In the three decades since the notoriously idiosyncratic and gentlemanly Lyle Lovett erupted onto the country music scene with the single “Cowboy Man,” the Texas native has earned a reputation as being an artist’s artist. Lovett’s genre-bending 1986 eponymous debut received unanimous critical acclaim, even winning a spot on Rolling Stone’s best albums of the year (and eventually of the decade) list, and he has managed time and time again to produce music that remains pertinent, fresh, surprising and alive.
With 13 albums, four Grammy Awards, an array of chart-topping singles, an acting career that includes some 23 screen roles, as well as a run playing Balthasar in the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles’ Much Ado About Nothing and a cornucopia of musical collaborations, Lovett’s artistry has been more than multifaceted, it’s been monumentally successful.
Lovett teams up with longtime folk and country music conspirator John Hiatt at The Festy Experience on October 10, and C-VILLE Weekly spoke with him by phone about songwriting, career longevity, collaboration and more.
C-VILLE Weekly: Over the past 30 years, you’ve won tremendous amounts of acclaim and a heck of a lot of awards. Upon achieving that kind of success, a lot of artists stop producing the type of work that got them recognized in the first place. How’ve you avoided this pitfall?
Lyle Lovett: I really do appreciate the notice I’ve gotten and the recognition I’ve received. I value those honors highly, and remember each and every experience—being awarded the Grammys, then being part of the show, then getting to be a presenter and being able to be in the presence of people I admire and that I’m a fan of. That’s exciting, and I’m appreciative of that.
But, ultimately, I really try to do my best work for myself. I think I’m a tougher critic than other people. So if I write songs that I like enough and that I’m confident enough to play for people, I feel like I’m in good shape. The songs have to get past me, and that’s the toughest part.
Also, I’ve been really lucky to have been associated with people who’ve allowed me to follow my natural inclinations. That’s a wonderful thing. So I’ve never felt as if I had to restrict myself to one particular sound. Actually, I’ve been encouraged to make the music I want to make and to look in different directions. I just like different kinds of music. I feel like it’s a natural tendency not to be locked into one particular thing and to be able to appreciate the variety.
Where do your songs come from?
Writing songs is like a mystery. The most difficult thing to do is have a good idea. If you have a decent idea, the songs are the easy part. Actually having something to say is the hard part. If you get an idea for a song, then it pulls you along.
Usually, the songs that I’m happiest with are songs that you don’t sit down and write. They’re songs that make you sit down and almost write themselves. …Clearly, I’m not trying to write songs for the radio. I’m not trying to write songs in a nine-to-five kind of way. I’ve always written when I feel like I’ve got something to write about. I try to write songs, or play songs, that reflect my sensibilities about what I appreciate in the world and in life.
I’m always grateful when I’m able to write a song that I like, but I don’t worry if I don’t have something going. Songs that I’ve written in the past that I feel are more crafted, they end up being the songs that I don’t necessarily play. They’re not songs I stay involved with for a long time.
You’ve participated in a lot of great collaborations with a lot of great musicians and the show you’re putting on at The Festy is no exception. Could you talk a bit about what drew you to collaborate with John?
John is just one of my favorite songwriters and singers. He and I have worked together off and on over the years, really for a long time now. We just take turns and it’s fun. And we talk and I ask John questions. I’m curious about his songs and his processes, so I get to talk to him about that. It’s really different from night to night because he won’t play the same songs from night to night necessarily and, you know, that makes me want to make a different choice too. We try out some of our new songs on one another and it really is a lot like what we would do if nobody was around.
–Eric J. Wallace