Richard Somma is the author of the new book Kristofferson: 67 Astounding Songs. It focuses on the music of the late musician and actor Kris Kristofferson (1936-2024). Somma worked as a math teacher for 48 years.
Q: What inspired you to write 67 Astounding Songs?
A: Kris Kristofferson is a great songwriter. I wanted to understand what makes the writing so great. I enjoy writing so I had a clear fun project. My project turned into a book.
Here's what I came up with. My book addresses each of these in detail.
i) Great stories, many propelled by recognizable human frailty that draws us listeners in.
ii) Dazzling repetition of sound creating a musical language that furthers meaning of the song.
iii) Wisdom in his lyrics that creates countless memorable lines that uncover truths to live by.
iv) Creating evocative imagery that turns many of his songs into deep emotional experiences.
v) Witty writing that constantly reminds us of the joy in life.
Q: How did you come up with the book’s format?
A: My format is a playlist of 67 songs and I discuss each song. Why a playlist? I make many playlists in my Amazon Music APP. I assembled my favorite Kristofferson songs in a playlist there. And, boom – I had a format for my book.
Q: Of the various songs you discuss, do you have a couple of particular favorites?
A: "Me and Bobby McGee" tells the story of two people who meet and cross the country together. We feel their joy singing in the cab of a truck. The speaker tells us about their intimacy: "Every night she kept me from the cold" and that "Bobby shared the secrets of my soul." The speaker soon recognizes that he let the relationship "slip away." Bobby is broken by it: "I'd trade all my tomorrows for a single yesterday." What makes us let opportunity slip away?
In "Pilgrim: Chapter 33" we meet a man "wasted on the sidewalk...wearin' yesterday's misfortunes like a smile." The speaker knows this individual and tells us that this man has spent a good deal of his life "searchin' for a shrine he's never found." A series of P-sounds quicken the rhythm, calling attention to the man being a prophet with high vision, a pusher with no vision, a pilgrim following and a preacher leading. The man is confusing enough that, in order to make sense of him, we are inevitably forced to make things up. The speaker tells us that he's "a walkin' contradiction, partly truth and partly fiction." Are we all "walking contradictions"?
Q: What do you see as Kris Kristofferson's legacy today?
A: He highly influenced other songwriters. Read the 5 qualities that I listed in answering #1 above.
Here is another aspect of his legacy that I did not study in my book. This is from Time magazine, writer Andrew R. Chow, September 30, 2024. The article is called "How Kris Kristofferson Changed Country Music":
“Then along came
Kristofferson: long-haired, antiwar, singing about homelessness and alcoholism
and depression and drugs and sex. His tackling of taboo themes startled many in
the country establishment: the New York Times called him
an 'odd man out' in Nashville that year, and TIME labeled him the following
year as the 'most controversial country songwriter-singer of the day.'”
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am now working with a jazz guitarist making a demo with me singing five great Kristofferson songs. I'll use this demo to see if we can get some gigs around the NYC metro area.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I am happy to be asked about my book. I'd love for the book to get more attention. Truth be told, I loved writing the book and any interest feels good – not a bad way to spend my retirement.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
No comments:
Post a Comment