DHH Interviews Dr. Dog

Dr. Dog's 2007 release We All Belong has been one of my most favorite albums of the year. It was my great pleasure to snag an interview with 'em:

If you had to choose, what is your most favorite piece of music you’ve written?

Awwwwww man. Do i have to choose?! My oldest song is a successful family man and my youngest boy is making some real waves in the halls of the ivory tower. We all have a sense of favoritism but in some cases that is just plain old evil.

What is your favorite piece of music someone else has wrote?

At the moment "Sawdust and Diamonds" by Joanna Newsom. In the past "You Were Always On My Mind" by Willy Nelson. In the future, "I Am A Computer Man" by Scott Mcmicken.

Is there any place you feel more productive as a musician? (where and why?)

Dr. dog studio is like a kids dream. A fort that is only missing one thing: a half pipe. I really like the night time and a piano seems to have an overwhelming effect on my time. When it comes down to it any place that i can justify calling home becomes so comfortable that i can forget all the things I need to forget in order to be productive. Those places are, sadly, Few and far between.

Both lyrically and musically, how do you think your music compares to your earlier work?

From where i stand the old days and the new are virtually identical. Lyrically I'm still trying to say the same thing I've always tried to say and musically I seem to want things to become more and more simple, ever after. The more obvious variations in our music have alot to do with what ever contraption happens to present itself at any given moment, be it polaroid or head cleaner.

Describe a time you heard your music played in an unexpected place (store/restaurant/movie/etc)?

The time: described as often. the place: never ever expected. the point: hearing yourself in foreign settings (meaning public domain) feels a lot like walking around with food on your teeth and not realizing it.

What period of time, album, or maybe even just song do you think you’ve made that turned out to be most personal? Why do you think that is?

By virtue of the fact that i once wrote a song about and for a person that I immediately knew should not be heard by the very subject of the song makes me think that on that one i got dangerously personal. That song is called 'I Hope There's Love"

When was the last time you wrote a song? Can you describe the situation?

I'm working on a song at the moment called "Environmentally Friendly Saturn". My hope with this one is that it completely changes reality as we know it........ just kidding. On the road its hard to find a place to consider home therefore its hard to write.. before I split for tour I found a song in my living room hidden in a purple piano. As of late the songs seems sort of unrecognizable, I'm sure this has a lot to do with factors entirely unmusical. to be more direct the last song i wrote was my first ever song of hate. It's about smoking cigarettes and in it I feel like i succeeded in making my relationship with smoking loving enough to consider giving it up.

What artists and albums have you been listening to lately? What do you like about them?

The Teeth. Thats about it and Joanna Newsom. And as with most things i like i have absolutely no idea what it is that makes it appealing. In general i have observed that the things i have found to be of quality display a certain amount of commitment.. a built in permanence. Responsibility. Was it Madonna or Jim James who said "you must express yourself?" I can't remember. The proof and the pudding. What seems to matter most is whether or not a person actually enjoys what it is they choose to make. thanks for the interview.. got you last!

Dr. Dog - "My Old Ways"

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