Rodney Crowell – HuffPost 6.13.12

Mike Ragogna: Having an amazing career like you’ve had, what advice might you have for new artists?

Rodney Crowell: Well, in this day and age, my advice is really very antiquated. I’m not a big fan of popular culture. “Who wants to be the next idol?” doesn’t seem to promote individuality or a particular singular vision. It seems like when young artists go that way, they eventually herd them into one style — basically, big, broad-stroke popular. Where’s the Tom T. Hall in that or the Bob Dylan, which is poetry-driven, singular vision artistry? So my advice is too antiquated for someone to make it in this day and age because it does seem like the keyhole is so much more narrow now, than say, when Woody Guthrie was out there writing protest songs that were so heartfelt and so beautiful.

MR: On the other hand, doesn’t there still need to be a seed of talent, something, at the heart of what they’re doing?

RC: There’s no lack of talent in the crop of artists that are coming along. In fact, they are endowed with massive amounts of talents and the ability to sing or play their instruments and stuff. For me…popular culture has narrowed the narrative down to a very small-scale. Where would “Blowing In The Wind” fit now? I just don’t hear that anymore. I don’t hear that kind of sensibility among the artists. It’s just not there for me. So that’s why I don’t like to give advice. I don’t think my advice is helpful. It works for me, but I’m in a position where I’ve had my fan base for a good, long while now, and it works for me. For instance, my daughter is a songwriter, and she has a very singular sensibility, and I would say that she’s a poet more than anything, and she’s just dogged in her right to not be commercial. And okay, that’s fine, do what you want to do, but if you want to make a living, you’d better figure out how to get down the main street.

MR: It’s interesting, it’s almost conflicting.

RC: Let’s be honest, it’s television.

MR: Yeah.

RC: Television has a very narrow bandwith, and it is predominant in our lives. The Edward R. Murrows and the Walter Cronkites are gone, and that singular, informative voice has given way to this shotgun pattern of news as entertainment, which is not very informative. And I think it parallels the performing art for me, for the most part — certainly songwriting. There’s no denying that you can turn on American Idol and see people who can sing the phonebook and make it sound beautiful. I just don’t see a singular point of view that will impact our culture.

MR: It’s interesting because I used to worry — I’m not worried about it anymore because I think it’s seen the height of its popularity — about things like American Idol and these manipulated contests. It almost teaches the kids or the potential new talent that this what you need to do to succeed, as opposed to following your art, following your heart.

RC: Yes, that’s the point I’ve been making.

MR: Yeah. But I feel like it’s detrimental. It may take artists off course, like people who normally would have gone on more of a creative path. They’ve been beaten into with the idea of “Well, okay, this is how I have to do it.”

RC: Well, maybe we’re a bit pedantic in our view of this. Let me leave it this way. I would imagine that the songwriter, such as myself, when I was supposed to be asleep at night, I would have one of those little crystal radios under the covers plugged into my ear, and I’m listening to music, and the images that the music is presenting in my head are my own images. And to me, that’s the beauty of radio, whereas television gives you the images. It doesn’t allow you to have your own images. Images are provided for you, and I think that removes a very important part of the artist’s vision, which is the enjoyment of your own imagination.

MR: Yeah, video killed much more than the radio star.

RC: (laughs) Yeah.