"Looking at each song right now on the album, and every one is dealing with some sort of pain. There isn’t one song on the album that is pain-free."

AN INTERVIEW WITH RICHARD McGRAW
From Sense #25, July 2002

Richard McGraw's songs stand as deeply detailed narratives of painful memories, like long postcards from the past recalling old dreams and wasted expectations. Like a Red House Painters or a Trembling Blue Stars record, the stark sincerity and the exhaustive study of all these emotions lay in the center of McGraw's art, as he lets himself get carried away in a maze of self-criticism and wistful looking back. And it's more than clear that his songs are born by a strong need of self-expression, giving the answer themselves to the obvious question someone could ask a songwriter "why do you write music?"... McGraw's lyrics read like an anthology of random thoughts about human relationships, full of tortured questions, guilt and moments of weakness. Lyrics aside, the music follows a plain, acoustic style that bears endless passion and emotive power, as it comes with a lush orchestration featuring piano, accordeon and violin. Then, there's also his unique voice, sometimes hesitant, other times decisive, out to erase the painful past - the only way being to dive deep into it. Below, Richard himself talks about the album, his inspiration and his music.

Q: When and how did you start making music? Is "Her Sacred Status, My Militant Needs" your first album?

Richard: "Her Sacred Status, My Militant Needs" is my first album. I started making music at the age of fifteen I believe. I found a guitar with a few strings on it in the basement. I had no idea how to play it, but I managed to figure out a nice arrangement. I remember feeling so proud of myself that I played it for a girl I was courting at the time. Her name was Michelle. She was older and more charismatic then I was. She was also very voluptuous and sexual for her age. All this gave her a great sense of mystery. And to deepen that mystery, she was attracted to me, a skinny fifteen-year-old boy without a driver’s license.

Q: What was the inspiration behind the album? Why is it divided into four sections? Does it reflect four different periods of songwriting?

Richard: The four sections don’t reflect different periods of songwriting, though I did consider doing that. The four sections represent different themes, most of which are self-explanatory and should be read like chapters in a book, and not as poetry or metaphor. The reason I gave so much detail about Michelle, was because she was the first woman to give me serious pain, the pains of love, insecurity, neglect, lust, hurt etc… and these of love and adolescence inspired me to write songs. So one could say that pain is the inspiration behind the album. I’m looking at each song right now on the back of the album, and every one is dealing with some sort of pain. There isn’t one song on the album that is "pain-free."

Q: How would you describe the album yourself?

Richard: That is a good question and a difficult one. How I describe the album depends on whom I’m talking to. A quick and easy answer is it has a Bob Dylan/Leonard Cohen/Nick Cave lyrical quality with acoustic instrumentation similar to Jethro Tull’s Aqualung or Neil Young’s Harvest and my vocals are somewhere in between Cat Stevens and Michael Penn. I’m never quite sure how to categorize the album. It is singer-songwriter music, but it’s not as naive and lighthearted as Cat Stevens or James Taylor. And it’s not as popular sounding as Billy Joel or Elton John. My guess is that most Billy and Elton fans would find my music a little too depressing or intellectual. Billy Joel was a great songwriter and an innovator at one time, now he writes a lot of bad stuff. I also don’t like calling it folk, because it’s not really folk. It’s similar to Bob Dylan’s folk, without the politics. I sometimes call it modern folk so that I can distinguish it from that 60’s activist self-righteous left-wing political shit. I could call it "Emo-Folk", along the lines of Elliott Smith, but I hate using words like "Emo." Emo suggests that the artist treats his pain like a trademark or trophy. That to me is bullshit. I don’t want to be associated with the weak, whining, depressed people of the world, and I don’t want to capitalize off some contrived image of the desperate artist.

Q: Tell us a few things about your label, Non-Utopian Records.

Richard: The name "Non-Utopian Records" came to me after seeing an interview with an economist. He said that socialist philosophies and programs are Utopian based, that is, all of their programs are aimed at making society more ideal. It then occurred to me that "Non-Utopian is a good way to describe my label. I created my record label to take responsibility for my music career. This is a daily struggle of mine. It is very difficult to be successful as a singer-songwriter with a limited budget and without a band. It’s a very daunting task.

Q: Was it difficult to record the album? Was it self-financed? Are you satisfied with people's response to it so far?

The process of making the album was very slow and costly. It took over two years to complete. During that time I was a substitute teacher, I went to Italy, and returned to college for one semester. I always felt it needed more up-tempo songs, so I had to write more material for it. After a semester of studying Italian I finished "Judas Disguise" (the first song). I realized at that moment, I had to complete the album. I quit school, lived at home and spent most of my time, money and energy on it. It was self-financed, with some help from my mother, grandmother , student loans, and credit cards. It put me in debt for more than five thousand dollars. I am satisfied with people’s response to it. It is a very personal and painful album, so I am pleased that it reaches so many people. But I’m never really satisfied. I think if I sell thousands of copies, then I will be truly satisfied. This is the kind of response I crave.

Q: Which artists or bands do you feel that are similar in vein as you?

Richard: Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Nick Cave, Elliot Smith, Tom Waits, Fabrizio de Andre, Neil Young, John Cale, John Wesley Harding, Will Oldham and Palace Music, Joni Mitchell, Amiee Mann, Donavan, old R.E.M, old Bruce Springsteen, Cat Stevens, Bright Eyes, Belle and Sebastian, Ben Harper, Jethro Tull, Michael Penn, Violent Femmes...

Q: Which is the most difficult part in your life as a musician? Which is the most rewarding?

Richard: The most difficult part is making a living, surviving. Because I don’t make enough money from my music to live off of, I have to make money some other way. No matter what occupation I choose, it takes away from writing, performing and selling my music. And I hate mindless menial tasks that don’t use my potential. Most musicians and actors can make a good living on being waiters. I can’t stand doing this work. And most of the people who run restaurants are dicks. And what if I don’t succeed as a musician? I don’t want to be 45 years old and serving people food. I’ve been studying graphic design as a tolerable way to make a living, but it is hard work and takes away from my music. The most rewarding aspect of being a musician is the ability to move people and to experience their responses. It is a great feeling to feel a genuine applaud from an audience after singing a song I wrote. It is a great feeling to hear that someone loves my album and considers it great.

Q: Do you enjoy playing live? Do you play on your own or accompanied by fellow musicians?

Richard: I do enjoy playing live most of the time. If it is a good place to play it is always rewarding. But if it’s some dumb bar where people are getting drunk and want to hear Lynard Skynard, then I don’t like playing live. Because I play on my own, this makes it difficult. People like the energy and the rhythm of a band.

Q: What are your future recording plans?

Richard: I’m forming a band now, writing songs and promoting my CD. I will gig with this band and continue to promote my music. When I’ve sold a significant amount of CDs and I have enough money to begin recording, (this might take a few years) I will start my second album "The Truth About Lust."

Richard McGraw's wonderful debut album "Her Sacred Status, My Militant Needs" is available to mailorder from this website at the price of 7 euros (including postage) - or 6 euros (including postage) if you live in Greece.