Woody Guthrie’s Back Pages: A Q&A With Jim James, Jay Farrar, Will Johnson and Anders Parker

Were there times when you felt a song had “chosen you” to write it, or a moment when you felt Woody’s spirit?

Jim: I felt like all of the songs I chose chose me. They seemed to fall right out of my mouth and energy and they spoke to me of what I was going through at the time – recovering from a major injury, and  thinking it might have been the end of my life. Then falling in love and being reborn again. It was a very intense time in my life.

Anders: Well, I sure felt Woody’s spirit at the archives. It was kind of eerie, but not in a bad way. There was just so much stuff and most everything is original. So, sitting there, leafing through the actual lyrics that Woody wrote and drew and typed was, well, heavy. Everything is so vibrant and packed with life I couldn’t help feel like Woody was there.

As far as the choosing of the songs goes, I kind of tried to clear my mind and go with my gut. There was so much to look at and limited time, so a lot of it was just glancing and reacting. I kept a list of things that appealed to me and then the archives would send stuff that wasn’t used already or slated for use. Jay got a couple that I had wanted …

Will: Jay sent me a mailer with about 20 photocopied pages of Woody’s lyrics in it. I opened it at the mailbox around 4:30 that afternoon, and the lyrics to “Chorine” were on the top of the stack. I read over them on the walk back to my apartment, and could already hear what I thought was supposed to happen with the chords, cadence of the vocal, and overall mood of the song. I walked upstairs and had the first demo recorded to the four-track by about 4:50. The demo sits pretty close to the version on the record.  Not much changed. It felt automatic, so I guess I’d say that song chose me.

Jay: The song “Chorine” has added significance
to me because my father used to use that expression “Sheba Queen.” I’ve never heard it anywhere else.

What do you admire about Woody Guthrie as a person?

Will: His fearlessness; the fact that he was consistently driven, dedicated, unpretentious and approachable. His take on life resonated with so many people, regardless of age, race, religion or vocation. His determination to challenge his audience, even until the end of his life, was astonishing. Looking over the lyrics and notes, it’s evident that even as his physical abilities were waning in those last years, his fortitude was not. The handwriting became shaky, but the pages showed me that the fire still burned strong.

Jim: I like that he always seemed to present himself warts and all. He always comes off as human, full of brilliance but also full of error, just like what every human is capable of – and it seems like so much he was always fighting for that – fighting for the common man, so he reflects the truth back to the ages in a beautiful way.

Anders: I guess what I admire is what I gleaned from seeing and reading lyrics, notes, pictures, doodles and all the rest at the archives. He was a machine of creation. And nothing seemed forced, as far as I could tell. Everything seemed to flow out of him, rivers of explosions of ideas and thoughts. Some were multi-page lyrics that went on and on. Others were just a couple of succinct stanzas. He was the archer and his art was many arrows. Straight and true and stark. Detailed journal entries, doodles, notes, and on and on. It was inspiring and awe inducing to behold. And from reading about him and hearing those who knew him talk about him I learned that he was a force of nature, a wanderer, a risk taker, a true free spirit. All those things appealed to me when I first learned about him and they still do.

What do you admire about Woody Guthrie as a songwriter?

Will: His dedication to the writing, the breadth and detail of the subject matter, and the fact that the quality held up with the vast quantity. The believability of his narration carried a lot of weight, and there’s usually a great deal for the listener to un-box no matter what type of song he was singing. If it was a children’s song about a crayon or a graphic take on heroin or prostitution, he consistently painted the picture with great care and resonance.

Anders: Something that’s hard to do as a songwriter is to take a complex topic and distill it down and make it simple and catchy, and Woody could do that. His best songs are deceptively simple, but the poetry therein is full of sinew and bone.

If Woody were getting his start today, what do you think he’d be doing? 

Anders: Itinerant software designer? Standup comedy? Dunno. They don’t write songs like he used to.

Jim: Working at the local hardware store, or camped out at one of the occupy locations.

Will: Working circles around most of us regular humans.