(...Story Continued from Previous Page) It's about not wanting to
experience deep wounding. I believe that from the time you're born until you
pass on, there's a lot of very deep wounding that we push down without ever
healing it. In the Eastern religions, there's the idea of going inside,
meditating, discovery -- as Westerners, we really have perfected not doing that.
All this reality TV, tabloidism, it renders us emotionally disconnected. But I
feel like people are waking up and finally asking, what happened to us as a
nation? I see great hope, even in this presidential campaign. There's some sense
of starting to believe again that we can incite change, and it's been a while
since we've been there.
Is it difficult to think about playing some of the album's really
intimate songs onstage?
I haven't really done it yet, but I have no trepidation. I'm looking forward
to it. It all strikes an honest chord, there's nothing I'm squeamish about. Even
things like ["Make It Go Away] Radiation Song," I think those are really
universal themes; I think they'll resonate with a lot of people.
There was nothing difficult about this record, and that's very unusual for
me. No gnashing of teeth, no second-guessing, no crafting -- "maybe we need a B
section here, this chorus doesn't have a big enough hook." There was none of
that. It was really more of an exploration for me.
So these songs really came fully formed?
We did 24 songs in 40 days, in two separate hitches. Generally, Wyatt was up
early, and then when he would go down for his morning nap, I would read the
newspaper and sit and write. It's very quiet and serene out where I live, and I
can really hear what's inside my head. And having this innocent newborn,
juxtaposed with the immense chaos in the paper and on TV and on the Internet,
that really made me feel vulnerable and really inspired me.
I really don't hear anybody else writing about what's going on, and that
concerns me. A lot of people are kinda writing around it, but I don't hear the
venom and the anger, and I really hope that becomes more commonplace.
Do you feel like you're part of the music community in
Nashville?
I'm definitely still a newcomer, but I'm becoming more acclimated. I also
have some old friends I always kept in contact with, and my sister lives there.
All of my family is within a three-hour drive, and that's just essential when
you're raising a child alone. He's growing up with a strong relationship to his
family; he's madly in love with my dad.
Do you feel like your recent experiences have changed the context for
any of your older songs? Is there anything that you think will feel really
different now when you play it live?
Well, I think all your experiences wind up informing your art completely and
totally. But I just feel more confident going out and playing, period. I've
gotten more comfortable, after all this time, with seeing people's eyes instead
of staying in the dark. That first tour after my [cancer] treatment, which I did
with John Mayer, that was so celebratory, there was so much good
will -- it was really wonderful to connect with people, it was just so fresh and
new and it made me feel so great about the audience.
How was it to work with Bill Bottrell again? Things didn't
necessarily end on the best terms after "Tuesday Night Music Club."
It was just a wonderful experience in every way. We've gone on our journeys
in our lives, and come back as different people. I wanted to explore that
creative relationship, and we just picked up where we left off, with the same
connection we always had. It was like the old days, like no time had passed. I
always felt there was no bad blood between Bill and me.
You've said that you feel liberated, rather than frustrated, by the
fact that you probably can't get on the radio with new music.
It's such a funny time. It really feels like there's not any reverence toward
artists anymore. There are the older, real classic rock stars, and then the rest
of us fall somewhere between that and the readymade pop stars. We're really in
some no man's land. We just have to wait, and I guess maybe we'll get that
respect when it's time to retire.
I would like to believe there are songs on here that could get on the radio,
but it's just such a long shot, and there's a real freedom in knowing that. It
certainly makes it more interesting -- to be able to create a dialogue, and talk
about issues, rather than just going out and peddling the product.
Alan Light is the former editor-in-chief of Spin, Vibe and Tracks
magazines and a former senior writer at Rolling Stone. His writing has also
appeared in the New York Times, the New Yorker, GQ and Entertainment Weekly. His
book "The Skills to Pay the Bills: The Story of the Beastie Boys" was published
in 2006. Alan is a two-time winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for
excellence in music writing.
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