INTERVIEW : 2003 Bring True to the Song and Writing About Insanity (by Andy Garrigue)

In 1995 Joseph Arthur was selling guitars in some shop in Atlanta, possessed of dreams but no real prospects. In 1996, Arthur was signed as the first rock artist on Peter Gabriel's Real World label, and great expectations were heaped upon him as his first release BIG CITY SECRETS emerged.

And while he labored initially in obscurity, people started to notice. A 1999 EP VACANCY got a Grammy nomination for packaging - and Arthur earned that recognition himself because he did all the art. His second album COME TO WHERE I'M FROM drew even more attention, with Entertainment Weekly naming it the 'Number One Album of the Year 2000', and many publications, including The New York Times and CMJ, naming it to their Top 10 lists for the year.

With the release of REDEMPTION'S SON at the end of 2002, Arthur's star continues to rise, and he stands a chance of making the leap from treasured secret of in-the-know critics to household name. The London Sunday Times says the new work "exhibits the sure sign of a classic album ... brilliant." The Boston Herald calls it a "near-masterpiece, dominated by irresistible hooks, an aching falsetto and ethereal backup choruses...One of the year's best pop releases." 

CMJ New Music Report says "Arthur creates a rewarding, dreamlike universe of sound, allowing the listener to get lost deep within its sprawling canvas." And these critics apparently aren't the only ones enjoying REDEMPTION'S SON, because the album recently scored the top position on the College Music chart on the back page of Rolling Stone. I agree that REDEMPTIONS'S SON is an impressive, ambitious, enjoyable work, with a host of different feels and shades within its 75 minute journey into a man's tormented psyche. Recommended tracks include "Dear Lord," "Innocent World" and "Let's Embrace" on the prettier and poppier side, and "Nation of Slaves" and "Blue Lips" for the more harrowing and poignant moments. We caught up with Arthur at his apartment in Manhattan, shortly after the College Music Chart news arrived that this album seemed to be well on its way to more than cult success. 

9x: Congratulations on your album occupying the #1 slot on the College Music chart in Rolling Stone. Do you feel you've now 'arrived', or did you 'arrive' a while ago?

Joseph Arthur: Um...hmmm... I don't know. I don't know what 'arrived' really means.

9x: Maybe you 'arrived' when your song "In the Sun" got played on Dawson's Creek.

JA: Right.

9x: So what has made this record #1 on the College Music chart? Is there a single that's getting played?

JA: I'm not sure. It's nice that people like the record. "Honey and the Moon" is the single. The people at the label who study these things say people are most responding to it. It's got that AAA vibe, I guess. If that's a hit, then the sky's the limit! If not, I guess it's time... to release a new record -- which I wouldn't mind. It's kind of a win-win situation - either I have a hit or I get to release more material. I don't want to have to hold off on releasing new material. Sometimes people can have a hit, and they're not allowed to release more material for a while. Then, that's a lot of pressure - knowing it has to be good. I wouldn't want to be in a position like that. I've got plenty of material, and I'd like to be able to release it. I'm pretty much always writing. I haven't had that writer's block thing yet.

9x: You do a lot of art, too. You've done the covers for your records, and received a Grammy nomination for the packaging for one of your EPs. You also do a lot of sculpture, working often with found objects that you pick up on the streets of Manhattan. Does the process of songwriting compare at all to the process of painting or sculpture for you?

JA: I guess so. They're similar in some ways. You can learn things from paintings that you use in songs and vice versa.

9x: Is producing your own record kind of like directing a film you're starring in? You produced REDEMPTION'S SON. Do you produce all of your records?

JA: No, I don't produce all my records. T-Bone Burnett produced the last one, and I helped out, too. Marcus Drab produced the one before that. I don't know if producing a record is like directing a film I'm starring in, because I've never directed a film I starred in!

9x: Fair enough. Is not producing your record a frustrating experience, artistically?

JA: No, not really. First of all, production is kind of a bullshit term anyway. It means so many different things to different people. It could be getting the coffee. It could be writing the songs and playing and everything. People always talk about it as if it's something specific. It's similar to a business arrangement, where each time it can be something different, known only to those involved. I've always been really creatively involved in the production of my records, whether I'm producing or not.

9x: I first heard you on WFUV up in New York, a public radio station that plays a very wide open "City Folk" format. I heard "In the Sun," which I love, enough to let it get under my skin, and I went out and bought the record. I later heard you doing an interview there, and playing some live in the studio, and talking about the road journals that you sell as well, with notes and drawings you've done when out on the road. My question is how important is a station like that to you?

JA: Well, not that many stations play my music. So I guess they're really important!

9x: I saw on a recent set list, that I viewed on your artist's home page (accessed via www.josepharthur.com), that you did the Stones song "Wild Horses." Why did you do that one? It's a great song. And what other covers do you play? You don't strike me as a guy who does covers.

JA: That's probably the only cover I've ever played. I wish I played more. I was moved to learn that song and play it at that time. Plus it was easy to figure out. There was no special reason I played it, really.

9x: How has your life changed since COME TO WHERE I'M FROM came out? You seem more high profile now.

JA: Not really, no. Nothing has changed. Not even any more interviews. I still live in the same apartment. I still don't have any money. I mean I have money to live, don't get me wrong - I'm okay. I can eat and all. But nothing's really changed in my life. I think I need a hit for things to change. I'd like a bigger place to live. I have this one bedroom apartment - it's pretty cramped. But it keeps me honest, keeps me focused.

9x: REDEMPTION'S SON is the name of the new album, and the opening track. What does the term Redemption's Son mean?

JA: It's like... the son of Redemption. You personify Redemption. You're the product of Redemption.

9x: On the second cut on the new album, "Honey and the Moon," there are some very atmospheric background vocals, and it's very dreamy. I'm reminded somewhat of Robbie Robertson's first solo album. Would you agree?

JA: I'm familiar with his work with The Band, but not his solo work.

9x: That first one is the one to get - he's got Peter Gabriel singing on a couple of tracks, actually.

JA: Really! I didn't know that.

9x: Yeah, check out the song "Broken Arrow". Do you sing all the background vocals?

JA: I do most of the background vocals, although sometimes Pat Sansone's singing. (Hint: check out the bass background vocals on "Dear Lord" towards the end, rumbling just below the surface.)

9x: On "Dear Lord," I hear both Bob Dylan - from the BLONDE ON BLONDE era with the acoustic harp work and keyboards - and World Party. Are either of those influences on you?

JA: Bob Dylan has been. I haven't listened to World Party, so I really don't know what he sounds like. I met Karl Wallinger, though - he was really funny. I got to go to his studio in London. People have told me I sound like him ever since my first record. I take it as a compliment. I started getting lots of comparisons, and it kind of tripped me out for a while, but it's okay.

9x: I've been studying the lyrics to this new album, and I was trying to think of what album it reminded me of, and then it hit me. I hope you don't mind that I'm going to compare it to another album. This album reminds me of THE WALL by Pink Floyd, from the angle that it's an in-depth chronicle of a soul's torment and struggle with madness. Is that fair?

JA: Yeah. That's good. I like that. I like that comparison. It's funny - you're the first person who's said that. I've always thought the main character's dealing with insanity. What I'm really doing is writing about insanity. People always think I'm religious. But I'm always writing about mental illness, and just the... human condition. Every one I know is mentally ill! I don't mean that in a bad way. I think everyone is mentally ill, to some degree, if you think about it.

9x: Do you have spiritual struggles like you describe on REDEMPTION'S SON? Do you feel at times lost and then found and then lost again? The accounting seems very heartfelt and honest, as if you'd experienced it yourself, or seen it up close in someone you know.

JA: Yeah, I think so. It's definitely personal - but I don't necessarily think I'm always writing about myself. Although I am a lot of times.

9x: Who are some of your favorite songwriters or instrumentalists?

JA: I just got the Bonnie Prince Billy album, by Will Oldham. I really like that, so that's a current thing I'm into. I like the Smiths, Bob Dylan, Lou Reed, Nick Drake.

9x: I hear some nice acoustic guitar on a couple of tracks on the new album that make me think of Nick Drake, actually. I guess it's on "Honey and the Moon" and some others. What about favorite albums? I know you used to listen to Jimi Hendrix a lot when you were younger.

JA: It's always changing. To key in on one, or even a few, is misleading. That's the thing with artists - they're always into something, and it keeps changing. I like that new record The Streets a lot. Have you heard that?

9x: I haven't got that one yet.

JA: You haven't? You really should. I like that new Primal Scream record, too.

9x: What does the future hold for you?

JA: I'm working on eliminating negative things from my life - like television. And drugs. I'm thinking about writing, and how to be a better writer. The older you get, the more have to work at it, I guess. I'm more into work, and less into bullshit. Then I'll make babies! Then I'll become a full time painter when I'm 40, and have switched my passions... I'm just bullshitting now... I'm just trying to be positive, and have some peace on Earth, which seems pretty hard right now.

9x: What would surprise people about you?

JA: People think that I'm really serious. People think that because of my music. But I'm not. I guess I am in some ways, but, really... I'm a clown. I'm a goofball.

9x: Is there a message to REDEMPTION'S SON?

JA: Hmmm. I hadn't really thought about it, but there probably is. It's an overall vibe. There's a philosophy inherent in it, but there's not a particular, overt message. I'd have to say it's positive, because at the end he's still trying. So it's not nihilistic.

9x: What's the most important thing to you about your music? Would it be honesty? Your work seems very honest, and your lyrics are very direct a lot of the time.

JA: I think it's good to not be pretentious. I think you can hide behind that. I think a lot of smart people fall into that, and they get rewarded for it. So I'd like to avoid that. And honesty, yes, that's important. Being true to the song - not necessarily being true to yourself, because I think it's okay to be in character. Ultimately I'm most concerned about lyrics and melody. If that's on point, I'm less concerned about the other stuff.

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