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I just can't relate to popular music. I don't listen to it. I don't like it. I don't see any value in it other than providing income for a bunch of people. The whole idea of technology in the past 50 years has gone nowhere except for making it easier and easier for people who have no talent to make records.
-David Grisman |
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The musical inclination toward playing obviously runs in the family. Grisman related, "It's great having my son play with me. It's great. He's been doing that since he was about four years old. A friend of ours sent him a bass when he was two — that was his first word, and he's a very good bass player. He's kind of got a natural ability with that. Beyond that, he's really passionate about music and a really good kid. My other kids play music too, especially my older kid, Monroe. In fact we did a cut for a Van Halen project earlier this past year where I did a song with both my sons. My daughter Jillian plays washtub bass every once in a while, too."
David Grisman |
Grisman has been profiled in numerous publications, and it has been written that he started his quintet due to perhaps feeling that he was an outcast and didn't fit in anywhere else. He's outspoken in his opinions when questioned about the subject. "I don't know about an outcast, but we don't fit in if you turn on the T.V. and hear music. It's probably not going to be something that resembles anything I do. I don't particularly care. Early on you run into people in the music business who want you to conform to whatever is selling. Most musicians get steered in commercial directions. To me that's what's wrong with the — see I can't even call it 'the music business.' 'The entertainment business' is better. It's gotten so far away from musical values or artistic values. I find that abhorrent. I'm really turned off by that. I think that has nothing to do with creativity or expression. There are so many styles that are underneath this really bad façade of manufactured crap. Underneath it all, it's all supported by the foundation of — like the blues, country music, classical. All the real music of the world holds up this garbage. Usually they have to involve real musicians somewhere in the process, but it's gotten so distorted by the business people, that are just trying to make a buck, I just can't relate to popular music. I don't listen to it. I don't like it. I don't see any value in it other than providing income for a bunch of people. The whole idea of technology in the past 50 years has gone nowhere except for making it easier and easier for people who have no talent to make records. That's what the technology has been all about since the multi-track tape machine came. I'm not saying I'm a saint or anything, but I pretty much have avoided being influenced by contemporary musical trends because they are in themselves being manipulated by the business. I can't really believe that anyone was born to produce the stuff that you hear. Recordings are a recent phenomena. We've only had recordings for about 100 years. So this whole thing, the first 20 or 30 years of it was really just documenting music that people were making for artistic reasons or at least to dance to or whatever to entertain themselves — you know, the early country music, the various ethnic music, classical music. Not all had musical purposes. As soon as the companies started making records and then this one sold 200,000 and that one sold 25, and they started feeding that into the equation, it just all turned to kaka. I forget what the original question was... If that's what I'm an outcast from, I welcome it. I'm just doing my own thing. I kind of dropped out of the mainstream musical business. I've got my own CD company, I've got my own band. I've managed to have my own audience."
David Grisman by Jake Krolick |
While many know him only as a mandolinist, he does play other instruments. "I started on piano, which I don't really mess with very much, other than figuring something out occasionally. I just spent a week recording with John Sebastian, an old friend of mine. I played four-string banjo, mandolin; I played octave mandolin. Sometimes I play five-string banjo, tenor banjo, guitar banjo, usually a related string instrument. I'm not really an expert on those, I just like it." When asked what instrument he might play as his main focus if he had not taken up the mandolin, he doesn't hesitate to answer. "Uh, you know, I think I love all the instruments. It worked out for me to be a mandolin player. That was my fate, I guess. I think I'd rather play... I mean I like composing music and arranging music. So I'd probably just opt to be an arranger or a composer. That interests me as much as playing an instrument. I don't know, it's kind of a hypothetical question — it has become less meaningful to me as the years go on. I would love to play a number of instruments, but I'm a mandolin player now so it doesn't matter. Anything I can excel at, I guess, not so much the instrument. You know people say, why do you have a flute in your band? I really wasn't looking for a flute player; I hire musicians. If they happen to play the flute and play my music well, then... If Matt Eakle, my flute player, had been an oboe player, he'd probably still be in the band. I'm into the music, wherever that goes. All the instruments have a contribution to make. I suppose the reason I'm a mandolin player is because it's the easiest thing for me to do and sound good. If I had that facility with a saxophone, I'd be a saxophone player."
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