Bill Monroe was a massive influence on prolific bluegrass artist Ricky Skaggs. In this two part conversation, Ricky explains how Bill Monroe oversaw the origin of bluegrass music, and forever changed music as we know it.
Here’s Why Bruce Springsteen Won’t Write An Anti-Trump Song
You’ve done so much looking back recently, between the book and “The River” anniversary tour and now this Broadway run. Any thoughts on what’s next?
I suppose the [solo] record that I haven’t released. It’s not topical at all — topical writing at the moment doesn’t hold a lot of interest to me. I really got out a lot of what I had to say in that vein on “Wrecking Ball.” I’m not driven to write any anti-Trump diatribe; that doesn’t feel necessary at the moment.
Why, because so many people already are?
Yeah, because it’s everywhere and all over, ya know? It feels a little redundant to me at the moment. And, once again, I always try to look at what I can deliver that’s personal to me and of most value. The audience has a wide variety of needs; whatever you’re writing, you’re trying to meet your own need, and as I’ve said in other interviews, Marty Scorsese once said, “The job of the artist is to make the audience care about your obsessions.” So I hope I write about the things that obsess me well enough for my audience to care about them.
But don’t you think your opinions about Trump would matter to your audience?
Well, if you read Charles Blow in The New York Times, he carries the flag pretty well. I’m ambivalent about … sort of getting on a soapbox. I still believe people fundamentally come to music to be entertained — yes, to address their daily concerns, and yes, also to address political topics, I believe music can do that well. But I still believe fundamentally it’s an affair of the heart. People want you to go deeper than politics, they want you to reach inside to their most personal selves and their deepest struggles with their daily lives and reach that place; that’s the place I’m always trying to reach. I’d never make a record that’s just polemical, I wouldn’t release it if I did. To me, that’s just an abuse of your audience’s good graces. But if I’m moved, I’ll write, say, something like “American Skin” [inspired by the 1999 shooting death of Amadou Diallo by New York City Police officers — who were later acquitted]. That just rolled very naturally for me, and that’s as good a topical song as I’ve ever written. And when it comes up, I write ’em. If I felt that strongly, I’d do it now. But I watch myself, because I think you can weigh upon your audience’s indulgence in the wrong way.
What do you mean?
I never wanted to be just a proselytizer for an ideological point of view. That’s not my job; that’s somebody else’s job. And if you even look back to Woody Guthrie’s material, he didn’t do that. He wrote these very full character pieces that, whether you were there in the Depression or not, they live today. They weren’t hollow, they weren’t one-dimensional; they were these very full character pieces about the times. I still aspire to that, really, and if it has political implications that’s fine and if it doesn’t that’s fine too.
His songs are about those times but aren’t bound to them.
Yeah, that’s what I mean. That’s the target; those are the kinds of works that you aspire to. It’s like if “The Rising” was only about 9/11, it would have been hollow. But you can listen to it today and it’s a record that has a spiritual resonance that, whether it was connected to that event or not, it retains its life and its poetry. If you delve deep enough into yourself —and that doesn’t mean it’s autobiographical, it means if you’re reaching deep enough into your own humanity — it becomes universal. And that’s a guiding light that I use when I write.
Chris Difford’s Autobiography “Some Fantastic Place: My Life In and Out of Squeeze” Is Now Out
Chris Difford is a rare breed. As a member of one of London’s best-loved bands, the Squeeze co-founder has made a lasting contribution to English music with hits such as ‘Cool For Cats’, ‘Up The Junction’, ‘Labelled With Love’, ‘Hourglass’ and ‘Tempted’. Even before his first release in 1977, his love of writing lyrics has never wavered.
Over the course of a thirteen-album career with Squeeze, it was clear from the very beginning that Difford has few peers when it comes to smart, pithy lyricism. His ‘kitchen-sink drama’ style has drawn plaudits from fans on both sides of the Atlantic, and his influence is keenly felt today. The likes of Lily Allen. Mark Ronson, Kasabian, Razorlight and many more have recognized the debt they owe to Squeeze’s music and to Difford’s way with words, while journalists were moved by his winning combination with Glenn Tilbrook to dub the pair ‘The New Lennon and McCartney’.
In Chris’ new autobiography, Some Fantastic Place, he charts his life from his early days as a dreaming boy in south London with a talent for poetry to becoming a member of one of Britain’s greatest bands and beyond. Along the way he reveals the inspiration and stories behind Squeeze’s best-known songs, and his greatest highs and lows from over four decades of making music.
After the breakup of Squeeze in 1983 Difford continued writing songs with Glenn Tilbrook for artists such as Helen Shapiro, Billy Bremner and Elvis Costello. He has also written lyrics for music by Jools Holland, Elton John, Wet Wet Wet, Marti Pellow and others. In 1985 Squeeze reunited, having hits in the U.S. with Babylon and On, ‘Hourglass’ and ‘853-5937’. Difford left the group in 1999 launching a solo career in 2003 with his album I Didn’t Get Where I Am. Difford was also manager of Bryan Ferry and The Strypes. In March 2010, Difford curated Songs in the Key of London, an evening of music dedicated to the capital at the Barbican Centre, London.
You can get the book here.
Metz On Their Love Of Bob Mould
There are a lot of the qualities of SST Records found in METZ’ music – who would the most important SST band be, or a lesser-known gem from back then?
Ah…off the top of my head? It’s not strange stuff, but an honest answer, not as cool, but lately, I’ve just been saying: “It’s just Hüsker Dü, all day, every day.” They’re probably my favourite SST band. It just blows my mind. You listen to it over and over and over and over, and you put it on again one day and you get something else from it. I can just find something amazing in it every time I listen to it.
No one does the simple complexity thing quite like Hüsker Dü.
We saw Bob play in Toronto, and he played a bunch of Hüsker Dü stuff, but even his solo stuff – it boggles my mind because it’s open chords with a distortion pedal and is nothing groundbreaking in that way, but in every other way, it’s just perfection. And you’re left wondering: “How does he do that?” I don’t get it.
Even the Sugar records are essentially Mould doing alt. rock arguably better than the Foo Fighters and the like.
He’s just got that thing that’s one of a kind that no-one can touch. Even if they were to play the exact same chords on the exact same guitar, it wouldn’t work.
Dale Crover’s New Record Will Be On A Cymbal
Melvins drummer Dale Crover released his official debut solo album, The Fickle Finger Of Fate, last month. And next month, he’ll put out another single from the album, “Thunder Pinky,” on a record that also functions as a playable cymbal. Limited to 127 hand-made copies with screen-printed jackets signed by Crover himself, the lathe-cut, solid brass “record-cymbal hybrid” costs $100.
The Cast of Sesame Street Reads Famous Movie Quotes
Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and the rest of the cast of Sesame Street read famous movie lines from the last century of cinema.
Photo Gallery: Gilby Clarke with Drop Top Alibi and The Road Heavy at Toronto’s Rockpile
All photos by Mini’s Memories. You can contact her at minismemories@hotmail.com
Jeff Bridges revives ‘The Dude’ to honor his Big Lebowski co-star John Goodman
Jeff Bridges broke out his Big Lebowski character ‘The Dude’ to honor John Goodman with his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Chance the Rapper Talks About His Daughter, And It’s Heartwarming
What does being the world’s best dad mean to you?
Man. Well, I have the world’s best dad currently. Most of the stuff that he showed me has been his dedication, his time management, his commitment to being truthful. It’s all about what he’s instilled in me. So, I wanna have the type of relationship where I’m a trusted figure beyond a dad. I wanna be a good friend and a good example.
Has being a dad changed how you think about your parents?
Definitely. My mom and dad have always been really close to me and very hands-on with everything that I’ve done. Good people.
I feel like it humanized my parents to me. It made me feel a lot more forgiving towards them, because they’re just people trying to figure it out.
I’m in a unique position [with] a lot of the things you would think you would get past because of the “successes” that I’ve had. Like, I’m honestly, in real life, thinking about moving in with my parents right now. I think, anybody, if they were in my position—if they were 23 with a kid for the first time and were working—they would find comfort in being able to stay with their parents. If their parents are willing. I guess that’s just what it all comes down to; if they’re willing. I’m in a position where I want to be closer to my parents now, because I realize how important that is. There was never a point, ever, in my life where I can remember loving someone as much or more than I love my mom until I met my daughter. So, it made me understand that my mom loves me more than she loves anybody in the world, and that’s crazy to me. So of course I wanna be around her.
Do you feel like you understand when they worried about you when you were a teenager? Does that make sense now?
Definitely. I’m understanding that cyclical thing of it all: I’m realizing, “Oh shit, my kids are probably gonna try and sneak out and smoke dope and argue with teachers or do whatever.” And my parents probably did the same thing. It’s kind of sobering. To a certain extent, it’s just gonna keep going. I’m gonna have kids, my kids are gonna have kids, and so on and so forth. But, there’s also a lot of beauty in it and something romantic about it.