A Conversation with Pegi Young – HuffPost 10.31.11

Mike Ragogna: Hello, Pegi.

Pegi Young: Hello there.

MR: You have a new album coming, Bracing For Impact. How do you know when it’s time for another album and what is your creative process like?

PY: Well, it tends to not be much of a well thought out plan. It happens when the songs come in and I’ve got a bunch of new songs. In this case, my band had just been out on the road for a short tour–ten days–and we decided to go into the studio. We had all these new songs and we’d just been playing them, so why not? You go in and you don’t really know how long it’s going to take. My first record, I think, took about three years. (laughs) This one took about two weeks. That’s an exaggeration, but literally, I think it took about two months–it came together very quickly. My first record was just called Pegi Young, and that one just took that time. I was very inexperienced, though I had a great producer, Elliot Mazer. I went back and forth to Nashville a lot. Even though we recorded it at a ranch in California, my engineer was from Nashville, so I went back and forth to Nashville. We also recorded like thirty songs, so part of it was just figuring out which ones to put on that first record. I kind of like this idea of telling some sort of story, so that was that process. Foul Deeds took a while as well because we had recorded it on a break from Neil’s tour–all the band, except Phil, the drummer, was out with Neil. My engineer would send me files to wherever I was, then I’d go find Ben and we’d sit in the dressing room somewhere and listen to the file. So, that one took a while too. For this one, we were all in one big area, except for Ben, of course.

MR: That would be Ben Keith.

PY: Yes, the late, great Ben Keith. He co-produced Foul Deeds with me, and was a tremendous musician, friend, and just a great guy.

MR: Nice. Let’s talk about The Bridge School, a beautiful educational organization that you have set up with Neil. Can you talk about how that all came about?

PY: Well, sure. The Bridge is an educational program designed to meet the needs of kids with severe speech and physical impairments. The term they use today is “complex communication needs,” and that just means that they need some kind of augmented communication device so they can have a variety of communication partners and can be clearly conveying their messages. The program started as a small school with four parent-placed students–our own son, Ben, among them. In twenty-five years, it has grown a lot. Of course, the school is the heart and soul of the organization, but there is an active and growing transition program because the educational program is transitional by design. The kids stay with us for an average of three to five years, transition back into their home school districts, and then our team supports the professionals and the student in that environment. This is because curriculum has to be adapted and material presented so our kids can access it. Technology is a tremendous tool, and it has been from the mid-eighties when we were using the Apple IIGS, which were the hot new thing, to today’s plethora of technological devices. We pride ourselves on being a really cutting edge program that keeps up with what’s happening, and looks for ways to incorporate it into our program for the kids. While we were looking to satisfy an immediate need–creating an appropriate educational program for out kids–we also knew that there were only going to be so many kids that could get to our small little school in the bay area. So, dissemination has been a critical component of our mission from the beginning, and in order to do that, we have developed a number of outreach programs, and we’ve really begun to have a significant impact, both locally, nationwide, and internationally.

MR: Well, it’s clearly been a successful organization because I guess we’re celebration the twenty-fifth anniversary this year, right?

PY: We are.

MR: And in celebrating the twenty-fifth anniversary, there is apparently a three DVD, two CD package of many of the concerts related to The Bridge School.

PY: That is correct. On the DVD package, there is also a documentary on the school. So, people who purchase the DVD set will be able to learn more about the school. You can also learn more on the website, which can give interested people much more in-depth information than we can right now on the scope of the programs that we run.

MR: I guess the outreach within the musical community also was good to be able to have names like Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, The Who, Tom Petty, Simon & Garfunkel–this is an incredible line up. It seems like your family–considering The Bridge School and what Neil’s doing his experimental the LincVolt–truly are trying to change the status quo, attracting great talent along the way.

PY: Well, we appreciate the people that come to play–all the people you mentioned and many, many more. We truly appreciate all of their time and generosity to come and play for our organization. Yeah, I think that Neil and I both feel the same way about being given many blessings, and it’s incumbent on us to give back. Neil is also just such a creative guy–he’s constantly coming up with stuff kind of ahead of the curve. When he started this LincVolt project several years back now, there wasn’t nearly as much thought about having electric powered vehicles or what you guys are doing at the radio station–being driven by solar energy–it’s fantastic. One of the early tours–I’m trying to think of how long ago he did this–but he had all the buses and trucks on the tour running on biodiesel. I remember pulling off in the middle of a cornfield in the Midwest somewhere at two o’clock in the morning to meet these farmers that would fuel up our trucks. More typically, we would get the fuel delivered to the venues, but that’s what we would do in order to make it happen. I think that’s something that we both feel really good about–being a part of that movement.

MR: It’s giving back, and it’s being part of the human community, which is really a beautiful thing.

PY: Well, thanks. That’s what we’re trying to do–not just take up space on the planet. (laughs)

MR: Nicely said, and thank you for the nod to the solar powered station here.

PY: Yeah, that’s so impressive. I’m really glad to know about this.

MR: We’re the only one in the Midwest, and we can’t figure out why nobody else is doing this.

PY: Somebody’s got to be the first, you know? More will follow. Again, back to filling the trucks and buses with biodiesel, some people were very skeptical about that, but somebody had to start it. I think Willie (Nelson) was doing it at the same time, or shortly before or after, and now, many artists run their vehicles on the same principle of not just burning up fossil fuels.

MR: It seems like consciousness is growing all around the planet. I mean, look what Occupy Wall Street is spurring on.

PY: Yeah, I’m pretty impressed with that. I’ve had some pretty interesting discussions around that with some people, but I think it’s a good thing. Keep it peaceful, keep it focused, keep it real–my advice, having been a child of the sixties and being out there on the Vietnam War protests–don’t alienate, just keep people focused on the message, keep the message clear, and don’t get violent because those things just detract from the message and it turns people against the messengers.

MR: And people have such short attention spans that even if there was a reasonable explanation for a disturbance amongst the protesters, people might not be able to think through whatever that reason was that caused the disturbance.

PY: Yeah, if you cause disturbances and there are innocent victims–people start breaking up store windows and stuff like that–that’s just a losing proposition. You’re not going to make any friends that way.

MR: I’d like to get back to Bracing For Impact. It seems that the characters on this album are all “bracing for impact” in one way or another. Would that be right?

PY: I think that’s a good point. I hadn’t really thought it through, but yeah, absolutely. In one way, shape, or form, they all are.

MR: You definitely commit to your subject matter, like in “Flat Line Mama.” And there’s “No Highs, No Lows,” and “Medline,” which was almost the complimentary song to “No Highs, No Lows,” to me. Even the cover of “I Don’t Want To Talk About It” comes off like a kind of commentary.

PY: Well, the good news is that there has been no crash yet, so they’re still just bracing for impact. (laughs) I love that song, “I Don’t Want To Talk About It.” That’s just such a gorgeous song. I went back to Danny Whitten, the writer, and listened to his Crazy Horse version, and to me, that was my reference point…it’s so soulful and so beautiful.

MR: I want to get into your process of songwriting, picking material, and your studio routine. We heard a little bit earlier about the recording process, but when you’re sitting down, writing songs, what is that like? Is it, well, pencil and paper?

PY: I kind of look at it this way–it’s almost like the songs approach me. When I go looking for covers, that’s me on the search, but generally speaking, they really come in different ways. Sometimes, they come in snippets, but then a song like “Walk Away” came in almost like you hear it on the album. I might have tweaked the verses a little bit, but the essence of the song was right there. I was trying to lie down and take a nap when the song just came charging in. It was like, “Oh, really? Right now? I just want to rest.” I write with pencil and paper, or pen and paper, whatever I have. I try to make sure I always have something around me to write with because you just never know when a little thought is going to come in. I don’t typically just sit down and try to write a song. I might hear a little melody and go to the piano to try to figure out where it is. I find that easier to do than on the guitar because I kind of understand the piano keyboard better–that was my first instrument. I wish I had kept playing since I was a kid because I was a lot better then than I am now. On the guitar, I started learning chords, and I’ll still be searching for notes. I’ll go, “Ah, where is that one?” And sometimes I’ll have to count it out. If I start with lyrics, I’ll generally pick up the guitar, but if I hear a melody, I go to the piano and figure it out that way. For “No Heartbeat Sounds” on this record, I had the melody for that for probably six months or so before the words came in. Then, all of a sudden while I was walking my dog on the beach in Hawaii, the words just came in, and I just had to rush home and write them all down before I forgot them. It’s kind of random, really, but I don’t think it’s that unusual in songwriting. I suppose there are people who are a lot more disciplined than I am and can just sit down and write a song, but it just doesn’t work that way for me.

MR: What song on this album has a topic that is most personal to you?

PY: “Lie” is a really sweet song. It’s never just about me–none of the songs are. But if I think about that one, her partner is leaving and going off somewhere and maybe he’s going to find somebody else out there. So, I guess that’s something that comes from my experience, in some regards, or when Neil would go on tour. There were always people out there who would be happy to replace me. (laughs) I don’t know, maybe that one is a little more personal than others. “No Heartbeat Sounds” I love because I had the melody, and then when Larry Johnson died, our really dear friend, that’s when the words came in. So, I’m kind of partial to that one I guess. It’s kind of like trying to pick your favorite child–you just can’t do it. They all have a special place.

MR: That’s usually what comes up as an answer when I ask that question of people. Let me ask you a personal question–how has it been living in a family with challenged children?

PY: This may sound strange, but I think other parents of kids with disabilities will really relate to this. At first, it’s maybe not the kid you expected to be coming into your life, but the doors that my children have opened to me by way of their disabilities have been huge. I consider it a blessing. You know, I might not have said that two weeks into it, but I have been enriched, truly, by having this entrée into the world of disabilities. Parents of kids with disabilities just rock, and I’m so proud to be part of that community. It’s not always easy–it can be very challenging and a strain on the family–but it’s worth it. I wouldn’t change it for the world.

MR: That’s beautiful. Pegi, what advice do you have for new artists?

PY: The only advice I have is just be true to yourself. Be as honest as you can be. Be true to yourself, don’t listen to what everybody is telling you, just be true to yourself. Make your music for yourself because at the end of the day, it’s your name up there. There are a lot of people who want to create formulaic songs and looks for artists, but be true to yourself. I’ve learned that by living with a guy who has made his life’s work out of always doing that, and that’s what I try to do myself.

MR: Very nice. Pegi, this has really been a pleasure. All the best with The Bridge School, and also your new album, Bracing For Impact. Thank you so much for your time.

PY: Thank you.

Transcribed by Ryan Gaffney