Interview: David Wilcox - "I sing the songs that I need to hear to keep me sane..."

Oscar Wilde once said that our memory is like a diary we always carry with us. What have you written in yours throughout your artistic career?

The favorite memories I keep are of times when I trusted a heartfelt hunch that opened into perfect timing and serendipitous coincidence.

I asked this because your songs are like a lens through which we see life. They accurately reflect the attitudes and behaviors that characterize people. Where does your inspiration come from? 

Most of my songs are inspired by conversation I have with people. 

Life is also a constant search, a striving to find something that may never be found. You talked about this in "Golden Key," a song from your debut album called "The Nightshift Watchman". How much have you learned about yourself since the recording of that song? Do you still carry this golden key inside of you?

I am much happier now than I was as a young man, but I still love to feel a sacred yearning to glimpse the mysteries of life. 

When discussing your music, it's impossible to ignore your latest album, titled "The Way I Tell the Story." As you say, these songs walks the line between hope and heartbreak. If you were to compare this album to your previous work, what differences would you highlight first?

I think this album is about keeping our emotional buoyancy so we don't sink in the sea of sorrow. Many songs on this new record talk about how to do that. The way I tell the story doesn't change the past, but it can change the meaning of the past and give us courage to go on. 

"The Way I Tell the Story" is also a story about youremotions and your struggles with their overwhelm. If we agree that music is an expression of our souls, whathappened in yours while recording this album?

I am finding more sustainable reasons for hope. The dignity of a life well lived even in troubled times.

So what are your hopes for the release of your latest project? Who is its target audience?

I sing the songs that I need to hear to keep me sane, but I hope they could serve anyone who needs courage to persevere when times get tough. 

Well, music seems to be an effective way for you to find peace in this chaotic world. Has writing lyrics always come easily to you?

After all this time working at my craft, I do feel like I know my way around the Wilderness. I can navigate to the heart of a song much faster now. 

Your songs are like paints covering canvases. They're full of melancholy and peaceful hues. All of this brings me to the question of the artist behind these paintings. What colors would you use to describe yourself?

Color me "defiantly joyful"...

And if you were to paint your dream picture now, what colors would you give it?

I still love the sight of a road going up over a rise and around a bend into some new adventure. I would paint it with tones of anticipation and gratitude, with a hint of a dark storm blowing over and a patch of blue sky up ahead.

Pictures: Lynne Harty.