Peter Himmelman – HuffPost 6.7.13

Mike Ragogna: Peter, what advice would you have for new artists?

Peter Himmelman: You know, there’s something that John Mayer wrote that I really responded to. I guess we respond to things we already believe, but I’ll put it in my own words. Don’t spend so much time trying to market yourself. It’s good advice I’ll give to myself as well, and ironically, here I am doing an interview with you. But nonetheless, it’s true, developing your ideas and filling your minds with the thoughts and ideas of other people, and then creating something that’s perfectly unique. For example I just heard on the radio some interview with this young English artist, this young girl. She seemed smart and she had a song called, “Set My Pussy Free.” I think that was the title of it. “Set My Pussy Free.” I mean, you know, the metaphor, not everyone’s going to want to choose. It was a smart song and had the ostensible concept of being about a cat. I’m not saying it’s an ideal metaphor, and she must have been a very beautiful woman because if she weren’t, I’m sure it wouldn’t work well–but that phrase “Set My Pussy Free, certainly stuck with me and I could imagine it being a memorable piece in her stage performances. I always think about Prince’s “Purple Rain” or “When Doves Cry,” just as a title, “When Doves Cry,” if he would’ve said “When Love Lies,” or something, that works in a way but is so unbelievably pallid compared to “When doves cry,” which just opens you up to all kinds of feelings and possibilities. “When Doves Cry” doesn’t mean anything per se, which is another thing I’m constantly stressing: Forget for a minute about meaning and a linear train of thought, go for something that creates feeling and momentum and energy. “Strawberry Fields Forever.” I don’t really know what that means and neither do you, but we all really like it. It means little but conjures up everything.