By Mark Yost
Houston, TX, USA
Radney Foster has always been a
storyteller. His songs – about life, love, loss, and redemption – have always
told a story. But his songs have only told a slice of that story. They've been
a compelling glimpse into lives and characters so well drawn that you want to
know more. Take for instance, the opening lyrics of "A Fine Line"
from his hit album, Del Rio, TX 1959:
There's a curve in the highway, just south of
town
where a man has pulled over to figure life out
with only his conscience and the lonesome sound
of diesels winding up grade…
The song goes on to tell the story of a man
who's in love with two women, both carrying his child. What happened to him?
How did his life sort itself out? We can only guess.
Thankfully, we don't have to ask those questions
with Foster's latest project. For You to See the Stars is a CD and a book. Or
is it a book and a CD? However you look at it, it is a collection of songs, and
a book of short stories that are connected to those songs. It's a brilliant
marriage for an artist who is a great storyteller, in both lyrics and prose. Stay
Thirsty Magazine sat down with Foster to talk about this latest project.
MARK YOST: How long has this project been kicking around inside your head? What were the factors in your life/career/development as an artist that said to you, “It’s time to do this”?
RADNEY FOSTER: About two years ago, I got a severe case pneumonia and
laryngitis. I had to cancel shows, and was on voice rest for three months. As a
singer, that’s pretty scary. I started writing poems, and then decided to write
a short story based on one of my new songs.
MARK YOST: A lot of your work feels very autobiographical. There’s a lot of Del Rio/West Texas sprinkled throughout your body of work. The two songs/stories that bookend this project, “For You to See the Stars” and “Sycamore Creek” feel especially that way. How true to your life are they?
RADNEY FOSTER: They say your first
book of fiction is always non-fiction, and I certainly write what I know! West
Texas has always had a vivid influence on me. I’m working on a novel now, and
part of it takes place in West Texas.
MARK YOST: Same question for
“Greatest Show on Earth.” Were the porch pickin’ sessions in that song part of
growing up in Del Rio? If not, what inspired that song?
RADNEY
FOSTER: My
dad was a lawyer, but he also played guitar and sang. My folks often had
friends over on Saturday night, and it would usually end of with everyone
signing and playing on the back porch. That really was my musical education. When
I learned to play guitar, that was my first stage. The short story “Bridge
Club” describes one of those guitar pulls, and it’s probably the most
autobiographical story in the book.
MARK YOST: Outside of your
family, who were the people who encouraged you to sing, to write, to create
when you were growing up in Del Rio?
RADNEY FOSTER: Blondie Calderon was
Ray Price’s piano player and bandleader, and he owned a restaurant in Del Rio.
They would have jam sessions every Tuesday night, and Blondie was a musical
genius. He taught me about chord structure, swing and jazz. If it hadn’t been
for Blondie, I may never have written “Just Call Me Lonesome.”
MARK YOST: Is there a real
Belmont & 6th? If not, tell us where you were when you were
inspired to write that song.
RADNEY FOSTER: There isn’t. There is
a Belmont &16th, but that didn’t sound right. Also, I thought it
was better to be a fictional place, rather than an actual street corner.
Nashville
has a street paper called the Contributor
that gives homeless people a job, writing and selling papers. There was one
vendor who I would see every day after dropping my kids from school. I could
tell he was a vet, from his demeanor and his tattoos. I bought the paper from
him each week for six months. Then one day he was gone. And the next day, too.
In this case, the story had a happy ending (After a few days, the church across
the street put a handmade sign on the corner “Mark found a job!”) But it could have easily gone the other
way.
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| Radney Foster |
MARK YOST: How did the Radney
Foster/Darius Rucker Mutual Admiration Society come to be?
RADNEY FOSTER: About twenty-five
years ago, I got a call from my sister at midnight. “Turn on VH-1!” was all she
said. I did, and saw a new band called Hootie and the Blowfish. The lead singer
was wearing a Radney Foster t-shirt. I reached out to them when they came to
Nashville a few months later, and it turns out Darius had been a huge fan since
the Foster and Lloyd days. We met after the show and have been great friends
ever since.
MARK YOST: Eddie Heinzelman is
one of your regular touring partners/collaborators. Who is he? Where did you
meet him? What works so well about your partnership?
RADNEY FOSTER: Eddie is an amazing
guitar player, a dang fine singer songwriter and a prince of a man. He is a
great harmony singer, and makes me better on stage!
MARK YOST: You had a limited
engagement in Atlanta as the lead in “Troubadour.” Talk about that project, how
it came to be, and why it was important to you.
RADNEY FOSTER: I hired an acting
coach last year, did a small part in a film and participated in a local
production/reading of the Harry Potter play (“Harry Potter and the Cursed
Child”). A friend suggested that I try out for a part in an upcoming production
in Atlanta. Come to find out it was a new musical written by Janece Shaffer and
Kristian Bush of Sugarland. I tried out and got the part. The show made it’s
world premiere at the Tony award winning Alliance Theatre in Atlanta. It was my
professional stage debut, and an incredible experience.
MARK YOST: What’s next for
Radney Foster?
RADNEY FOSTER: I’m touring behind
this record, and doing a book tour. In between, I’m writing for my next record,
working on my first novel and developing a screenplay.
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