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imported_Next_Saturday · 02-06-2013, 02:41 PM

http://www.npr.org/2013/01/31/170760...ders-mortality

Audio link: javascript:NPR.Player.openPlayer(170760362,%201707 90487,%20null,%20NPR.Player.Action.PLAY_NOW,%20NPR .Player.Type.STORY,%20'0')

Somehow, Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith makes a case of the deep blues sound sweet. The new album Forever Endeavour is his 13th, and the songs show him, at midlife, reflecting a lot on the passage of time.

"I think there's always something comforting about sad songs," Sexsmith says. "It's a shared thing that everyone can relate to."

Speaking here with NPR's Melissa Block, Sexsmith discusses dealing with setbacks — including a health scare and an unpopular album — and how he channeled his energy into new material.

Interview Highlights

On the album's title

"When you're a songwriter, it is a bit like a forever endeavor, because you're trying to do something or write a piece of music that maybe will outlive you. It's like those Stephen Foster songs. Everybody still knows 'Camptown Races.' ... When you're a songwriter, you have a shot at immortality if you're lucky."

On the song 'Sneak Out the Back Door'

"I was feeling a bit rejected by the music industry. It's a feeling that comes and goes, I find. And I was just thinking about disappearing and not wanting to make a spectacle of myself. ... I would never be one of those guys to say, 'OK, I'm gonna do a farewell tour.' I would just not be there anymore, you know? I think that's really the best way to do it. But what happens with me is I get down and I write a bunch of songs, and then I get excited again. And so it's like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football all the time."

02-06-2013, 02:41 PM	#1
imported_Next_Saturday Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Posts: 443	Ron Sexsmith: At Midlife, A Songwriter Ponders Mortality http://www.npr.org/2013/01/31/170760...ders-mortality Audio link: javascript:NPR.Player.openPlayer(170760362,%201707 90487,%20null,%20NPR.Player.Action.PLAY_NOW,%20NPR .Player.Type.STORY,%20'0') Somehow, Canadian singer-songwriter Ron Sexsmith makes a case of the deep blues sound sweet. The new album Forever Endeavour is his 13th, and the songs show him, at midlife, reflecting a lot on the passage of time. "I think there's always something comforting about sad songs," Sexsmith says. "It's a shared thing that everyone can relate to." Speaking here with NPR's Melissa Block, Sexsmith discusses dealing with setbacks — including a health scare and an unpopular album — and how he channeled his energy into new material. Interview Highlights On the album's title "When you're a songwriter, it is a bit like a forever endeavor, because you're trying to do something or write a piece of music that maybe will outlive you. It's like those Stephen Foster songs. Everybody still knows 'Camptown Races.' ... When you're a songwriter, you have a shot at immortality if you're lucky." On the song 'Sneak Out the Back Door' "I was feeling a bit rejected by the music industry. It's a feeling that comes and goes, I find. And I was just thinking about disappearing and not wanting to make a spectacle of myself. ... I would never be one of those guys to say, 'OK, I'm gonna do a farewell tour.' I would just not be there anymore, you know? I think that's really the best way to do it. But what happens with me is I get down and I write a bunch of songs, and then I get excited again. And so it's like Charlie Brown trying to kick the football all the time." __________________ "I'll see you all next Saturday..."