Some reflections on the latest episode of the DIAL NITS podcast by Eric Facon and Darren Hayne

Fifty (+1) Ways to Leave the Original

The 26th shape is the circle of friends

Listening to the latest episode of DIAL NITS, “Isnt Nits”, I got this very peculiar feeling – despite some personal issues and disappointments – that I was in the midst of a warm family of music, and amidst a very intimate circle of friends of the musical world that Nits created over those past 50 years. As I realised later on, the role reversal – with Nits as listeners this time – made for a very endearing atmosphere. Many (famous) musicians show no interest or remain indifferent to the covers made by others of their music, so in this respect alone the reactions of Nits are already quite exceptional. I listened to the episode several times because I like it so much – it must be the episode I listened to the most, without a doubt.

I love listening to the voices of all these men and women who tell their story of acquaintance or friendship with the band or their music. Nits are a band who created a cosy nest to dwell in and as you might know I myself like to spend lots of time in the company of their music, their lyrics and their ideas, their world and the way they made their way through the years of life in music. And this episode gave me an intense sense of familiarity and togetherness that feels totally natural and sincere. I think this is quite exceptional. Especially because all of it happens in the shadows of the whole mindless mass media circus where one new hero of the day replaces yesterday’s triumpher. So I am always astonished by the small number of people who like to take a deeper interest in the world and work of Nits, and choose to dive a little deeper into their world, their ideas, their philosophy of music as it entangles itself with their philosophy of life. Isn’t it wonderful that a group of eminent musicians can create such a warm and fascinating environment away from the screaming masses of idolatry, far away from the obsession with money and download, streaming or (ticket)sales numbers, but only guided by a natural integrity and a sincere love for music, a sincere love for life and a never ending desire to create something beautiful that is at the same time meaningful and which is nothing short of a biography in music of a life story, a life history, a musical memoir of a world and a time, of memories, longings, fantasies and all of it without the presence of a big ego that desperately wants to steal the show? And if that is not enough in itself, they have managed to create a musical oeuvre that is as brilliant as it is varied. It’s the music itself that is always at the center of the explorations of Nits. They continuously ask themselves how can music evolve together with the lives we live, how can music express itself in yet another form, yet another “style”, another paradigm or language, what is in our musical head and heart today, what do our musical hands and feet feel like today, what instruments do we want to use this time to express our world and ourselves in it? Who are the people and the characters that we want to portray next in our music? What does our world feel like today and how will we express ourselves through music in a way that is honest, meaningful and very personal.

Of course I for one have always enjoyed listening to musicians talking about (their) music, so that’s why I like the DIAL NITS podcast too. Because music is the art that is the furthest away from the concreteness of our everyday world, we have no clue really how music works – apart from the work of some neuroscientists perhaps – and why it speaks to us the way it does. It is also perhaps the art form which leaves the greatest part of the experience up to our imagination and allows for an endless stream of associations. So that’s why I think it is so fascinating to listen to musicians and composers – who understand the art of music best of all – and find out how they perceive music and how it relates to our experiences as human beings. What they come to understand through music or which sensibilities music lays bare. I think that is most fascinating indeed! Furthermore music – as all art – is a form of communication with the listener and therefore deserves a response of whoever is listening. I find those discussions most revealing and insightful. Music is a way of dealing with so many things in our lives, the good ones and the bad ones and so music is very worthy of a little reflection. It gets us closer to ourselves and the mystery of our being in the world. As the work of Nits proves so clearly.

So in this episode the roles are changed: Nits for once are the listeners, the “consumers” as Robert Jan called it. I thought his three criteria for choosing the covers he preferred were a fun insight into Robert Jan’s way of thinking about music. It’s so nice to see how those three (or four or maybe five) different personalities of the Nits men have melted together into this very sympathetic and feeling band who are very grateful for those 51 (and more) tokens of love they received through this project and all its collaborators. Yes the music of Nits is of course a wealthy source of inspiration and offers an immense catalogue of songs to choose from, finger-licking delicious for many a musician I am sure …

I like the way Henk describes the cover version of “Soap Bubble Box” as an object; he remarks that the song sounds like another one of Joseph Cornell’s magical boxes filled with little things he gathered on his walks through his world. In fact most of the songs of Nits are like treasure chests filled with the tangible experiences and “things” of a particular time and place. They contain miniatures of the days of our lives. And these songs are so absolutely wonderful and lovely to be in and live with. It’s like a constant soundtrack of the beautiful presence of a world of things and nature and people. When an artist decides to make a cover of a song like “Bike in Head”, a whole musical exploration and journey appear almost out of nowhere, the bells of the bikes in a city of clear skies, clear water, reflections, rhythms and harmonies that move and flutter like fireflies bringing light and lightness, playing with crystal sounds and voices, that’s just one of a myriad of ways in which the music of Nits inspires others to create different worlds of music. It even made some musicians think differently about music and opened up new musical approaches to them as testifies Simon Pelletier-Gilbert of “Les Chercheurs d’Or”.

The constructions and flows of music that Nits set up over more than fifty years are so tremendously ingenious and imaginative and lend themselves to so many different interpretations … once more a manifestation of their unique musical personality. It is also so very evident to see how much of their souls, their whole being, the men of Nits have invested in their music creations. Rob is moved to tears by the wonderful interpretation of the Alankomaat song “Louder and Louder” by two of his good friends Shirley and Oli. As Shirley rightly says: two things that immediately spring to mind when she thinks about Nits are two characteristics of Henk and Rob, that have nothing to do with music … The music of Nits and who they are as a person are so very tightly intertwined. Music becomes a part of who they are and they become a part of the music. The music of Nits goes out into the world to meet people and make friends. And that is utterly unique! And it is a pleasure for the listener to witness this.

I was a little puzzled though that Gus MacGregor quoted the W.H. Auden poem “The Museum Of Beaux Arts”. Auden wrote this poem while he stayed in Belgium and the poem is inspired by some paintings by the Old Masters that he saw at the museum Le Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels. Gus cites it in order to underline the importance of details in the lyrical story writing of Henk Hofstede and of course Henk’s imaginative and poetical way of writing stands out. But the poem’s main subject is the indifference of people towards the suffering of others. So maybe on this note I might end this waterfall of words and just say how much I deplore the – well let us just call it – “indifference” – manifested through a lack of response or discussion, or is it mere silence, a devoted silence maybe – that I sense amongst many Nitsfans towards the more detailed explorations of the work of Nits as expressed in the podcast DIAL NITS. Music and words go well together. “Discussion keeps a house alive” one of the characters in E.M. Forster’s novel “Howards End” declares. And Nits gave us so much to discuss … And discussing music is always fun when it remains respectful and friendly.

The video with one of my favourite covers of Isnt Nits by Christian Brantschen.

Joke Roelandt, March 2025