Inverview with Danny Cohen
Danny Cohen’s newest release, We’re All Gunna Die (Epitaph/ANTI-, 2005), is currently a top contender for AvoidPeril’s Top 8 “Albums to Listen to When You are Alone and Inebriated.” But that’s not all Cohen’s album is a good soundtrack for – it’s an engaging listen, full of lyrical twists and musical turns…it’s an album that keeps you on your toes. Mr. Cohen was kind enough to answer a few questions about his lyrics and his writing process, and even solved the mystery of how to fit a “Cow-Cry” into a modern-day rock/folk song.
1. Robert Frost seems to hover on the margins of some of the songs on We’re All Gunna Die. Do you find yourself reading any particular poets before setting out to work on an album? Are there poets (of the “literary” sort or the songwriter category) that you’ve found to be a major influence? How?
I was exposed to Frost in High School, but the line derived (can't recall now) was more for syntax. His entire philosophy is subliminally retained. Blake, Keats, Byron, Milton, Dante, Rimbaud, Breton, Van Vliet, Borges, and Bukowski are all HUGE influences (not directly tapped or even referenced).
2. Are you as big a fan of film as the subject of “Film Noir”? If so, where do you like to watch your movies (late-night theatres, mall crowds, wait for video, etc.)? Are there any films that you wish someone would re-issue / shine the spotlight on again?
YES. Minored in film-making, and took classes such as 'Rhetoric of Film' at UC Berkeley. Made 16 mm surrealist films. Saw 90% of all Noir; 'Night and the City' with Widmark fulcrum for that song. All old films should be more readily available on video (somewhat in shops in big cities). The obscure ones are usually better and you can't find them. Recent films are weaker in scripts, acting and cinematography (music, literature and art have also taken a nosedive). Art house theatres are vanishing in L.A. and S.F. (my venues of choice and they give discounts).
3. What’s your typical day like? Do you have a set writing schedule, or do you wait for inspiration to come to you? Can you work on music and painting / collage work simultaneously?
Can work in 3 or 4 genres simultaneously but don't any more because I'm concentrating on music and it dilutes the potency. I should really be just writing prose (my legitimate gift), although I have a flair for naive and abstract painting and as a rhythm rock guitarist. My songwriting is second in skill and I'm peaking there right now (the vocals I leave to the beholder). My daily routine is biking 15 mi., hiking 10 mi., cleaning my room, taking care of my mom and watching TV. My music time is for rehearsing recordings and shows, so I'm not composing at the moment. I can only compose while housesitting or in foreign territory ([my] house induces coma and it's haunted).
4. Will you be touring in support of We’re All Gunna Die?
Only L.A. and S.F. to small audience and record stores. A salsa band added at 11th hour in L.A. and had to stop 15 min. early, so I made it 25. A reviewer said I was “clockwatching and anxious to stop.” Young kid reviewers always make assumptions and try to psychoanalyze you, avoiding musical insights.
5. What was the writing process like on the album?
Half these songs (on CD) were old, but selected for thematic AND musical tie-ins for an omnipotent approach (like 60's art-rock). The actual process varies, but music comes first and lyrics reflect the chord sounds. Tiny adjustments take most time, but the good songs come fast and easily (they all say that). 1000s of hours of listening to a dozen musical genres and 53 years of intense (not always hard) living are the bottom line (try not to duplicate an exact progression and I've a photographic memory).
6. I think that many reviewers, in order to better categorize your music, try to draw a lot of comparisons between your music and that of other artists. I’ve heard you compared to Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and a whole host of others. Do you think your music can be compared to any of those artists? Which musicians do you identify with?
All great classical and jazz composers, blues, 60's rock, before redundancy set in.
7. Are there any new musicians who are catching your ear? What are you listening to these days?
Hate most all new bands. Listen to classical mostly and old blues. Told kid in Bright Eyes [Conor Oberst] he'd be famous (we toured the country together). Bands on late-night TV have no songs or vocal charisma.
8. This might be kind of a goofy question, but I’m curious as to what that sound is after you sing the words “Love, peace” in “Among the Cows.”
A 'Cow Cry'; you turn over the cardboard rotunda and it moos (in novelty stores everywhere).
|
