CONVERSATIONS
you has a story and you listen to all of them.” I said, “Well, first off, it’s
Right. That’s for songs. Not real life.
a really sweet thing, because 98 percent of their stories – unless they’re
Yeah, that’s for other people. That’s for my kids. But I’ve learned
super-drunk – have some special moment in their lives that they want
better. I’m older and wiser now… I wrote a song with the Blue
to impart.” “Celebrate Me Home” or “This Is It,” or even “Whenever
Sky Riders called “There’s No Fool Like an Old Fool.” It’s basically
I Call You Friend,” that was one lady’s moment. And if I interrupt and
about making the same mistakes that you made when you were
say something like “I’m sorry, I don’t have time for this,” I’m liable to
20-something. I thought I knew better, but I guess I don’t. That’s
get their wrath instead. I let them do their thing and I’ve learned what
probably the salvation of an older person, to realize that you don’t
a friend of mine calls it: noblesse oblige.
know better. I use the word realize on purpose, because to know better than to love is to live alone. And walled off. So, I’m back whole enough
The obligation of royalty.
and healed enough to where I’d rather take the chance of getting my
Yeah. People have a heart connection with the music, and it’s
heart broken than live alone in that way.
okay to not only to let them express that, but if I’m in a really good place, it’s okay to let that in. Because it’s been a lifetime, it’s been a
It sounds like you are in a good place.
career of 50-some years and why not soak in that? They really love and
Well, I am. But at the same time, my goal before she came along
appreciate that moment. That’s why I’m still here, it’s because I made a
was to get to where I felt completely satisfied being alone and I could
connection with people’s lives. That’s why I can still sell tickets.
go anywhere, wake up in the morning and go, “Wow! What a great day, let’s go.” I was right on the front edge of that. I was doing pretty good. Now I’m addicted to this thing and sometimes I think, “Can you just go away for a while, so I know I’m okay by myself still?”
So, you’ve come to terms with stardom, finding balance between who you are and what you do? It’s really an awareness that this is all, that stardom, is really an
[Laughs] And because she’s not like that, she says, “What? Why would
illusion. The power in the music is in our similarities. That what I
you want to do that?”
write about and the places that touch people are the places we all share. It’s the humanity of the song that speaks to people and builds
So, you’re not ready go public and be outed in print?
bridges and makes connections, and you adopt it at the moment your
No, it’s been tough for her, the whole rock-star thing. It’s really
child gets married or the moment you got married or the moment
tough for her. She’s just a regular girl.
somebody died. It becomes an important song in your life. But it’s our commonality that makes it that way. It’s ironic that I should be put on
I have to ‘fess up that I was feeling a bit nervous about doing
any kind of pedestal that has to do with me being different, because
this interview, because I grew up loving your music, and Loggins &
the power and strength of my music – which is why I’m sitting here
Messina was one of the first concerts I remember seeing when I was a
(talking to you) – is our commonality.
teenager. Talking with you has been really easy. But I wonder how it is from your side. Well, I was at a party last night with my girlfriend, who is new to all this. She was saying, “You’re so patient. Everyone that comes up to
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We’re all essentially the same. We’re all going through the same stuff and my job is to write about it and if I can do it poetically, even better. And maybe that’s still my job. Maybe my job now is to help shepherd young writers into doing that in their own way.
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