Exclusive Interview with Howie Day
Brian Verderosa
Issue date: 2/19/04 Section: Entertainment
Enigmatic songwriter Howie Day, touring in support of his fall release "Stop All the World Now", took a few minutes before his gig Friday night to talk with me about writing, shooting cortisone in his neck, and Madonna. Sitting in the back of his tour bus wearing a blue Beatles T-shirt and smoking a cigarette - after politely asking me if I minded - Day spoke his mind freely. After some trivial small talk, we got down to business.
BV: You went out with the band for the first time this past leg of the tour, and it was the first time you've really done that. Now it's the second leg - does it feel like home? Are you still getting your footing?
HD: It's still new, you know? It's just a little less new than it was before. I'd sort of equate it to performing solo, because I did - been doing that - for seven years, or something like that. It definitely changed and developed every single year. Everything, any process goes from A to Z, and I think the band was on A last tour and now we're on B, you know? It's starting to feel more comfortable. I got used to it pretty quick, I think.
BV: When you're with the band, the set can't vary as much because of the way you rehearse things. Are there any songs that you wish you hadn't written? That you can't do anymore, maybe, that you don't want to do anymore?
HD: Yeah, I mean, sometimes. I don't think there are any songs I wish I hadn't written, you know? They all have their time and place, I suppose. But sometimes songs will go through periods where I don't play them for a while. Sometimes it's just because I don't feel inspired by them, or whatever.
BV: Any examples?
HD: Right now? [pause] I don't know. Nothing particular. I hadn't played "Slow Down" in a really long time, but we've been playing it lately. It's just kind of like one of those things where sometimes you just kind of spin out on a song, give it a break for a while, come back to it and it's still there.
BV: I saw you do it in Fairfield, solo acoustic, and I had a blast, but it needs to just be badass. I can't wait - I assume you're doing it tonight.
BV: You went out with the band for the first time this past leg of the tour, and it was the first time you've really done that. Now it's the second leg - does it feel like home? Are you still getting your footing?
HD: It's still new, you know? It's just a little less new than it was before. I'd sort of equate it to performing solo, because I did - been doing that - for seven years, or something like that. It definitely changed and developed every single year. Everything, any process goes from A to Z, and I think the band was on A last tour and now we're on B, you know? It's starting to feel more comfortable. I got used to it pretty quick, I think.
BV: When you're with the band, the set can't vary as much because of the way you rehearse things. Are there any songs that you wish you hadn't written? That you can't do anymore, maybe, that you don't want to do anymore?
HD: Yeah, I mean, sometimes. I don't think there are any songs I wish I hadn't written, you know? They all have their time and place, I suppose. But sometimes songs will go through periods where I don't play them for a while. Sometimes it's just because I don't feel inspired by them, or whatever.
BV: Any examples?
HD: Right now? [pause] I don't know. Nothing particular. I hadn't played "Slow Down" in a really long time, but we've been playing it lately. It's just kind of like one of those things where sometimes you just kind of spin out on a song, give it a break for a while, come back to it and it's still there.
BV: I saw you do it in Fairfield, solo acoustic, and I had a blast, but it needs to just be badass. I can't wait - I assume you're doing it tonight.
