|
|
||||
|
|
STEWART FRANCKE: Riding the 'Wheel of Life' by Robert E. Martin
That the life of Stewart Francke is one informed by extremes of success and despair underscores his importance as an artist. In the early to mid-90's Stewart's music was gaining rapid acclaim. Voted 'Musician and Artist of the Year' by The Detroit Metro Times, Francke was opening for major acts throughout the country until he was diagnosed with life-threatening cancer in 1998. The subsequent albums Swimming in Mercury and What We Talk ofŠWhen We Talk witnessed Stewart shifting musical gears into a new form of 'Blue Eyed Soul' that earned him glistening reviews and a write-up in Playboy by noted rock writer Dave Marsh, greatly expanding Stewart's stature and significance in a cynical age of Britney Spears and The Backstreet Boys, where music is manufactured more often than created. "To me this new album is still soul music," notes Stew. "Songs with a point of view, free from the ghetto of age, fashion, or whatever. A kind of music that mirrors the often solemn insistence of every day life at the same time it tries to transcend it." "Hopefully people will find a lot of life in it - fated love, where we go with disappointment & betrayal, the spirituality that a place provides, the loss of control and confidence due to things both within & without you, the joy of summer, the love of family - many of the things that always seem just out of reach." With a 'Wheel of Life' Record Release Party and performance scheduled at White's Bar on Friday, December 13th, we recently spoke at length with Stewart about music, songwriting, the evolution of his career, and the nature of the often elusive 'meaning' embedded within this thing we call 'life'. At a time of year where we focus on giving 'thanks' to the things we have and enjoy in our lives, I hope you enjoy digesting & savoring the words and wisdom contained herein. Review: What do you feel 'Wheel of Life' signifies at this point in your career? Francke: I'm quite divided as to how I see the work. Artistically there's always an unchanging qualitative criteria - is it representative of where I honestly am in life? Is it hopefully representative of where we all are in some sense? Does it groove or swing a bit? Does it move someone deeply enough to affect their behavior--how they see themselves or the world --that's crucial to me. Do the songs and the musical decisions always take into account the listener? I'm not looking to merely "express" in some kind of primitive way; I'm looking to live up to a very old art form. And I'm not looking to critique life or even describe it; I'm looking to make life come alive in these songs, in all the songs. So on that level Wheel of Life signifies another chapter in the book, another attempt at trying to express and connect with other people. It's an attempt at art, I guess...and being that it needs to live up to some of the tenets of art without being showy or full of shit. So the art is in making this mountain of feeling into a clear, active, natural language that carries my interpretation of experience. And then make it rhyme with "Des Moines." As usual in a world of tremendous ambivalence and imperfection, the pragmatic stuff profoundly affects this artistic aim. Every finished record is a "f*#k you" to all the things that conspire against me - the lack of money, self doubt, the vicious music business, the phoniness and professional envy--it's an endless list as any artist in any medium will tell you. Although I don't make punk rock music, everything about what I do is punk--I do everything either myself or with a couple faithful assistants and consistently fly in the face of all the soulless crap being shoved down our throats by record companies and television. So this record signifies all that, more and less, as is always the case. On a really simple level I hope it finds a large audience and gets us out playin' a lot cuz that's what musicians should do--perform. Review: The sound is stripped back from the more elaborate horn arrangements of your last release, plus I noticed it also stepping back from that orchestrated R&B 'blue eyed soul' approach from the last couple releases. Of course there are exceptions, but the feel is moodier and more introspective. Do you feel it important for the music to evolve along with the emotive content of your material? Francke: Or devolve, as is sometimes the case--get back to basics. There is a melancholy to some of the music, not necessarily in a minor key sense but more in a way that the sweetest moments also remind the thinking person of the end, of the bitter moment. A summer night to me always recalls the comparison of the darkest winter night. I think it's no secret that I'm a conservative as it applies to art...the age old ideas of order and harmony have to be developed; every motif of every song must respond or contrast to every other idea. The order part is easy, almost done before us before we start...the diatonic scale is mathematical language in eights. But records always come from what I've been listening to, combined with the practical parts of this job - money, time and purpose. I've been listening to a lot of the great acoustic guitarists that were ubiquitous when I was a teenager--NeilYoung, James Taylor, Nick Drake...quiet stuff. The classic singer-songwriters that define that title. So I really holed up and improved my guitar playing and the songs came out of that a bit. Also a lot of Warren Zevon, the king of song noir. Having been in his position, I'm amazed at his ability to laugh in the face of death. God I love his best songs--for their attention to detail musically and their savage uniqueness. I've opened for him a few times and he was extremely supportive and gracious. As I was writing these songs I was trying to make sense of some very heavy things, life and death things, that had happened directly to me. Unlike Warren I wasn't able to laugh at em quite as much. I was starting over, quite literally. So the tempo of this record is built around simple and basic things--walking and breathing and playing guitar. Even talking in the unadorned cadence we use around here. To me it's always soul music--with its own point of view, intent on real connection, free from the ghetto of age, fashion, era, whatever. Even though the classic elements of soul--strings & horns, dancing bass lines, gospel vocal call and response--may not be in there as much it's still soul music. If pressed to describe a theme, I think the songs concern themselves with what makes up a life - what do we owe each other as it compares to what we owe ourselves and the debt to God to develop our gifts. What the artistic process demands and how that presents the person making the music to the world and to his family...what we choose and what we lose. I hope the kids give it a 10 and boogie to it. Acoustic disco for adults, that's all I'm doin. Review: How collaborative of a project is this with the other musicians? Did you have the songs all worked out in your head, or did they evolve in the studio? Francke: Well I worked with a producer for the first time, a guy here in Detroit named Michael King. I wanted to be "produced," to really bring someone else's perspective and ethic to the process and surrender the constraints of my own taste. I wrote the songs for about 6-7 months, really worked hard on them, like a job 4-6 hours a day, 6 days a week. Inspiration is about 15-20 seconds, followed by 6 months of craft and rewrite. I always have the benefit of working with these tremendous musicians here in Detroit; most of whom are great friends now also. So no, they were very much written and arranged before we cut them. I was listening to and studying the work of Stephen Sondheim as I was writing this record--that ultra-professional approach to songwriting where every syllable and every dotted quarter note MATTERS...very inspiring but ultimately I'm a rock and roll guy. I love loud guitars and impulsive carelessness; it can't be too perfect. As a result of being produced it's really a great sounding record in a contemporary industry sense although it can run the risk of being kinda tame. What We Talk Of...When We Talk was really given high marks critically but it was essentially homage to the Funk Brothers and Marvin Gaye's What's Going On. I found that working with a producer brings its own distinct challenges and it's not much fun...but it gets results. Review: Much of your material, not only on this release but throughout your career, seems to deal with fundamental issues, feelings, and emotions that all of us confront (or attempt to avoid) in life. The quest often seems to be for a sense of 'permanence' or 'placement', but do you feel it is possible to cling to hopes & dreams once they've become shattered? Or, to quote that great Brit-punk group 'The Buzzcocks'...is "life an illusion, and love but a dream."? Francke: That conflict between home and security and all things enduring versus the reality that life is short and hard and often illusory...therein lies the rub and probably my dominant theme through all these records. I think all eight records I've done have been unified by a single theme and this one is about not the corrosion of optimism but about the absolute destruction of illusions and, more importantly, the "now-what" that comes after that. It's about turning and standing in the harsh wind of reality, not running or evading things chemically or spiritually or in any way. The things to evade are many--fear, professional disappointment, the drift of time - but the reasons for optimism are there too. It's funny, there's an element to psychoanalysis and all character evaluation that finally just says, "Straighten up and fly right." After awhile it really doesn't matter the size or shape of the thing you're running from; eventually it's not the problem anymore. That my life was nearly lost and we really lost a lot of material things as a family is really just spilt milk now...after awhile I had to say "So fuc&in what?" Everyone has their moment of unchanging reality where they see who they are and what their life is worth. While I wish mine would've been something like not winning a Grammy or random pattern baldness or venereal warts, the rules still apply. One of the abiding principles of recovering cancer patients is learning to accept that other people will never understand or care in a way you'd expect them too. In fact to have expectations at all is a mistake. Life goes on. Be happy you were born each morning--looking into the abyss is no way to make a living. Kierkeggard and Nietsche didn't live very long or very well. That cat shooting a hole in one at 99 seems pretty happy. Review: Another theme that tends to recur in this release is the often competitive and diametrically opposed notions of 'taking a risk' versus protecting, cultivating, and embracing whatever 'security' we've managed to forge for ourselves in life. Do you think there is any way, ultimately, to resolve these competing desires? Francke: No. The only approach I can think of is to be home--really home-when you're home and gone--really gone--when you're out wherever "out" is for you. Being in the moment is really the only answer isn't it? As we age the absolutes rear their ugly head don't they? I mean you're either honest or you're not; helpful or you're not; interested in the world around you and the outlook for your soul or you're not. Many of the songs on this record--"All The Love In A Day," "Blind Spot," "Wheel Of Life"--are about restlessness versus the faith that is found in cultivating a family, a role in the community and a refined selflessness. But an artist is often self-obsessed, because the artist finds him or herself to be the most interesting item on earth. Which is why I try and write character-driven songs or songs about nature and weather and a sense of place--to destroy that crippling solipsism. The music and lyrics are written with separate methods. I wrote the lyrics in full prose, almost like journal entries, and then extracted lines that shared a theme and were interesting and emotionally honest and then, in a third rewrite, made them lyrics--not poetry, not prose, not aphorisms--lyrics. Lyrics are the art form of popular song, very distinct in my mind. Everything is fair game, and, as always, everything is at stake. I worked hard on hidden rhyme and mostly (and this is something I'm just learning), what's probably called singability for want of a better phrase. Obviously we all know that dominant vowels sing best but descriptive language as it deals with contemporary life is full of consonance--pronouns, passive verbs, etc. Musically I found the little compositional ideas that come are technically motifs. I consider them little gifts. In songs or any form of long line musical development, I think the point is to make the most out of the least and vice versa. This is probably true of all art forms, though I'm not sure. So these little sections--guitar & piano patterns, riffs, melody lines, counterpoint--are built as little rooms that hopefully make up a house. The characters that become part of the songs--whether it's actually me or a metaphorical being--can then actually be assigned a motif and developed, right along with the musical ideas. I even toyed with the idea of re-using the same sections of songs to make emotional ties. I did this a bit with Sunflower...though the thought of a "concept" album is off-putting. The last thing we want to do is make a statement, or look like we're making a statement. Review: At this point in your career what do you feel is the biggest challenge, both musically & personally? Francke: Musically it's about staying relevant to my own very strict and absolute criteria of what's good. I so long ago lost faith in what the industry or what the public thinks is good or compelling that I just go by my own lights and the work I know and love to be brilliant...the artists I love and admire. When you and I were coming of age what was popular--Motown, the Beatles, Stax, the great singer-songwriters--was also considered the best music. Now what's popular is cynically produced and marketed as only a commercial, moneymaking endeavor. Can Shakira change a young girl's life in a way that will matter down the road? I'm not talking about getting sexy and getting laid and being "strong" and attractive to boys; I'm talking about the real shit, the good stuff. So it's about musical growth, playing with the best people, improving as a recording and performing artist, making everything I do as compelling as possible while always keeping the river on my right if you know what I mean...go with the flow; let life happen. Personally, I've had struggles with cancer and keeping quite predictable demons (for a musician anyway) at bay. But I have an immensely successful marriage and life as a father so I'm blessed and concerned with keeping that going. Nothing good ever comes from alcohol & drugs yet we're the metaphorical moths to the flame with them...by we I mean us poor old humans. It's been a bit of trouble for me that I got a handle on about a year ago after getting so pissed at myself and my lingering situation that I finally told myself to (duh) eliminate the destructive things I could control because the forces I couldn't control were relentless. I sometimes envy people that don't have such compulsions or problems but as Neil Young says "it's the things make you strong that also bring you down. For me to be open enough to feel everything and allow music to come up and out is to also to be open to many painful items. There's no way around it. I somehow found myself at the other end of the tunnel, beginning to accept that adult happiness lies in its problems. It's a more informed sense of happiness, a happiness that's been earned. I no longer mourn a loss of innocence but embrace it as a necessary part of growing up. Some things should die of natural causes. My simplistic and unambiguous desires have given way to a kind of learned ambivalence, an understanding of the complexities of adult responsibility. I think that maybe the final step in maturity is feeling responsible for everybody, a concept we're all hopefully working toward that has really come out in my songwriting the last couple records. There's a great Sondheim song that says, "No One Is Alone," which means your loneliness is not real, there are people on your side that love you and care. But it also means no one is alone, as in our actions are wide ranging and have great effect on many other people--good and bad. I know everyone has had their own immense adversity and trials...I find that I discover a context for my own and an understanding of them if I write about them. But life is ultimately a great story--what we choose and what we lose, the things we learn to live with and without. Ultimately the pragmatic aspect of sharing where the songs are coming from--where I'm coming from--is that musical decisions--sounds--are made based on a million hazy things and rarely on concretely expressed ones. It's not chemical engineering or accounting. Ok maybe a little of the former. Review: Where is the CD available locally after the release party? Francke: I have yet again a new distribution situation, all in an effort to get fu*#ing paid for the records I've sold one of these days. So it will be available everywhere on quite a wide basis nationally. Or someone can order it from the website--www.blueboundary.com. I've only been releasing things on a consistent basis since 1996, and the music marketplace has completely changed. It's much harder for an independent act to just get into the stores. Forget about radio for the most part, unless a program director has some balls or some passion, both rare commodities. Thank God for things like the MCACA/Artserve Michigan program...they gave me a creative artist grant that really helped in getting this out. Hopefully Granholm will see such things as part of a healthy and vital cultural community. Engler was quite hostile to these programs. If you look at fallen civilizations, what lasts to be discovered and studied? Art, music and language. Review: Any final thoughts? Francke: Please, buy my record before they erect a teeny statue of me at Chester F. Miller grade school.
|
|||
|
|
Enable frames | |||
|
home | out/about | events | personal | store | classified | real estate | forums | archives | contact |
||||
