Q & A with Jim Cuddy

In August of 2006, BlueRodeo.com asked its members to submit questions for Jim Cuddy to answer. Below are those questions and Jim's answers.

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1. Was making this solo record easier or harder than making the previous one?

Making this record was more difficult because I was more aware of what I was doing.  The last time I just hurtled forward.  With this album I also understood what kind of record I wanted to make, whereas last time I just let it happen, so it was a little more difficult accomplishing it this time.

2. Will you be making one or more videos for your new solo album? Have you already shot one for "Pull Me Through?" If so, when will it be released?

Yes, I have made one for “Pull Me Through,” which will be released this week.  I hope to make a video for “Married Again” as well, and then we’ll see.

3. When you start writing a new song, at what point do you decide whether it's going to be a Blue Rodeo or a Jim Cuddy Band song or do you decide that before you even start?

I decide those things more in terms of schedule, so once BR was out touring and I knew we weren’t going to make a record till January 2007, I knew the songs that I was writing at that point would be for my solo record.

4. Can you explain your approach to songwriting? Does your approach vary depending on whether you are writing for Blue Rodeo or for a solo project?

My approach to songwriting is always borne of isolation.  I sit with a guitar and start playing and things just start to flow.  Then I start to shape them.  I can’t create something from nothing, I can just shape what comes.   The difference between Blue Rodeo and my own songs is not at the inception but in the execution, and that’s when they become a little more personal.  It happens when they’re finished and have been played by different people.   People that play songs have a great deal of influence of how a song is finished.  You hear an instrument that plays something and it turns you towards the sadness, or you play an instrument and it turns you towards the sunshine of a song.

5. A lot of your songs have something to do with summertime, rain, etc. Are you more inspired to write more during a certain time of the year?

No.  I have been exposed as being overly concerned with rain and shadows in my songs.  It has nothing to do with outside conditions, it is borne of internal conditions.  I don’t even know what it’s doing outside when I’m writing.

6. Your songs always seem to tell a story. Are you influenced by any literary sources?

Probably the literary source that does both literature and songs would be Leonard Cohen and I certainly admire the precision of his lyrics but I like the clarity of songs that tell a story, or at least paint a very particular picture. Those like Kris Kristofferson or Steve Earle or Bob Dylan.  I love the marriage of the precise with the abstract. The precision of the setting or the narrative and the abstract of the psychological that is going on in the songs.

7. Who are you biggest musical influences?

The Beatles, Jackson Brown, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Jane Siberry.

8. When did you realize that music was something more than just a hobby, that you could actually make a career out of it?

It was 1990, I was still working, doing props for TV commercials, but our touring schedule demanded that I take time off my job.  After about six months I realized that I didn’t have to go back to my job right away.  It took me five years to decide not renew my union card.

9. If you weren't a musician, what would you be doing right now?

I’d probably be unhappy as a lawyer, or someone in business.

10. Tell us about life on the road. What's been your most exotic experience so far?

The most exotic experiences have always been going to reservations in the Northern regions of Canada. The landscape is hard to describe.  It’s so beautiful and it’s so barren, and something always happens to us that we didn’t expect.  We meet somebody that’s very moving, we’re treated in a way that’s very moving, or we witness something in someone’s culture that changes us.

11. How do you stay sane when touring day after day?

I’m used to it now.  I see friends and run, or just walk around the town if I haven’t been to it before, it’s all pretty pleasant.

12. What is the history on your guitar with the red rose?

Unfortunately the guitar was painted when I got it, so I don’t know the history of the red rose.  I like it, but I don’t know the history.

13. Another guitar question: Where did you get your Cherry Red ES335?  What year was it made?

It’s a 1967 ES335. It was purchased on 49 Street in New York City.  It was the first vintage guitar that I ever owned, and I was in love with it for about 10 years.  I bought it in 1982, and I had it till about ’92, and I was tired of it and put it up for sale. Thankfully no one bought it after six months.  I can’t believe I ever put it up for sale.  I love it.  We had a six month trial separation and now we’re married again.

14. Would you ever consider doing a CD of all covers?

It’s never occurred to me.

15. What about an unplugged album or a concert one?

Well, we’ve done a live record, and unplugged I would love to do it. 

16. Or a live, all-request TV show?

Don’t have much use for those.

17. If you could perform alongside any artist or band, living or dead, who would you pick?

I think it’s already happened to me. I think performing with Kris Kristofferson was about as great as it could get.  That we played his songs, and that he sang along to ours, was really something.

18. What's in your CD player right now? Who do you enjoy listening to?

To tell you the truth the record I’ve listened the most to this summer is a recording of a concert at Carnegie Hall with John Coltrane and Thelonious Monk.  They were actually just a portion of a larger concert that had all kinds of incredible artists like Billie Holiday and Count Basie.  I listened to that countless times. 

19. What about books, who are your favourite authors?

Well, currently I just finished Michael Winter, “The Big Why”, which I quite enjoyed.  My favourite book of all times is “One Hundred Years of Solitude” by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

20. Do you have any Blue Rodeo tracks that are favourites of yours? If so, what makes those songs so special?

Well, I like them all.  What I’m a bit obsessed with right now is “Draggin’ On,” which I’m trying to get my band to perform.  It wasn’t really performed by Blue Rodeo.

21. One last "favourite" question: which charities do you like to support?

We support locally the women’s shelters, and the food bank.  I have been working with MusicCan, which is a charity which provides instruments for musical programs for public schools.

22. Any ideas on how to encourage the growth of music programs within schools and communities?

I think MusicCan does a good job, because kids need music and the financial support is there.  Beyond that, it is getting as many musicians possible to profile how important music has been to their lives, and to keep raising it as an issue.

23. And finally, what is the one question that you'd love to have asked, but never have been, so far in your career?

There is not a single question I can think of that I have not been asked.  My favourite question is, shall we get a drink?

Posted on Tuesday, September 12, 2006 2:52 PM by Lindsay | permalink | discuss this!

Bob's Movie

Here's a special treat for everyone: a video journal entry put together by Bob Egan. To watch it click here, turn up the volume on your speakers and enjoy.

Please note that you need to have Windows Media Player in order to watch the film.

Posted on Wednesday, September 06, 2006 11:01 AM by Lindsay | permalink | discuss this!

Bob in Italy

In June of 2006, Blue Rodeo played a show in the heart of the Tuscany region of Italy.  Most of the guys used this as a reason for a leisurely summer vacation.  I, of course, used this show as a springboard for a week's worth of solo gigs.

I hooked up with Andrea, an Italian promoter with a soft spot for Canadian music (who knew?).  He had already booked tours for Luke Doucet, Carolyn Mark and N. Q. Arbuckle so I fit in easily to his Canadian roster. 

I was based out of Como, the northern resort town in the Lombard region that is home to Donatella Versace and George Clooney.  For the record, neither of them came out to my shows although I am still angling for a house party with George.

 

 

I played a week of shows in small towns and it was one of the best solo tours of my life.  I came home with a deep impression of Italian culture that months later still leaves me with a warm feeling and a smile.  Here are my memories of Italy in 2006.

FASHION

Plaid, my old fashion standby was nowhere to be found.  In fact, the Italians wore everything but plaid.  From the scarves to the shoes to the accessories to the colors and styles, Italians can wear anything and make it look good (and sexy).  A man in red pants in Italy can look masculine and hip.  I imagine if I tried that in Kitchener the results would not be so positive.

FOOD

I am a notoriously finicky eater who sticks to a pretty strict regimen of low carb health foods when at home.  Forget all that in Italy.  I was treated to ham, eleven different ways.  The high mark of ham being a delicacy of marinated ham fat, a century old tradition.  It is call Lardo and it is from the town of Colina.  If the words Lardo and Colina remind you of the words Lard and Colon you are getting the right idea.  This stuff makes Maple Leaf bacon look like an organic soy product.  Sure was tasty though........

Carbs?  They eat them - pizza served with bread and cheese, pasta served with bread and cheese, rice served with bread and cheese, ham served with bread and cheese.  And of course, wine served with every lunch and dinner.

I felt guilty indulging but when in Italy.........  And it is hard to argue when you see how fit and happy the Italians appear.

I was also open to new culinary experiences and discovered the joys of gelato, Italian ice.  My zealousness led to numerous brain freezes while dizzily ping-ponging through cobblestone laneways and plazas.

Coffee?  No one does it better than the Italians.  Unable to order my usual grande, half-decaf, extra hot, soy latte I rediscovered the art of the Italian coffee experience.  The choice was simple - espresso or cappuccino.  No "to go" or "take away" cups, no double-doubles, no lids or cardboard sleeves and nobody walking in the streets clutching a coffee beverage.  Why?  Coffee in Italy is made to be consumed standing at a stainless steel counter shoulder to shoulder with your fellow citizens arguing about the latest soccer match. Or it is made to be enjoyed sitting at an outdoor table watching the most fashionable people on earth drifting by against the backdrop of century old architecture.  I adapted quickly.

  

 

FAMILY

Many of my accommodations on this tour were in the homes of promoters.  I would enter these homes in the dark at 3am after the show and wake at noon to three or four generations of family eating a midday lunch of gnocchi and intestines prepared with grandma's special mayonnaise sauce, and of course wine, bread and cheese. 

It was a fantastic gathering but at times I did miss my solitary mornings with my porridge and the Toronto Star.

It was quite common for several generations to live under the same roof and no one I spoke with would ever consider placing an aging relative in a nursing home.  I noticed this lack of ageism at my shows and at social gatherings as well, the elderly were always well integrated with the younger people.  And everywhere I looked I saw grandparents caring for babies and children.

PASSION

The Italians exude passion in just about everything they do.  From conversation to architecture to music to fashion to food, they seemed to embrace (and create) the essence and passion of each moment.  Often I overheard what I thought was an argument only to learn it was simply a discussion of the weather.

Complete strangers will say goodbye to you with an embrace and kiss on both cheeks.  They will beg you to return and when you can relax and visit more.  They will bring their parents and children to sit and have a meal with you and ask you questions about your well-being.  They will insist you eat more, drink more, visit more, sing more and laugh more.  Every interaction was turned into a moment to savoir and remember.

CONCLUSION

As you can imagine I enjoyed this tour thoroughly.  The immersion into Italian culture for two weeks re-opened my mind to other ways of living and it re-kindled my love for the Italian people.

And it reminded me once again of one of the reasons I became a musician - to see the world and experience what it has to offer.

POSTSCRIPT

My solo shows went well.  I got a lot of press and got to know many of the players in the music business.  I also signed a deal to release my new record in Italy and am currently booking my tour there for November.  Look for more Italian stories then.

Bob Egan
August 2006

Posted on Tuesday, August 08, 2006 1:30 PM by Lindsay | permalink | discuss this!

The Making of The Glorious Decline

This record is a culmination of a lot of different ideas and events. It has been three years since my last solo record so I thought long and hard about how I wanted my new record to turn out.

Making records and writing songs are a craft. The more you do them, the better you (hopefully) get at it. Since the Promise three years ago, I haven't stopped recording or writing so I had a big pile of ideas to choose from.

Thematically I wanted it to be an achingly sad record that tells the story of down and out characters. It is a homage to my old band Freakwater who have perfected the art of sad songs. I wanted to draw the listener into this world of despair.

Musically I wanted the sound to be a lush, textural soundscape that floated underneath the stories. I also wanted the music to be linear and flowing, like classical music as opposed to a rigid verse/chorus structure.

From the technical standpoint I wanted to be liberated from the time and place constraints of a studio so I got a portable Macintosh-based Pro-Tools rig and a few good microphones. I took the record with me for a year, recording pianos in cottages, drums in basements, guitars in living rooms and vocals in hotel rooms and dressing rooms. I had all the time in the world to get what I heard in my head onto the machine.

Musically I wanted a consistency, a small combo that you would get to know as the record progressed. Jason Tait from the Weakerthans and the Fembots played all the drums, vibraphone, percussion and electronics on the record. Vanessa Yundt, a classically trained performer and arranger played the pianos. And Adam Blinick, a Montreal trained jazz cat played upright bass.

We recorded harmony vocals on a song with Oh Susanna in her kitchen after a big Italian dinner. We also recorded the horns of Bryden Baird and Steve Donald in a kitchen for another song.

Darryl Neudorf (Neko Case, Jim Cuddy) was brought on board to help mix this mess of home-recorded parts. We worked hard to make the instruments breathe, to have them tell the story too. It was important that the songs flowed together, that they could pull you in and take you somewhere perhaps without your conscious knowledge that you are on this sonic journey.

For me, the process of making a record is a very satisfying and rewarding process. You always hope that it does well, that people want to listen to it and that it moves them. But at the end of the day it is the creative process itself that is the reward. Everything that comes after the record's release is icing on the cake.

Bob Egan
July, 2006

Posted on Thursday, July 20, 2006 6:25 PM by Lindsay | permalink | discuss this!

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