A Conversation with William Pilgrim & The All Grows Up’s Ishmael Herring – HuffPost 9.4.14
Mike Ragogna: Ish, you and Jesse Holt joined forces on “In The Streets” for the Blind Boys Of Alabama. First off, relative to the song’s topic, please would you go into your history and relationship with Jesse?
Ish Herring: I spent six years on the streets of Los Angeles. Jesse came into a circle of friends I was in. He also came with a really good friend of mine named Joshua Douglas to our “In The Streets” music video shoot, who is also a hugely talented singer songwriter from the street. Within the homeless community, kids come and go. Sometimes they disappear and you never know what happened to them. I hope his appearance at the VMAs can be that opportunity that helps him leave as well.
MR: Were there times during that period when it got so sketchy that you guys weren’t quite sure if you would pull through and if so, what kept you and Jesse going through the extreme challenges?
IH: Living on the street, things in fact did get very dangerous for me, but I made it through. I lost some good buddies who were not as lucky. Every day it was a different kind of crazy; someone coming at you with a knife or chasing you out of somewhere you shouldn’t be. Oddly, you become addicted to the energy, as crazy as it may be. What kept me going through those situations was hope, as well as close friends who were willing to lift me up from time to time.
MR: Do you feel that the environment is changing in a positive way for those caught in the same situation or system and if not, what needs to be addressed immediately and might you have any suggestions to improve things?
IH: I don’t see things on the street changing at all. Youth homelessness is a symptom. Until we deal with the underlying issue of poverty we will continue to feed our children to the street. I grew up in the foster care system, living in boys homes across Kansas. What I saw in myself and in others who ended up on the street is the fact that we were never given the tools to become productive members of society. In the absence of family or healthy role models, we created our own understanding of what it meant to be grown up, and not in a good way. To help kids on the street you are constantly chasing issues like drugs, alcohol, poor parenting and mental illness. To really eliminate youth homelessness, you must tackle economic policy.
MR: You not only participated behind the scenes with the project, but you also wrote the song “In The Streets” that the Blind Boys of Alabama covers. What is it about the song that resonated with the group? Why do you think they may be the best to deliver this message at this time?
IM: Philip Romero and I wrote “In The Street” as a plea for change. What we need right now is a civil rights movement inclusive of all races. One that fights back against the policies of poverty. We couldn’t think of anyone better to help deliver that message than the Blind Boys of Alabama. They were a soundtrack of hope during the ’60s in the Jim Crow era in the South. It was an honor to work with them.
MR: Jesse appears in the video and helped you with the project. How do you think you both have grown from the experience?
IH: We both have experienced great opportunity as of late. Me with William Pilgrim and Jesse through Miley Cyrus, but there is a lot of undiscovered talent just walking the streets of America without a place to stay or sleep. I hope we are able to bring attention to these invisible people.
MR: What advice do you have for those who find themselves living on the streets?
IH: If you find yourself living on the streets, friends are everything and loneliness will drive you insane. You have to establish a routine that allows you to survive and get food. In an ideal situation, you could just wake up and look for work but when your spirit is broken, substances sound better than responsibility. One must be careful not to fall into this snare, it leads to total destruction.
MR: This is a bit of a non-sequiter but I do ask every professional musician this. What advice do you have for new artists?
IH: My advice for new artists? Be brave and unwavering with your goals. A lot of it is just busting your ass and not giving up before the miracle happens.
MR: Is there any further commitment on yours and Jesse’s to helping behind the scenes with causes related to runaways and the homeless?
IH: We started a program called “Write Off The Street.” The goal is to help homeless and at-risk youth gain power over their experiences on the street. Many have horrible things bottled up inside. Music can foster a creative and healthy outlet for expression. We give guitar lessons and teach song writing techniques. You would be surprised at the talent that is out there.
MR: Are you hopeful that poverty, abuse and homelessness will be addressed better and if not eliminated, then significantly improved in your lifetime?
IH: I remain hopeful. When the people demand a change as a whole then we will see the birth pangs of what could be change.