Having spent time in several bands it became clear that his standalone output was more popular. The Tallest Man On Earth became a full-time affair.

Matsson doesn’t enjoy discussing the details of his songs, which tend to be excruciatingly confessional. But there is another reason.

“I like not being overexposed,” he says. “I have purposefully not participated in a lot of press. I don’t want to be known for a whole lot of things other than the music. It’s wonderful in a way because fans come to the gigs and they haven’t seen too much me. I talk to people after the shows and they tell me that I am their little secret. They and their friends know about me. And yet I’m not out in everyone’s face constantly. I like that.”

Yet with modest fanfare he’s headlined Dublin’s Vicar Street twice and this weekend plays a large outdoor show at the Iveagh Gardens.

“It’s fantastic. The first time I played in Dublin, it was at Whelan’s and it was not exactly packed. The next time, Whelan’s was full. And the time after that it was Vicar Street. Now it’s an outdoor show. I like that. However, I don’t take it for granted. I understand my popularity will not always be at this level. And, at the back of my mind, I know that, if it does diminish, well I can always go and play Whelan’s again. That is a comforting thought.”

* The Tallest Man on Earth plays Iveagh Gardens Dublin Friday