Interview: Ben Kweller
Over the past decade Ben Kweller has established himself as one of the U.S’s most treasured songwriters. His critically acclaimed albums have surpassed half a million in sales, and earned him a die-hard global fan base to which he remains committedly accessible. His genre jumping blend of Alr Rock, Piano Ballads and Folk Music has captured the hearts of fans and critics alike.
Returning to Australia in 2012, Kweller will be playing gigs along the East Coast as part of the Hi-Fi Shoreline Series - a series of shows across The Hi-Fi venues celebrating the opening of the newest Hi-Fi franchise, The Hi-Fi Sydney.
Leading up to this exciting tour, Ben took some time out of his busy schedule to have a chat about optimism, Rhett Miller, and writing songs in Australia.
On My Way was one of the first records I ever bought as a young man with a part-time job and a crappy nylon string guitar. I remember hearing the title track and my head just exploded. And it was one of the first times I really felt like I got something out of music. Did you ever have one of those moments with music growing up?
The first song that made me want to write music was ‘All You Need Is Love’ by The Beatles. I was eight years old and I was listening to the song on my dad’s turntable. I would always take the needle back and listen to it again. It made me cry, tears were coming down my face because the melody was so amazing. I didn’t even understan why I was crying – it was just like magic. Something was making me cry because it was so beautiful. That’s when I said: ‘Hey, I want to do this. I want to write songs.’
‘On My Way’ is definitely a song that I’m very very proud of, lyrically. It has a nice evolution to it.
That’s probably a good springboard into the record you’ve just made, because recently I was reading a review that said something to the affect of: ‘this record almost sounds like Paul McCartney fronting Fountains of Wayne.’ To me, that’s about the highest compliment I think anybody could ever be paid. Do you take it as one?
Yeah, wow! I totally take that as a compliment.
Because it’s definitely more of a pop record.
Oh yeah, totally.
What pointed you in that direction?
The songs did. They dictate what I’m going to do, really. With [2009 Americana foray] Changing Horses, they were songs that I’d stored in my scrapbook to release as a country album. But [the songs] on Go Fly A Kite are all songs that I wrote in the same period of time, and it all came to me that way. I still don’t know what makes me write songs a certain way. I’m still trying to figure it out. Like, every time I write a song I’m still like: ‘Yes! Another one!’ It’s always a big achievement just to write another song.
Where does this record find you, thematically?
Thematically, there are a lot of songs about friendships that I had a few years back and people that have come and gone and the sadness behind that. I also take aim at a few mean people who I came across in the past few years. It’s an album for anyone who has felt like they’ve been betrayed or held down or misrepresented. It’s a big thing to feel like you didn’t do anything wrong but you’ve kind of been framed … or something like that! There are a few lyrics that deal with that feeling, which is something that I’ve never really talked about much in the past, but it’s definitely something I experience firsthand.
What happened to you, man?
Well, you know, I don’t want to get too in-depth. I’ve started getting these phone calls from friends of mine being like ‘Dude! What the fuck? Why did you write this song about me!’ People are thinking that these songs are about them and they’re wrong. But there definitely are some people who the songs actually are about.
Everything that you hear in the music is definitely real, but at the same time, as an artist you have to take creative liberties. I never learned karate in Japan, really, but it just worked out in ‘On My Way’ really well because it got the point across about love being the most important thing. Not everything is literal but all of the experiences that influenced the stories definitely happened.
‘Jealous Girl’, for instance, is about one of my great friends who fell in love with this chick, who didn’t want him hanging out with any of his friends that he knew before she came into the picture. You’ve probably dealt with that before, where some new girl comes along and she takes your buddies away. It sucks!
Songs like ‘Jealous Girl’ and ‘Mean To Me’ strike me as kind of angry or disappointed – but in a really joyous way. Tell me about striking that balance.
Yeah, totally! I don’t know, I think that’s just the way I am as a person. Just pure acceptance, y’know? Okay, so my arm just got cut off. Well, fuck. That really sucks but at least I have the other arm.
You gotta find peace in whatever you have left. And if you have nothing left, you’ve gotta find peace in knowing that tomorrow might be a little bit better. That’s all it comes down to – that tomorrow hopefully will be better than today. And if you have great things going on today, just remember to take a step back and be thankful for what you have, because it could be gone tomorrow. I don’t subscribe to any kind of Buddhist philosophies or any zen or religious stuff, I just kind of have my own vibe that I deal with. And that’s what my songs are about: trying to get by and get through and trying so be happy. So, even if I’m really fucking angry at someone I’m always going to give them the benefit of the doubt and have love in my heart.
You do that kind of thing really well – you should trademark it or something. Kweller optimism.
Yeah, Kweller Optimism, totally! Get it in like, philosophy books at universities.
One thing I really wanted to ask you about is your relationship with another one of my heroes – Rhett Miller from the Old 97’s. How do you guys know each other?
Well, we grew up close to each other. I grew up near Greenville, Texas and he grew up near Dallas. We both came up in the Dallas music scene in the mid-‘90s and we were both pretty young. I was definitely more in the punk world of Dallas and he was definitely more in the Americana world of Dallas, but we became friends and we’ve supported each other over the years. I just saw him about a month ago, he was here in Austin and we wrote a song together.
Wow!
It’ll be on his new album – it’s called ‘Lost Without You.’ So write that one down. I’m really proud of that.
I spoke to him maybe a year and a half ago and he really sang your praises, man. You gotta bring him out here next time you come.
I know! He doesn’t get over there, does he?
He was supposed to come with Steve Earle a few years back but we ended up with someone else instead.
I would love to bring him over. I love that guy.
You must be excited to play some shows over in this part of the world.
I feel really lucky. I have a lot of friends – like Rhett, and Mason Jennings, even Connor Oberst – who are people in huge bands who don’t get to do Australia nearly as much as I do. Ever since I came there in 2001, it’s always been a goal of mine to keep coming back. I think of it the same as I do America. If I’m going to play New York and LA I’m also going to play Melbourne and Sydney. And hopefully Brisbane and Tasmania and Perth and Adelaide as well.
I understand that ‘Mean To Me’ also actually has its roots here in Australia. Can you talk a little bit about that song and where you were?
‘Mean to Me’ and ‘Out the Door’ were both finished in Australia. I was in a hotel room. I was writing them both at the same time – it’s a good way to finish a song. I was playing a show at a university somewhere…
Newcastle?
Oh yeah! Newcastle! It must have been. We were staying at a lodge, and it had a big front porch, and I was in the hotel room that night. I used to go between those two places and write and write.
Is that sort of atmosphere conducive to songwriting?
I think so! It’s quiet and I’m by myself, not like at home where I have so many distractions. Especially now, we have the label [the recently-founded Noise Company], and an office, and my friends and my two boys. They always want to play. I write late at night on my own at home, but when I’m on tour I really get a lot of writing done. Especially Australia, for some reason. I think it’s because I’m so far away. The timezone is so crazy, so it’s kind of nice. We fly a lot in Australia, so we don’t bring our tour bus either – I hear people die on that road trip. It’s so humongous.
It’s true man. People get to Perth with beards down to their ankles. It’s like ZZ Top all over again.
White glove, top hats, the whole thing! There you go!