Chattin It Up with John McCutcheon

Jason: Thank you for agreeing to this interview. I sure appreciate it. How did you get started in folk music?

John McCutcheon: Like a lot of kids growing up in the early 1960's hearing folk
music on the radio and on television. Plus, my mother was very
interested in the Civil Rights Movement. That movement was a very
musical movement, blending and adapting older music with new ideas.
My best buddy was likewise intrigued and, being as we did everything
together, once he started playing guitar and singing I had to, as well.

Jason: How did you start writing children's music?

John McCutcheon: By accident, really. I was a Dad who was a songwriter, living in
the most inspirational of environments: two young sons and all their
pals running all over the house. I just wrote songs for and about my
sons. Simple as that.

Jason: Do you write all your own songs, or do you have someone you work with?

John McCutcheon: Mostly I write alone. But occasionally I'll get together and write
with other people. Si Kahn is not only my best friend but also my
most frequent writing partner. In fact, we wrote 5 albums together
(all the Four Seasons albums and Bigger than Yourself) as well as
lots of songs on assorted other albums. My most recent album,
Mightier than the Sword, is a collection of songs I wrote with some
of my favorite authors: Barbara Kingsolver, Wendell Berry, Lee
Smith, Rita Dove, Sr. Helen Prejean, Carmen Agra Deedy. Writing with
other people...especially, as with this album, people who are not
songwriters...is both challenging and (when it works) really rewarding.

Jason: Please take us through the process of writing a song.

John McCutcheon: There no one way of writing a song. Sometimes it'll be driven by a
story, in which case the words usually come first. But you do have
to have some kind rhythmic basis upon which to build the meter of the
poetry so there is usually some inkling of what the melody will be.
All this is usually done through the lens of who I'm writing for.
I'm not an "art for art's sake" kind of writer. I write with a
community of listeners in mind. This could be children of a certain
age, an entire family, a political movement or issue, my own kids, my
sweetheart, whoever...but there's always a sense that someone is at
the other end receiving the song.

I have to write long-hand first and then I'll usually put it on a
computer so that I can cut-and-paste the verses and ideas around
until they make the most sense and tell the story the most smoothly.

Then I have to "road test" it: try it out in front of an audience.
My sweetheart is a great critic and is often the first person to hear
anything new. She's a writer, as well, so I value her perspective.

Once I've tried the song out it feels like a song. Sort of like
building a boat: it's not really a "boat" until you push it into the
water and see if it floats.

Jason: What is the hardest thing about writing a song? Why?

John McCutcheon: Being clear. You want to be assured that the ideas you're trying
to get across are hitting the target. If not, you have to go back
and try to fine tune things until they do. At the same time, though,
listeners often find things in songs that writers don't even realize
are there. Sounds spooky, I know, but we just write these
things...we don't always know "everything" about them.

Jason: How long does it usually take you to write a song?

John McCutcheon: Most times it doesn't take long. A couple of hours initially and
the time here and there to do finishing touches. Sometimes, though,
songs will ruminate for years, they just don't seem right and you
can't figure out how to fix them.

Jason: Please take us through the process of recording a song.

John McCutcheon: It, too, varies. Most times I sit down in front of a microphone
and play the guitar or the banjo or the piano or whatever and then
come back and sing the words over the top of the instrumental track.
For Mightier than the Sword, we put the whole band in a room in a
circle and just played.

Jason: Which of your children's songs was the most fun to record? The most
challenging? Why?

John McCutcheon: It's always fun to let the musicians run wild with their own ideas
and see what happens. "Campfire" from Autumnsongs was such an
experiment. I started out with a groove and the band jumped in and
ran with it. The music for the song really didn't exist up until then.

Jason: Which of your children's songs is your favorite? Why?

John McCutcheon: I can't say that I really have a favorite, though "Waiting for
Snow" from Wintersongs is just a beautiful song to sing. And I've
recently been singing "Bird Dog" a lot. "Happy Adoption Day" is
always really moving because of the many adoptive families who come
to my shows now. It's always thrilling to see that a song you've
written really means something to families.

Jason: Are your children's songs based on your life as a kid (or your
children's lives)?

John McCutcheon: Almost all of them. Especially my kids.

Jason: What do you do to keep in touch with the heart of a child?

John McCutcheon: By paying attention, mostly. It's what any artist's real job is.

Jason: How is writing children's music different from writing folk music?

John McCutcheon: It's more difficult, I think. That's because I'm intentionally
trying to write songs that appeal to both children and adults: the
entire family. So I have broader audience, age-wise, than for folk
songs.

Jason: At your family concerts, do you just do your children's music, or do
you mix in some of your other work?

John McCutcheon: I've learned that the line between what we think is a children's
song and what is an adult song is very blurry. I tend to mix it up.
Plus, I don't do that many strictly family concerts these days. It's
usually of mix of ages at most of my shows.

Jason: What is your favorite part of your family concerts? Why?

John McCutcheon: Seeing entire families do things, enjoy things together. It
doesn't happen enough.

Jason: Your children's songs are so much fun! Do you have a lot of fun when
writing or performing these songs?

John McCutcheon: Sure do. I hope it sounds and looks like it.

Jason: What advice do you have for kids that want to get into the music
industry?

John McCutcheon: Don't start out thinking about being a star. Being a star usually
has very little to do with how good you are and it seldom lasts very
long. I've seen more people ruined by stardom than blessed by it.
Just play music you enjoy. Music is about release, abandon,
freedom. Whether or not you make your living playing music, that
spirit should always be at the heart of it.

Jason: Tell us a little about your childhood (i.e. family, hobbies, etc.).

John McCutcheon: Oldest of a big family in Wisconsin (I had 8 brothers and
sisters). I loved baseball, especially the Milwaukee Braves. I
spent lots of time outdoors and I read *all* the time. That hasn't
changed my entire life.

Jason: With Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, do you have any special
holiday traditions you'd like to share with us?

John McCutcheon: My favorite Thanksgiving tradition is definitely the moment, right
before everyone eats, when we all talk about the things that we're
truly thankful for. Sometimes it's silly, sometimes sad, almost
always revealing and tender.

Christmas Eve we celebrate Buena Noche, a Cuban tradition. Lots of
good food, fun and family. It usually ends with a conga line.

Jason: What do you like to do in your spare time?

John McCutcheon: I read, grow vegetables, go to baseball games, visit my kids and my
friends and, yes, play music.

Jason: What kind of music do you like to listen to?

John McCutcheon: I listen to lots of music from all over the world. These days I'm
learning to play a Swedish instrument called the "nyckelharpa" so I'm
listing to a lot of that music. But I tend to gravitate toward music
from Latin America, especially Cuba and Nicaragua.

Jason: What is your favorite season?

John McCutcheon: I miss winter, having been raised in Wisconsin lived in the South
most of my life. But that first Spring day when it gets warm, the
wildflowers start to bloom, the birds begin to return...ah!!!

Jason: My favorite autumn activity is jumping into a huge pile of leaves.
Will you ever write a song about that?

John McCutcheon: Nope, but it's a good idea.

Jason: Is there anything else you'd like to share with us about your music?

John McCutcheon: No, I think you've covered a lot of it. Thanks for the interview
and good luck to you and all your readers.

Jason: Thank you again for allowing me to interview you. I look forward to
hearing more of your music.