Ben Harper interview -- this guy is cool!
Ben Harper has been playing with the Innocent Criminals for more than a decade, each album soaring higher than its predecessor, hitting a peak with the soulful “Lifeline.” On stage he delivers electrifying slide guitar solos. He sings with abandon, eyes closed, living and breathing the songs, easily ranking as one of the most magnetic live performers out there today. Ben is a true music fan who still does it old school, listening to CDs instead of mp3s, studying the lyrics and the liner notes. In this interview, he reveals his secret: an early immersion into music and a keen ear for inspiration.
Where and how did you grow up? I grew up in a town called Claremont, in California. It’s about 40 miles east of Los Angeles. I discovered music through my parents’ passion for it. They have a music store they built up since 1958 and it’s been open until now. That’s my earliest inspiration, the earliest way that music formed me.
If you were to introduce yourself in a few words, what would they be? I usually start with first name and go from there. I like to let other people talk and tell me more about them than I do myself. It sort of trains me in the art of listening. The older you get, the less you listen, so you’ve got to always retrain yourself to listen.
What is your greatest contradiction? Oh man, I’m a contradiction a day. I’m choc-full of them. I can argue both sides of my own argument. It’s an exhausting proposition. Anybody who knows me will know exactly what I’m talking about.
What is the best place on Earth right now? It could be my backyard, but basically anywhere that I can have my whole family together and just take a deep breath. That’s number one. And number two is on stage.
Do you have to compromise between art and money? Not yet my friend, not yet.
Should artists have a political cause? If they feel it, and only if they feel it.
What makes you happy and what makes you sad? What makes me happy is sitting still in my own backyard. What makes me sad is waiting in line at Trader Joe’s in Santa Monica.
What comes out of boredom? Creativity is connected to isolation. But are grownups allowed to get bored? Don’t you call that apathetic, which is more of a fancy term for slacker? What do I do with my boredom… I get out, exercise, make music, have conversations with friends, change the world. I don’t think I get inspiration. I think inspiration grabs me out, shakes me up, turns me over from the ankles puts itself in the melody. Sometimes I sit down and say I’m gonna write a song right now and I’ve done it. Sometimes inspiration just comes naturally and the song was waiting there. Sometimes you’ve got to piece it together. That’s what’s great about music and art in general, that there are no rules.
What was your greatest moment of doubt? When concerts sell great and records are going strong, there is no doubt to be had. When ticket and record sales aren’t so great, doubt creeps in. It’s no different than sports, really.
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