“They always say about Elvis, ‘500,000 fans can’t be wrong.’ Yes they can!”
– Taj Mahal

Q: How do you feel about the American music scene today?

A: I’m not too crazy about the pop. The rock is kinda whiny. Nobody is steppin’ up. I like bands like Wilco, The Wait and The Waybacks. I like people grounded in real American music like Moby. Nowadays, it’s (the music scene) record company hype. They get some fresh faces, plenty to look at, plenty to get excited by and that’s all you need. I like rap and hip-hop and international versions of that. When I started, there was no such thing as world music. Today more popular music rips off tradition and doesn’t bother to go back to nurture it.

Q: You played a big role in revitalizing and preserving traditional acoustic blues. How do you see the genre today? In what state is traditional blues?

A: I think it’s pretty healthy. That means I don’t have to do it anymore. Now we’ve got a lot (of artists): Robert Randolph, Ben Harper, Alvin Youngblood Heart, and it seems to have spilled a little over into Jack Johnson.

Q: Who do you see as emerging talents?

A: You’ve got to see it in levels. You can’t just pick out individuals. Everything is an influence on everything else. We’re in this boat together.

Q: What do you listen to in your home or in your car?

A: Currently, Anthony Hamilton, The Game, Colman Hawkins and African rap.

Q: Do musicians have the right or the duty to be politically active in their songs? Do you do that with your music?

A: I’ve got no opinion one way or another. I came up through the ’60s. The political protest was already in there. You use the music how you want to. We know how America is today. You move too fast, or you move differently, and suddenly you’re out of place! I like rap and hip-hop ’cause it takes things from the ’60s. I’m a composer and an artist — I just play.

Q: Who would you like to collaborate with that you haven’t yet?

A: I don’t go looking for (collaboration). You gotta let it happen. It’s like that song “Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places.” You can’t go looking for it. You can only prepare yourself to be a good lover. There are no freebies. You gotta bring something to the table.

Q: How do you feel about music downloads on the Internet?

A: I like it ’cause you can’t hide anyone (music artist). That would never be considered a problem if the big corporations cared more about the music opposed to pushing their guy out there. Now the technology is being used against them. They tried to smash it — opposed to using it. It was a wake-up call.

Q: Pop music monopolizes media in such a way that quality music, like the blues tends to be, has become reduced to a niche. Just a group of more initiated people listen to blues away from the mainstream. It isn’t usually linked to youth and “popular.” Is that good or bad?

A: Let me tell you some simple facts. From the ages of 18 to 49 is a sweet spot for marketing. When you hit 50, you fall off the radar. That’s how the marketing system works. They always say about Elvis, “500,000 fans can’t be wrong.” Yes they can! (The music companies) never really pushed blues. The popular building block of blues was the independent music industry in the ’40s. (Blues) is our tradition. This is part of what makes us who we are. It may not be popular — but it’s who we are.

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