After a few setbacks in the ruthless business of
music, Eli « Paperboy » Reed is back with a new record
titled,
« My way home », which
lies closer to his musical roots.
Eli told us about his path so far to his
« home ». Eli told us about the long path he had to take to get back
to his « home ».
RG: The first thing I'd like to say is: « It's
good to have you back »!
Do you like being on the road?
Eli Reed: Thanks (smile). Sometimes, it's (being
on the road) not the easiest thing
to do. But when you have a great show and so on,
it's fun.
RG: After having
been dropped by one of the major record labels, did you ever consider
giving up music and getting
a regular job - 9 to 5, 5 days a week?
Eli: It was more of a mutual departure but that's
ok. It's a
hard question. I don't know who hasn't considered that sometime in
their career. Music is hard, man. Making music for a living is really
hard. I like to be doing something every day. And when you're not
touring or making or promoting a new record, sometimes you're just
doing nothing. And that's not fun. And also you have
setbacks and you're at
the whims of fans and things that
you can't control. It's not an easy way to make a living. Sometimes
you wish you had a steady paycheck for sure.
RG: Why are
you standing in a boxing ring on the
album cover?
Eli: The exact same reason. It's a fight, man.
It's always a fight. And especially when you're trying to get to
where you want to be. When you're trying to achieve something
musically. There are
a lot of factors. It's always a battle. And I
don't mean to be dramatic or anything. I also just like the idea of
being in
a boxing ring on the cover of my record. I think that's awesome.
RG: It's pretty cool indeed…
Eli: Yeah, we did it in that old boxing gym in
Brooklyn. Everything about doing this is a
fight, a battle. Always.
RG: The new album is called « My way home »,
how would you describe
your “home” from
a musical standpoint?
Eli: There is more than one
way for different artists to be successful and make a living even if
there aren’t
that many people every night. But it's still hard. It's hard to find
a
home, I
don't know I wish I had an answer for that.
RG: Your lyrics are so serious sometimes, I'm
thinking about a song like « What have we done »...
Eli: I don't like to be making political music but
I think that people should take responsibility for the way we're
treating our planet. I wanted to write a
hymn. It's a
hymn for today, I think we should all get behind. I don't have the
answers to all the questions that
I pose in the song. That's the point
of it - that we
don't know.
RG: Listening to the new album I thought you were
coming to terms with your music. No offense, but I didn't really like
the previous record… I didn't really recognize you on the
record « Nights like these »…
Eli: Sure, no problem. It's a shame but I
understand. I made the record
myself, I wrote all the songs. There was a lot of me in there. I
wanted to make a record that was different and push the boundaries
and that wasn't the same old record. I'm happy I
did it, no matter what happened. I wish I’d
got more of an opportunity to
promote it because I
would have. Honestly, it's not necessarily what comes naturally to me
but it doesn't mean it was a bad idea. Sometimes you have to push
yourself to get out of your comfort zone. This new album is
definitely what comes naturally to me. It's more of
what just comes out of me when I
start to play and sing. Which is great. There is a place for all things
and if you’re not
challenging yourself as an artist or musician you're gonna stagnate
and not make good records. At this point in
my career I
had to go back and do something that was just what I
know how to do.
RG: Have you been, in some ways, influenced by
rock n' roll? I feel a real sense of urgency
on this new record on songs like « The Strangest Thing »
and « A few more days »...
Eli: « The Strangest thing » is a
gospel number, a church song (laughs). I love The Sonics and stuff
like that. It's a trashy record but I wouldn't say it's my main
influence; I
don't listen to rock n' roll music too much.
RG: Can you tell us about your involvement with
the gospel for teens program?
Eli: It's a program that
I work with in Harlem, New York.
I’ve been
working with them for the last three years. I teach a group of young
men about gospel quartet music. It's a rotating class, some of the
kids have been there the whole time and some are new. I get new kids
every class. It's incredibly humbling and exciting to work with these
kids, they're super talented and so much fun. I love it. It’s
taught me a lot about music too. It has
made me spend more time thinking
about how it
all comes together,
the harmony and everything. It's been a very positive experience for
me on every level.
RG: Did you think you needed something like that
after what happened with the record
label?
Eli: I was already doing it. But it sure saved me
after that. I wasn't doing anything else after Warner Bros.
RG: Working with kids,
was it a way to give back to music?
Eli: Sure, of course. Nobody was teaching any of
these kids about quartet music,
that particular kind of gospel. So I
thought it was important that
that music have
a voice. Not just the big choirs. Because that is the stuff that I
like, the small groups.
RG: I have
seen you many times in concert with
your band The True Loves and I remember that show with the Right Ons
at
Le Trabendo. It was the last show of
the tour, you were fooling around on stage, it was funny. Was it hard
to break
up your band The True Loves, you seemed to be really
good friends
with them…
Eli (smiling): The band never broke up. It's
the same band, same guys. It's not the True Loves anymore. It's just
something we came up with. It wasn't really a band. Mike and JB who
are playing with me tonight were in the True
Loves.
All those guys are my friends.
RG: Do you still feel close to the city of Boston?
Eli: Yes, I'm back all the time. I don't have
family there anymore but my wife's family, they're all living there.
I collect soul and gospel music 45 from Boston. I have a specific
collection of that. There's a lot of them. Well, not that many
actually but enough to keep me busy. I love living in New York, it's
my home now, but I also love Boston. I've been living in New York for
ten years, most of my grown up life. Boston is a special place for
me.
RG: Just being curious, a
few years back you were singing
« I'm gonna break every heart I
can », how did that work
out for you?
Eli: That was a cover.
RG: Yes I know, it's a country song…
Eli: That's Merle Haggard.
RG: He passed away not too long ago…
Eli: I was such a
huge Merle fan. I want to do a whole album of Merle's songs
actually. One day I
think I'll do it…
RG: So back to my question,
did it work
out for you, breaking every heart you can?
Eli: I was already married at that point anyway
(laughs)…
Interview 3 JUNE 2016
Many thanks to Angela Randall !!!!!
