One of the most beloved singers, songwriters and producers of his generation, the affable Nick Lowe is currently riding a new wave of popularity thanks to The Old Magic, his latest collection that features witty, thoughtful country-flavored ballads.
Though many remember him most fondly for songs like “Cruel To Be Kind” and “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace Love And Understanding,” Lowe has managed to reinvent himself from a pure British pop/pub rocker into a soulful, folk balladeer, traversing the globe where packed houses await him each night.
Part of it may have to do with his recent tours with Wilco — but most of it no doubt comes from the talents that have always flowed so freely from this truly special artist.
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Since touring with Wilco last year you seem very energized — a fair observation?
Absolutely. I don’t think there’s any doubt about that, actually. What I’d hope would happen did happen with the Wilco tour. When they asked me to go out I thought it was a really bold move on their part because we didn’t know how it would go. But I thought that there might be a chance that their audience, who are musically literate, but much younger than my core audience, I thought I could attract them. I thought, they could be my audience, but they just didn’t now it yet (laughs). That clearly seems to have happened. The reason I say that is I’ve done two tours since the Wilco tour and it is absolutely evident looking out into the audience — there are a lot more younger people. By younger I mean people in their 30s, late 20s. And a lot more women! My core people are still there. But there are even shows I’ve done on this tour where the old people are outnumbered but the new people! Of course while everyone is welcome, it’s secretly gratifying to see the new people who seem to find freshness in what I do.
It must be gratifying to see new people out there every night.
It is wonderful. I think younger people are far less snobby about music today. Far more snobby than my generation all around! Even if I secretly liked it when I was younger, I never would have admitted liking something my parents liked. And also, when I was growing up I was very into creating barriers – this is cool, this is uncool sort of thing. Nowadays, younger people don’t have that. In defense of my generation, rock and roll was still very new and we were very protective of it. Today there is just so much music. Ton as and tons of it to wade through. It’s just fantastic these days. The touring experience isn’t that difficult. I’m getting up there but I’m not exactly feeble or unable to feed myself or anything like that. It’s so fantastic to turn up to do a show to find the room filled up with all kinds of people that seemed please to see you.
You’ve had the benefit of being around many interesting influences throughout the course of your life. Elvis Costello, your one-time father-in-law Johnny Cash…
Ah yes. With Elvis, I knew him from way back, he was a fan of a band I was in, Brinsley Schwarz. That’s why he recorded my song “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding,” because he heard it when I was in Brinsley. As for Johnny Cash, obviously I learned some things playing from him that will always remain special. But as far as influences I always cite this fellow that I met when I was very young in London, an American guy named Jim Ford. He came over to make a record. He’d written a number of fairly well known songs, he was a white guy with a real black soul kind of thing. And his songs have amazing – this amazing sort of country soul. He was quite a difficult character. Not really approachable. But I was young and impressionable and completely fell under this guy’s spell. He’s dead now, died last year. He was really something else. To this day he remains a big influence on me.
It also seems like Yep Rock is the perfect label for you these days.
I love them. They get me. When I made my first, what you might call my first ‘late period record,’ I had a lot of trouble getting anyone interested. It was low point in my career. I’d been hired and fired by all the major labels. It occurred to me, that a major label wouldn’t help me. I didn’t want for myself what they wanted for me. I wanted to ‘plough my own furrow’ and not go the tried and tested way you’re supposed go. I’d like to be able to be in a position to play stadiums but choose not to (laughs). So I wanted a cool label with cool people who knew what I was trying to do. And I was very lucky to come upon these guys. It was a great thing for me. They helped me reinvent myself in this new style. I could not have done any better than Yep Rock.
The original “Cruel To Be Kind’ video still holds up as a classic and still turns younger listeners on to you. What do you recall about it?
I haven’t seen it for years and years but one of the things that made it special was that Chuck Statler made it — he directed the great Devo video. Back in those days MTV begged people for videos! And Elvis Costello was very keen on making them so I just sort of sailed in on his tail coats. That was such a fun video to make.
There’s actual wedding footage of yours in there, right?
True! Some actual wedding footage when I married Carlene Carter. Some of the other stuff was staged but there are some real home movies in there and some things were shot at the old Tropicana Motel in Los Angeles where all the bands stayed back in the 1970s.
