Gerry Beckley on Merciful, America, and Life After the Road

0:00 [SPEAKER_02]: It's easy to hear your favorite artist on WFPK from wherever you are. [SPEAKER_02]: Listen on your smart speaker, live stream from our website at WFPK.org from Louisville Public Media. [SPEAKER_02]: Hi, Kyle. [SPEAKER_01]: And welcome to another edition of Kyle Meredith with it's the interview series presented by WFPK at WFPK.org Consequence and the Consequence podcast network.

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1:05 [SPEAKER_01]: She's got a brand new record called Loveland, DelTron3030, that's DelTheFunkyHomoSapian, and Dan the Automator. [SPEAKER_01]: We talked with John Gallagher Jr, who you've seen in the newsroom and West Wing. [SPEAKER_01]: uh... and on broadway he's got a new record called almost okay uh... bell of thorn kloe cheery and is about box out we're here to discuss the uh... the the indithriller unshutter called find your friends uh... tonie hell an old parker for office romance on netflix jake johnson tahty on a month's money and Murray Bartlett's for a max one pleasure guaranteed on apple tv and top cavena [SPEAKER_01]: who is here.

1:40 [SPEAKER_01]: He's a he's starring opposite Brooke Shields and you're killing me on acorn. [SPEAKER_01]: Just an example of what you get when you subscribe to the Kyle Meredith with podcast. [SPEAKER_01]: That's me, Kyle Meredith today talking with one of the legends, Jerry Beckley of the band America, co-founder of the band of America.

1:59 [SPEAKER_01]: He's got a brand new solo record called Merciful. [SPEAKER_01]: And lots in the vault too. [SPEAKER_01]: We're going to be talking about stepping away from touring after 50 years plus he hasn't been touring with the band-America for the last couple years splitting time between Los Angeles and Sydney and finally having the space to write and record and chase all these ideas without getting on a plane every other day.

2:20 [SPEAKER_01]: Jerry's going to dig into reworking monster from a 1977 covering the Beatles Norwegian wood with Graham Nash, the Henry Dilt story behind all the wounded cowboys, the song that kicks off this new record, and why melody and melancholy and a little light dark chemistry are still at the center of what he does.

2:39 [SPEAKER_01]: Let's get into it. [SPEAKER_01]: We're talking about his new solo record called Merciful. [SPEAKER_01]: It's Kyle Meredith with Jerry Beckley. [SPEAKER_01]: Uh, it's uh, it's already a hot sweltering Kentucky summer. [SPEAKER_00]: Oh, dear. [SPEAKER_01]: So it's uh, the humidity is is is is happening.

2:55 [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, of course, which you're well aware of in there many times the lovely city, I seen you remember a hot brown being a thing is that yeah, yeah, that the I don't touch it, but it's a thing. [SPEAKER_01]: It certainly is a thing because yeah, it's because the brown hotel is right down the end of the block from me right here.

3:14 [SPEAKER_01]: And what is it? [SPEAKER_01]: It's like it's like a pound of cheese or something with like Turkey and [SPEAKER_01]: gravy on it or something. [SPEAKER_01]: gravy and there's a tomato involved and it's just there's just it's so heavy You're supposed to know this. [SPEAKER_00]: This is your area.

3:30 [SPEAKER_00]: You would think, oh no. [SPEAKER_01]: What's it? [SPEAKER_01]: Because it's funny because the things that we're sort of known for a hop-round We're known for it, but most people never try it. [SPEAKER_01]: The mint jule-up which, you know, derby time we're known for that, but it's a little too sweet for a lot of us to drink around here [SPEAKER_01]: You know, but outside of that, you know, we got, we got baseball bats, and I've been to the factory.

3:56 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, we produce most of the world's disco balls. [SPEAKER_01]: So, and with the burger, so like it's a party atmosphere. [SPEAKER_00]: I think I knew, I don't think I knew the disco ball. [SPEAKER_01]: Were you at these days? [SPEAKER_00]: I'm at the moment in LA and Dennis California.

4:11 [SPEAKER_00]: I just split my time between here and home in Sydney, Australia. [SPEAKER_00]: Merry to an Australian and now that I've retired from touring, my time is quite a big chunk of my time is a little bit more within my control, whereas I used to travel about 200 days a year for over 50 years.

4:31 [SPEAKER_00]: So it's very nice to have a little bit more time. [SPEAKER_01]: Actually actually actually be at home have a home home is there. [SPEAKER_01]: Hell was every day. [SPEAKER_00]: I could imagine I went last night with my older son Matthew and a couple of Aussie friends who were in town we went to see Ringo at the Greek and I know a few of those guys in the All-Star Band and and um [SPEAKER_00]: and I've played the Greek many times with symphonies and all different types of shows and so it's a beautiful venue, but it's not the kind of thing I would have ever imagined doing what you do on your day off.

5:04 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm gonna go to a show. [SPEAKER_00]: I was lovely and you know the Lucas Steve Luke there's a friend in the band and they were all great Colin Hay was unbelievable. [SPEAKER_01]: He's fantastic in it. [SPEAKER_01]: They're all so good. [SPEAKER_01]: I mean they're all stars for a reason, you know.

5:19 [SPEAKER_00]: You know, Blacks is hard and you can go. [SPEAKER_00]: I knew Ringo years ago because he was very close with Harry Nielsen. [SPEAKER_00]: And so, Harry and he were kind of a duo that would often be up at the house and stuff. [SPEAKER_00]: But anyway, just, you know, he's icon and he runs out on stage and he's seeing the show.

5:38 [SPEAKER_01]: I have, yeah, in fact, I saw it last year. [SPEAKER_01]: There's a festival here in town, Burmond and beyond that he, uh, I think they played that. [SPEAKER_01]: I think it was last year, yeah. [SPEAKER_01]: same I think it's basically the same man if there's one new keyboard player Does he know that you've covered Norwegian what on the new album did you bring that it?

5:57 [SPEAKER_00]: No, no In fact, I didn't go backstage this because it was LA and they're all based in LN including Ringo It was chaotic [SPEAKER_00]: I saw our dear friend Henry Diltz, the photographer, who said he had just been backstage, and I think he'd shot pictures of all of the grandkids. [SPEAKER_00]: So I mean, it was really pretty thick.

6:17 [SPEAKER_00]: But having said that, I do have a pretty strong anti-social gene, and it's not like I've got to do that. [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I know some of those guys, and I certainly would have, you know, been able to swap a [SPEAKER_01]: Well, I know we're going to bring up Henry here a bit again as well in more of the songs.

6:37 [SPEAKER_01]: So let me actually compliment you properly on this beautiful new record. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, it's beautiful. [SPEAKER_01]: It's fun. [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, you've got so many different flavors on merciful here that it's such a great listen. [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, front to back, you know, you don't always get that and you've done it.

6:53 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you very much. [SPEAKER_00]: I appreciate, first of all, listening, it's not easy to carve through your 40 minutes. [SPEAKER_00]: Nowadays in our short attention span theaters that we all live, but I had a lot of fun putting it together. [SPEAKER_00]: I have studios here in Sydney.

7:08 [SPEAKER_00]: and here in Venice, California, basically the same gear so that I can keep a workflow going. [SPEAKER_00]: But the biggest plus has been that now that I am not getting off a plane every other day in my life, I just have to fit all of that what I would call them more creative have into the gaps in between this ridiculous touring schedule.

7:29 [SPEAKER_00]: And now I've got, you know, more time. [SPEAKER_00]: So I really think it shows, I'm really happy with it. [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah, because what we're coming at just a year since you did the record with with Jeff Larson and it's just and even then there was an album before that's with the self-titled LPR.

7:44 [SPEAKER_01]: Like this is this is you without the touring as you're saying. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and, you know, within reason, I don't want to wear people out, but I do write a lot. [SPEAKER_00]: If you know anything I've often been quoted, I come from the school if you've got a right 10 to get to, and doesn't mean that the other eight are crap, you know?

8:02 [SPEAKER_00]: You just, and so there's always a big bucket of stuff that I'm working on. [SPEAKER_00]: I have been a live, not sidetracked, but a sideline thing I was scoring a short film recently. [SPEAKER_00]: which I really enjoyed because it kind of freed me up from the usual kind of three or four minute song structures that I'm so used to, you know.

8:20 [SPEAKER_01]: is that more like scoring or more like miniature songs? [SPEAKER_00]: No, it was scoring. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it was scoring, but it's all, no vocals, all instrumental. [SPEAKER_00]: And it's a fashion label that I know the designer and they asked if I would score it. [SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, it's in post production at the moment.

8:38 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm looking forward, I do know that a gag was scoring. [SPEAKER_00]: You work for all of these cues and then when they're used, you can not. [SPEAKER_00]: So I'm prepared for that, but yeah, it was a lot of fun. [SPEAKER_01]: What is interesting the way you said it in a minute ago, though?

8:51 [SPEAKER_01]: Like, like, you used to have to cram this in. [SPEAKER_01]: Like, you know, it's not the question of like, what do you prefer touring or studio? [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, those, you know, different days or different things. [SPEAKER_01]: I think for most people, but at the same time, like, that is kind of a fascinating thing to be a creative person.

9:06 [SPEAKER_01]: But you almost have to tell yourself, hang on, don't be creative just yet. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_00]: Well, there's all of that that pick and choosing and then think, you know, the always work. [SPEAKER_00]: I mean, I'm, I'm asked a lot. [SPEAKER_00]: And you know, I know incredible talents that make a point of sitting down from nine in the morning until two, you know, every day.

9:26 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not like that, but it's only because I'm never short of. [SPEAKER_00]: I was scribbling ideas in the, I [SPEAKER_00]: In my Uber ride home from last night at 11 a night, and I think, you know, the good news is that doesn't seem to stop. [SPEAKER_00]: But it is a bit of a match with yourself, you know, because family man, father, you know, has been all of the other vital parts of, you know, a life where I lived.

9:50 [SPEAKER_01]: But, you know, if you're lucky, those people, they understand who you are, what you do, you know, that's, that's got to be part of as well. [SPEAKER_00]: That's who with my boys, they've known me since birth, you know, so I'd like to think that the, this dad to point out that has a little bit more time.

10:07 [SPEAKER_00]: I don't want to just be the guy, we're, we're doing a little bit, you know, but they're, they're both live here now. [SPEAKER_00]: So I've been trying to see quite a bit of them. [SPEAKER_00]: I'm here for a month, got a couple more weeks. [SPEAKER_01]: It's the best mind to just graduate a high school, so yeah, so it's I'm getting used to all of that part still, you know.

10:25 [SPEAKER_00]: Oh man, it's all, I always say that people who haven't gone through the kids thing, that no matter what you've done and I know quite a few people that have [SPEAKER_00]: You know, lift huge lives before they even commit to it, but I said, whether you like it or not kids are chapter two, you know, This means everything else you've done, it doesn't matter how big of a money mail.

10:43 [SPEAKER_00]: That's just chapter one. [SPEAKER_00]: Can't once you're responsible for somebody, you know, it's a whole other thing. [SPEAKER_01]: And we'll be right back right after this. [SPEAKER_02]: Welcome back, it's Kyle, Mary, with Jerry Beckley. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, this, you know, we're talking about the creative part.

10:56 [SPEAKER_01]: My guess part of the story of this album is like, a lot of it's new, but some of it, you're digging through the vault. [SPEAKER_01]: You have that luxury as well. [SPEAKER_01]: Um, you know, if you're writing that many songs, right tend to get to, that means you've got a lot of things back there in the past.

11:12 [SPEAKER_01]: Maybe sometimes just waiting to raise their hand. [SPEAKER_01]: They don't work them, but they do now. [SPEAKER_01]: How much of that was part of this story for this one? [SPEAKER_00]: I think that's a good way to put it. [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I mean, some of these, you think like the album closes with kind of a a lullaby called Angel, and I did that quite a few years ago, and it's just been sitting there.

11:30 [SPEAKER_00]: I actually, you know, with the help of my dear friend and Jeff Larson, who helps me keep the ball rolling and keep all these projects on track. [SPEAKER_00]: And now, obviously, a co-writer. [SPEAKER_00]: I have to go to him and say, have I ever used that one to that ever? [SPEAKER_00]: Was that everyone?

11:46 [SPEAKER_00]: He keeps track of that stuff for me. [SPEAKER_00]: But having said that, this album has a lot more new material. [SPEAKER_00]: A lot more stuff from scratch stuff, which I'm proud of that, you know, can still do it. [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, I guess, and just to stay there for a second, maybe the most notable one, though, is it wasn't just a band of things, Monster is on this, which, yeah, Monster is something that people knew and you said, you said, what?

12:11 [SPEAKER_01]: Like, that's that can be something else? [SPEAKER_00]: It's so strange. [SPEAKER_00]: I'm not exactly sure how that. [SPEAKER_00]: you know always loved monster and harbour the album i i always felt that it was a strong album for me didn't do anything but i had some some of my better work on that album including monsters one of my son's favorite tracks so in there's partially the oh don't mess with it you know once you've done something to what why mess with it but i don't know how came about [SPEAKER_00]: Um, but I just started messing with it slightly different key, you know, it was so incredibly simple production the first time around.

12:46 [SPEAKER_00]: So it gave me a little bit more oxygen to try a few new ideas. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, came out good, I think. [SPEAKER_01]: Well, that's the thing that was like, you continue to play songs, that means songs will continue to change. [SPEAKER_01]: If you're taking them out there alive, I mean, even the bands who play them straight, they somehow tend to change.

13:02 [SPEAKER_01]: But what I'm getting at is, I wouldn't be able to stop like, you know, every 10 years go, and I think I need to re-record that. [SPEAKER_01]: It's completely different now. [SPEAKER_00]: You know, no, no, it's no, but that's where even that is a possibility. [SPEAKER_00]: I one time went through this thing where a particular back in the day, when we took real-to-real tapes home to listen to whatever and recording that day, but something was real-dough backwards.

13:24 [SPEAKER_00]: And as I put it on to play and review my days where it came at me all backwards. [SPEAKER_00]: And I'm listening to this kind of news, kind of backwards tape. [SPEAKER_00]: And all of a sudden, it was a whole different song. [SPEAKER_00]: And I went, man. [SPEAKER_00]: that you know, so I'm scribbling down.

13:38 [SPEAKER_00]: They were my chords, but they weren't in kind of my order. [SPEAKER_00]: They were backwards and stuff. [SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, it started me on this goose chase of taking all a bunch of songs and saying, I'm trying to wrap backwards and, well, listen, so it can get a bit obsessive if you're not careful.

13:54 [SPEAKER_01]: No, that's a good trick right there. [SPEAKER_01]: I like the trick. [SPEAKER_01]: I'll take a song that I know. [SPEAKER_01]: Somebody else is song, and then come up with a counter melody, just sing along with it as if it were a duet, build a brand new, then you take the song out and build a completely new song after a counter melody.

14:08 [SPEAKER_01]: Like that's, you know, these little exercises we do. [SPEAKER_00]: that line that you just thought was going to be the horn line or something turns into being the hook. [SPEAKER_00]: I really love that what I would call the refrain element with songs. [SPEAKER_00]: There's sing it, for example, on something like horse, you know, there's all of these incredibly but cryptic lyrics and everything, but then it comes to the la la la la, a bit, and it's, if anything, maybe the strongest part of the song, even with all those other elements.

14:36 [SPEAKER_00]: and I was kind of kind of drilled in to me when we did an album with Adam's lessons here because he was such if you listen to the Fountains of Wayne's stuff very often the hook of the tune he's just a you know some little part that isn't really a lyric or a guitarist it's just a refrain it's a final part of a pop song I think [SPEAKER_01]: And there's some good hooks on here.

14:57 [SPEAKER_01]: That the back page is out with that. [SPEAKER_01]: I don't know. [SPEAKER_01]: If I remember right, remember remembering right, you guys covered in my morning jackets on on that one too. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, golden. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, we did that. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and I didn't know that was the only group that we weren't there.

15:10 [SPEAKER_00]: We were doing shows on the weekends and they came in Jim James came in and we didn't see them. [SPEAKER_00]: And finally years later, I met him. [SPEAKER_00]: And we were having these lovely dinners for Brian. [SPEAKER_00]: Rest in peace. [SPEAKER_00]: Well, Bobby was still with us and and there'd be these incredible gatherings at then how he would have moved so in Franks and I met Jim James and and Robin, who's the guy from flee foxes.

15:32 [SPEAKER_01]: They were technical. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, and at him and my mother and Steve Perry was there. [SPEAKER_00]: So you get these incredible. [SPEAKER_00]: kind of chemistry of different people of snoobs, snoobs neat. [SPEAKER_01]: That's a great cover. [SPEAKER_01]: That is a great cover. [SPEAKER_01]: But that hooks, I'm looking at the track list over here and like I could throw a dart.

15:49 [SPEAKER_01]: I really could get it right that hook when you hit a goodbye heartache like in that song. [SPEAKER_00]: like you know when you when you when you arrive at one of those like oh that's it that's that's that that's that could be classic I really like that one you know it's obviously in my mind it is I don't know if there's there's been a nod to Paul Simon's whole Graceland era you know with the horns there's a lot of horns in that I mean and but yeah sometimes simple what like that really really lands as they say [SPEAKER_00]: Um, I had done that track quite a while ago on a little kind of not a toy, but a little kind of yamahaw sequencer kind of thing where you just hit it and it goes, don't check it, don't check it, don't check it.

16:37 [SPEAKER_00]: And I saw an interview with Damon Auburn about I was going to bring up the same thing when you said that. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [SPEAKER_00]: You know, it was just like it was like he said it's like setting a one on the Omnic Order wherever that machine is same thing with get it right.

16:55 [SPEAKER_00]: I thought, oh, geez. [SPEAKER_00]: But it just clearly was just a little toy in the background that we used that technology where we took my vocal out. [SPEAKER_00]: And then I completely rebuilt the track and had real horns and really everything done. [SPEAKER_00]: And it came out great.

17:07 [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_01]: I mean, it's fun. [SPEAKER_01]: It's fun. [SPEAKER_01]: I love the idea of that song of like, like, we're getting a peek into the narrator. [SPEAKER_01]: not at the arrival. [SPEAKER_01]: Like, like, you know, I'm almost to that good spot. [SPEAKER_01]: I'll be there in a second, but I'm on my way, you know, it's like that's such an interesting way to kind of hear that little moment in that song in that lyric.

17:30 [SPEAKER_00]: Well, again, I'd like to tell you how I clearly remember all that it was a while ago with that one. [SPEAKER_00]: Um, you did mention earlier and I did, I just wanted to add something on the, uh, when you're asking if I told Ringo about Norwegian wood, Norwegian wood wasn't going to be on the album.

17:45 [SPEAKER_00]: I was missing with, um, I do different Tunings on the guitar and just one called dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad, dad [SPEAKER_00]: and I cut it and then it just went in the pile and we were in Sydney.

18:08 [SPEAKER_00]: We don't go to a lot of shows but we did do two shows back to back at the opera house. [SPEAKER_00]: The first night my friends in the good willco and my wife and I went to see Graham Nash. [SPEAKER_00]: His lovely solo show at the Sydney Opera House and the next night we all went back to see Willco play the same.

18:29 [SPEAKER_00]: And then I'm [SPEAKER_00]: every you need any vocals, but you kidding me, like God, and I started to think about a month or two later, I said, well, no, he did really offer, let me just send, can I ask, any road right back, you know, within a half an hour, so that I can do, I'd love to do that.

18:47 [SPEAKER_00]: So all of a sudden, had Graham singing this beautiful harmony on this incredible song. [SPEAKER_00]: So, you know, I played it for, um, [SPEAKER_00]: Kirk at the head of blue alone and he said, oh, I said, do you want to add this to it? [SPEAKER_00]: We'd have to take something else off.

19:03 [SPEAKER_00]: And the only thing he said, I said, probably taking maybe monstros. [SPEAKER_00]: And he said, is there anyway, we can just add it and not take anything else off? [SPEAKER_01]: Wow. [SPEAKER_00]: That was nice. [SPEAKER_01]: Yeah. [SPEAKER_01]: you guys sound great on there. [SPEAKER_01]: Graham, I've had him on the show plenty of times and I remember who we were talking about but my Campbell maybe or some of those, it was one of them thinking but but they said you know Graham would really love you to sing on this is like you want the Graham sound don't you you want that's the like I know what you want I know what you want you know and I love that from him like that's a signature thing isn't it?

19:39 [SPEAKER_00]: I, you know, I don't grant for years, and met David and Graham, and when we first came to LA, and Crosby was a dear friend of mine, and of course incredibly, you know, snide the kind of guy and stuff. [SPEAKER_00]: And I remember saying to Crosby, I said, David, it's such a big fan and he looks at me and he goes, well, that's all of this.

19:58 [SPEAKER_00]: So we had that kind of relationship, but with Graham, my love went way back because one of my favorite songwriters is Graham Goldman. [SPEAKER_00]: who go bus stop and look through any window and stuff. [SPEAKER_00]: So I was always trying to pick Graham's mind about it's fine, it's all seers and think, I'd rather talk about the hollies, you know.

20:17 [SPEAKER_00]: and um and for those you know who are true songwriters and and understand the craft grand golden is like right up there near the top not only for that run in the sixties but for all of his ten cc stuff and then there's actually if you dig deeper he did a couple albums with Andrew gold rest in peace and then one of her notes yeah or who called wax and those are unbelievable pop albums to check that out and we'll be right back right for this welcome back it's Kyle [SPEAKER_01]: Do you and, uh, do you in grip and ask, uh, do you talk photography at all?

20:48 [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, a little bit, you know, I think he's on my, when I send stuff out and I have to be very careful because some of it, in fact, last night Henry, some of my dear friends are what I call real photographers and so I'm a little, I'm a little hesitant, you know, a dear friend of mine here in Venice is a, is a lovely Englishman in Glen Lachford who is the, [SPEAKER_00]: Basically the top fashion photographer in the world, so I really just just try and shut up when I'm around those guys because otherwise I'm a fan boy, you know what?

21:18 [SPEAKER_00]: What settings did you do? [SPEAKER_01]: Well, your stuff is completely worthy of that, by the way. [SPEAKER_01]: I know the postcards, I was looking at those that you posted just a couple of months ago, whatever, it was like, God bless those are such great shots. [SPEAKER_00]: Well, thank you very much.

21:33 [SPEAKER_00]: I really love it. [SPEAKER_00]: And I've said, if I had another life, I think I might have got quite good at it. [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I go out every morning. [SPEAKER_00]: I go out at six every morning. [SPEAKER_00]: I shoot Venice or I shoot, I go to the beaches and Australia. [SPEAKER_00]: So I do shoot.

21:47 [SPEAKER_00]: And, and I love it. [SPEAKER_00]: It's therapeutic and stuff. [SPEAKER_00]: But, you know, I suppose it falls. [SPEAKER_00]: I've had, you know, books published and I've had a few gallery shows and stuff. [SPEAKER_00]: But again, there's only so much time in the day. [SPEAKER_00]: You know, I have to kind of pick and choose my passions.

22:04 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, you mentioned one of them a minute ago. [SPEAKER_01]: Henry Diltz is at the name because if I read the thing right, like the photographer, like it was sort of a conversation with him that led to the song all the wounded cowboys. [SPEAKER_00]: Yes, true. [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, it's a kind of a bit of sweet story, but it's a story that he told me that I don't really want to go into too much detail, but his wife who was terminal was spinning the whole day.

22:32 [SPEAKER_00]: And I said, boy, what was she doing? [SPEAKER_00]: She said, she just watches the there's a western channel. [SPEAKER_00]: She just watches westerns all day. [SPEAKER_00]: And he went to sit on the bed one time and she said, I don't sit there. [SPEAKER_00]: That's where all the wounded cowboys go.

22:46 [SPEAKER_00]: And she was going through the last stages of a dimension and stuff, and I said, oh, Henry, you know, and I wrote that down and I thought, first of all, it's an incredible line, but it's also, it's a song and a book, so yeah, that's where that came from. [SPEAKER_01]: That's a, it's a beautiful line.

23:04 [SPEAKER_01]: That's, it's correct. [SPEAKER_01]: But you did it. [SPEAKER_01]: You did that song so well. [SPEAKER_01]: There was, um, before I heard it because it, like, I'm gonna say this, it doesn't sound anything like horse, but there's a thing, you know, you look at the track list and I was thinking about fan expectations because of course, when you've been doing it for 50, 60 plus years, you know, have fan expectations.

23:21 [SPEAKER_01]: They see a line like that. [SPEAKER_01]: They start, they bring out the red yarn, you know, that's a, [SPEAKER_01]: like yeah I don't know how much of that you even because you're writing you're writing you're just writing you know less clipel says all writing is just jamming you're just searching around until it all falls apart your falls together usually but do you have that stuff in your head like oh I'm making an album maybe I give one for them [SPEAKER_00]: Yeah, I do.

23:49 [SPEAKER_00]: I come from the days of, you know, listening to album side one side two, in fact, not, you know, like obviously vinyl days, way before CDs, and the whole thing of a sequence and a pleasant era of inspiring listening experience, what's going to open, what's going to change, what's going to close [SPEAKER_00]: engaging when you're doing solo records because I didn't band you know you could hit I'm not going to sing every song you know and I've always felt like with the James Taylor's and the Phil Collins's of the world that's the challenge you got this one guy who's going to sing 12 songs in a row you know so that's why I do covers I pick two or three covers because I don't want every note on the album to be out of my mind it'd be nice to pick some things

24:43 [SPEAKER_00]: 120 songs sitting around. [SPEAKER_00]: But the reason I do covers is it adjusts the focus from a slightly different angle. [SPEAKER_00]: Same with vocals that try and come up with different approaches. [SPEAKER_00]: And also, just plain old simple sequencing. [SPEAKER_00]: You don't want three or four ballots in a row.

25:00 [SPEAKER_00]: They water each other down, you know, all of those. [SPEAKER_00]: So I think I got to write with this one. [SPEAKER_00]: You know, if you think the difference between wounded cowboys and get it right, and there's a lot of variety here. [SPEAKER_01]: there's a lot of it and that's you know and and I was talking a little bit about that fan service idea there because you get to the the title track with merciful and and even though the instrumental the last song and and I was taken like oh you're it feels like to me like you're [SPEAKER_01]: You're pulling for a little bit from that that's 70s well if I you know like the melodies that existed right then that it didn't exist before and is never existed after I can hear them in those you know in those songs even the instrumental doesn't have a melody but I can hear that's you know

25:43 [SPEAKER_00]: I'm a melody guy, you know, I grew up with melody. [SPEAKER_00]: My mum raised me with the Russian person, Murak Ratmanovson, Czechoske, and stuff. [SPEAKER_00]: And to me, that was kind of the explosion of melody, swan-lake and stuff. [SPEAKER_00]: It's just, you know, some of them, my favorite pieces.

25:59 [SPEAKER_00]: But anyway, I, so for example, an instrumental, like the last song, I have tons of instrumentals, it's almost a matter of which one fits the running order. [SPEAKER_00]: But I always think, you know, Beatles had Blue J Way, you know, or something, how it sounds as to instrumentals on it, you know, [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think it's illegal to include instrumentals, you know, beautifully.

26:22 [SPEAKER_00]: When Crosby did its first solo album, this masterpiece of a record, and you know, some of the people in the office are going, well, that needs lyrics, you know, as though every song needs words, I'm good. [SPEAKER_00]: I don't think so. [SPEAKER_00]: I think it's just this good in their vibe.

26:37 [SPEAKER_00]: So yeah, that's good. [SPEAKER_00]: Merciful, obviously, is a, I was a beautiful song, but it's written by a Scandinavian trumpet player. [SPEAKER_00]: I just happen to be a fan of the Sky Nails better over. [SPEAKER_00]: And all of his albums, if you like, they're all jazz instrumental albums, but there was this one [SPEAKER_00]: uh... is album uh... solid ether solid ether yeah um... has merciful part one and part two and each one was just one verse like looting to get her made a two verse song out of it [SPEAKER_01]: It's one of those, I mean, I'd use the word melancholy on it, you know, but it's still, I don't feel, it's one of those, I don't feel sad, but I feel, you know, just that beautiful feeling you get from a song like that.

27:19 [SPEAKER_00]: I, you know, I thank you, that's the intent and I'd like to think it's kind of one of my signatures, you know, sister gold and theirs is upbeat. [SPEAKER_00]: Two, but it starts with that try to make it Sunday, but I got so damn depressed. [SPEAKER_00]: So the, I think it's one of my, one of my kind of obvious chemistries is this kind of like dark combo.

27:40 [SPEAKER_00]: Hi, though, what you want, whatever you want to call it. [SPEAKER_00]: And again, with the, with the album, I'd like to think you don't want to put something like a high skyscraper. [SPEAKER_00]: I'm so drained, you know. [SPEAKER_00]: and you want it to be a emotional experience that has highs and lows.

27:53 [SPEAKER_01]: Well, you've done it. [SPEAKER_01]: You continue to do it. [SPEAKER_01]: Seriously, merciful. [SPEAKER_01]: I can't say enough great things about it. [SPEAKER_01]: I've enjoyed listening this so much. [SPEAKER_01]: And it's just a great time to be a fan of you, Jerry. [SPEAKER_01]: You know, it's like, [SPEAKER_01]: You know, usually when we're fans, what you finish an album, what does someone say?

28:08 [SPEAKER_01]: When's the next one? [SPEAKER_01]: You know, that's always, if you're talking to a journalist, when's the next album? [SPEAKER_01]: You know, it's like, you're in this moment right now where we're getting all the good stuff and it's, uh, it's a great time. [SPEAKER_00]: Well, I'm, I hope I'm not, you know, tiring people out with this output.

28:26 [SPEAKER_00]: I, I think if I know, I don't know well, but work with Ryan Adams when we did the, um, um, abs, lessens your in James and you know, I happen. [SPEAKER_00]: And the joke, you know, Ryan is, of course, one of the most prolific guys in the world. [SPEAKER_00]: Four albums a year. [SPEAKER_01]: Right.

28:38 [SPEAKER_00]: The joke was that he probably wrote five songs into the cab on the way over. [SPEAKER_00]: And he probably did, you know, and I'm not, I don't think I'm quite that bad, but, you know, like I was on with Lars in this morning, and he's already sequenced, like a follow-up to the Jeff and Jerry album.

28:53 [SPEAKER_00]: And we're just trying to figure, you know, we got to leave that for a bit, not to wear people out with this stuff, but there's a lot in the, there's a lot in the vault. [SPEAKER_01]: Keep them coming, please. [SPEAKER_01]: We'll take them, honestly. [SPEAKER_01]: Jerry, it's, it's, it's so great to talk to you.

29:06 [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you so much for taking it. [SPEAKER_01]: Thank you very much. [SPEAKER_00]: Thanks. [SPEAKER_00]: Good time. [SPEAKER_00]: And thanks for your good work. [SPEAKER_00]: Appreciate it. [SPEAKER_00]: And thank you for listening. [SPEAKER_00]: Most importantly, [SPEAKER_01]: And my thanks to Jerry Beckley, the new album is called Merciful, thanks to you for checking out the episode.

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30:41 [SPEAKER_01]: That does it for another edition. [SPEAKER_01]: I'm Kyle Merith. [SPEAKER_01]: I'll see you next time. [SPEAKER_02]: Consequence podcast network, it's easy to hear your favorite artist on WFPK from wherever you are. [SPEAKER_02]: Listen on your smart speaker, live stream from our website at WFPK.org from Louisville Public Media.