Gordon Lightfoot Forums - Folk legend Lightfoot talks ahead of Asheville show

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Folk legend Lightfoot talks ahead of Asheville show
by Carol Mallett Rifkin, take5 correspondent
published February 8, 2008 12:15 am
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Gordon Lightfoot will be 70 in November but when he takes the stage, you can still see and hear the handsome, complex young man who captured the heart of a generation. A near-death experience in 2002 took the Canadian star out of action for several years, but he’s back on the road. Lightfoot’s songs were recorded by everyone from Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan to Barbara Streisand. On Tuesday night, fans can hear him with his four-piece band, playing old favorites like “If I Could Read Your Mind” and “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium. Lightfoot spoke about family, illness, writing and more in a recent interview.

Web Extras: Multimedia & Related Content
Clip of the song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," by Gordon Lightfoot. (255 KB)
Clip of the song "Sundown" by Gordon Lightfoot. (244 KB)
Gordon Lightfoot, legendary singer/songwriter who will be performing at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on February 12, 2008, describes how his tour schedule is set up. (659 KB)
Gordon Lightfoot, legendary singer/songwriter who will be performing at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on February 12, 2008, talks about the physical ailment that nearly killed him a few years ago. (803 KB)
Gordon Lightfoot, legendary singer/songwriter who will be performing at Thomas Wolfe Auditorium on February 12, 2008, explains why, at nearly 70 years old, he continues to go out on tour. (378 KB)
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Question: Are your songs as personal as they seem?

Answer: Well, I went through some periods of personal turmoil in my life, especially when I was younger. Then I straightened myself out and moved on but I am sure there are some personal reflections that came through in some of the songs, maybe “If I Could Read Your Mind,” some others.

Q: Are you writing new songs?

A: No. I think I’ve said everything I had to say. When I was released from my Warner Brothers contract in ’98 after 33 year of writing, I wrote material for one more album, it was my 20th. It was the album I started before I fell seriously ill. I wanted to do this one record, “Harmony.” It has nine new songs I had recorded and two that I performed in Massey Hall, in Toronto. That is where I first performed when I was 13 years old. I like to spend my time with my children now.

Q: Do your children play music?

A: Three of them do, I have one drummer and two more musicians.

Q: Do you think they will pursue careers in music?

A: I doubt it, I tell them it is like playing in the lottery. It is virtually impossible for people to obtain a recording contract, for instance, these days.

Q: Are you fully recovered from your illness?

A: Yes, I am. The type of illness I had was an abdominal hemorrhage brought on by a burst artery in my midsection. A mechanical failure, which then needed to be worked on, and the working on took about 19 months altogether. Then the recovery took about six months.

Q: That is a big chunk out of your life.

A: I was back on stage after 28 months from the time I went down. I was getting ready to go onstage to a concert. I was in a total blackout for six weeks and then everything just went on from there. I didn’t die. It’s the kind of an illness that kills 95 percent of the people it happens to.

Q: I am glad you are still with us.

A: It was very, very close. When it was all over and the aftermath was finished, I started working on the new album. I happened to have the material available and had previously recorded the songs with just guitar and vocal. I gave the songs to my people, and they orchestrated it for me and brought it to me in the hospital so I could listen to it in progress.

Q: Will you change your mind and write again?

A: No, I am not going to write anymore. I think that will probably be about it for me. We have a wonderful show, I have always had a wonderful facility for doing concerts, and people love our shows. And we love the people, and we love the music. That is the main reason for coming to Asheville (first time).

Carol Mallett Rifkin writes about entertainment for take5.

E-mail her at carol@buddycaroljamie.com.