Dane Jorgen Klubien has lived in two parallel career worlds going back to the 1970's: one as an animator and story man for studios such as Disney and Pixar, the other as a Danish pop star. It's a safe bet to say he is the only one in the world with that distinction. He took a little time out to talk to FLIP.
Jorgen: I began playing the drums in bands in Copenhagen as a boy in the early 1970's. We were four pals from school and we played high schools dances, etc . I always thought of myself as an artist who would become a fine artist with playing music for fun on the side.
I enrolled in the Danish Design school at 17, and was then invited to attend CalArts two years later. My music career was put on hold until I returned to Denmark after having assisted Glen Keane, Jerry Rees, and Randy Cartwright on The Fox and The Hound for a year. Back in Denmark I began writing songs with friends and soon thereafter I was in another band, this time as the front man and lead singer. We had a few hits in the mid 80's in Denmark and we have continued to play for fun every so often.
I returned to the US in 1982 to work on a title sequence for the show Animation Around The World, one of the first shows on the newly formed Disney Channel. It was produced by my friend and classmate from CalArts, Rick Heinrichs. He's been a great supporter of me throughout the years, and has pulled me unto such great productions as The Nightmare Before Christmas and lately, Frankenweenie.
