New Eardrum NYC contributor Gary Canino caught up with Bill Callahan to ask him a few questions about his music, writing and recent releases, including this year's superb Apocalypse. Read their exchange below and watch the video for "America!" from Apocalypse. Also, be sure to check out NYC Taper's excellent recording of Callahan's recent show at Bowery Ballroom.
Gary Canino: You described some of your recent collaborators’ playing styles as "non-masculine." How would you describe Neal Morgan's approach to playing drums and why do you like his style / why does it fit well with your songs?
Bill Callahan: I'd say Neal doesn't play unless it's absolutely necessary. He'd almost rather not play, but when a moment comes when he should play he's like, "what? no one else is going to play a drum now? OK, I'll do it then."
I also try not to play unless it's necessary.
"Sometimes I Wish We Were An Eagle," besides being the name of your 2009 album, is a line from one of the letters your "epistolary novelette," Letters to Emma Bowlcut. What is the relationship between your music and your writing? Could any lines from the novelette be sung? Would you ever consider publishing lyrics from an unreleased song?
There is no relationship. They're from separate planets. Anything can be sung. That's the beauty and unfortunateness of it. I don't have any unreleased songs to publish. I complete things or perish them.
"America!", among other songs from this year's Apocalypse, has been receiving special attention. To me, it actually brings to mind Neil Young's re-recording of "Mr. Soul" that appeared on Trans. What is the role of humor in your music?
To make people laugh.
The final songs of your last two albums end on long, sprawling notes ("One Fine Morning" is almost 9 minutes, "Faith/ Void" almost 10). Could these songs work in different positions on the album?
I don't think they could. They are closing songs. As Apocalypse travels in reverse time for a lot of it. It is about being opaque and clear. The clarity at end is a opacity, also. Any type of clarity can be an opacity. Clarity puts other things out of focus that are still in the picture.
When you record a song with several parts (beyond the means of the touring personnel you bring, such as the flute part on "Free's"), do you worry about the song's execution live? Or does the stripped down Bill Callahan song work just as well?
It does cross my mind at times. But the strength of a song is not in the recording. If it is, then it has little strength. Unless it's a studio creation, like dub. I always tell myself that I'll get the song over no matter what. I've been playing harmonica to mimic some of the strings off Eagle and some of the flute off Apocalypse. But on the nights I don't feel like playing harmonica, the songs still go along OK.
On Apocalypse, several songs precisely pit the acoustic sound versus hard distorted electric guitar notes ("Drover," "America!".) Do you write these songs on acoustic guitar first, and envision the electric parts, or vice versa?
It doesn't really matter to me. The songs were written on both. You think it might mean something either way while you're doing it, but from the perspective of now (having taken the songs on the road for 3 months) it doesn't make a good goddamn bit of difference what kind of guitar it is or was.
The first side of Apocalypse (and even some of the art) brings to mind Western film / soundtracks. Have you considered scoring a Western? Can you name any Western film that you've seen that has been an influence on this new album?
"Westworld" with Yul was an influence.
