Name: Roger Street Friedman

Nationality: American
Occupation: Singer, songwriter
Current release: Roger Street Friedman's Love Hope Trust is out now.

If you enjoyed this interview with Roger Street Friedman and would like to stay up to date with his work, visit his official website. He is also on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter.



Where does the impulse to create something come from for you? What role do often-quoted sources of inspiration like dreams, other forms of art, personal relationships, politics etc play?

I believe the impulse is always a result of an emotional reaction to a circumstance or stimulus. It could be some personal conflict that stirs anger or sadness, or a connection that stirs joy or happiness.

You ask about politics, for me, politics and what’s going on in the world at large in the news is a deep well. Many of my songs can be traced back to current events. And sometime historical events!

A lot of times inspiration comes from the ether, it’s definitely sparked by something, but can feel very mysterious. For instance, just playing a chord, or a few notes on the guitar or piano can give birth to the motif that turns into a song. How does that happen?

I don’t really know but one of the realizations I’ve had after many years of writing songs is not to question it too much and just go with the flow.
 
For you to get started, do there need to be concrete ideas – or what some have called a 'visualisation' of the finished work? What does the balance between planning and chance look like for you?

I don’t often start with a concrete idea. I think there is the depth and breadth of my life and my worldview … all the people, places, stories, and events, past and present, that inhabit, or have inhabited my world. Somehow, early in the process of becoming inspired and beginning to write a song, some part of that world will jump onto the page at that particular point in time, and all of a sudden that song is about that thing … whatever it is.

It’s kind of like one of those movies where a spirit invades a living person – like that song was just floating around out there waiting for the write time to jump into my brain!
 
Is there a preparation phase for your process? Do you require your tools to be laid out in a particular way, for example, do you need to do 'research' or create 'early versions'?

I wouldn’t say it’s a formal preparation phase – there’s a definite arc to the process for me which usually starts in a kind of haphazard way! The tools and research come into play after the initial idea has already begun to take shape. The last phase is when I really buckle down with the tune and hone it into a finished song.

Then I need to be in a quiet place and have an uninterrupted period of time to make sure the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed!
 
Do you have certain rituals to get you into the right mindset for creating? What role do certain foods or stimulants like coffee, lighting, scents, exercise or reading poetry play?

Ever since I was in my late teens, I’ve been a bit of a coffee addict. Most mornings I have coffee and noodle around on the guitar – a lot of ideas come at that time of the day. I record everything in my phone.

I don’t usually write the song right then and there. These days I like to write in my studio – it’s very quiet. As for the mindset, I try to just be to whatever comes when it comes. If I’m too judgmental I can kill an idea before I even really know what it is.

It’s funny you mention exercise – I do a lot of bike riding, and usually the current song or songs that I’m working on will be rolling around in my head while I’m rolling down the road on the bike … Often, if I’ve been struggling with a certain lyric or chord change / melody, it will come to me while I’m riding. I’ll pull over and make a note. It must have something to do with endorphins.
 
What do you start with? How difficult is that first line of text, the first note?

I usually start with the guitar, although not always. There’s a song called “The Ghosts of Sugarland” on the new album that is historical. That started with the lyric – but that’s really the exception for me.



Once I have the chord progression, I’ll start singing a melody and that melody might suggest some words – those words will bring an image and that image often tells me what the song is going to be about.
 
When do the lyrics enter the picture? Where do they come from? Do lyrics need to grow together with the music or can they emerge from a place of their own?

The lyrics come just after the chords and melody usually. That’s when I start putting stuff down on paper.

I think they come from somewhere deep in my subconscious … unless I have a definite idea about what I’m’ going to write about that is.
 
What makes lyrics good in your opinion? What are your own ambitions and challenges in this regard?

I think the best lyrics make you see the whole picture with as few words as possible. They also need to develop … the characters, the story, the emotion etc. and it all has to happen in 3.5 – 4 minutes! Not an easy feat.

I always think about this line from “My Little Town” by Paul Simon …

“And after it rains there’s a rainbow
and all of the colors are black
it’s not that the colors aren’t there
it’s just imagination they lack
everything’s the same back in my little town.”

I mean that’s just brilliant writing to me.



I’m always striving for the right metaphor, the right expression or phrase, that gets the image and the emotion associated with it into the head and heart of the listener. That’s what I challenge myself with.
 
Once you've started, how does the work gradually emerge?

It's usually a continuous process of playing what I have so far over and over again and then figuring out where to go next.

It starts with the guitar chords, the melody and the the idea for the words. From there I might write 10-20 verses. I then usually wind up finding that I’ve written some really good lines, just maybe not really good verses, and I’ll realize that if I combine the best lines into 3 individual verses, I’m already well along in creating the song.

From there it’s a matter of playing it over and over again, which leads to many, many edits to the lyrics and changes to the melody and chords. Rinse and repeat until it’s done!

Often, I’ll get very close to the end and hit a roadblock, that seems insurmountable, usually with the lyric. It used to derail me, and I probably abandoned a hundred songs because of it. I’ve learned to just be patient! It will usually hit me while I’m riding or doing some other unrelated thing. I’ve learned to trust the process.
 
Many writers have claimed that as soon as they enter into the process, certain aspects of the narrative are out of their hands. Do you like to keep strict control over the process or is there a sense of following things where they lead you?

I like to do both – I think “the muse” has control over the process no matter what – and I do try to follow things where they lead me, but if what I’ve written seems like gibberish, I’m going to assert some executive privilege!
 
Often, while writing, new ideas and alternative roads will open themselves up, pulling and pushing the creator in a different direction. Does this happen to you, too, and how do you deal with it? What do you do with these ideas?

This does happen. Especially if I’ve taken a hiatus from writing and am just starting up again. I sometimes will come up with 3 or 4 solid ideas out of that initial inspiration.

I try to follow them because sometimes they turn out to be much stronger songs than the one I started out trying to write!
 
There are many descriptions of the creative state. How would you describe it for you personally? Is there an element of spirituality to what you do?

Most definitely – it can feel meditative, like I’m communing with my own soul … it’s hard to describe, but when things are really flowing it’s definitely an altered state.

I’m sure that I’m accessing some part of the brain that doesn’t get activated when I’m washing dishes or watching tv! It’s amazing.
 
Especially in the digital age, the writing and production process tends towards the infinite. What marks the end of the process? How do you finish a work?

I don’t really do much production to write the songs – it’s still the old-fashioned way, just me and the guitar.

It has become much easier over time to know when a piece is finished, when it’s said everything it needs to say and the arc of the emotion makes sense.
 
Once a piece is finished, how important is it for you to let it lie and evaluate it later on? How much improvement and refinement do you personally allow until you're satisfied with a piece? What does this process look like in practice?

I think that’s pretty important!

On my first album I wrote the title track right at the end of the recording process and we quickly recorded it and put it on the disc.



I’m happy with that song but there is a lyric (or two) that I wished I’d sat with a little while longer because I think I found a better one a few days after the discs were manufactured! Can’t win em all!
 
What's your take on the role and importance of production, including mixing and mastering for you personally? How involved do you get in this?

I think for recorded music the importance of mixing and production cannot be overstated. It’s so crucial.

I mean, I work hard at writing the song so I want the arrangement and production to be the best it can be. A good arrangement, with the right instrumentation, and sounds that fit the mood and meaning of the song, are critical. Once you have that the mix is where it all comes together – the mix can make or break the song.

I’ve been fortunate to get to work with Larry Campbell who I think is a great producer. He is very hands on in terms of the production and arranging so I don’t have to worry too much about those elements – when it comes to mixing, I do a lot of critical listening and work closely with the mix engineer.

I have a pretty good listening situation being that I have the studio in my house, that makes it easier.
 
After finishing a piece or album and releasing something into the world, there can be a sense of emptiness. Can you relate to this – and how do you return to the state of creativity after experiencing it?

It's funny you ask as that’s right where I am in the process as we speak.

There’s so much energy that goes into the writing, producing, mixing, pressing, and marketing the album that it’s almost all consuming. When that’s all done, and the album is out in the world there can be a sense of “well what the hell do I do now?”

I’ve just started to record little bits of new songs into my iphone so it looks like the process is starting all over again!
 
Creativity can reach many different corners of our lives. Do you personally feel as though writing a piece of music is inherently different from something like making a great cup of coffee? What do you express through music that you couldn't or wouldn't in more 'mundane' tasks?

I think it depends on the individual – some people can turn the act of brewing a cup of coffee into an expression of art! (If you’ve ever been to Philz coffee in DC you know what I’m talking about)!

For me I think music is the only way to get what’s in the most remote corners my soul out into the open. I don’t think I could do it any other way. My writing teaches me things about myself and the world that I don’t think I’d be able to learn any other way, and I think by doing that I have the potential to touch others at a soul level …