Bart Davenport:
Maroon Cocoon

BD: Well, just remember that your English is better than my German. Danke Schoen.

BD: Thank you. In a better world we'd all be running around laughing, naked in the sunshine. But that's not how it is. "The big sky is too big to sympathize".

BD: Yes, it is ok with me. I really admire Adam Green. I like the way his records sound. We are both American singer songwriters but I believe the comparison ends there. He writes lyrics in a very current type of language. He speaks with the tongue of today's youth culture. I on the other hand, speak in a dead language, the language of classic pop music - which is almost a dead art. It's like singing in esperanto. Bonvenon! He is a man of the east coast and I am from the west coast. He is friends with The Strokes and I am friends with a girl who used to sleep with one of the Strokes. He came out of this "anti-folk" movement. I have no idea what that means but I am absolutely certain that I myself am "pro-folk". Ah but these distinctions may not be important to a German listener. As for the German audience, I appreciate their support and look forward to playing Frankfurt again as soon as possible. I was in a small club called Dreikönigskeller and that place is fantastic. It's like stepping into the 1960s!

BD: Hmm …. I decided to make solo records when Xan McCurdy quit my last band, the Kinetics. He left to join a group called Cake. Xan and I had been in bands together since we were eleven years old. And the idea of going on in a band situation without him was unthinkable. So I opted for the solo thing - which I had secretly wanted for a while. Things worked well. Xan and I are still best friends.
The Kinetics was an attempt at blue eyed soul, like Hall & Oats. The Loved Ones were a Mod 60s revival band who played mostly Chicago blues covers and some Memphis R&B sounding originals. I was the lead singer of both.

BD: 70s for sure. I was a kid then too. It's more than just intentional. It's just how I write, play and sing. Let's go back there now.

BD: Pop, folky, sincere, funny, melodic, insincere, sleazy, sensual,intellectual, precise, earthy, pastoral, plaintive, consonant, warm, harmonically sophisticated, flexible, convertible, genre defying, cameleonesque, retro, uncommercial, underground, bossa nova, rock & roll, home recorded, analog, classic, nostalgic, uncompromising, romantic, earnest, existing in a bubble but without borders, barriers or boundaries.

BD: No, "Bart Davenport" is not an artificial person. But sometimes I am not him.

BD: No, "Bart Davenport" is not an artificial person. But sometimes I am not him.

BD: Sometimes the words come first and that's great because I already know what the song is about. And all I have to do is set the story to music - which I don't find so hard. But quite often I come up with music first and then have the difficult task of finding words that syllabically fit the melody and chords and lyrically match the mood of that music. I end up with a lot of unfinished songs this way. There's a lot of music in my head that I haven't had the time or inspiration to put words to.

BD: No but I wish I did. That would be nice. Sometimes, I wake up laughing.

BD: "Love" has been a central topic for most of my songs but not ALL of them. Take 'Glendale', 'Bar-Code Trees', 'Beg Steal Borrow', 'Intertwine', 'Mr. Brennan', 'Seeing Eye Dog' and 'Nowhere Left To Go' for example.

BD: Yes.

BD: Right now, I'm worried about how I'm gonna make enough money to pay rent for my apartment. If I were famous, would I be able to make that kind of money?

BD: Well, Ronald Reagan was also an actor and he was governor of California way back in the 60s. He sent National Guard troops to my hometown, Berkeley to combat student protestors. Helicopters sprayed tear gas all over the University and tanks rolled down Telegraph Avenue. Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel and Sonny Bono was mayor of Palm Springs. I mean … I don't want to defend Schwarzenegger here … but Hollywood is the entertainment capitol of the world and there are probably more actors in California than any other state in the union. So doesn't it make sense that a small few of them would be rich, ambitious and corrupt enough to want to become politicians (the ultimate actors)? And if you think George Bush isn't an actor, think again. As for California, you should see the north coast. It's a paradise of natural beauty. Enchanting fog, amazing cliffs, ocean breezes, Victorian buildings, redwood forests …. I'm doing what I can to enjoy it while it's still here.