In Praise of the Singer/Songwriter Part 2 - The Edge of Madness
Why are some of the great songwriters slaves to their demons?
I have noticed that some of the greatest artists in the world have had their problems with substances, mental illness, if not both, and other maladies. Yet, they create the greatest art in the world.
Ernest Hemingway, Hank Williams, Sr., Jackson Pollack, and Nick Drake are just a few of those artists who were great at their art that tried to tame the monsters that ended them. Townes Van Zandt was a country songwriter who wrote some of the most incredibly moving songs. Poncho & Lefty, If I Needed You, Waiting Around to Die and Dead Flowers just to name a few. Even though he suffered from bipolar disorder and alcoholism. Yet the songs did flow.
Someone said, there’s a fine line between genius and madness. I agree. Especially if you give in to the madness to get you across the genius threshold. I am somewhat envious of those who can embrace the madness and then turn it into this incredible music and art. The downside is that whatever that demon is, it’ll catch up to them and it’ll win. But there’s hope.
When it comes to great songwriting and songwriters, so many are left in the dust of the shiny new pop country stars. Pop country has become a complete distraction from these kinds of superlative songs. To keep the music consumption at its utmost, all pop country music sounds the same. That way, the listener can get completely comfortable and can just think about drinking, trucks, boys, men, girls, etc. and not about the strife and troubles of a troubadour who’s down on his luck.
I wish everyone could listen to a songwriter and their guitar and nothing else. There’s nothing to hide behind. No band, no Auto Tune, just a song. Van Zandt’s songs are visceral. You’ll hear themes in his song that you haven’t heard before. In my opinion, he was country music’s Bob Dylan. I wonder if they ever met. Can you imagine? Another of my favourite songwriters, Steve Earle, connected with Townes in the seventies. Earle considered him a mentor.
He was addicted to heroin and alcohol throughout his life, which made him too intoxicated, and he would forget the words to his songs. Desperate for a fix, he offered someone the publishing rights to his first four albums for $20.
He left us some incredible songs, and he is a huge influence on my songwriting. Unfortunately, like many of my contemporaries, you won’t hear his or their music on the radio. Radio only wants people with saccharin tastes who want what’s comfortable, so they can sell more advertising. Nothing will change in radio until it’s decided that the DJs will program their shows and bring personality back to radio. Then we’ll hear the sounds of artists you’ve never heard of before and the great songwriters like Townes will be heard on the radio again.
My fellow artists, listen to the madness. Don’t obey it. Just listen. It might show you things you didn’t know existed. Poke it when you’re in need of inspiration. Be careful. It can turn on you, so keep it in check.