Name: John Van Deusen
Nationality: American
Occupations: Vocalist, songwriter
Current release: John Van Deusen's new album As Long As I Am In The Tent of This Body I Will Make A Joyful Noise Pt. 2 is out via Anotherland.  
Hometown Recommendations: I am from Anacortes, WA, which is up near Canada. I recommend driving to the top of Mount Erie and visiting Pelican Bay books and coffee. Then head over to the Business, which is one of the best record stores in the world for anyone seeking experimental, alternative and underground music.  

If you enjoyed this John Van Deusen interview and would like to stay up to date with his music, visit his official homepage. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, and bandcamp.



Do you think that some of your earliest musical experiences planted a seed for your interest in writing lyrics or poetry? How and when did you start writing?

Interestingly, my love of lyricism began in grade school.

My curriculum in 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade featured weekly poetry presentations. We would write out poetry and read it to the class. This included original works as well as readings by famous poets (Shel Silverstein was a class favorite).

Reciting Shel Silverstein on a weekly basis hammered the love of a catchy, rhythmic cadence in to my young brain.

Entering new worlds and escapism through music and literature have always exerted a very strong pull on me. What do you think you are drawn to most when it comes to writing?

I have long been a reader of fiction; far future science fiction, in particular.

I feel there is something mysterious and prophetic about good science fiction because you have to understand the social sciences, history and technology in order to truly imagine what human society will be like in the future. It fascinates me.

Personally, I write because I learned at a young age that it helped my brain process my own reality. It’s therapeutic.

What were some of the artists and albums which inspired you early on purely on the strength of their lyrics? What moves you in the lyrics of other artists?

Growing up in a church-going home prevented me from hearing any real variety of lyricism in the house. But, I remember hearing Everclear’s ‘Father of Mine’ on the radio and being emotionally moved by the lyrics.



When I first heard Switchfoot at a young age (10) I was inspired by the candid lyrics about depression, girls and the questioning of reality.



As I got older and moved away from Christian music, I found myself deeply moved by lyrics of brave vulnerability.

Have there been song lyrics which actually made you change (aspects of) your life? If so, what do you think, leant them that power?

I think ‘Pieces of You’ by Jewel really hit me hard the first time I heard it (it was live at Bumbershoot in Seattle).



It made me consider the power and necessity of empathy in a way I never forgot. I just think she goes for the jugular in that song in a fearless way.

It is sometimes said that “music begins where words end.” What do you make of that?

Music transcends any barrier erected by language, so I understand the sentiment.

However, I think both words and music have immense power either by themselves or when partnered, so I find the statement unnecessarily reductive.  

I have always considered many forms of music to be a form of poetry as well. Where do you personally see similarities? What can music express which may be out of reach for poetry?

I think you’d need to define “poetic” before I really answer this. Do you need words to make something “poetic”?

I watched Lawrence of Arabia last night. Some of the cinematography felt poetic to me. The colors. The extras. The light. The landscape. Poetry in motion, perhaps?

Poetry can’t replicate this type of “poetic” movie making. Sound waves are physical things. If you go see Slayer play a show in a small club you will feel the bass frequencies from the kick drum in a way that a poetry reading could never replicate. So the power of sound can be an awesome thing untouched by quieter forms of artistic communication. Obviously, written words alone can’t express this power.

However, I believe our reality; literally, our entire existence, is poetic. I believe our reality was created by a poetic God. I believe black holes and the law of gravity are poetic, by nature. They have an inherent beauty that even our greatest poets would find difficult to describe.

So this question kind of breaks my brain.

The relationship between words and music has always intrigued me. How  do you see it? In how far can music take you to places with your writing you would possibly not have visited without it?

The human voice is a powerful instrument that can create an emotional response in other humans. Have you ever watched a live performance when the singer is crying because they feel it so deeply? Damn, it’s a site to behold.

If you pair an emotional vocal delivery with relatable and true lyrics AND a beautiful melody, you’re basically a wizard. I think that a well written song, sung in an honest way will always connect with other people.

I’m not sure that reading lyrics from a vinyl booklet could have that same type of power. This is why I do what I do!

What are areas/themes/topics that you keep returning to in your lyrics?

Depression. God. Nature.

On the basis of a piece off As Long As I Am In The Tent of This Body I Will Make A Joyful Noise Pt. 2, tell me about how the lyrics grew into their final form and what points of consideration were.

This newest album is “sacred music”. Which really only means I’m exploring the creature/Creator relationship in a way that feels true to me.

This was the only criteria for every song.

Do you tend to start writing with what will be the first line of the finished lyrics? The chorus? At a random point? What are the words that set the process in motion?

I sing gibberish until a melody feels beautiful enough to merit words.

Melody is king in my process.

I'd love to know how you think the meaning or effect of an individual song is enhanced, clarified or possibly contradicted by the EPs, or albums it is part of. Does the song, for example, need to be consistent with the larger whole?

I come from a long lineage of “album makers”.

To me, making a good album takes thoughtfulness and tact. This includes making sure every song belongs on that specific LP. This doesn’t mean each song needs to be about the same thing. But typically, each full length has a theme or a thesis that guides my decisions.

Sometimes it’s as simple as “go with your gut”.

I would love to know a little about the feedback you've received from listeners or critics about what they thought some of your songs are about – have there been “misunderstandings” or did you perhaps even gain new “insights?”

Some of my lyrics are very clear. Some are intentionally abstract. I have fielded hundreds of questions about my songs, especially the abstract ones. I often have to make it clear that I wanted the listener to “feel something” as opposed to communicating some type of truth or narrative in the lyrics.

I am always surprised at how other people interpret my songs or by what lyrics are upsetting. Christian people in particular seem really disturbed by abstraction. I think this says something about why people become religious or dogmatic; humans often demand clear meaning and truth in order to insulate ourselves from the dissonance of mystery. Anyway, there is a puckish teenager in me that enjoys messing with people’s need for clarity.

I don’t think there are any songs on my new album that will be confusing for people, but this is because the lyrics are fairly straight forward and all about my Christian faith.