I think some people just have an innate musical ability, and I’m lucky enough to be one of those people.
I think your teenage years define your musical roots forever. You’re always looking for a theme for your high school years.
I come from a background of experimental music which mingled real sounds together with musical sounds.
The world must be filled with unsuccessful musical careers like mine, and it’s probably a good thing. We don’t need a lot of bad musicians filling the air with unnecessary sounds. Some of the professionals are bad enough.
My family was musical on both sides. My father’s family had a famous flautist and a classical pianist. My mother won a contest to be Shirley Temple’s double – she was the diva of the family. At 8, I learned how to play guitar. I used to play songs from the ’20s, ’30s and ’40s in the kitchen for my grandmother.
Johnny Cash was a rebel, not only just in the musical sense, but he was somebody who was for the people, and an advocate for labor, for workers, for prisoners, people who have been trapped by the criminal justice system.
