A Conversation with Paul Thorn (continued)

PT: But what really got me started is one thing he said. He was standing there, and he was looking at his art and he was talking to me. And it was a long pause--it's not so much what he said, it's how he said it. After a long pause, he just looked around at his art, and then he looked at me and he said, "Do something." And so when he said that, that's all I needed to hear.

PM: What did he say?

PT: He said, "Do something." He was just saying that in conversation--it was just a big, broad way of saying, you know, get off of your ass and do something, whatever you want.

PM: [laughs]

PT: Whatever expression you have in you, instead of thinking about it all the time, do it. Make it tangible, you know? That's what art is, it's creativity made tangible. And so he inspired me to do art as well as music. And then we got married at his place, Paradise Gardens. And he actually sang in our wedding. And he sang a song--Howard didn't know any songs, he would just make up songs right off the top of his head.

PM: Wow.

PT: And they'd never be the same each time he sang them. And he sang this song in our wedding, this song he made up called, "I'm Just Another Tack in the Shingle of Your Roof to Hold Your House Together." Isn't that cool?

PM: Say that title one more time for me.

PT: He said, "I'm Just Another Tack in the Shingle of Your Roof to Hold Your House Together."

PM: Damn!

PT: That's pretty heavy, ain't it?

PM: That's beautiful.

PT: Yeah, it is. I mean, I can't watch the video without tearing up. We got it all on video. And he's dead now, so it's a gift having had him sing in my wedding.

PM: Now, have you ever run into a singer songwriter of a rootsy nature here in Nashville named Kevin Gordon?

PT: Nope, not that I know of.

PM: I got to turn him on to you, because on top of being a great, great roots rocker songwriter that you'd really like, he deals primitive art on the side.

PT: Is that right?

PM: And I got to say, "Hey, man, you got to get on to Paul Thorn. Not only his music, but his art, dude. You need to be selling this guy's stuff."

PT: I'll be darned. Yeah.

PM: And I remember there was--the only other musician I've ever run into that was a good primitive painter was there was a group from Louisville called the Metropolitan Blues All Stars. And this guy, I think his name was Rick Hatfield. He was one of the original Hatfields, you know, the Hatfields and the McCoys.

PT: Yeah. [laughs]

PM: And he was a hell of a good primitive painter, the way you are, too. So I got to look him back up. You never seen his work, though, did you?

PT: Don't think so, no.

PM: Are you much of a reader? Do you find time for that?

PT: I like to read some, but I don't read as much as I should, because honestly, when I get time to read, I tend to rather spend it creating.

PM: Yeah, right. Do something, as you said.

PT: But I wish I was more well read than I am, because I know there's a great benefit in reading. And I do read some, but I tend to create more than I read.

PM: Yeah, well, some people are on input and some people are on output, and that's how it is.

PT: Yeah.

PM: What about listening? What do you tend to listen to?

PT: Let me see. You're going to laugh when I say this, but I got XM Radio. And they play me on there, and I'm really grateful for that. But generally, what I find myself actually going back to a lot is '70s pop.

PM: '70s pop.

PT: Yeah. I don't know why.

PM: Well, I think on the new record, there's a lot of that influence there. There's a lot of Stevie Wonder and Steely Dan, and all kinds of stuff.

PT: Yeah. I mean, I like all kinds of music, but just lately I've been listening to '70s pop because the songwriting was dynamite back in the '70s, man, pop songs in the '70s.

PM: I think so, too.

PT: Oh, my God, the songs were just fantastic. I mean, I listen to all kinds of stuff. That's a really difficult question because I like so many different kind of things. I mean, I can listen to Tom Waits one second, and I can listen to the Carpenters the next.

PM: [laughs] Well, that's a good pendulum.

PT: Yeah. I mean, I just like good music--I like quality.

PM: Yeah.

PT: And also I like to listen to classic country channels, to, where they play old country music.

PM: Right, the golden age.

PT: Yeah, I like that kind of stuff. There's some great songs. Some of them old Kenny Rogers songs are actually great, you know, like "You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille."

PM: Unbelievable.

PT: I mean, it don't get no better than that.

PM: Yeah.

PT: And if you want to hear sad songs, flip back over to a '70s channel and hear, [singing] "All by myself"--

PM: Oh, yeah, right.

[laughter]

PT: I mean, you can't beat that. And then I right want to hear some rock, and I'll put on some AC/DC.

PM: Yeah, get right to it.

PT: If you're going to listen to rock 'n' roll, where else can you go but AC/DC.

PM: Yeah, "Hell's Bells," right.

PT: You can't beat it. I mean, that music just never stops hitting you right between the eyes.

PM: [laughs]

PT: They make fun of it as being a corny cliche, but it's just damn good music.

PM: No, I'm an Angus lover for sure.

PT: Absolutely. And without being too hard on anybody...I mean, I was standing in the record section at Wal-Mart--and you're not going to believe this--I actually saw somebody buy Kenny Chesney's record.

PM: [laughs] Right.

PT: I'm not trying to be mean, but you know what I'm saying.

PM: I know what you're saying.

PT: It's not real. It's not real. You know, the uninformed are the largest demographic. That's what we're going up against, you know? The uninformed.

PM: Yeah. [laughs] The uninformed.

PT: The uninformed are the largest demographic. Our problem is we're trying to sell a quality product.

[laughter]

PM: Right.   continue

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