Anil Prasad started the
Innerviews website in 1994 as a means of presenting extensive interviews with some of the world's finest musicians. Now, in the book by the same name, Prasad spotlights some of the most revolutionary artists around - from
Ani DiFranco to Bjork,
Bela Fleck, Chuck D, and beyond.
Deeper Than the Music
Anil Prasad doesn't ask complicated questions. He doesn't even ask the most provocative questions. Many of his interviews open in the same manner, and touch on the same topics. What he does so artfully is leave plenty of room for the artist to whom he's speaking to fill in their own holes. The result is a series of question-and-answer sessions which exposes to the reader a greater understanding of modern music and the people who make it.
But, these aren't just any musicians. Each of the folks Prasad spoke to for this volume are forerunners in their field; artists who have each, individually, revolutionized the way their style of music is made. They've pushed boundaries and challenged existing barriers, whether through being overtly political, or implicitly so.
Highlighted Interviews
Folk music fans will surely be interested in Prasad's interviews with Bela Fleck and Ani DiFranco, both of whom have helped shed new light on the tradition of American folk music. Fleck discusses his travels in Africa, and the way learning traditional music forms has helped reshape his approach to music. DiFranco sticks to more overtly political topics, ruminating on the process of writing protest songs, the compulsion to remain topical, etc.
With the exception of a brief introduction to who each artist is, and how their career has panned out, these interviews are presented without decoration. Each artist has plenty of room to editorialize in their own direction. Prasad is merely there to facilitate. The result is far more revealing than your average question-and-answer session and, as such, will surely open fans' eyes not only to the stories behind the songs, but also to the motivation, and the very role art plays in our society. This last fact is a thing which so often gets overlooked in our downloadable culture, making Prasad's terrific new volume a timely and thought-provoking addition to anyone's library.
