Bobby Long
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A Talk with Bobby Long - Part One

Awaiting The Flood
By: Jennifer Barry
Posted August 16, 2012



Bobby Long is one of the most dynamic singer-songwriters of the last five years, and as his world gets bigger, so does his music. He puts everything he has into each song, giving very personal experiences in veiled, metaphorical phrases. Hearing his lyrics or reading his poetry is like having a conversation with the man, and he’s so prolific at such a young age that it may seem he’s already said everything that can be said. That didn’t stop me from talking to him when I had the chance, and I learned Long has a lot more to share.

The leap from songwriter to poet doesn’t seem a large one, yet only a handful have ventured to publish collections in book form. Long didn’t set out at first to publish his poetry, but once he began the journey, he grew very serious about it. “It was actually quite a spur of the moment thing… I was on the road and writing, and I wanted to do something else other than write songs. I was looking at other creative things to do. I’d always written a little bit and was really interested in poetry. A lot of my favorite artists—people like Leonard Cohen, who I really love—had done one [poetry collection].”

When he was ready to make the move, he didn’t slow down. “I put my mind to it and was like, you know, I’m going to do this. And it was a really nice experience. It took my mind away from songs, which is good sometimes. I try and write every day and sometimes get a bit hard on myself.” His desire was to tackle something different from songwriting, which he says he’s constantly doing on the road. A poetry collection had been at the back of his mind for several years, but the poems in the book are all new, written specifically for Losing My Brotherhood. “It was a quick thing, but I guess it was a few years in the making in terms of…I always kind of wanted to do it, and all of a sudden, I put my mind to it and was like ‘let’s go; let’s do it.’ Some people I work with were very supportive and really happy to help out.”

However strong the correlation between lyrics and poetry may seem, Long says he approaches each in very different ways. “When I write new songs, I tend to be a little wild, in terms of what I’m doing at the time. I don’t prepare; I just stumble out of bed and get stuck in. There’s not any kind of structure to what I’m doing.” He wanted there to be something different about the way he approached his poetry. “I gave myself a structured time, like a nine to five job almost with it. I set my day up around it.” It makes sense that he’d want to keep things separate so as not to blur the lines between the two. To him, the book was also something of a vacation from music. “By the time I came back to writing songs, it was almost like I’d been away from it.”

Read the entire article here...

Posted at 7:11pm cst.
 

Aug 16, 2012 1 comment Share
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thanks for the interview! awaiting part 2! xx :-)
by mel (Aug 17, 2012)

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  • River (Joni Mitchell cover)
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Message Board
Add Your Message
      • Cindy
      • St Louis, MO
      • Jun 3, 2013 @ 10:51 PM

    • Bobby - we miss you in St Louis! Please come back!

      • Ro
      • Philly
      • Apr 22, 2013 @ 3:26 PM

    • Seen you in concert in Philly last week and you were amazing. I brought my husband with me and I'm proud To say you have a new fan. Thanks for a great night and I. Hope to see you again in the future. And by the way the new cd is great !!!

      • e
      • ny
      • Mar 25, 2013 @ 9:34 PM

    • Heard you on the RADIO today in NY for the first time on 107.1 the peak. Have been waiting to hear that since I first listened to you! Congrats!!

      • iwantperch
      • Nashville
      • Feb 26, 2013 @ 11:28 AM

    • Unacceptable! Bobby Long and Marcus Foster are playing in my city on the same night at different venues. This is a huge personal conundrum and IDK what to do! Who can I get to fix this?

      • Nancy Lee
      • Albuquerque, NM
      • Feb 16, 2013 @ 10:54 AM

    • We're still looking for something in the southwest! California to Colorado to Texas -- Since we know you're not likely to make it through our fair city--we know we'll have to travel to make it to a concert. It takes time to make plans and get time off work.........Please give us some dates soon!

      • KrissyJill
      • Muscle Shoals, Alabama
      • Jan 24, 2013 @ 10:57 AM

    • Bobby, Bob, Bobert, Dude!! You have like a week left over there...it's time to release those US dates. I've been more than patient ~ spill! x

      • Mandy
      • Canada
      • Dec 19, 2012 @ 11:24 PM

    • Bobby!!! With the release of Wishbone this coming year, I think that you need to bring you and your music to Canada. Although, you have performed in a few cities in the past... You were nowhere near us (my friends and I)

      Do you know when new tour dates are being planned?

      Xo. Mandy

      • carrie76
      • Texas
      • Dec 5, 2012 @ 10:36 AM

    • I like all the choices for your Christmas song this year and I love the River by Joni Mitchell but it's really a sad song, so for that reason I have to go with I'll Be Home For Christmas

      • tinaabe
      • minneapolis, mn
      • Nov 19, 2012 @ 2:18 PM

    • Merry Christmas Baby!

      • carrie76
      • Texas
      • Nov 18, 2012 @ 10:04 PM

    • A few Christmas songs I would love to hear you sing "Blue Christmas" "O Holy Night" Rockin Around The Christmas Tree" and "Chestnuts Roasting On An Open Fire"

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