I am writing to recommend a collection of interviews with rock, jazz and world musicians called Innerviews: Music Without Borders by Anil Prasad.  I love reading and listening to/watching interviews with musicians, especially when the interviewer has done his/her homework and knows what to ask and how to ask it in a way that encourages the musician to reflect deeply.  Anil Prasad is this kind of interviewer.

Bassist Victor Wooten, who wrote the Foreword to the book, explained how Anil Prasad surprised him with his intelligent questions and the way in which he asked them– “The interview got better and better as it went along.  Anil asked insightful questions that allowed me to speak about music and life as I see them.  He listened intently to my answers and seemed to really care about what I was saying.  That made me feel comfortable and allowed me to open up and feel free with my replies.”  Mr. Prasad seems to practice his craft similar to the way a great therapist or spiritual director would—two occupations that require the kind of active listening and true openness to the other that Mr. Wooten describes.

One theme among many that I noticed in several of the interviews is the connection between spirituality and the creative process in music.  Jon Anderson, Bjork, Ani DiFranco, Michael Hedges, and David Sylvian all delve into this relationship when discussing their songwriting with Prasad.  Here’s an excerpt of Prasad’s interview with DiFranco:

Does spirituality play a role in your music?

(Ani DiFranco):  “Sure, but being an atheist, I don’t think in terms of God or higher beings.  Music is my church.  It’s my way of uplifting myself and giving love to others….There are moments when I’m playing when I’m physically transported out of my body in the way other people achieve through meditation and other spiritual practices.”

Here’s an excerpt of his interview with Bjork:

(Bjork): “I don’t think music is a religious thing.  I think it’s generalizing too much to say that.  But I can definitely say that I feel making and listening to music are spiritual experiences for me.”

David Sylvian, from the group Japan, does not use the word “spirituality” but his description of the healing power of music is arresting:

“I think music can potentially give a listener a safe haven to open up to themselves.  Music can be a healing place.  It’s not a physical space, but music can sometimes envelop listeners and allow them to delve into emotions they don’t feel safe to explore elsewhere.  In the embrace of music, they can open up, breathe deeply into these emotions, be they celebratory, sad or melancholy, and just ride with them.  I think music has such a potent, healing capacity.”

What could rock interviews teach us about a spirituality or a theology of the creative process in music?  This is a question that I believe is worth exploring.  Whether or not a musician identifies as belonging to a formal religious congregation, many experience creating music as “spiritual”-or, involving something transcendent.   I once read an interview with Prince where he explained that he did not know how certain of his songs were written—they seemed to have been given to him by someone or something—and he was simply playing the role of recipient and bearer of the song.  I wonder if that higher power is expecting royalties?!

David Nantais

Detroit, MI

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