I think it depends on the age group. I think some artists didn’t grow up listening to Dylan and the great commentators. So that tradition has kind of been weakened. I think we've also gotten away from writing songs that are not an attempt to get on radio. We’ve had that kind of thrust down our throats for so many years that commerce is tantamount, that's king, and hopefully it's changing. People tell me that other artists are writing about what's going on. I've yet to hear it. I know that a lot of people say Pearl Jam's doing it. I need to check out what they're doing. But, I'm hoping there's going to be a shift. I don't see how you can be an artist and not be writing about what's really going on.
Do you feel like this is a departure from what you were doing before? Sonically, it sounds like a natural progression, but looking at the difference between a tune like "Shine Over Babylon" and "Soak Up the Sun," it's just a totally different energy.
Yeah and they're different times we're living in. That record obviously came out when Clinton was in office. Although, that is an environmental song and there is some social commentary in that song. My desire to write a pop chorus kind of went by the wayside with this record.
Do you think people will be surprised?
I don't know, I guess so. I guess if they hear it [laughs]. Some people won't listen to it because of my past records. Some new people will get turned onto it. I just hope people will find something on there that resonates with them and that creates some kind of sense of community, that we all feel the same way.
You got into the industry and into the spotlight before the internet really took off and we got into this download culture. How has that changed your career and how you write, and what you think of in terms of putting work out into the world?
Well a couple of things, it hasn't really changed the way I write. Although I do love the idea that the worse things get, the more I feel like being an anarchist. The more offended I am by what this administration has pulled off, the more I feel like I've got to write about it. It's almost like a dare, you know. So in that way, it hasn’t really changed that much, but I love the idea that technology is changing things in a way that....well, in a climate where everything is about commerce in entertainment, it's creating a new way to get music heard. I think the days of trying to get music bought are probably behind us. I love the idea that there are so many ways to get the music out there.
So this album is coming out on Mardi Gras day and it's also Super Tuesday. You've got a little competition as to what people will be paying attention to. Was that intentional?
[laughs] You know, I don’t think anyone realized it was coming out on Super Tuesday. I think it was completely random, but I'm glad.
Is there anything else you want people to know? What's coming up for you?
Well we're going to do a bunch of promo before we hit the road. We're going to Europe to do promo, we'll do some in New York and LA, all those TV Shows. And then we'll be hitting the road in May and we'll tour throughout the summer, for sure.
This interview was conducted Jan. 28, 2008.
