English singer Billy Bragg has always been a bit of a rebel. Tackling hot topics in his music have included the military, gay issues, and politics.
He was influenced by groups such as The Rolling Stones and The Clash to make music.
On his sixth studio album, Don't Try This At Home, he sang, "Just because you are gay I won't turn you away. If you stick around I'm sure we can find some common ground" on the song "Sexuality."
He teamed with rockers Wilco and 10,000 Maniac Natalie Merchant for a very successful endeavor, Mermaid Avenue, and three albums of Woody Guthrie-crafted tunes.
His latest record, Tooth & Nail, has become his best charting record since Home many years ago.
Nunn telephoned Bragg in England to talk about how a music festival and gay people changed his life.
Windy City Times: Hi, Billy. How are you?
Billy Bragg: I'm good, mate.
WCT: I caught you at home. When are you touring again?
Billy Bragg: I start with you in Chicago at Riot Fest.
WCT: Everyone is going to be there.
Billy Bragg: It sounds like quite a weekend.
WCT: Are you into seeing any of the bands?
Billy Bragg: I am. I heard Pussy Riot is going to be there. It will be very exciting for me.
WCT: How was Chicago last time you were here?
Billy Bragg: I was at the City Winery. I was actually in Chicago last week at O'Hare. It was like an assault course. It took me forever to get through Rock Island, Illinois. I am taking part in a project following the Rock Island line down to Arkansas. It was a lot of fun.
WCT: You are performing at City Winery again this time.
Billy Bragg: I have played there a few times both solo and with a band. They have good audiences.
WCT: I read you made Tooth & Nail in five days.
Billy Bragg: That is true—in the basement of a house in Pasadena. It belonged to Joe Henry, the great American songwriter and producer.
WCT: I loved the video for "Handyman Blues."
Billy Bragg: Yeah, I am one of the challenged chaps who can't wield a power drill to save my life. It is shame because my dad was brilliant at all of that stuff. If he could see me now and look at all of the stuff that I haven't been able to do, I am not sure he would be too pleased.
WCT: It is a sad song about the blue-collar worker.
Billy Bragg: Exactly. We are never going to be as good as our dads at that kind of stuff anyways. I try to be a bit more relaxed about it.
WCT: I'm the same way. My dad is very good around the house but I am not.
Billy Bragg: My dad used to take the car apart. All I know how to do is put the oil and air in, well and the gas obviously. I don't think you can take a care apart these days like they used to anyways. You have to plug a USB into it to find out what's wrong with it!
My father died in 1976 so he missed the joys of the Internet. I am not sure he would be happy with the way cars are now.
WCT: Maybe not. How was making Live at the Union Chapel recently?
Billy Bragg: That was with the band just over a year ago now. I think it was a good way of announcing that I have a new band and a new record out.
WCT: Tell me about the duet with Kate Nash. I love her.
Billy Bragg: Kate and I were on tour together in Australia. There is a fabulous festival called The Big Day Out, which travels from city to city in the USA. Kate and I were not on the main stage but a smaller stage with artists like Tom Morello, who is doing his Nightwatchman thing. We hit it off with each other and did a couple of side gigs together. Consequently I have been a big supporter of what she does.
I played the same stage at the Glastonbury Festival last year. She was there with her all girl band and really great.
WCT: I hung out with her a bit at Lollapalooza and it was fun.
Billy Bragg: She has some great ideas. As a strong woman in rock she should be encouraged and always be supported.
WCT: I have to tell you that your song "Sexuality" meant so much to me when I was in college in the early '90s.
Billy Bragg: I'm glad to hear that. For me it was an important song to record and to show some solidarity. I have met people that tell me it connected with them in a big way. It is something I am very proud of.
WCT: I was living in a small town in Kentucky and you talked about finding common ground with gay people it was a time when no one was talking about that then.
Billy Bragg: I think that is the key thing to do. In the UK, I never saw any out gay men even though I am sure I met men that were gay until I went to Rock Against Racism. There we were together to support the victims of racism. Immediately that common ground was there. It was through talking with gay men at Rock Against Racism that I came to understand that my generation needed to stand up not just against racism but against discrimination of all kinds. The fascists that we were trying to defeat in the UK at the time were against anyone who was any way different.
I always strongly identified with communities that were being discriminated against, clearly the LGBT community, people of color and women. Sexism is a big part of it also in fighting against discrimination still.
WCT: You have been such a big activist with music. How does that relationship work?
Billy Bragg: I think music has the ability to bring people together for a cause. When I think about what happened at Rock Against Racism, the reason I met these out gay men at the time was because I was a fan of The Clash and I went to this gig. They came along because there was a guy named Tom Robinson who had a song called "Sing If You Are Glad to Be Gay." When he started singing these guys started kissing each other. I didn't realize I was standing under a banner that said "Gays Against the Nazis." They must have marched in behind me and I didn't realize all these guys were gay until this happened. It was the music that brought us together.
It was the music that gave these gay men the atmosphere where they felt comfortable to express themselves. Music plays a very important role in that common ground that we were talking about.
WCT: How did the Mermaid Avenue experience get started?
Billy Bragg: Woody Guthrie's daughter Nora inherited 3,000 lyrics [that] had been complete songs. Woody had tunes for all of them but like me he couldn't actually write musical score. He kept the tunes in his head. When he died the tunes were lost forever.
Nora had these lyrics in the archive at the time in New York City. Her insight was if she could find someone to write some new tunes then everyone could enjoy them. These songs represented ninety percent of Woody Guthrie's output. They haven't been heard yet. Woody still has some great things to say to us.
WCT: You guys channeled him for three albums.
Billy Bragg: We were the first people to go in and see if it were possible to reboot this stuff. It clearly was. The lyrics are so great. You can play them any which way and they still work.
I think that was what was so encouraging about it was Nora's willingness to do anything with the little guy. We started off the first album with Walt Whitman's niece drunk out with some sailors chasing women. It is not exactly what you would expect but I am sure Pete Seeger knew he was like that. It was her trust that allowed us to do that.
WCT: "My Flying Saucer," [which] you sang, was a favorite of mine.
Billy Bragg: That is a lovely song. The fact that we managed to make it sound like Buddy Holly as well and make that connection. We had a lot of fun making those records. It was almost like, "Who should we be today?" We could be anybody we wanted to. We could play the music and be Tom Waits or some days Buddy Holly. We had a great time.
WCT: With the show at City Winery will you have a band or just be acoustic?
Billy Bragg: It is me solo this time. I am quite looking forward to that. I will crank it up for Riot Fest. I will do my famous one man Clash impersonation, which I am quite looking forward to.
At the Winery it will be a mixture of old songs and new songs and some of the Woody stuff as well.
WCT: Will you meet fans after the show?
Billy Bragg: I do tend to do that. That is where I learn a lot about what is going on really to meet people after the show. It is a good way to wind down. If you spend an hour chatting with people, signing t-shirts, and drinking a couple of beers, by the time it's all over you are ready for bed. Otherwise I would be in the back room bouncing off the walls, which is not good for a man my age!
WCT: What else do you have coming up?
Billy Bragg: There is a big referendum about whether the Scots might become independent. They are voting on it. I have been quite involved in the discussions around that. I'm actually writing a 1,600-word essay today that will be in the Scottish newspapers this weekend. So that kind of thing.
My bottom line is am a communicator. I like to get ideas out there and be able to reach someone like you growing up in Kentucky, writing an article, or speaking to your readers now in this interview. It is all about communication, tweeting, Facebook, just getting ideas out there.
WCT: So people can reach you on your website as well?
Billy Bragg: Yes, they can get on Facebook and argue with me. They can see videos of me doing gigs, see my thoughts. Things are much more accessible than they were back in the day.
WCT: I just spoke with Sinead O'Connor and it is great to see you both mix activism with your music.
Billy Bragg: Sinead is another brave woman. I did a couple of shows with her in Europe last year at festivals and she really impressed me.
WCT: She's playing at City Winery, also.
Billy Bragg: That's great. Thanks for Skyping in, Jerry. I appreciate it.
Bragg returns to City Winery, 1200 W. Randolph St., on Friday, Sept. 12, at 9 p.m. then takes on Riot Fest Sunday, Sept. 14, in Humboldt Park.
Visit riotfest.org and www.citywinery.com for tickets and further information.
