Interview: Geoff Byrd, Singer/Songwriter And Musician - Page 2

So, prior to touring with Hall & Oates, your first taste of success was on the Imternet. You were even dubbed the "first internet pop star". How do you feel about that?

Eh.. whatever. I just like being under the radar and a guy who writes good tunes. I'll leave it to other people to hype, or not hype. I don't believe the critics and I don't give much energy to the hype either. I just like what I like and the rest of the abstract stuff is mostly subjective. I am happy not worrying about what other people think. I have found my stride lately because I am more comfortable in my own skin. I actually wrote a book about it called "Clarity."

What's that all about? Why the title "Clarity"?

It was about the way I went about gaining it [clarity]. It is only 58 pages but it helped me realize a lot of things as I was writing it. I learned how to be OK with happiness.

"Word of mouth rules" has become something of a mantra to both yourself and your fans. Does that tie in with your happiness - are you glad that you've built your fanbase largely by word of mouth?

Yeah, word of mouth, and email, and Facebook, and Myspace, and websites and all that. I find that friends talking to friends creates the best kind of atmosphere. I like playing for an audience that wants to be there and that already has an idea of my stuff and they have their friends there. It becomes more like a party rather than some kind of showcase where you are trying to win people over. I like there to be a cool vibe at the shows so word of mouth is the best. My mailing list alone has kept me in business through good times and bad, and thank God for those people, they keep me going.

On to some specific songs: you've noted that "Before Kings" - one of your best-known tracks, from the album "Shrinking Violets" - is about Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. As far as I can tell, the only explicit references to that in the song are when you mention the name "Nicole" in passing twice. Did you expect listeners to pick up on the subject matter? Why a song about Cruise and Kidman?

I am fascinated by Nicole Kidman, she is like a porcelain figurine. Beautiful and yet somewhat distant and cold at times. She is spooky in a hot sort of way; haunting. I always thought that relationship must have been strange and interesting. Although, I must admit, I almost never read or watch celebrity gossip these days because it's like eating pure cane sugar every night for dinner.. not very nourishing. But yeah, it was based on this weird dream where I was a fly on the wall in their celebrity circus of a life and the song just came out the next day.

Article Author: Wesley Mead

Wesley Mead is a politics student from England. He spends far too much time and money on DVDs. You can catch up with a range of his content from around the Internet, including lists and articles, here.

Visit Wesley Mead's author page — Wesley Mead's Blog