Himanshu Suri, Das Racist
Himanshu Suri, Das Racist

Not expecting a discussion about Postcolonial literature with a songwriter, are you?  But if you've really looked into what Himanshu Suri and Das Racist are about, this should not be surprising. 

Here's the problem with labeling Das Racist "joke rap." Sure, they have funny songs like "Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell." But some people assume that because Suri and Victor Vasquez write humorous lyrics, they can't also be socially conscious artists.  But the two ideas aren't mutually exclusive.  The world of performing arts is filled with people who deliver serious messages about race or class and who are also pretty funny. People like Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx, and Chris Rock.  Even people like George Carlin and Lenny Bruce, who didn't discuss race and class as much, had plenty to say. 

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Hip HopBen Opiparidas racist, himanshu suri, joke rap, shut up dude, sit down man, victor vasquezComment
Ben Knox Miller, The Low Anthem
Ben Knox Miller, The Low Anthem

Of the many songwriters I've interviewed for Songwriters on Process, they are divided into two camps when it comes to discipline in writing. Most believe that carving time out of their day to write is not the "organic" way to do things and thus leads to subpar creative output.  They prefer to rely more on the inspiration of the muse.  The other camp, a smaller one, believes in the importance of discipline in writing. They write on a regular basis.  This routine, they feel, will make them stronger writers and will boost their creativity.  So perhaps we can say that the former group is more reactive, waiting for inspiration to strike, while the latter is more proactive, actively seeking out creativity.  Both groups have offered persuasive explanations for their method. 

But for Ben Knox Miller of The Low Anthem, this discussion of discipline in writing is irrelevant.  Sure, he writes every day.  Usually upon waking, for reasons he explains below.  But Miller doesn't write because he needs to or because it's part of being a songwriter or because it's a cathartic release.  He does it because he likes to.  He looks forward to writing. So his songwriting process really requires no discipline at all.

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Indie Folk, Alternative, Nonesuch RecordsBen Opipariben knox miller, brown, low anthem, smart flesh, the low anthem Comments
Colin Newman, Wire
Colin Newman, Wire

And now for a lesson in music history.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that Wire has had a considerable influence on rock music.  I say "rock," because as songwriter Colin Newman told me, their music "takes the axe to 'rock n roll' and leaves the 'n roll' part out."  Wire has been cited by bands like U2, The Cure, R.E.M., Guided By Voices, Minor Threat, and Black Flag (among countless others) as an influence.  They are one of the innovators of the punk scene of the 70s and 80s, be it punk rock, art punk, post-punk, whatever. With releases like their 1977 debut Pink Flag and later Chairs Missing, Wire were era-defining; if you listen to indie rock in some form today, chances are there's a Wire influence somewhere. 

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Influencers, AlternativeBen Opiparichairs missing, colin newman, pink flag, red barked tree, wire Comments
Warren Spicer, Plants and Animals
Warren Spicer, Plants and Animals

Warren Spicer, the guitarist/vocalist for the Montreal-based indie rock band Plants and Animals, started as an illustrator.  This background still informs his songwriting process, to such an extent that "sketches" are what he calls the preliminary drafting and tooling around before recording a song.  And for the new Plants and Animals album, Spicer is trying a new creative process. Whereas like most songwriters Spicer usually begins the process with a guitar and lets the words flow from the music, this time he's trying the opposite tack: he's beginning each song with lyrics before he has any music.  According to Spicer, "I want to sing the words without a guitar to find a melody before there are any chords or music. Just sing and see what happens. Then I'll build the chords and harmonic stuff afterwards."

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Indie, Indie RockBen Opiparila la land, plants and animals, warren spicerComment
Nathaniel Rateliff
Nathaniel Rateliff

Ah, the solitary life of the singer/songwriter.  Crafting songs in isolation, writing about deep introspective topics like love, loss, and life's meaning. We imagine them toiling away at their craft, going it alone until they get the song just right.

Nathaniel Rateliff does all these things.  And he certainly goes it alone; after all, he does a lot of his writing in the bathroom. To be precise, he does a lot of his best work "on the shitter." And while he might write songs that make people cry when performed live, he'll talk about fried chicken between those melancholy tunes. It's hard to capture the mood of my interview with Rateliff; we spent a good deal of the time laughing. But when the guy tells me that he needs "a clean house, lots of sex, and no dogs" for a productive writing session, or that sometimes he's too lazy to finish a song in the studio, it's easy to laugh.

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Americana, Folk RockBen Opipariin memory of loss, nathaniel rateliff, paste, wheelComment