Absolutely. That's a really cool thing to convey because that's what it is. That record is me and this is what I do and these are the things I see that everyone on earth has in common. It's great that you got that.
And with myself‚ being a touring music journalist‚ people always say I "must have the greatest job in the world" and there are days it is and days it isn't. I mean‚ as much as I love it and all‚ I've also missed a lot of birthdays and a lot of funerals.
Exactly.
With this record‚ it seemed a similar studio approach as with the Crowes this last time around‚ not all about a hard‚ flashy angle‚ but a stripped down piece of music that is direct and gets the idea across by letting the melody and lyrics speak for themselves.
Well‚ Chris and I are definitely more about "here are the songs we write." We're not trying to prove anything. These are our songs; this is just us. If you don't like it‚ that's cool‚ you know? It's more of that approach. With this record‚ this is about me and what I've been going through in my life over these last bunch of years and filtering all of that into this thing‚ getting through it and trying to understand a little more about myself and my voice and what I want to say. With the first solo record I made I was thrown into it‚ I just did it -- I felt kind of stranded‚ I was real frantic. I was so used to writing songs with Chris and that sort of format. It was rushed and I was trying to compensate‚ vocally for that. I still liked the record and it was a real learning experience‚ but with this‚ I really understand my voice and what I want to say -- lyrically and vocally.
Before I called you today‚ I was listening to this NPR interview with actor Hal Holbrook about his new memoir and how he is finding rebirth in his 80s. He talked about the entertainment industry -- looking at the cost of it all‚ to him and to others around him‚ not looking back at the past‚ for good or ill‚ and just being able to pick up what you can and move on.
Oh‚ yeah. Absolutely. That's part of the "new" and what's coming‚ being able to let that shit go: "It's not working and we should try something different." It's our ability as humans to adapt and that's what we need to do‚ whether on a spiritual level or a physical level or creative level. That's what creativity is supposed to be. It's supposed to show these angles‚ it's not supposed to be safe and it's not supposed to be a service industry. It's supposed to be the individual expressing himself and someone saying‚ "Oh wow‚ I didn't think of it that way" or "that really makes me feel this way." It's an intimate‚ yet distant relationship that you have with this thing that gets people relating to this piece. They make their own definition of what this piece means to them. They create something in their own mind. What my lyrics are to me and where I'm coming from might mean something totally fucking different from someone else. As long as they feel something‚ as long as it brings them some joy‚ that's what you want. That's the biggest gift. Ultimately‚ you are connected to all these people that like what you do. You all are having this interesting experience together in a weird way‚ no matter how different it is. In a sense‚ you're kind of representing everyone anyway and that's what's so amazing about live shows. The variety of people that come out to see music and everyone that's there has this experience and everyone in that room is experiencing the same thing at the same time and it's incredible if you think about it.
It's been said Nick Drake has a large influence on you. Were you conjuring him at all during the recording process?
I've been listening to Nick for over 20 years. A friend of mine turned me on to his music and I was immediately drawn to him. There's just something about the tonality of everything he did‚ his voice and how he played guitar. He was phenomenal. That's what's really got me into open tuning. The melodies were so far down. The sound was so rich and almost sounded like a cello. What a wonderful sonic experience.
Were you satisfied with how the Crowes ended this time around?
Yeah‚ it was cool. It was something we all decided. Nobody was caught off guard this time. It was more like‚ "This is what we want to do."
What would you say to your younger self these days‚ to that kid just starting out in the 1980s with The Black Crowes?
Probably just to relax. Everything is going to be cool and to let things happen. You know‚ when you're young and all this stuff comes your way‚ you become a little uptight or I did at least.
How would your younger self respond?
Probably like‚ "You don't know shit." When you're that age you think you know everything.
Are you glad the band started the way it did with the whirlwind and immediate mainstream success or would you have wanted more of a slow burn?
I don't know. I've thought about that in the past. It would be one thing if we blasted out of the gates and went away‚ but we're still here. I think any band that stays together this long takes effort.
How do you avoid becoming a nostalgia act? I'm always in awe of bands like The Black Crowes or Pearl Jam who are always exploring‚ always learning and trying new things while others seem to rest on their loins or end up on late night infomercials as part of a one-hit wonder music collection.
It's kind of your decision whether you want to be like that or not. If you always want to be viable or better at your instrument or better at your craft or songwriting you will put yourself to do that. We change our set and keep it fresh and that always kept us going. If we just went out there and played the hits every night‚ I think all of us would have lost stream a long time ago. I think to be able to go in and do what we do has kept us really vibrant.