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I WILL BUY YOU ROGAINE
May. 9th, 2008 11:16 amHad a couple more "name" musician interviews this week -- two very different artists, Ingrid Michaelson and Tom Rush. The Michaelson interview was kind of tepid -- she wasn't that expansive, most answers were brief, but I chalk that up partly to road fatigue and recovery from illness (the interview had to be put off a day when she was sick). She's a singer-songwriter who's garnered some significant commercial success despite being unsigned, due largely through putting her music out there online to be discovered, which it was by folks who got her music on things like Grey's Anatomy and such. It's emo-ish type stuff, but I like it a lot more than I expected to. Some quirky turns of phrase, some hope against the melancholy, and a diversity in musical approach.
Tom Rush, now -- he was expansive, and genial, and conversational. The best interviews end up being less like interviews and more like conversation. Rush is someone I'm surprised I wasn't more familiar with, as he inhabits the folk/blues/Americana/roots/country/rock territory as a lot of my favorite musicians (John Prine, T Bone Burnett, Emmylou Harris, etc.). More, a lot of people discovered the work of the three Really Big 70s singer-songwriters -- James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne -- through his Circle Game album, though he says they would've made it with or without his help. While he hasn't recorded a conventional studio album in more than 30 years (though he's got one coming up), he's done a fair amount of live and collaborative work and, in recent years, discovered the possibilities of the Internet: He's got a funny song about how the memory goes with age that's gotten about 3.5 million YouTube hits, and he figures that wasn't the kidz loggin' on. A good interview. (As a bonus, I had dealt with him directly to set up the interview, rather than working through agents and publicist. While some of those folks are very helpful -- Bruce Cockburn's agent got me an interview with no problem whereas his label was doubtful about it -- I always prefer dealing with people directly whenever possible.
Part of the fun of this A&E gig is getting to chat with some of these folks whose work I've admired when they come to town. Another part is discovering more work that's engaging, whether from known artists who've been under my particular radar or from fairly unknown locals.
And yet another part is being able to work more from home when I choose, like, uh, now. Though I should be moseying over to The Company in another half-hour or so.
Sounds & Images: "No Regrets" (Tom Rush)
State O'Mind: Appreciative
Tom Rush, now -- he was expansive, and genial, and conversational. The best interviews end up being less like interviews and more like conversation. Rush is someone I'm surprised I wasn't more familiar with, as he inhabits the folk/blues/Americana/roots/country/rock territory as a lot of my favorite musicians (John Prine, T Bone Burnett, Emmylou Harris, etc.). More, a lot of people discovered the work of the three Really Big 70s singer-songwriters -- James Taylor, Joni Mitchell and Jackson Browne -- through his Circle Game album, though he says they would've made it with or without his help. While he hasn't recorded a conventional studio album in more than 30 years (though he's got one coming up), he's done a fair amount of live and collaborative work and, in recent years, discovered the possibilities of the Internet: He's got a funny song about how the memory goes with age that's gotten about 3.5 million YouTube hits, and he figures that wasn't the kidz loggin' on. A good interview. (As a bonus, I had dealt with him directly to set up the interview, rather than working through agents and publicist. While some of those folks are very helpful -- Bruce Cockburn's agent got me an interview with no problem whereas his label was doubtful about it -- I always prefer dealing with people directly whenever possible.
Part of the fun of this A&E gig is getting to chat with some of these folks whose work I've admired when they come to town. Another part is discovering more work that's engaging, whether from known artists who've been under my particular radar or from fairly unknown locals.
And yet another part is being able to work more from home when I choose, like, uh, now. Though I should be moseying over to The Company in another half-hour or so.
Sounds & Images: "No Regrets" (Tom Rush)
State O'Mind: Appreciative
