Jerry Douglas: The Flagpole Q&A
The multiple Grammy winner speaks about the risks and rewards of a lifetime in music.
13-time Grammy winner Jerry Douglas speaks humbly about the challenges he faced in creating his latest album, Traveler. The aptly named album was recorded in Nashville, New Orleans, New York and Banbury, U.K. and features musicians of equal prestige.
Flagpole: What factors made you comfortable with extending your boundaries and taking the risks you do on Traveler?
Jerry Douglas: I think part of it is the time that I’ve been in this business, you know? Age. And, also, I’m not so worried about all of those things anymore… I’ve been doing this for so long, and for me, it’s been nice people all along the way, and we were always saying "we should do this, we should do something together sometime. Let’s not wait too long and let it go by, let’s do something together." So, this is a collection of those things, of those moments, of those conversations.
FP: How did you determine whom you would collaborate with?
JD: Pretty much just reached into a hat. Mumford & Sons and I really wanted to record together—we were looking for an excuse, and here it was. Eric Clapton, same thing. We just needed a reason. And I had started this trio with Omar Hakim and Viktor Krauss, so there was a shoe-in. Some of it was easy—the last cut of the album, playing with my bluegrass pals here in town, that was the easiest thing on the record to schedule. The same with my producer, Russ Titelman, I never had a producer before for any of my records, but we always sort of travel in this circle—at these parties, or functions, or at the Grammys, we would see each other and say, "We need to do something sometime! We need to do something before this gets past us," and that was sort of the rally point for the whole record. Here’s a chance, we better do it, let’s do it.
FP: How did you decide to cover “The Boxer” and manage to involve both Mumford & Sons and Paul Simon himself?
JD: Marcus and I had talked about that song for a long time, and I was going to do my last show with Alison [Krauss] in The Queen’s Hall, and we were staying on one side of the Thames. There was a big walking bridge that went to the other side, and all the way across the bridge, Marcus and I decided what song we would cut… Then I brought it back and took it up and played it for Paul Simon at his place in Connecticut, and he said, "I love that, can I play on that?" So we recorded him there. It was really fun!
"There was a crew there that was actually filming while we were recording, and they went to put a lavalier mic in Dr. John’s shirt so the wire wouldn’t show. So, they’re trying to feed this wire through there and they’re running into rocks and feathers and all kinds of stuff he’s got under his shirt. And I heard him say, 'You don’t know what you might stir up in there.'"
FP: What was the most serious challenge you encountered in doing such a different album?
JD: The only "what in the hell are we doing" point in the record was when we went to New Orleans. We didn’t know what was going to happen, and we weren’t in a rush to do anything, it was just, was Dr. John gonna go along with this? Is he going to be okay with this? I wanted everybody [to be] comfortable. I wanted everybody to be happy and to be into what they’re doing.
FP: So, were you at all intimidated?
JD: A little at first, maybe? Because I was on their turf, right? I’m the odd man out here—I’m the guy who doesn’t live here, who doesn’t know all the New Orleans lore and the stories and all of the secrets and the voodoo and whatever. Is somebody casting a spell on me while I’m doing this, or what? It’s that kind of place. That’s what you’re always thinking about. There was a crew there that was actually filming while we were recording, and they went to put a lavalier mic in Dr. John’s shirt so the wire wouldn’t show. So, they’re trying to feed this wire through there and they’re running into rocks and feathers and all kinds of stuff he’s got under his shirt. And I heard him say, "You don’t know what you might stir up in there." It was great. It was a great education, and it turned out to be just a real happy time, good times for everybody.
FP: How did the collaborations affect your creativity?
JD: They freed me. What really freed me was having a producer, having Russ Titelman there. I felt like, OK, I think this is gonna work. And then on one of the tracks, there was a time when there was something wrong with the horn section, and I wondered, "Is he gonna hear this? Here’s the test." And as soon as that take was over, I saw Russ go into the horn room and go, "Oh, no, no, no, no, it goes like this." And I thought, "Okay, it’s gonna be fine. I don’t have to think about that stuff any more, he’s got it, that’s his bag. That’s why he’s here."
FP: What do you think this kind of crossover can or will do for bluegrass music?
JD: Hopefully it just strengthens the bonds between all these kinds of music. I mean, the walls are falling fast. And there’s nothing wrong with it. We’re not violating any rules or any laws or anything. It’s music, after all. It’s to be enjoyed, not to be scrutinized or judged. You either like it or you don’t. The thing is, you can change that dial, go somewhere else. It just so happens that people are staying on our station a lot longer these days.
"We’re not violating any rules or any laws or anything. It’s music, after all. It’s to be enjoyed, not to be scrutinized or judged. You either like it or you don’t."
FP: Will you have any live shows that will involve the major names you collaborated with?
JD: I’d love to do a TV special of all of this, possibly with "Austin City Limits" or "Soundstage" or somebody like that… I think it’s too good and it’s too great an opportunity to pass up... I’d love to do it. I just like the music, and I don’t care whose name it goes under, I just want it done. So, it’s very possible. Very, very possible.
FP: Are you looking forward to playing in Athens?
JD: This will be my first time in the new [Georgia] Theatre… It’s a lot of sound—we make a lot of noise up there. So, I just want everybody to come out, I know I’ve got a lot of friends who are coming out, a lot of guys that play with different bands. It would be nice just to show ‘em what we got and let them be the judge. I’m really looking forward to playing there, though.
comments