music - lynn miles

How personal are the songs you write?
Very personal, but I also mix in stories people tell me, and things I read.

You've worked as a voice teacher at the Ottawa Folklore Center, where one of your students was
Alanis Morissette. Do you enjoy teaching?
I do. I especially like teaching young people. I like their energy and enthusiasm...I usually end up learning
something valuable.

You've been writing songs since the age of 10 and have written nearly 600 songs since then. That's a
staggering number. What motivates or drives you creatively?
I'm almost fifty, so if you do the math, it really isn't that many songs. My main motivation is to discover myself, and in doing that, hopefully understand the world a little better, and my place in it. I guess because I feel the
need to share the songs with an audience, my other motivation is to feel connected to people because I'm an
introvert--except on stage.

What comes first when you are writing a song?
Usually it's the concept. For example, an event happened in my life and it started me thinking about courage and fear. What makes us afraid? What gives us courage? In the middle of thinking about that, I thought to myself "I wish I had a fearless heart." That became a title of a new song. I really enjoy coming up with a concept and then researching it through literature, painting, music, discussion, and hours of pondering. That's the great joy of being able to write: to wring out an idea.

Do you have a process or routine when it comes to writing?
What works best for me (and always has) is to start writing as soon as I wake up. These days, I write in my bed
before I eat breakfast. That way, I haven't read my e-mail or looked at a newspaper, and my brain is as free as
it's going to be. I have stacks of notebooks. I write every thought down and go through my books on a regular
basis. I carry a book around with me as well. Right now, I have four books on the go, filled with ideas and
songs. I go through them several times a day, just to see if anything new pops into my head. I love to edit. So,
for me, the song isn't finished unless I think every line is as perfect as it I can make it. I have some songs I've
been editing one word at a time, for years.

You often draw inspiration from literature. How do you work literary elements into your music?
I love to read, so I draw from literature. The inspiration is usually in the form of concepts. The subject the
author is writing about. Right now I'm reading The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. This is a beautifully-
written non-fiction book about what the world would be like without humans. This is subject I've been
interested in for a while. Gore Vidal writes about it in the novel Kalki. I'd love to write a song about it.

I love the power of words and how evocative they can be, and sometime reading a great line will inspire me to
write. In terms of literary elements, It would be tough for me to write a song that doesn't rhyme. I'm definitely
married to that style of songwriting. I use metaphor and, in some of my songs, there is a subtext.

Sufi poetry inspired one of your songs. Have you ever considered trying your hand at poetry?
I figure my songs are a form of poetry. If I lost my guitar, I could stand up and read them although, because
they rhyme, they might sound unsophisticated if they were read beside blank verse poems which is the
predominant style of poetry these days. I've tried to write a few poems but it's not my thing. There is a
difference between a poet and a songwriter except, of course, if you're Leonard Cohen.

You returned to Ottawa after bouncing around the United States for a while. Do you think your
environment is reflected in your writing?
Yes, I think it is. I like to tell people where I am geographically in my songs, to create a mood. So I use the
weather and geography a fair amount. Also, the sky and changing weather affect my writing. I definitely write
more songs in the fall in the Northeast because the changes are dramatic and mood-altering.

Live performances are a central part of being a singer-songwriter. What are your feelings toward doing it?
I love playing live. It saves me.

You just released Black Flowers, Volume 1 which features stripped-down versions of your songs.
There are more volumes in the works. What prompted you to do this?
I play mostly solo show these days. I wanted to give the audiences a CD that was more of a reflection of the
show they just heard. Also, I want to have all my songs recorded as they were written, so I could have them all
together in one place. I'm including songs on these CDs that haven't been recorded. When I make a studio
record, I usually have about twenty songs to choose from, and only ten or eleven make it on to the CD, so I'd
like my audience to hear these other songs as well. Most of the time, they don't make it on because they don't
suit the tone of the album. I want to have them out there. I'm planning to record Volume 2 in early September,
so it should be available in late September on my website.

Where do you think the music industry is heading? What are your feelings toward it?
I think the music industry is eating itself and it's on dessert. I don't think about it very much because I've
always existed at the very edge of it. I've had glimpses of what it's like at the center [and] it's a mean beast. I've
been fortunate to have record deals and publishing deals with some good companies, and lost them, because
eventually everybody loses their deal. I'm lucky to have a booking agent who's kind and fair, so I can make a
living. At the end of the day, what I really care about is making the best music I can and playing shows, if there
are people who want to hear what I have to say.

Are there any other creative avenues you'd like to pursue?
I've been writing a play for several years. I'd like to someday finish that so that I could act in it, without having
to audition for anyone. I'd like to write a book, but I don't know if I have the stomach for it. I've started
painting--I'm really bad at it and it's so much fun.

Thanks for your time.
Thanks, Paul.

For more about Lynn Miles, visit www.lynnmilesmusic.com.