It's one of the things that I really enjoy about musicians who are able to do that. Where they take little bits of here and there and combine it all into something that you wouldn't have expected and a really well blended influence of styles. It makes it more interesting, rather than just putting out the same album every year.
I believe in it. I think you have to do something you can't do, like learn a new instrument. I'm learning trumpet now, and I’m terrible at it. Just awful. I pity anyone who has to overhear me doing my scales. It's awful. Now I'm taking tap lessons. I'm really terrible, but you have to be willing to dispense with the thing that you mastered to get somewhere new. My favorite quote is from Miles Davis who when asked, "Why don't you just do those ballads again?" He said, "Well, 'cause I already did that, man." [laughter] Once you figure it out, you know?
Where's the challenge?
Where's the challenge? I mean, are you making paintings to hang over people's sofas? Then you just do the same things over and over. Then you get a brand. Are you willing to put your brand at risk? That's what makes it interesting for me. Anywhere the word brand shows up it gets almost creepy.
Once you start to take steps to guarantee your position in the marketplace, I think it limits what you can choose from in making the next thing. Then again, if I wanted more commercial success, maybe I could think about a few of those things. Now I have a very nice touring career all around the country and I enjoy it. There are people who have made different choices and they're more of a presence on radio and television. You have to weight out what's important to you, what's the most rewarding for you.
For me as a creative person, there's nothing quite like coming up with it in the office. The big "a-ha!" moment. The big "oh my God that song is gonna work!" Going back to "My Strange Nation," I remember exactly where I was when that concept came to me. I was walking across the Columbus Avenue bridge on my way home. It was a sunny day in January, and I remember singing, "My strange nation..." That was it. There it was. It was both patriotic and musical. It had everything in it. That was the "a-ha" moment. This is going to write itself because it has everything in it, like the DNA.
Article comments
1 - Tracy
GREAT interview here with Susan Werner. I absolutely LOVE her music, particularly the jazzy songs and the new gospel-y songs. I love that y'all got into a discussion about religion in America; it's really cool to hear where she's coming from on these new tunes. I'm a recent divinity school graduate and while my faith means a great deal to me, I fluctuate between a kind of seriousness and earnestness and a kind of subversive desire to shake things up a bit. ;o) A healthy skepticism and doubt, if you will, combined with a deep sense of faithfulness. This is what I love about Susan's new songs in this genre, and I think they're really going to resonate with a LOT of folks in the church around the country, probably more than she realizes. Most of the folks I know from the types of churches I've been involved in have just this kind of perspective... a wilingness to laugh at oneself and be critical of something while still being loyal to it. It's nice to have some music that expresses that complexity of thought and emotion.
Anyway, I really enjoyed reading this and wanted to thank you for taking the time to write it and share it! :o)
Grace and peace,
Tracy