Snowed in, made brunch and decided to listen to Born and Raised. Emotions blazin’. Let’s do a B&R Q&A.
[Twitter question deleted by user]
Something like Olivia. Drummer Jim Keltner was in studio that day and I wouldn’t let him leave until we jammed on something... and then...
[Twitter question about "The Age of Worry" deleted by user]
I wrote that song with my hands in the air and pretended I was a circus barker. I was giving myself a talking to.
What was the first song you wrote for the album?
The first song was called “High Road, Lonely Road.” It addressed stuff I had to express but didn’t quite need to share. Next was “Whiskey.”
[Twitter question about drums on "A Face to Call Home" deleted by user]
Correct. Two different kits. Ending is really classic Michael Brauer mixing. I wasn’t afraid to ask for “The Coldplay.”
When will you turn Walt Grace into a film or storybook?
Long term project. It’s my go-to daydream.
what's your favorite lyric from the B&R album?
“Give your heart then change your mind/you’re allowed to do it/cause God knows it’s been done to you, and somehow you got through it.”
Was it hard having that music in you/out in the world and not being able to tour with it right away? What’s that like?
It will always be hard. Art don’t always line up.
Is there a song on the album that you would change? Which song would it be and why? It's one of my favorite albums.
I used to think “Olivia” didn’t fit the vibe of the album but it’s patina-ed nicely. The moral of the story is “what do I know”
Is the lyric "it sucks, to be honest" or "it sucks to BE honest" in Shadow Days?
Right?
[Twitter question deleted by user]
That phase went from fall 2010 til about fall 2011. I worked a lot of stuff out while I was in that zone. The mission statement, at least.
did you cry in any part of the process of making B&R? why?
I don’t think I did. But I get a lump in my throat now.
[Twitter question deleted by user]
⚡🙏⚡🙏⚡ I told my therapist “I’m not really a person, I’m more just a collection of ideas.” I think I was right. Person here now.
[Twitter question deleted by user]
Fool to Love You is a mistake to have left off the album. It was written during Continuum but never recorded. Originally Sam Cooke swing.
[Twitter question deleted by user]
Oh man. I remember writing that one and taking it around the city on headphones. “Dude under repairs” was well established on the album.
When you first went to the studio to record the first song for B&R what was going through your mind?
“I want a second take on my first record.”
How did the original 'Helpless' differ from the one that you ultimately recorded for TSFE?
Helpless from B&R sessions was a little assholey. Which was sort of the idea, how I wasn’t sure I could help myself. But too macho.
is no one asking about Speak for Me... is that foreshadowing ur throat or what
No, it was sort of a “born at the wrong time” lament. @Sterloid and I played his drum kit together for it. One of my fave memories.
[Tweet from @TheRyanAdams] Shadow Days is my fav track on B&R. How did you get that elegant guitar sound on the into and tags? Is it two dif guitars?
Hiyeeee I think it was Strat/Tele double-tracking. Harrison vibes. Also dobro and some really shitty banjo-with-guitar-tuning.
original Experience lineup, Band of Gypsies, or Cox/Mitchell?
Original lineup all day
[Twitter question deleted by user]
Fantastic question. Lagavulin 16. Neat. I still see the bottle and feel like it loves me more than anyone else who drinks it.
what was the inspiration for the album title/concept overall? Did you feel a shift in maturity?
I came to the end of the idea that made me, and was about to destroy me. So I shut it down. The record was made from behind the curtain.
when I'm sad I cry in the shower and shout "Worry get out of here" til I feel better. did u expect this reaction from your fans?
No, but I *love* this.
[Twitter question deleted by user]
Yes. And don’t forget “now her ghost is finally gone” from Good Love is On the Way. :)
I hear a lot of Dylan influences in B&R, especially his 70’s phase, what part did his influence play in the making of th album?
Laying in Philly. 2010 summer tour. A tough one. Watched “No Direction Home” and that was it. I would retire and start again. Why not?
As a writer you probably always have material (for songs), how do you decide something is worth chewing on and fleshing out?
Great Q. I fly at 37k feet over a lot of ideas and have developed a pretty good sense of when to descend to 10k, and then when to land.
What song does the lyric "a song in the back of my soul" refer to?
Great question. The song nobody knows IS Queen of California. 🙌
“If you see her, say hello” in Queen of CA...are you referencing the Dylan song there from Blood on the Tracks?
Wow. No. But good looking out.
did you ever get around to living?
I work on it every day. Very much a dude who hangs out in the past and the future. Lot of felt creativity there but missing some reality.
Hey. That meant a lot to me. You might have changed my outlook on this for all time. Means the world. ⚡♥️⚡