A Conversation with Joseph Arthur – HuffPost 5.21.14

Mike Ragogna: Joseph, your latest album, Lou, covers some of Lou Reed’s most popular songs. How did that idea come up?

Joseph Arthur: Bill Bentley at Vanguard Records called me out of the blue after reading a remembrance/eulogy I wrote about Lou. He asked me if I would be interested in doing a tribute, which I naturally thought meant being part of a multi-artist compilation, but in fact, he thought it would be a better idea if I just recorded my favorite Lou songs and made something more personal. It’s funny because he later changed his mind, but changed it back again after he heard it. So there was a small period of time when I had this record made from someone else’s concept who had, in a nice way, abandoned it. It was an interesting place to be in, however I remained grateful because it was a perfect way for me to celebrate Lou and mourn him all at once. And I should say Bill immediately came back to his concept after hearing the record and now there is no one more enthusiastic about it. Bill has become a friend thru all this, so in a way I feel like Lou introduced us from the other side.

MR: What do think Lou Reed meant to our popular culture beyond the music?

JA: In a word, freedom. There has never been anyone more individual than Lou and never anyone who followed his idiosyncratic vision as thoroughly. I mean, even right to the end with his project with Metallica. No matter what you think about that project, you can’t deny its originality and he took the hits for choices like that throughout his entire career, from the first to the last. I can’t think of an artist as challenging as Lou in that way. He used his genius to provoke new ways of thinking about a tired form– songwriting– and continued to breathe new life into it. That inspired artists far and wide in many mediums outside of music. I think he was a major inspiration for anyone with a different vision to be brave enough to follow it.

MR: Recently you performed with members of R.E.M. on Letterman. What was the experience like?

JA: TV is always nerve-wracking and this one was even more so because of the weight of paying tribute to Lou and because moments before we went on Letterman announced his retirement. But I can’t think of a more fitting song to match the occasion and I was lucky that Mike and Peter played it with me. That’s some pretty intense moral support!

MR: For you, what the major differences between how you approach a song in the studio and when you perform it live?

JA: For me, there are more similarities than differences but the big difference is the energy of the audience and the uplifting effect that has on the whole operation. Before a performance, even after doing this for going on 20 years, it seems like a kind of impossible thing to do, however, the audience elevates you and in that way it’s truly collaborative. And of course, there is the threat that they may rip you down but that, too, is collaborative. A recording is more personal, I suppose. With the Lou album, I was free to make any call I wanted without any pressure of succeeding or failing because I was alone and thinking the whole time that I may not even play it for anyone.

MR: Which Lou Reed song do you feel that you most identify with and why?

JA: That’s tough with a catalog as rich as his, but I once told him I thought “Coney Island Baby” was the best song ever written. And I think it has something to do with vulnerability of the opening lines, the fact that it has its own structure, and it crescendoes into something universal such as the glory of love and then ends with a personal sign-off whereby he seemingly dedicates the song to himself and Rachel and all the kids at P.S 192, saying he’d “give up everything for you.” At that point he could be talking directly to us, his audience, because that’s exactly what he did. Incredible song.

MR: Previous to Lou, you’ve recorded quite a few albums. What is your creative process when you write then record your own material?

JA: Well, I’ve put out roughly ten albums and ten EPs give or take over the last 18 years, so it has gone all over the place–from quick in-studio jams all the way to going over every last detail with a fine-tooth comb and working on a single album for three or four years. There is no one way and both can get great results and both have pitfalls. But I think the worst pitfall is doing the same thing over and over again and I certainly have avoided that.

MR: Were you tempted to significantly change any of Lou Reed’s songs in order to accommodate the needs of your own writing and performing style?

JA: No, not really. I had to make them work for the setting I chose, which was stripped down and bare. His songs and lyrics are so good however that this was less challenging than I would have thought. I felt free to make small tweaks, bending a melody here or there but mostly I tried to stay true to the way Lou wrote it, letting the production style and the way I sing take care of the originality in it.

MR: Are there any other artists whose catalog you’d like to explore?

JA: That’s a good question and one I’ve thought about. Dylan comes to mind but I think this is the kind of thing you do once in your life. I can’t think of being as inspired to do something like this with anyone other than Lou. And it’s not as though I’ve dried up. I put two of my own albums on the back burner for now, so after this I will get back to that.

MR: What advice do you have for new artists?

JA: People talk about how difficult it is nowadays and they aren’t lying, but to be a creative being and follow a vision that is individual to you and only you is the greatest kind of reward there is. You will take a beating if and when you follow it but it’s worth it and ultimately, people come around and recognize and appreciate those who have stayed true to themselves. Lou was and remains a hero in this regard. And one I hope to live up to.