Todd Snider is the kind of music veteran that knows the ins and outs of the industry. From bluesy alt-country to baseball acid trips, Snider’s music and inspiration cover a lot of territory.
Assistant Diversions Editor Linnie Greene chatted with the musician about all things music, be it touring, fads or man’s best friend.
Diversions: A lot of your songs tell stories. Are any of these based on real events?
Todd Snider: Almost all of them. There are a few that aren’t, but almost every one of them will be at least about someone I know or something that happened to me. Or sometimes it’s just something that happened that’s just an inspiration to me. Sometimes I’ll just sing about people. But yeah, most of them are true.
Dive: You broke onto the music scene in the ’90s with “Talkin’ Seattle Grunge Rock Blues.” What inspired you to write that song?
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TS: I was about 26, I think, and I was really into Jerry Jeff Walker and that kind of music that then, they didn’t really have it. Now they call it alternative country. I was trying — those were those days when I was hoping to get a record contract someday. Other people got them and I thought, “I want one!” I remember one night I made that up out of anger, I guess, that nobody really wanted to mix country and rock, and I guess people still kind of don’t. But I guess I was trying to poke fun at that kind of music, which I actually really liked.
Dive: What kind of reactions did you get?
TS: It was, I guess, like those songs like “Disco Duck” or something where for a couple of weeks, it’s all you could hear, and then it went away really quick. I would tour in those days, but no one really came out that much. It was funny, I guess I kind of came into the scene and got out there on the road. I came onto the scene, but I didn’t burst onto it.
Dive: What are some of your favorite memories from the road?
TS: I’ve been out there for a long time. There’s been so many, you know. I think my favorite thing to do is play in towns. My favorite place to go is a town called Santa Cruz because it’s full of all these hippies and they have this great ocean with big cliffs. It’s just beautiful.
It feels like when you’re traveling, it’s just this one constant sort of surreal movie. Grown men do things that they would not do had they not been traveling for 30 days. It turns you right back into an eighth grader and you find yourself putting tacks under peoples’ chairs after awhile.
Dive: What are some of the most important things you’ve learned since you first got signed?
TS: I hope I’ve learned something, although sometimes I really wonder. That is a tough one. I would say, I guess after all these years — what have I learned? Well, you know I feel like the whole thing takes a lot of getting used to, because a lot of it’s fun and a lot of it’s really painful.
And so, you know, if I could run into the kid, if 43-year-old me ran into the 26-year-old me, I‘d say, “Come on in man, the water’s freezing.” It doesn’t really change that much, because in my opinion it seems like you have to, you write to.
It’s almost like all I really wanted to do was make up a f--king song, so I could make a record. And all I can think about is when this girl broke up with me. You’re going to have to relive. You’re going to have to go into that place in your heart that doesn’t really feel so great all the time.
Dive: Whose dog is in the passenger’s seat on “The Excitement Plan” cover, and how did you choose that photo?
TS: That’s Cowboy Jim. He’s my best friend, and that’s my house. I think that was for, it was a magazine that came, and they were taking pictures at the house, and I think they said, “Does your dog ride in the car with you?” And he got in the car and we started taking pictures. Somebody suggested “That’s a good picture,” and as soon as I saw that my boy got to be in there, I said “Oh, for sure.” Someone besides me thought, “Hey, this could be the cover,” and as soon as I saw it I said, “Yeah.” He’ll come on stage sometimes, too. There he goes! (Jim barks in the background)
Contact the Diversions Editor at dive@unc.edu.
