BON IVER:
Anywhere from Here

ON THE ROAD
    Since the international critical break-through of For Emma: Forever Ago, Justin’s life has been a whirlwind of tours, interviews, offers…a dream come true, and then some. Music mythology would suggest that at this point the dark side of success would spill over and Justin would figure out that the touring life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Turns out, it actually is – if taken in moderation. “It’s fun,” Justin says. “My only complaint is that I get tired. So far that tired has never taken over a show where I just hate being up there. I’ve been homesick, but I’ve never wanted to be somewhere else.”

    “I’ve been smart enough to say no to as many things as I’ve said yes to because I could be on tour for the next year,” he adds. “But I’m taking half the year off next year…so it’s just a thing that I get to enjoy. A few months back I made a conscious decision to enjoy this while I’m in it because when I was a kid this is what you dream about…and it’s weird how many of the things I’ve hoped for are happening. Now that they’re here I don’t want to squander them, but I don’t want to enjoy them so much that I burn out.”

    There’s been plenty to enjoy. Certainly, two of his most visible highlights were performing on British talk show “Later with Jools Holland” and on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” A gig on David Letterman is coming up on December 11. It’s a lot of pressure – one song with a national audience. Previous experiences, however, temper that pressure.

    “I never get that nervous about playing,” Justin says. “I get nervous about technical things, but the people around me make me relaxed about all that. Doing Jools Holland helped do Conan, and Conan is going to help do Letterman…it just makes it easier.”

    Perspective helps, too. “Maybe there’s a hundred-thousand people watching this right now,” Justin remembers thinking at the time, “but there’s a billion people that aren’t watching it right now.”

GIVE AND TAKE
    Now that the rest of the world has caught on, calls are coming from all over the entertainment industry, offering Justin deals to use his songs in their shows, films, and commercials. So far, Bon Iver songs have popped up on episodes of “Grey’s Anatomy,” “House,” “Chuck,” and “One Tree Hill.” He’s also on the verge of a deal to write the score for an upcoming film, but details can’t be revealed just yet.

    “I wonder when it’s going to subside, but everyday I get a new piece of news that’s so exciting and I’m just thrilled,” Justin says, reflecting on the touchstone moments both big and small. “Maybe it’s just a thought or someone emails you, or someone tells you a story about this or that. That’s been real inspiring. And I’m making sure that I’m not listening to that so much that I’m making that what it’s about…but it certainly helps to know that things are growing.”

    Vernon’s label gets the offers along with a publishing company in New York, but it all filters through Vernon and his manager, local music biz guru Kyle Frenette. It’s up to them to decide whether or not to put a song in a movie, television show, or commercial. They view the clips and make the call based on what’s best for the music. “There’s a bunch of stuff we turned down …things that wouldn’t be representative,” Justin says.

    For instance, Seth Rogan (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) wanted to use “Re: Stacks” in his next film. “They sent the scene and it seemed very heartwarming and they offered gobs of money,” Justin says. “It was kind of hard to say no to because of how much respect I have for the guy, but I didn’t think that song should be used in that arena where I think it could be misunderstood.”

    Funny thing is, Justin gave Honda the green light to use “For Emma” in a commercial running in Florida. “I said yes because it was appropriate and it wouldn’t take away from the song,” he says. The song wasn’t the centerpiece; it was simply in the background. And the commercial, featuring a girl walking down the street with a red balloon, Justin said, was “artistic” and “cool.”  

    “The Seth Rogan film might take that song ‘Stacks’ and put it in this high sort of scope or focus,” he says. “It would almost take that song and pin it to this moment in time that is this big movie. I just don’t want the songs to ever be put on anything and stay there and have to be stuck.”

    Television programs, movies, commercials…what’s the difference? “It’s just a balance thing,” Justin acknowledges. “You just have to kind of go with your gut. You don’t say yes to every Starbucks compilation that they ask you to do…and they want to put ‘Skinny Love’ on it. You don’t want them to get all of you in one glance. Then what do they need you for after that? It’s not that I think strategically like that, but it’s smart not to give everything.”