A Conversation with Matthew Ryan (continued)

PM: Who are you listening to, anybody special?

MR: Right now I'm listening to a lot of myself because I'm working on another record before we go on tour.

PM: Oh, yeah?

MR: Yeah, it's really sickening. No, man, I'm really excited. The next record is whole different trip. I can't wait.

PM: And how are you doing this one? Are you starting at home, or--

MR: Oh, no. We got together, me Steve and Brian and Doug Lancio and played it live.

PM: Lancio is one of my favorites. [A superb guitarist and producer PM readers may know from his work with Patty Griffin, Holly Williams, Nanci Griffith, Martina McBride, Robinella, or many other places.]

MR: Oh, he's great. He's such a good guy.

PM: He's magic, that guy.

MR: Yes, he is, yeah.

PM: He can really get the guitar atmosphere going on.

MR: Yeah. So we just played it. And it's really got something to it, man. It's like David Bowie's Heroes meets Born To Run, or something like that.

PM: Oh, that's great, yeah, because you got the songs and you got the voice. That's going to be a really great record. I'm looking forward to that.

MR: I can't wait. I look forward to it being done.

PM: So that kind of speaks to my last question. On this first day of 2007, what do you think about the year ahead, what would you like to see happen?

MR: I want it to be better than last year, for myself, speaking specifically in my own life. And I'd also like to see it--I don't know, I didn't know. There's a quote--I can't remember who said it--but "an eye for an eye makes us all blind."

PM: Yeah.

MR: I can't remember who said it.

PM: Yeah, I don't even know if anybody knows who said that, but I'm going to take a look and see if I can find out. ["An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." is attributed to Mahatma Gandhi.]

MR: I can remember my dad bitching about Reagan, bitching about Reagan, bitching about him constantly. "Trickle down economics, bullshit. Power corrupts," all this shit. And I used to think, that's just pathetic. I mean, here's a guy, what's he going on about? And now as an adult living under this guy for six years, seven years now, and we're in a war, and invaded a country. He's got a philosophy that I think is dangerous because history tells you that you can't even look like an imperialist. You know?

PM: Yeah.

MR: And here we are.

PM: In a hell of a fix.

MR: So I'd like to see us get out of there, but I'd also like to see a peaceful Iraq. And unfortunately that may mean that they have to establish their government as violently as we did. You know?

PM: Yep.

MR: And that means we might have to get out of the way, even though we're the one that pushed the rock down the hill, so to speak.

PM: Yep.

MR: I mean, I don't know, man. I don't know. But I'd like to see that resolved.

PM: Absolutely. I'd like to see this next record of yours get done and come out, and do well.

MR: Me, too. I'd like to surface, Frank, to be honest with you.

PM: Yeah, you deserve to surface, you're doing something great.

MR: [laughs]

PM: Yeah.

MR: I'd like to surface. I don't think anybody is ever hoping to be a phantom, you know?

PM: Right.

MR: Is that fair to say?

PM: That's safe to say.

[laughter]

PM: It is a 3-D world, at least to our senses.

MR: It is, isn't it?

[laughter]

PM: Everybody wants to be seen.

MR: Well, we're going to have to have a drink together, man, at least so I pick up your accent.

PM: Absolutely, my brother.

[laughter]

MR: I appreciate it, man.

PM: It's great talking to you.

MR: Yeah, likewise. Happy New Year.

PM: You too, Matthew. Let's talk soon.

MR: And have fun on that jam band cruise. [laughs]

PM: You know I will. Take care.

[See the review by Michael Ross of From A Late Night High Rise, also in this issue. You'll find some clips from that CD, and from a couple of Matthew Ryan's earlier albums, on the Listen page.]

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