It starts with just showing up. Whether he’s penning a poem or writing a new song, the work for Bobby Long begins with the disciplined decision to show up every day. It’s how he’s written a book of poetry and several albums over the last decade. We recently asked him about his latest album, now available for pre-order, and why even he thinks poetry is self-indulgent. 

How do you start the process Do you allow it to flow and then you place it later? 

I just allow it to flow, to be honest. Obviously you’re influenced by what you’re surrounded by and what you listen to and what you’ve read — whether you like that or not. So in terms of poetry, if I was reading a certain poet’s work or had watched a certain film, it might pop up in the next poem I write, even if it’s something tiny, just like the general pace or mood of it. 

For me, it’s all about showing up. Writing is all about showing up. Every time you write, you’re not always going to have something worthy to be published or on an album, but it’s about showing up every day and letting yourself be able to write. Sometimes you don’t even write anything; you just sit there and sit there and sit there. [Laughs] 

That’s part of the thing really, the romance of writing. It’s not about feeling waves of inspiration. It’s not about that. It’s just like any job. It’s just showing up and working hard at it and putting the time in. You might throw away what you’ve worked on at the end of the day because it’s nonsense. You might even know it’s nonsense as you’re writing it, but you have to show up. You have to be in the midst of it to get something.

You just mentioned the romance of writing but then gave a very unromantic answer — just do the work. Did you have a more romanticized view when you started 7 or 8 years ago or were you aware of the need for such discipline early on? 

Reading quotes from Leonard Cohen and people I loved, they really viewed it as something with a work ethic and structure. My main two things, besides a love for music, were that I didn’t want to wake up early and I didn’t want to wear a uniform. On the writing side, I knew that it wasn’t sitting in a coffee shop and writing, just endless writing and feeling great and constantly impressed with the world. If it was just this inspirational thing, then I knew I wouldn’t be doing it properly. I’d be doing it occasionally. 

It’s just like any job, I guess. You have hours to go in, like to a flower store or something. If I just went in once a week, I’d only see the creative parts and it’d feel amazing. But when you go in every day, you see the hard work and you cut your fingers off and the thorns and the customers and the smells that get irritating. That’s life, isnt’ it? [Laughs] 

When you put out poetry versus lyrics with music, does one feel more vulnerable than the other? 

I don’t know if it’s vulnerable, but I have less of a problem listening to my music with other people in the room than somebody reading it in front of me. We just got a first copy made and I left it on the table in the living room. My friend was reading it and his reaction was great. He picked up a funny poem to read and he was laughing. I was like, “Oh, please don’t do that.” It’s all the same really, but I guess when I’m in the room, poetry feels a bit heavier. 

Poetry has a derogatory feel where it can seem pretentious. Wait, it is I guess. [Laughs] You’re writing your feelings down in a book and you’re expecting people to somehow want to read it. That’s a little bit pretentious. It goes along with being a supposed poet. I hate people ever calling me one, really. I don’t want to use the word wanky, but it is a bit frivolous--

British singer-songwriter Bobby Long will return to Europe for his month-long "Renegade" concert tour beginning May 16, 2017 in Stuttgart, Germany.  Known for his hauntingly poetic lyrics, the New York-based musician just surpassed the halfway point on his PledgeMusic campaign to fund what will be his fourth album after only three weeks and will publish his second collection of poetry in early December. 
  
Support on the "Renegade" tour will be British musician Sam Bradley, who toured Europe with Long this past April.  The 17-city tour will take the pair to cities in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and the Netherlands. 

Bobby Long's 2017 European "Renegade" tour dates (with Sam Bradley) are as follows: 
  
May 16-Club 1210, Stuttgart, Germany 
May 17-Ponyhof, Frankfurt, Germany 
May 18-Bunker Ulmenwall, Bielefeld, Germany 
May 19-Grend, Essen, Germany 
May 20-Theatre der WG, Cologne, Germany 
May 21-Bonte Wever, Assen, Netherlands 
May 23-Hot Jazz Club, Munster, Germany 
May 25-Apartment Max, Kiel, Germany 
May 26-Mojo Jazz Café, Hamburg, Germany 
May 27-Rios, Mettmann, Germany 
May 28-Brasserie am Luisenplatz, Wiesbaden, Germany 
May 29-Sunny Red, Munich, Germany 
May 30-Scherber, Graz, Austria 
June 1-B72, Vienna, Austria 
June 2-venue TBA, Prague, Czech Republic 
June 3-Horns Erben, Leipzig, Germany 
June 4-Baumhaus Bar, Berlin, Germany 
Tickets for these European shows are available at www.eventim.de and www.reservix.de 
 

BOBBY LONG'S SECOND COLLECTION OF POETRY "LOSING MY MISERY" COMING IN DECEMBER 

British singer-songwriter, known for his hauntingly poetic lyrics, will publish his second collection of actual poetry in early December. Infused with candor, raw emotion and his signature wry humor, Losing My Misery is at once brash, funny and heartbreaking, exposing the writer's foibles as well as his poignant insights into the human condition. It follows 2012's Losing My Brotherhood of which one writer said: "With a few short words, Long brings us into his world, if only for a moment, and shows us exactly what he sees."

In an innovative roll-out, Losing My Misery will initially be offered exclusively for pre-order during Long's PledgeMusic campaign to finance his fourth album, which launched this week. The PledgeMusic offering will 

include a laminated bookmark and an mp3 recording of Long reading selections from the book and talking about some of the poems specifically. This package will only be available via the PledgeMusic campaign, and the book will become available at retail in December.  

Bobby Long, who emerged from London's folk music renaissance and now lives in New York, brought a sharpened focus to writing Losing My Misery. "I've grown older, and I think I've matured a lot, and my priorities have changed," Long explains. "I think I have become a bit more self aware, and I care more about the people I love than myself. I've written about them, which is something this book reflects openly."  

One of those focuses is on his family and his childhood, and particularly growing up in rural Wiltshire. "My family was not the most functional, but it was anything but boring," he recalls, "and we seemed to attract a lot of funny situations. When I was a kid, I felt safe thanks to my parents and their hard work, but I was exposed to some really humorous situations so my childhood was great." For a colorful example of funny childhood situations, one need only turn to his epic poem called "South of France" for a rollicking extensive depiction of a family holiday gone awry in oh so many different ways.

"So much to do, so much to see, 

but Mam and Dad are desperate for hospitality, 

gin and tonics, beer and my sister's on her phone, 

I'm too busy scoffing my face with giant Toblerone, 

my Dad gets excited 

as he leans back to relax, we're finally on the ferry, we're not paying any tax." 

--excerpt from "South of France"

Please read full article here...
 

Bobby Long has partnered with Pledge Music, and therefore with all of us, to make his next album! His music is poetry and passion. He is what love sounds like and what hurt feels like. If you support only one campaign this year, make it this one. If you’ve never supported an artist on Pledge Music, this is the perfect start.









 

Alongside the new album, Bobby Long is releasing a book of poetry called Losing My Misery. A signed copy of the book, with an Mp3 recording of him reading the poems, is one of the pledge options on this campaign. 

Other pledge options include a signed CD, limited edition T-shirts, a handwritten lyric sheet, the album on vinyl, and much more. All pledges come with an instant access digital download of the new album as soon as it’s ready. 

Need a little more convincing? This is I’m Not Going Out Tonight, also off ‘Ode to Thinking’:

My New Album 

I’m planning to record a new album, and I want to invite you along for the journey again.

Some of you have been down this road with me before, and as a result of your support, we were able to make the “Ode to Thinking” album together. “Ode to Thinking” and my music also found a home at Compass Records in Nashville. Now the journey begins again as I’m partnering with PledgeMusic to make my new record, and I know how lucky I am to be able to collaborate with you and ask you to be part of the process. I’ve been writing a lot of new songs over this year, although unlike times in the past, you have not heard most of them yet. The plan is to record right after the beginning of the new year, and, with your help and encouragement, you will hear the new music sometime early next summer. 

As you may know, over the past seven years, I have released a few EPs, three full albums and a poetry book. I’m about to publish a second collection of poetry, and to make the arrival of the new poetry book really special, I’m recording a selection of readings from the book where I will also talk about the origin of some of the poems. You will only be able to get this recording if you pre-order the book through Pledge before it becomes available through other retailers. 

We’ve created some exciting new offerings, but no matter what pledge you make, you will receive a download of the new record on the day it’s released as well as regular updates and behind the scenes reports during the making of the record so that you can truly experience your involvement. You can see and access all the new merchandise on the Pledge page, and there will be more added as the Pledge campaign picks up speed. 

For those of you who have discovered my music for the first time as the result of PledgeMusic, welcome, and I hope you enjoy what you’ve heard so far. For those of you who have been there with me and for me over these years, I thank you so much for your commitment and support. I hope you all will join me on this journey to make what I plan to be a very special new record. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have such a wonderful team behind me, and I look forward to doing you proud. 

It’s going to be another really good year, especially because I have all of you in my corner, and I can’t wait to share every step along the way with you… When I get in the studio, I’ll give you regular updates on never heard before songs and the mayhem and drama that goes hand in hand with making an album. 

Thank you all. Please help spread the word and keep doing what you’re doing. 

All my thanks, 
Bobby xo