It was 2001, and my only knowledge of Bjork was that she once bashed up a reporter after getting out of a plane. My image was this ice bitch who made totally inaccessible, bizarre music loved only by gothics and such.

I saw the newly-released Vespertine in Borders. Out of a kind of morbid curiosity, I scanned it under the preview headphones.

"Hidden Place" came on. It elevated me, starting off cells that hadn't been touched before. I got massive chills and went into a beautiful trance-like state. I've since found a name for this feeling: Bjorgasm.

I was hooked and now own her whole catalogue. How did you discover her?

Mine would have to be the "venus as a boy" video and song, I still love it! it reminds me of bike ridding around Amsterdam ? go figure!

"Hit" by the Sugarcubes in my sophomore year in high school. Didn't become a fan 'til "Big Time Sensuality" though.

My first encounter with Bjork was when she was in the Sugarcubes. I went to a festival and they played and I thought she was REALLY weird. I didn't know her name, she was just the lead singer, the music was ok, but I liked PIL better. Anywho she introduced a song and started talking about a bee and she felt she had to clarify "You know bees? Those things that go bzzz bzz bzzz?" Yes, I know what bees are, thank you.

I remember when Human Behaviour came out, and Big Time Sensuality. I thought they were cool songs with cool videos, but I didn't get hooked. It's Oh So Quiet was a lot of fun. I even had her cds before I REALLY got into her. Then about 4 years ago I caught the last half of Bravo Profiles on Bjork. It was about Homogenic and it showed her recording it. I was mesmerized by the Icelandic scenery and her explanations of her creativity.

Since then it's been gradual... From that documentary I fell in love with Joga. "State of Emergency"... I remember going to Chico's house and watching her videos... I had a few cd singles from when I worked in a wrecka stow. Vespertine drew me in further... I rented Vessel from the video store and copied it... I was amazed by that show, being her debut and all... I bought Shepherds Bush... loved it. But it wasn't until I bought the Inside Bjork documentary that I went BANANAS.

Now I have the Live Box, and I just got some more cd singles... I want to get everything but I'm afraid I'll OD!!! I want to buy all the dvds, esp Royal Opera and Jools Holland, MTV Unplugged, the videos and Cambridge are next in line...

Where is the line?

MrSquiggle said:

Great word.

I remember seeing the video for "Birthday" on MTV's 120 Minutes and thinking Bjork was some kind of mentally touched feral creature that must have been found in the jungle raised by hyaenas or something - I bought their first album on tape not long after and I wasn't really thrilled with it, but I loved her voice...fast forward to around 1993, when I was at a bar in Chicago and they had an advance copy of the "Human Behavior" video - I had no clue Bjork was doing a solo thing, and I was shocked and entranced by it and I fell completely in love with her, the song, the video, everything. I bought "Debut" as soon as it came out and I loved every last note of it.

MrSquiggle said:

I became familar with her when she was with a group called the Sugarcubes from Iceland.

VinaBlue said:

I saw her video for Human Behaviour on MTV a few days after it was released. I kind of liked
it, thought it was different and the song grew on me over the weeks.

Then I got "Debut" and she just kept getting better and better with each consecutive album
until she grew out to be my 3rd most fav artist.

Human Behavior
I heard it and the bassline sucked me in immediately.
It was weird and freaky and her voice was eerie and I liked it alot and didn't know why.

GangstaFam said:

we're Bjork twins! That's exactly my story!

Chico1 said:

I was like...

Funny, I couldn't STAND Tori when she came out (Boys for Pele did it), and I didn't understand the big fuss about Duran Duran in 84 (I fell for them in 86)... I liked Purple Rain and had some of Prince's albums, but didn't become a FAN until Thieves in the Temple.

I've never realized this! These are my FAVORITE artists now.

I was in a arcade and they had a monitor playing music videos but they didn't have the volume up. They were playing "Human Behavior" and I was just thinking, man this is an awesome video, even though I couldn't hear what it sounded like. I had to wait until it was over so I could see the artists name, so I could check it out later.

Later I was talking to a friend of mine at my college's radio station about this video and how it was by Bjork, and he said, "Hey man, we just got that cd sent to us, but it doesn't fit our format. If you want it, you can have it!" And that cd was Debut and I was hooked.

I knew who she was, but I hadn't really heard her until the summer of 2000. I saw the Bravo profile on her which included the making of Homogenic. The minute they showed footage her singing "Come To Me" from MTV Unplugged, I was owned. I bought Homogenic the next day, and we started our little affair. My wife really doesn't appreciate it, especially since my affair with Sade has lasted so long.

MrSquiggle said:

The song "Birthday" by Sugarcubes. I was smitten with her voice. I heard ahwile later that she went solo. "Debut" got like 1 star from RS when it came out so I waited for "Post". Been hooked ever since. "Army Of Me" is one of my favorite songs of all time.

I saw the video for "Motorcrash" on 120 Minutes and really liked that song. I thought The Sugarcubes were cool except for that annoying guy whose crazy shouting messed up almost every song, so I never bought any of their albums (except for the greatest hits a few years ago). I think Bjork snagged me with the "Big Time Sensuality" video.

I knew nothing about her. I went to see the movie Waking Life and walked in late to a 35mm large screen Pagan Poetry playing in this blackened theater complete with nudity and body piercing and I was like

WHOA