It Was Difficult To Say

Chain and the Gang “Unpronounceable Name”

Ian Svenonius is a writer, a musician, and a performer, but above all other things, he is a character. I have never met the man, but I’m willing to believe that he never lets the mask slip, and essentially just became the persona he created many years ago simply by living it every day. To be very clear, I’m not calling him a phony — I think that this is more or less what we all do in our lives, but that his affectations are much more bold and well-curated than most. Nevertheless, he is a distinct, larger-than-life character, and he’s out there walking around in the world, living his life every day. It’s funny to think of him in totally ordinary situations, or having to regularly engage with people who would just be confused or annoyed by his shtick.

Since it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see an Ian Svenonius reality television series, the best window we have into the world of Svenonius-the-character and/or Svenonius-the-man are songs like “Unpronounceable Name,” in which he presents himself within a scenario that could be fictional, but is just plausible enough to seem like a slice of his life. It’s a groovy little tune with a lively swing that suits him rather well, particularly as he plays the role of a romantic lead in pursuit of a woman with a name so difficult to pronounce that she becomes incredibly elusive, and nearly mythical.

Buy it from K Records.