Mitch Myers is a very cool guy. In a review of his book The Boy Who Cried Freebird, I called him and other music writers "divine fools," scribbling their passion for rhythms soft and loud on notepads and in serial journals. He hasn’t protested this description one bit.
Myers grew up in Chicago, where he cut his teeth on the up and coming rock scene under the heavy influence of his uncle, prolific musician and author Shel Silverstein. Before taking a serious shot for fame as a critic, interviewer and musical raconteur, Myers earned his daily bread in the psychiatric field. Why isn’t it surprising that this endeavor would be fertile ground to build a career as music writer on?
He’s been published many times in Rolling Stone as well as thousands of ‘zines, and alternative music screeds for discriminating rockers that feast on tidbits of info on their favorite bands. Myers also plies his trade as a commentator for National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. His first book, The Boy Who Cried Freebird, a collection of essays, fiction, fantasy, and truths finally told, hit bookstores last week. I interviewed him in March 2007 by email.
Blogcritics: When I started researching you on the Internet, there were a lot of references to Mitch Myers the rodeo comic and not much on you. Would you say that's a fair comment on how Americans view authors these days?
Mitch Myers: Wow, a rodeo comic? I never heard of him but he's probably funnier than me anyhow. Seriously, my career as an author is in the earliest stages so I don't expect there would be that much written about me. As a writer, I've usually had the privilege of writing for very small periodicals - the saving grace being that I've been able to write about what interests me (for the most part). I came up with most story ideas on my own and pursued them to their conclusion. Like, nobody said to me, "Mitch, we need 2500 words of an alien-invasion story starring Ozzy Osbourne, can you get it done in three weeks?"
BC: In reading The Boy Who Cried Freebird, it seemed like you captured a different rhythm for each of your stories. Do you purposely make connections between musical rhythm and writing in general, or do your stories take on lives of their own at some point?
MM: Thanks for noticing and saying so. In my work I have always tried to resonate with the subject matter at hand. Since music is my most frequent topic, I strive to mirror the sounds and styles of the artists being profiled as best I can. Still, the stories do occasionally get away from me and take on a life of their own and then it is my job to stick with piece until the logical conclusion presents itself, like in "John Henry and the Wheels of Steel," which is basically a modernization of an old American folktale.
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