1 00:00:00,520 --> 00:00:01,280 Speaker 1: Taking a Walk. 2 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 2: We can look at Prince and we could go, well, 3 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:06,160 Speaker 2: where would prins be without that drum machine sound in 4 00:00:06,200 --> 00:00:09,080 Speaker 2: the beginning, right, it is the sound of a time. 5 00:00:09,640 --> 00:00:12,680 Speaker 2: But also you go back and you wish, man, I 6 00:00:12,680 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 2: wish I could just listen to the essence of this 7 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:19,919 Speaker 2: song without this sort of pounding beat. And so I 8 00:00:19,920 --> 00:00:23,160 Speaker 2: would say in my mind, that's the way we ruined 9 00:00:23,200 --> 00:00:26,759 Speaker 2: records a bit, you know in the eighties, was the 10 00:00:26,880 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 2: technology was playing us still at that time. 11 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:32,920 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Taking a Walk Podcast, where Buzz Night 12 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,839 Speaker 1: explores the paths that musicians and insiders explore in their 13 00:00:36,920 --> 00:00:40,760 Speaker 1: musical journey. Today, Buzz is joined by a true innovator 14 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:45,520 Speaker 1: in the music world. Charlie Peacock is a renowned musician, producer, 15 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:49,120 Speaker 1: and songwriter who's left an indelible mark on the music industry. 16 00:00:49,640 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: Charlie has authored a new memoir called Root and Rhythm. 17 00:00:54,320 --> 00:00:57,040 Speaker 1: We now welcome Charlie Peacock to the Taking a Walk 18 00:00:57,080 --> 00:00:58,720 Speaker 1: Podcast with Buzz Night. 19 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:03,240 Speaker 3: Hello Charlie Peacock, and welcome to Taking a Walk. 20 00:01:03,680 --> 00:01:05,839 Speaker 2: Thank you glad to be here with you guys. 21 00:01:06,480 --> 00:01:09,479 Speaker 3: So, since it's called taking a walk, the first question 22 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 3: I like to ask of folks is if you could 23 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:16,240 Speaker 3: take a walk with somebody living or dead. Doesn't have 24 00:01:16,319 --> 00:01:19,280 Speaker 3: to be in the music side of things, but it 25 00:01:19,319 --> 00:01:23,240 Speaker 3: could be. Who would you choose and where would you 26 00:01:23,319 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 3: like to take a walk with them? 27 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:29,360 Speaker 2: Wow? Yeah, I would. I'd probably take a walk with 28 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:35,080 Speaker 2: Miles Davis and probably choose Central Park. I guess stay 29 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:35,679 Speaker 2: in New York. 30 00:01:37,200 --> 00:01:40,080 Speaker 3: Oh man, Yeah, wouldn't that be the best? 31 00:01:40,360 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 2: Yeah? Yeah, the you know, the the creator of Central Park, 32 00:01:46,720 --> 00:01:53,600 Speaker 2: Frederick Lahmstead. He knew my third great grandfather and wrote 33 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:59,480 Speaker 2: about them in his infamous when he was a kind 34 00:01:59,520 --> 00:02:02,560 Speaker 2: of a cub reporter for the New York Times, and 35 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:07,840 Speaker 2: he would do these horseback rides through the South and report, 36 00:02:08,440 --> 00:02:13,160 Speaker 2: you know, back on. One of his things was he 37 00:02:13,240 --> 00:02:18,079 Speaker 2: was an abolitionist and he was reporting on the economic 38 00:02:18,120 --> 00:02:28,040 Speaker 2: effects of slavery. And our family were free black cattle ranchers, 39 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:32,160 Speaker 2: and so he was quite interested in, you know, how 40 00:02:32,160 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 2: they got their freedom and and their mixed race and 41 00:02:36,160 --> 00:02:42,400 Speaker 2: all of that. So yeah, crazy, Yeah, Central Park, Miles Davis. 42 00:02:42,120 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 3: It's wild, that'd be wild. Central Park one of the 43 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:49,519 Speaker 3: greatest places to take in a walk. I've actually recorded 44 00:02:49,560 --> 00:02:53,160 Speaker 3: a couple of a couple of episodes there as well 45 00:02:54,680 --> 00:03:00,880 Speaker 3: with my old boss and friend, Mark Chernoff, who programmed 46 00:03:01,360 --> 00:03:06,200 Speaker 3: WNWFM in New York when I worked there, and also 47 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 3: a DJ by the name of Nick Carter who just 48 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:17,320 Speaker 3: started out a new chapter in his career at the 49 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:22,480 Speaker 3: legendary KLOS in Los Angeles. So those two folks and 50 00:03:22,520 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 3: I sauntered through Central Park nice. 51 00:03:25,760 --> 00:03:26,359 Speaker 2: I like it. 52 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:30,280 Speaker 3: I like it, and I have a feeling with Miles Davis. 53 00:03:30,320 --> 00:03:31,880 Speaker 3: It would be a saunter for sure. 54 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,520 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, yeah, he might even want to sit down 55 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 2: for a bit. 56 00:03:36,760 --> 00:03:39,120 Speaker 3: As long as he didn't turn his back to you 57 00:03:39,200 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 3: as you were walking. But love Miles amazing. So how 58 00:03:46,360 --> 00:03:51,920 Speaker 3: did growing up in northern California influence your musical style 59 00:03:52,200 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 3: and what artists inspired you early on? 60 00:03:57,320 --> 00:04:01,080 Speaker 2: Well, I mean, I'm pretty confident you know that the 61 00:04:01,320 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 2: history and like other metropolitan areas in New York in particular, 62 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 2: but San Francisco, the whole Bay area was a melting pot, 63 00:04:14,200 --> 00:04:18,960 Speaker 2: and it was had an architect named Bill Graham, and 64 00:04:19,120 --> 00:04:24,039 Speaker 2: so a concert bill that he would put together might 65 00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 2: include Miles Davis, Jefferson Airplane, and Albert King. Right, ye, 66 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:35,640 Speaker 2: so you got blues and then you got you know, 67 00:04:35,720 --> 00:04:38,320 Speaker 2: the new rock, rock and roll that was coming out 68 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 2: of the Bay Area, and then you got the greatest 69 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:45,360 Speaker 2: jazz musician ever all on one bill. So that set 70 00:04:45,400 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 2: the tone for like us as teenagers coming up, that 71 00:04:51,680 --> 00:04:55,720 Speaker 2: that was our musical destiny, that we eclecticism would be 72 00:04:55,880 --> 00:04:58,880 Speaker 2: what we did. And so there's a whole generation of 73 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:04,440 Speaker 2: us from Northern California that are deeply influenced by that ethos, right. 74 00:05:04,920 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 2: And ultimately what it became, especially with me moving to 75 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:14,240 Speaker 2: the South, was that I just became, you know, as 76 00:05:14,240 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 2: a writer or a producer, just someone who could play 77 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:22,200 Speaker 2: every form of American music. And so it really started 78 00:05:22,240 --> 00:05:26,760 Speaker 2: in Northern California a huge influence, and especially the black 79 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:31,280 Speaker 2: music influence, either through the blues or funk or soul 80 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:35,520 Speaker 2: in R and B. And then that for me mixed 81 00:05:35,600 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 2: with anything that Miles Davis was doing, and then all 82 00:05:39,720 --> 00:05:42,560 Speaker 2: the casting that he was doing in terms of discovering 83 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:47,359 Speaker 2: every great new jazz musician to come, and then the 84 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:53,600 Speaker 2: singer songwriters of Southern California like JD. Souther and Jackson 85 00:05:53,640 --> 00:05:57,600 Speaker 2: Brown and just everything that was coming out of there. 86 00:05:57,680 --> 00:06:01,560 Speaker 2: I mean that for me, I kept two dreams alive 87 00:06:01,600 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 2: at the same time, one being a singer songwriter and 88 00:06:05,120 --> 00:06:09,440 Speaker 2: the other being a jazz musician, and then gigging wise, 89 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:12,599 Speaker 2: just playing, you know, learning to play every kind of music. 90 00:06:13,279 --> 00:06:17,600 Speaker 2: And because my father was an academic and it had 91 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:20,599 Speaker 2: also been you know, and was a working musician and 92 00:06:20,920 --> 00:06:25,200 Speaker 2: through into his fifties as far as playing gigs, I 93 00:06:25,320 --> 00:06:30,320 Speaker 2: just had this background where I was as much keyed 94 00:06:30,400 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 2: into sort of neoclassical music that was being made and 95 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:40,800 Speaker 2: that smaller symphonic ensembles would play, so I could hear 96 00:06:40,839 --> 00:06:44,080 Speaker 2: that music and create that music in addition to the 97 00:06:44,120 --> 00:06:46,560 Speaker 2: singer songwriter stuff, in addition to the R and B 98 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:51,000 Speaker 2: and soul and jazz. So I really think that's what 99 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 2: led to me becoming a producer, you know, because it 100 00:06:54,480 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 2: was just that adaptability to be able to contribute to 101 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:03,279 Speaker 2: so many different kinds of music. But I didn't dream 102 00:07:03,320 --> 00:07:05,719 Speaker 2: that up. I mean, that's that happened to me. It 103 00:07:05,920 --> 00:07:06,640 Speaker 2: just happened. 104 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:11,520 Speaker 3: Well, what's so cool about this is the fact that 105 00:07:12,920 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 3: now more frequently you hear musicians artists embrace the notion 106 00:07:19,480 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 3: of crossing multiple genres. Right, that's kind of a cool 107 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:29,920 Speaker 3: hip thing that artists really embrace. But you've had that approach, 108 00:07:30,280 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 3: it sounds like your entire life. 109 00:07:32,480 --> 00:07:36,760 Speaker 2: Yes, yes, most definitely, Yeah, And the other the other 110 00:07:37,640 --> 00:07:42,680 Speaker 2: part of that ethos I think that makes the generation 111 00:07:42,880 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 2: that I come from unique is that we respected sort 112 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:51,080 Speaker 2: of what your neighbor was creating, but you never wanted 113 00:07:51,080 --> 00:07:55,360 Speaker 2: to emulate it, which is one of the reasons why 114 00:07:56,360 --> 00:08:01,960 Speaker 2: the boomer alert here. It's one of the reasons why 115 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:08,720 Speaker 2: that generation has so many distinctive sounds and styles, right, 116 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:12,760 Speaker 2: that you can have people within an age group of 117 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:18,400 Speaker 2: two or three years difference, right, and you get Joni Mitchell, 118 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:24,320 Speaker 2: which is completely unique to Led Zeppelin, which is completely 119 00:08:24,440 --> 00:08:28,200 Speaker 2: unique to Keith Jarrett, you know, and so on and 120 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,520 Speaker 2: so forth. You could go on forever in terms of 121 00:08:30,560 --> 00:08:36,760 Speaker 2: these very defined, unique lanes that these people occupy, and 122 00:08:36,840 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 2: so originalism and individualism were also just really important values. 123 00:08:45,440 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 2: I think, you know, you respected your neighbor, and you 124 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:52,160 Speaker 2: maybe borrowed a few things from them, you know, like 125 00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,560 Speaker 2: this sort of the era like when the Beach Boys 126 00:08:54,600 --> 00:08:57,320 Speaker 2: and the Beatles were sort of like trying to one 127 00:08:57,400 --> 00:08:59,720 Speaker 2: up each other by copying little bits of each other, 128 00:09:00,440 --> 00:09:02,760 Speaker 2: you know, I mean, there was that, but there was 129 00:09:03,080 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 2: still the overriding dream was to make something that hadn't 130 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:08,320 Speaker 2: been heard before. 131 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:14,679 Speaker 3: So does that feed into how you typically approach songwriting 132 00:09:15,520 --> 00:09:19,560 Speaker 3: and how you work in terms of it? Does creation? 133 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:20,800 Speaker 1: Yeah? 134 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:23,240 Speaker 2: It does. I mean I sort of leave the most 135 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:28,920 Speaker 2: purest form for my own shenanigans because they're not bound 136 00:09:28,960 --> 00:09:34,720 Speaker 2: by economics, you know, because I've been so much more 137 00:09:34,720 --> 00:09:41,480 Speaker 2: successful in helping others make music right, And although I 138 00:09:41,520 --> 00:09:43,720 Speaker 2: will say I mean, as far as my own music, 139 00:09:43,760 --> 00:09:47,000 Speaker 2: I have the biggest audience today at sixty eight years 140 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:50,079 Speaker 2: old as I've ever had in my life, you know, 141 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:57,520 Speaker 2: But but no, I think I would probably use that 142 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:03,640 Speaker 2: more and modern with writing with others and producing others. 143 00:10:03,679 --> 00:10:07,959 Speaker 2: Where for me it was like, Okay, here's one hundred 144 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:11,680 Speaker 2: percent of a song, and if we just have ten 145 00:10:11,760 --> 00:10:15,640 Speaker 2: percent of it that is highly unique, there's a few 146 00:10:15,679 --> 00:10:19,320 Speaker 2: elements of it that people haven't heard before. Then we're 147 00:10:19,360 --> 00:10:23,000 Speaker 2: working with this idea of familiarity where we're and that's 148 00:10:23,040 --> 00:10:26,400 Speaker 2: the invitation to come in. And then we change history 149 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,360 Speaker 2: a little bit by having some percentage of it be 150 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:35,720 Speaker 2: production elements or intervals that we use that people don't 151 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:40,559 Speaker 2: normally use, sounds, et cetera, et cetera, taking a completely 152 00:10:40,559 --> 00:10:44,560 Speaker 2: different lyric direction from where society is at that time. 153 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,760 Speaker 2: Whatever it is, but doing it is a smaller percentage 154 00:10:47,840 --> 00:10:52,479 Speaker 2: so that people can receive it and they're not alienated 155 00:10:52,520 --> 00:10:55,800 Speaker 2: by something that is just completely foreign to their ears. 156 00:10:57,240 --> 00:10:59,640 Speaker 3: So let's go a little deeper there, because you've had 157 00:11:00,280 --> 00:11:06,079 Speaker 3: this significant success producing for artists such as Amy Grant 158 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:09,760 Speaker 3: and the Civil Wars, what do you look for in 159 00:11:09,840 --> 00:11:14,360 Speaker 3: a project? And then maybe give some examples on how 160 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:18,080 Speaker 3: you collaborate with artists. 161 00:11:18,559 --> 00:11:22,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, it's different every time. I mean there were if 162 00:11:22,520 --> 00:11:25,840 Speaker 2: you take even those two, those two artists right there 163 00:11:25,960 --> 00:11:29,640 Speaker 2: or another, let's also like throw in like someone like 164 00:11:29,720 --> 00:11:34,400 Speaker 2: Chris Cornell, who has much more on the rock side 165 00:11:34,400 --> 00:11:40,760 Speaker 2: and has this huge history of music, and so it 166 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:44,600 Speaker 2: would be like with with someone like Amy, you're dealing 167 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:49,160 Speaker 2: with someone who is who has been a superstar, who 168 00:11:49,440 --> 00:11:52,839 Speaker 2: has two different audiences as a pop audience as a 169 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:57,719 Speaker 2: contemporary Christian audience, and so it's more about asking what 170 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,760 Speaker 2: kind of record Amy are you hoping to make this time? 171 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 1: You know? 172 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:06,000 Speaker 2: So I've worked with her both on the pop side 173 00:12:06,400 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 2: and both on the contemporary Christian music side, and each 174 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:15,680 Speaker 2: one of those sort of asked different questions. But when 175 00:12:15,679 --> 00:12:20,240 Speaker 2: somebody reaches a certain level and has millions of fans, 176 00:12:20,880 --> 00:12:24,319 Speaker 2: then you're more apt to say to lean into them 177 00:12:24,360 --> 00:12:28,760 Speaker 2: and really get your guidance from them and then help 178 00:12:28,840 --> 00:12:31,840 Speaker 2: them make that record that they want to make. And 179 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,280 Speaker 2: then still there may be those elements like I said, 180 00:12:34,320 --> 00:12:37,200 Speaker 2: where you're like, Okay, we are making this record, which 181 00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:41,400 Speaker 2: is in a sense a record you've made before, So 182 00:12:41,440 --> 00:12:43,760 Speaker 2: what can we do what little bit of a twist 183 00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:48,199 Speaker 2: of difference can we make to this? And then when 184 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 2: you're looking at someone like Chris, who is you know, 185 00:12:53,720 --> 00:12:56,240 Speaker 2: was a huge innovator in my mind, one of the 186 00:12:56,240 --> 00:13:00,600 Speaker 2: greatest voices ever, it's a lot about just capture the 187 00:13:00,840 --> 00:13:04,160 Speaker 2: essence and getting out of the way, making sure that 188 00:13:04,240 --> 00:13:08,240 Speaker 2: you don't interfere with greatness. And then you have a 189 00:13:08,320 --> 00:13:12,160 Speaker 2: new group which were new at the time, just breaking 190 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:15,400 Speaker 2: on the scene, like the Civil Wars, and that was 191 00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 2: very similar in terms of Okay, this is something very 192 00:13:19,840 --> 00:13:23,520 Speaker 2: very special, so don't screw this up. And part of 193 00:13:23,559 --> 00:13:27,040 Speaker 2: it is is that some artists have so much essence 194 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:30,839 Speaker 2: just in their voice, Like let's take someone from history 195 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:34,640 Speaker 2: to someone like an Al Green, another person that I recorded, 196 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 2: So it's just like, really you could make a record 197 00:13:37,760 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 2: just with Al's voice, right, I mean, it really could 198 00:13:42,120 --> 00:13:44,240 Speaker 2: you could like just drop a chord in and then 199 00:13:44,320 --> 00:13:48,520 Speaker 2: just let him sing for three minutes because the essence 200 00:13:48,559 --> 00:13:51,079 Speaker 2: is so strong. Well, when I heard the Civil Wars, 201 00:13:51,400 --> 00:13:55,320 Speaker 2: I realized that's what I was encountering to So for me, 202 00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:00,440 Speaker 2: it was like, you know, I had to paint like 203 00:14:00,480 --> 00:14:05,080 Speaker 2: a minimalist painter, you know, from the nineteen fifties, ad 204 00:14:05,160 --> 00:14:07,680 Speaker 2: Ryan Hard or someone, you know. It just had to 205 00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:12,720 Speaker 2: be so simple. And whenever we were overdubbing parts on 206 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:18,640 Speaker 2: the Civil Wars records, it was like I found this 207 00:14:18,720 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 2: language of just like we just have to touch it. 208 00:14:21,480 --> 00:14:24,240 Speaker 2: That's what I kept saying. You just touch it, you know, 209 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,880 Speaker 2: but don't keep your hand there for long, you know, 210 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:31,560 Speaker 2: just touch it. And so we would do overdubs with 211 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:36,400 Speaker 2: extraordinary musicians, you know here in Nashville, and I literally 212 00:14:36,440 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 2: would erase like seventy percent of it because I would 213 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 2: just the music was just telling us like, just touch it, 214 00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:47,760 Speaker 2: you know, don't get in a way of anything. 215 00:14:48,840 --> 00:14:53,400 Speaker 3: That's brilliant advice on so many levels. Yeah, not just 216 00:14:53,480 --> 00:14:54,680 Speaker 3: in terms of music. 217 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,200 Speaker 2: Yeah, I can see what you mean. 218 00:14:56,360 --> 00:14:59,560 Speaker 3: Yeah, really, I mean I'm not a golfer, but people 219 00:14:59,600 --> 00:15:03,280 Speaker 3: have to have often said, you know, let the ball 220 00:15:03,320 --> 00:15:05,360 Speaker 3: come to you. You know that whole thing. 221 00:15:05,480 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 2: Yes, yes, yes, And you know what the thing is 222 00:15:09,160 --> 00:15:13,400 Speaker 2: is that not everyone's music does that, And it doesn't 223 00:15:13,440 --> 00:15:17,280 Speaker 2: mean that it's not good music. It's there's just more 224 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 2: more craft involved, you know where. And in those cases, 225 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:26,720 Speaker 2: that's when you would see me like entering into it, 226 00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:34,080 Speaker 2: more being multifunctional co writing, creating the string chart whatever 227 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:38,360 Speaker 2: it might be, programming drum parts, you know, depending on 228 00:15:38,400 --> 00:15:41,120 Speaker 2: the kind of music it would be. It's just so production. 229 00:15:42,840 --> 00:15:45,920 Speaker 2: If you are an eclectic like me and someone who's 230 00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 2: trained in a lot of different kinds of music and production, 231 00:15:49,280 --> 00:15:51,760 Speaker 2: then you're just you're not bringing it to bear on 232 00:15:51,920 --> 00:15:56,680 Speaker 2: every project. It's a readiness and like all those gifts 233 00:15:56,720 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 2: and abilities are just they're in the shadows. You can 234 00:16:00,320 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 2: never bring them all to bear upon a project. And 235 00:16:05,160 --> 00:16:07,720 Speaker 2: that's what you do when you're a young producer, you know. 236 00:16:08,120 --> 00:16:09,760 Speaker 2: So it's like I could give you a whole list 237 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:13,080 Speaker 2: of records that I ruined in the nineteen eighties because 238 00:16:13,600 --> 00:16:16,760 Speaker 2: I wanted to hear every I wanted to hear on tape, 239 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,800 Speaker 2: every thought I was having and so much. 240 00:16:20,040 --> 00:16:23,000 Speaker 3: Okay, well, now you have me curious, is there one? 241 00:16:23,280 --> 00:16:25,280 Speaker 3: Is there one you want to call it, well, I 242 00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:26,920 Speaker 3: don't know. 243 00:16:27,000 --> 00:16:30,040 Speaker 2: I would probably like choose my own solo records. I mean, 244 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:33,160 Speaker 2: you know, I made one for in the eighties, I 245 00:16:33,240 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 2: made one for Island and one for A and M. 246 00:16:35,760 --> 00:16:39,280 Speaker 2: And I would say, you know, both of those are 247 00:16:40,200 --> 00:16:44,200 Speaker 2: in I mean, they're products of their time. But also 248 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:49,760 Speaker 2: it's like when you've got a fifteen thousand dollars sampler 249 00:16:50,200 --> 00:16:54,160 Speaker 2: synthesizer with a soprano sacks sound on it, and you 250 00:16:54,200 --> 00:16:56,960 Speaker 2: put it on a record, and when you're doing it, 251 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:01,840 Speaker 2: you're saying, that sounds just like a soprano sax, and yes, 252 00:17:01,920 --> 00:17:07,440 Speaker 2: it does, without all the artistry. And so it's kind 253 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:09,920 Speaker 2: of like that in the same way when we first 254 00:17:09,960 --> 00:17:14,080 Speaker 2: started using drum machines in the late seventies and early eighties. 255 00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:17,000 Speaker 2: You know, we can look at Prince and we can go, well, 256 00:17:17,040 --> 00:17:20,119 Speaker 2: where would Prince be without that drum machine sound in 257 00:17:20,160 --> 00:17:24,359 Speaker 2: the beginning, right, and it is the sound of a time. 258 00:17:25,440 --> 00:17:28,320 Speaker 2: But also could you go back and you wish, man, 259 00:17:28,400 --> 00:17:30,560 Speaker 2: I wish I could just listen to the essence of 260 00:17:30,600 --> 00:17:35,119 Speaker 2: this song without this sort of pounding beat, right like 261 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 2: where every snare drum beat is exactly the same volume, 262 00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:43,520 Speaker 2: exactly the same width, and so I would say, in 263 00:17:43,600 --> 00:17:46,800 Speaker 2: my mind, that's the way we ruined records a bit, 264 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:51,040 Speaker 2: you know in the eighties was the technology was playing 265 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:54,480 Speaker 2: us still at that time. Now, like I use a 266 00:17:54,520 --> 00:17:57,800 Speaker 2: lot of the same technology and all of the new technology. 267 00:17:58,440 --> 00:18:01,120 Speaker 2: But my goal is for you to never hear it 268 00:18:01,280 --> 00:18:03,960 Speaker 2: unless I intend you to hear it. 269 00:18:04,119 --> 00:18:05,840 Speaker 3: Fascinating, fascinating. 270 00:18:06,440 --> 00:18:08,639 Speaker 1: We'll be right back with more of the Taking a 271 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:16,879 Speaker 1: Walk Podcast. Welcome back to the Taking a Walk Podcast. 272 00:18:18,040 --> 00:18:23,000 Speaker 3: Congrats on your memoir, Thank you, Roots and Rhythm exploring 273 00:18:23,080 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 3: your life in music. What inspired you to write it 274 00:18:28,560 --> 00:18:32,800 Speaker 3: and what do you want listeners and readers to take 275 00:18:32,840 --> 00:18:35,159 Speaker 3: away about Roots and Rhythm. 276 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:39,640 Speaker 2: Well, it is the story of the music, and it's 277 00:18:39,680 --> 00:18:43,399 Speaker 2: also the story of family. It's a story of communities 278 00:18:43,520 --> 00:18:46,120 Speaker 2: and you know, how we know what we know and 279 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:50,480 Speaker 2: how we develop into the people we are, and how 280 00:18:50,520 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 2: our vocations develop and so on one level, it's a 281 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:58,560 Speaker 2: book that you know, a long time fan of popular 282 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:03,520 Speaker 2: music can read and enjoy. It's also something a young 283 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 2: person can read and see like, oh wow, there are 284 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:14,159 Speaker 2: thousands of choices, thousands of people, and thousands of places 285 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:19,920 Speaker 2: that go into making a sustainable music career. And that 286 00:19:20,160 --> 00:19:24,960 Speaker 2: you can have a fifty year career and have instances 287 00:19:25,000 --> 00:19:29,359 Speaker 2: where you flirt with fame, but you can also be 288 00:19:29,480 --> 00:19:33,560 Speaker 2: kind of a blue collar worker and you can kind 289 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:36,360 Speaker 2: of go into the foreground and out of the foreground 290 00:19:36,920 --> 00:19:41,120 Speaker 2: and have a career. Like the joke from the book 291 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:44,719 Speaker 2: where my daughter says, you know, her friend asks your 292 00:19:44,800 --> 00:19:47,960 Speaker 2: dad famous, and my daughter says, nah, just well known. 293 00:19:49,520 --> 00:19:53,679 Speaker 2: So but in some ways as a family, you know, 294 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:57,560 Speaker 2: because I will be married fifty years in just a 295 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:01,520 Speaker 2: couple of months, but as a family who our whole 296 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:05,040 Speaker 2: you know, family is in the music business, it's been 297 00:20:05,080 --> 00:20:07,320 Speaker 2: more about taking care of the music and the music 298 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:12,040 Speaker 2: will take care of you, rather than a pursuit of 299 00:20:12,119 --> 00:20:16,840 Speaker 2: fame or pursuit of celebrity. So being behind the scenes 300 00:20:17,040 --> 00:20:20,480 Speaker 2: and just functioning in all of these different kinds of 301 00:20:20,560 --> 00:20:23,879 Speaker 2: roles with people that you've never heard of and people 302 00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:28,480 Speaker 2: that are very well known are very famous, And that's 303 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:32,880 Speaker 2: not the point. The point is the opportunity and privilege 304 00:20:33,440 --> 00:20:37,679 Speaker 2: of creating, in some small part the music that the 305 00:20:37,720 --> 00:20:41,280 Speaker 2: whole world sings. And that's really the honor. 306 00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:47,240 Speaker 3: Oh. I love how you are carrying it tradition wise 307 00:20:47,280 --> 00:20:48,400 Speaker 3: and bringing it forward. 308 00:20:48,880 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, you know my kids are you know, I don't 309 00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:54,480 Speaker 2: know if you know my son Sam Ashworth, but a 310 00:20:54,680 --> 00:21:00,639 Speaker 2: very accomplished Grammy and Oscar nominated songwriter. And you know, 311 00:21:00,760 --> 00:21:04,400 Speaker 2: my grandkids are artists and musicians too, And I think 312 00:21:04,440 --> 00:21:08,240 Speaker 2: we're on you know, going back to my great grandfather 313 00:21:10,160 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 2: on my dad's side, I think we're at like six 314 00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:16,440 Speaker 2: generations of music musicians in Row. 315 00:21:17,080 --> 00:21:17,760 Speaker 3: It's amazing. 316 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:19,919 Speaker 2: So it's kind of more like, you know, the corner 317 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:23,880 Speaker 2: grocery store, the family farm, you know, and you can 318 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:25,920 Speaker 2: be content with that, and you can have a good 319 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:31,800 Speaker 2: and beautiful life with that without having to be caught 320 00:21:31,880 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 2: up in a lot of the craziness of a life 321 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:39,360 Speaker 2: where every single thing is trying to be monetized and 322 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:44,840 Speaker 2: or every every opportunity is an opportunity to publicize and 323 00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:49,960 Speaker 2: all of that kind of ethos is you know, namemaking 324 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:55,359 Speaker 2: that it just destroys your soul. Yeah, it's just not 325 00:21:55,440 --> 00:21:56,200 Speaker 2: good for people. 326 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:00,760 Speaker 3: Can you talk about some of the issues that are 327 00:22:00,800 --> 00:22:04,280 Speaker 3: important to you because you've been an advocate for you know, 328 00:22:04,480 --> 00:22:09,240 Speaker 3: key issues and organizations. Can you can you talk about that? 329 00:22:09,880 --> 00:22:14,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I have a view of what it 330 00:22:14,840 --> 00:22:21,560 Speaker 2: means to you know, occupy the planet. You know, I'm 331 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:27,240 Speaker 2: certainly an American, but my my cares and commitments are 332 00:22:27,359 --> 00:22:33,080 Speaker 2: to the cosmos in a sense, you know, where like 333 00:22:33,320 --> 00:22:36,120 Speaker 2: my neighbor is is the person next door, but it's 334 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:40,879 Speaker 2: also you know, someone in Rwanda. I think, well, I 335 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:44,200 Speaker 2: was fortunate to have a good teacher in Bono from 336 00:22:44,240 --> 00:22:49,719 Speaker 2: you too, in that he was really the person, you 337 00:22:49,720 --> 00:22:53,520 Speaker 2: know twenty five years ago that that really began to 338 00:22:53,720 --> 00:22:59,320 Speaker 2: use his celebrity platform as what he calls currency and 339 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:03,000 Speaker 2: so kind of cultural currency to be able to like 340 00:23:03,480 --> 00:23:07,280 Speaker 2: get people to listen for a moment. And I was 341 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 2: fortunate enough to be a part of some of that 342 00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:16,400 Speaker 2: and getting people to listen to the really pressing emergency 343 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:22,639 Speaker 2: needs of HIV and debt and trade and all sorts 344 00:23:22,720 --> 00:23:25,960 Speaker 2: of issues around the continent of Africa. 345 00:23:27,040 --> 00:23:27,960 Speaker 3: But that's just one. 346 00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:32,160 Speaker 2: Piece of it. I mean, you know, I do want 347 00:23:32,359 --> 00:23:36,880 Speaker 2: justice for all, and I do you know, I wake 348 00:23:36,960 --> 00:23:41,159 Speaker 2: every day and you know I believe in a creator 349 00:23:41,280 --> 00:23:43,879 Speaker 2: with us and not against us, and so I do 350 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:49,560 Speaker 2: wake every day and have a conversation that is about 351 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:54,040 Speaker 2: you know, who out there doesn't have water, who out 352 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:56,560 Speaker 2: there doesn't have food, who out there doesn't have shelter? 353 00:23:57,359 --> 00:24:00,680 Speaker 2: All those things. You know, my hope is that there's 354 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:05,400 Speaker 2: someone right now thinking about how can I get them 355 00:24:05,400 --> 00:24:07,600 Speaker 2: that water, how can I get them that food in 356 00:24:07,640 --> 00:24:11,240 Speaker 2: that shelter. That's a big part of the creative life 357 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:15,040 Speaker 2: for me. You know, I don't see any disconnect between 358 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:19,639 Speaker 2: that and the making of anything else, you know, because 359 00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:21,679 Speaker 2: I think we make the world that we want to 360 00:24:21,720 --> 00:24:22,040 Speaker 2: live in. 361 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:27,720 Speaker 3: How have health challenges in your life impacted your creative 362 00:24:27,760 --> 00:24:32,440 Speaker 3: process and how do you stay so motivated? 363 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:38,440 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, for your listeners, I have this thing called 364 00:24:38,480 --> 00:24:43,760 Speaker 2: dysautonomy and central sensitization, which is a central nervous system disorder. 365 00:24:43,800 --> 00:24:48,199 Speaker 2: And so for the last eight years, I've lived with 366 00:24:48,320 --> 00:24:54,240 Speaker 2: an intractable kind of migraine level headache. So that literally 367 00:24:54,240 --> 00:25:00,879 Speaker 2: a headache for eight years. And yeah, it's changed me 368 00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:07,639 Speaker 2: a lot. It's helped me see myself in the scale 369 00:25:08,760 --> 00:25:13,679 Speaker 2: of the universe, you know, as this one teeny tiny 370 00:25:13,720 --> 00:25:18,840 Speaker 2: little dot right that can't be seen from space, right, 371 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:24,920 Speaker 2: And yet because of the imagination, I can actually affect 372 00:25:25,160 --> 00:25:32,800 Speaker 2: things that happen in space. You know, our ability as humans, 373 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:39,520 Speaker 2: our imaginations are so extraordinary that in one minute we 374 00:25:39,680 --> 00:25:46,159 Speaker 2: can dream up imagine enough work, you know, for a 375 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:50,200 Speaker 2: thousand people to work for thirty years. That's how powerful 376 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:57,359 Speaker 2: the imagination is. And so I'm both this really small, tiny, weak, 377 00:25:57,560 --> 00:26:03,919 Speaker 2: broken person, but also a kind of glory too, where 378 00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:09,119 Speaker 2: the imagination is how I contribute to the world that 379 00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:12,880 Speaker 2: I want to live in, and so I'm busy every 380 00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:18,879 Speaker 2: day making things. The difference is is that the suffering 381 00:26:19,440 --> 00:26:27,240 Speaker 2: them of the constant headache has changed me, whereas I 382 00:26:27,280 --> 00:26:33,000 Speaker 2: don't have no interest in empire building anymore. It's almost 383 00:26:33,040 --> 00:26:36,600 Speaker 2: like my weakness has allowed me to be more human 384 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:43,399 Speaker 2: and less. I guess it's kind of an imagination moderation, 385 00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,240 Speaker 2: if you will, whereas I don't have to make everything 386 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 2: I can dream of. 387 00:26:49,520 --> 00:26:54,240 Speaker 3: It's beautiful. I know you're working on some other projects. 388 00:26:54,240 --> 00:26:57,880 Speaker 3: Do you want to highlight maybe one or two or 389 00:26:57,920 --> 00:26:58,800 Speaker 3: three hundred of them? 390 00:27:00,560 --> 00:27:05,160 Speaker 2: Yeah, well I do. I do release music, my own 391 00:27:05,240 --> 00:27:09,000 Speaker 2: music quite a bit, and do a lot of collaborations, 392 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:14,800 Speaker 2: and so one of the ways that I keep up 393 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:19,840 Speaker 2: with those, and my assistant, my granddaughter Bridget, helps in 394 00:27:19,920 --> 00:27:25,359 Speaker 2: that is that we always post new music in a 395 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:30,040 Speaker 2: discography that's at Charlie Peacock dot com. And it's sequential, 396 00:27:30,200 --> 00:27:34,360 Speaker 2: so you can always just go on the website and see, oh, 397 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:37,920 Speaker 2: well they've added a new project, and then go to whatever. 398 00:27:38,960 --> 00:27:42,480 Speaker 2: Either if it's available to purchase on vinyl or CD, 399 00:27:42,880 --> 00:27:46,720 Speaker 2: or if it's just digital on the DSPs, then you 400 00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:51,040 Speaker 2: can go and check that out. But yeah, I'm actually 401 00:27:51,040 --> 00:27:57,600 Speaker 2: getting ready to release several singles and an EP coming up. 402 00:27:57,840 --> 00:28:01,960 Speaker 2: But right now, I think the main thing I'm going 403 00:28:02,040 --> 00:28:04,160 Speaker 2: to do probably the rest of this year when I'm 404 00:28:04,200 --> 00:28:09,159 Speaker 2: working on music is probably go back, you know, to 405 00:28:09,240 --> 00:28:14,600 Speaker 2: the hard drives and look at several projects that didn't 406 00:28:14,600 --> 00:28:17,840 Speaker 2: get finished. You know. I have some live performance things 407 00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:20,919 Speaker 2: that i'd love to put out, and it's just a 408 00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:22,800 Speaker 2: matter of me sitting and doing a little bit of 409 00:28:22,920 --> 00:28:28,120 Speaker 2: editing and mixing and then getting them out. But mainly 410 00:28:28,560 --> 00:28:32,679 Speaker 2: I'm writing. I don't know whether I'm writing another book 411 00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:38,040 Speaker 2: or what, because it's mostly I'm studying. But I'm very 412 00:28:38,040 --> 00:28:43,800 Speaker 2: interested in the intersection of modern or contemporary physics, quantum physics, 413 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:50,080 Speaker 2: and I think it's like epistemology, like basically like how 414 00:28:50,120 --> 00:28:52,760 Speaker 2: we know what we know, and the intersection of the 415 00:28:52,920 --> 00:28:57,560 Speaker 2: arts and also as faith as well. So those four 416 00:28:57,600 --> 00:29:01,240 Speaker 2: components are things that really interest me right now. And 417 00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:04,520 Speaker 2: I've been trying to study a lot and then write 418 00:29:05,560 --> 00:29:09,760 Speaker 2: in that intersection of those things and hopefully a unique way. 419 00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:13,240 Speaker 2: I like to tell you know, people say, well, you 420 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:15,480 Speaker 2: stay in your land, you know, I mean you're a musician. 421 00:29:15,720 --> 00:29:18,720 Speaker 2: I said, hey, hang on, you know, because my dad 422 00:29:18,800 --> 00:29:23,440 Speaker 2: was a musician, my mom was a wordsmith. And I 423 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:26,600 Speaker 2: like to remind people that my very first paying gig 424 00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:31,840 Speaker 2: was in sixth grade when I wrote an essay and 425 00:29:31,960 --> 00:29:36,240 Speaker 2: won a essay contest third place, though, but I was 426 00:29:36,280 --> 00:29:40,680 Speaker 2: paid five dollars for it. So I've been working writer 427 00:29:40,920 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 2: for a long time. 428 00:29:42,120 --> 00:29:44,920 Speaker 3: O man, may I call you Professor Peacock. 429 00:29:46,280 --> 00:29:46,520 Speaker 1: You know. 430 00:29:46,640 --> 00:29:51,400 Speaker 2: The kids I when I did design the commercial music 431 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:58,880 Speaker 2: program at Lipscomb University here in Nashville, and the kids 432 00:29:59,400 --> 00:30:02,680 Speaker 2: were always like, I wanted to call me Professor Peacock, 433 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 2: you know, And I was like, I don't know. It 434 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,479 Speaker 2: feels like the game Clue a little bit. And it also, 435 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:15,760 Speaker 2: you know, I don't know. I don't know how they 436 00:30:15,880 --> 00:30:18,800 Speaker 2: let me in, you know, like because I'm an autodidact, 437 00:30:19,160 --> 00:30:23,600 Speaker 2: you know, longtime self learner, bouncing in and out of 438 00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:29,080 Speaker 2: higher education. But somehow they put me in in control 439 00:30:29,320 --> 00:30:31,320 Speaker 2: of it. And I ran the school of music for 440 00:30:31,360 --> 00:30:37,400 Speaker 2: a bit but I did so without the appropriate accreditation. 441 00:30:38,440 --> 00:30:42,520 Speaker 2: So thankfully, thankfully, every university is allowed to have one 442 00:30:42,760 --> 00:30:47,360 Speaker 2: crazy character come and and and run the show for 443 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,240 Speaker 2: a bit. You just can't have too many of them. 444 00:30:50,440 --> 00:30:53,160 Speaker 3: I'm going to stick with it. Professor Charlie Peacock, thank 445 00:30:53,200 --> 00:30:58,000 Speaker 3: you so much. Congratulations on Roots and Rhythm. It's been 446 00:30:58,040 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 3: a joy to speak with you, and thanks for all 447 00:31:00,840 --> 00:31:04,880 Speaker 3: you continue to give us. It really means so much 448 00:31:04,920 --> 00:31:05,440 Speaker 3: to the world. 449 00:31:06,080 --> 00:31:09,920 Speaker 2: Oh, thank you, buzz I wish you well. 450 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:12,400 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening to this episode of the Taking a 451 00:31:12,440 --> 00:31:16,320 Speaker 1: Walk podcast. Share this and other episodes with your friends 452 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:19,880 Speaker 1: and follow us so you never miss an episode. Taking 453 00:31:19,960 --> 00:31:23,840 Speaker 1: a Walk is available on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 454 00:31:24,040 --> 00:31:26,280 Speaker 1: and wherever you get your podcasts.