Interview #4: Jonny Lang.

Jonny Lang began his career at the tender age of fourteen, catapulted into the world of blues with his preternatural guitar skills and grizzled voice a few decades older than he was. At twenty-eight years old he has offered up four studio albums - Lie to Me, Wander This World, Long Time Coming, and Turn Around - and infused a gospel sensibility into his latest work, one testament to a life that has been way more than just interesting.

1. From the point that you first picked up a guitar, how long was it before you were what we would call "proficient?"

2. How were you discovered? The music industry is full of tales of luck and connections; tell me yours.

3. Your voice changed in between your first two albums; how cool was it to be able to add even more grizzle and unearned life experience into a fresh set of lyrics? Did you try to overdo it a little, the way my brother would answer the phone in a deep voice in case it was a girl?

4. What is your assessment of the blues market today? What do you think it would take to attract more listeners to the genre?

5. How has your musical expression changed/evolved as you have grown up?

6. Describe your voice using one word. (Can't use 'grizzled'!)

7. Any time an artist goes in a different direction, they know they will alienate a portion of their fans. What kind of response did you perceive to Turn Around, especially concertwise?

8. When I saw you in concert last, you changed the lyrics to "Wander This World" a bit to reflect your conversion to Christianity. Are there any songs on your albums you would leave off now if you could?

9. With so much life still ahead of you, where do you want to ultimately end up?

10. Will you sign my arm and be a guest mentor on American Idol next season? :D

Interview #2: Alanis Morissette

Alanis Morissette helped define the nineties, a decade already awash in combat boots, tragically hip alternative musicians, and female empowerment. Her first album, Jagged Little Pill, sold over 30 million copies worlwide and helped her win four Grammys, including Album of the Year. Subsequently she released Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, Under Rug Swept, Feast On Scraps, So-Called Chaos, and Flavors of Entanglement, among other things.

1. What I found refreshing was learning that you went to India, as many celebrities were doing at the time, in search of something - enlightenment, whatever - and yet you were disillusioned by what you found. Describe what that was and how you interpreted it.

2. You have referenced 'God,' 'Spirit,' and other ways of naming a higher power. How would you describe yourself religiously?

3. In my opinion, SFIJ is one of those albums that young people will discover decades from now and absolutely adore. With it being the follow-up to your massive hit of a debut, how do you think of SFIJ now, in retrospect? Did you accomplish what you set out to do with a follow-up?

4. My personal favorite album of yours is Feast on Scraps. (It's comprised of songs left off of Under Rug Swept) Not only is it some of your best work, period, but the songs are much more edgy and haunting than the album on which they didn't make it. Why did you feel compelled to keep them off the original?

5. In the same vein, Under Rug Swept is probably your most 'pop' album. Describe the decision-making process in selecting the songs that made the final cut; and did they accurately portray the kind of sound you wanted for a follow-up to SFIJ?

6. With an Alanis album, I can always expect the quiet, haunting songs as well as the hardcore, in-your-face dark stuff. What parts of your personality help to create each of those disparate sounds? Which type of song do you prefer more?

7. The paradox of the music industry is: stick with a tried-and-true formula and be criticized for not trying new things; try new things and be criticized for veering away from your fans. Have you felt that you personally experienced this in your career?

8. With your latest album, Flavors of Entanglement (which has gorgeous album art, by the way), you introduced a more synthesized production. What are your thoughts about how it turned out? Do you feel in some ways the synthesizer is better equipped to provide the sounds you hear in your head?

9. Where do you see yourself headed next?

10. Be honest, now - what exactly did you see in Dave Coullier?!

Interview #1: Jay Clifford

For the uninitiated, Jay Clifford is the former leader of South Carolina band Jump, Little Children, which disbanded several years ago. They released three official studio albums, Magazine, Vertigo, and Between the Dim and the Dark, along with some demo tapes and EPs and live albums.

1. JLC spent some time in Ireland learning the musical traditions there, and it influenced quite a few of your melodies and lyrics. Why the Irish tradition in particular, and not something else?

2. Vertigo is probably the most experimental and ornate of the three studio albums. What influenced the new ideas?

3. With BTDATD, did the band feel the need, as a sort of last-ditch effort at broad commercial success, to "mainstream" their sound and if so, how was that decision reached?

4. Talk about the song Pidgeon and its inspiration. Did you have to research all the flora you name-dropped, or is gardening a secret hobby of yours?

5. The piano opening of Mother's Eyes is gorgeous. Have you ever composed classically, or ever thought about doing so?

6. Cathedral, from your first album, is perhaps your biggest hit. What do you think made it so popular?

7. For my sake, for once and for all...what is Say Goodnight really about?

8. Music has of course evolved since 1998 when you guys formally debuted. If the band were to put an album out today, what kind of sound do you think it would have?

9. Who are some of the musicians and bands today who you feel are most similar to the JLC catalogue?

10. Will you sign my arm? :-)