A CONVERSATION WITH TIM O'BRIEN (continued)

PM: So, in the end, with all the complications considered, did Songs From the Mountain get tied to the book at retail to any appreciable extent?

TO: Well, initially it did. And then the author found out about it and said, "I love this record, but I don't approve of you marketing my book with this record." He was our friend all along. There are a lot of convolutions and legalities involved, but he basically said you can't do that. We were supposed to Have to sell it with the book, initially. So the first run of it was packaged with paperbacks, and it was kind of an awkward thing, we were trying to get the thing started. The bookstores would say, "Oh, what's this? Oh, okay, maybe some of us will put it out on the shelves." And the record stores couldn't put a book in the racks, it was difficult. So I'm glad we got out of that. A lot of people that enjoyed the book purchased the record, so it worked out ultimately the way we'd originally intended. And a lot of those people hadn't necessarily heard that kind of music before, so that's a good thing. It's a certain thing, like a strong spice.

PM: The film would be such an interesting project to get on. I mean, O Brother was a funny film and entertaining, but Cold Mountain, man…

TO: It will be interesting if T-Bone does it, since both movies are related to The Odyssey. But it's obviously a much more serious work.

PM: That was a funny interview with the Cohen Brothers, when they're asked which one of them actually read The Odyssey, and they answer together that neither of them actually read it, but that they're acquainted with the story.

TO: Right. They're some funny, really smart guys.

PM: Your musical legacy is already so extensive. Is there something outside of music, hobbies or loves that you'd like to say something about?

TO: Well, it's all woven together around music and family, really. I pay a lot of attention to getting the kids through school, and keeping them in good shape. I learn from them. Kit and I have been married since 1977, and we've been together longer than that. I work on that. I like to get out and go skiing now and again, or do some snorkeling. We're going to Cozumel tomorrow morning, matter of fact.

I should mention that I'm President of the IBMA now [International Bluegrass Music Association]. I'm the second one. Pete Wernick [who played banjo in Hot Rize] was President for 16 years, and finally retired. They've redesigned the position to be more of an ornamental or spokesman kind of thing.

PM: You're a figurehead.

TO: Yeah, I'm a figurehead. I don't like leaders, so I'm trying not to lead. But it's a good organization, one of their goals is to be more inclusive. The community of Bluegrass grew up with a lot of dividers: traditional vs. progressive, and fractures within both of those. Old time music needs to be embraced more, in some ways the kids are more into that than they are progressive bluegrass, at least a certain strata will be. I mean, the same people who love Gillian Welch will like the Anthology of Folk Music. So there's that, and then the Jam Band movement, people like Leftover Salmon or The String Cheese Incident, which is a huge grossing act that started out as a Bluegrass band. And we need to be a little more involved with commercial Country market, which is kind of wondering what's happening now. There's a chance for Bluegrass to capture more of the market, obviously, it's already happened.

PM: And you're the perfect man for the job, to pull all those factions and factors together.

TO: Well, I hope so, that's why they wanted me. I've been places that many traditional bluegrass musicians may not have been to. John Hartford said Bluegrass is like a small town. The IBMA wants to make it a bigger town. We're not sure that's such a good thing, we like our small town. But it's a good thing to have a storehouse of information and for everyone to be aware of everybody's work in the larger field, so we can all make the most of the music.

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