Home
Biography
Another Country
Live
Short Stories
New Tradition
Deacon Blue
Ricky's Radio Blog - The official Radio Blog for Ricky Ross
  • Home
  • Biography
  • Another Country
  • Live
  • Short Stories
  • New Tradition
  • Deacon Blue
general musings

Townes and Shawn

March 7, 2014 by ricky 2 Comments

55_VANZA

On the face of it there’s not much connecting Townes Van Zandt and Shawn Colvin. There’s the obvious connection to roots music and a common attachment to where that music came from. There’s also a common thread of pure songwriting; story telling, melodies, heartbreak, but heck, we could say that of so many of our featured artists. On the AC we’re lucky to get so many fine singer songwriters through the door that we expect talent as a given.

Digging a little deeper however there is perhaps a thread that has run through both these artists lives. In the sixties Townes Van Zandt’s parents ‘sent’ him to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. It was short, brutal and, crucially not supported by any other therapy or counselling. Whatever their intentions had been, there was no real effective cure from the deep sadness and pain that troubled Townes for the rest of his life. Seeing him as a guy who drank a lot, took various stimulants and failed to form permanent relationships is true but unsatisfactory. His life, it seems to me, was similar to many people we all know who have suffered various forms of mental illness along the road. However much we find that difficult to live alongside, for them, the torment and the torture is a constant thorn in the side; from my own experience I rarely see these wounds permanently heal over.

I didn’t speak to Shawn Colvin about any of this. All I wanted to talk about was her songs. It was only as I prepared some questions and read around a bit that I realised how much her own life has been affected by similar issues. She’s written about this extensively and on the way back from the interview we did at AC towers she told me more about her own life. Here, elsewhere but in her own words, is how she’s described her struggle with mental illness:

“I think there’s a misconception that if one is an artist and, like myself, sings sad or sensitive material, that you’re risking losing that if you treat depression,” she said. “But when I’ve been seriously biologically depressed I’m actually unable to do anything.”

“In fact, being treated for depression restores me to be able to do what I do,” Colvin explained. “So, for people who are familiar with my music and like it, they should know that 90 percent of my recorded work has been done while I’ve been taking medicine for depression.”

shawn-colvin-banner-2

So, as so often happens here on the AC, a disparate couple of artists – albeit with Texas connections – make up a fascinating pairing for two hours. Troubled, tortured but with grace and healing in their work we give you a very special Another Country this weekend. A special tribute to Townes Van Zandt seventy years since his birth and, one of my own favourite singer songwriters of any generation – Shawn Colvin talking through some of the major songs of her 25 year career. It will be a fascinating listen. Join me if you can this Friday evening from five past eight on BBC Radio Scotland.

 

Share:
Reading time: 2 min

About Me

All year round I present a weekly program called Another Country which goes out every Tuesday evening at 8 p.m. You can find the show on BBC Radio Scotland.

Occasionally you'll find me on BBC Radio 2 with my New Tradition.

I also make special programs about artists whose music has inspired me; Ricky Ross Meets... is on BBC Radio Scotland.

You can listen to previous versions of all these shows via BBC Sounds.

Find me on Instagram

rickyrossofficial

Join me at @waterstones, Deansgate, Manchester on Join me at @waterstones, Deansgate, Manchester on 3rd August at 1pm where I’ll be signing copies of my new memoir and taking part in a Q&A.  🎟Tickets are on sale now via the link in my bio and stories.  #rickyross #deaconblue #shortstoriesvol2
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Find me on Facebook

Find me on Facebook

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

RSS Ricky's Radio Blog

  • Mickey and Gretchen
  • This One’s From The Heart
  • We’ve Still Got The Radio
  • Chip, Rab and Spring

Recent posts

  • We Started So We’ll Finish
  • Jerry Reed and Radio Joy
  • Driving Through Oregon
  • Peace In The Valley
  • Sixty Years and Counting

Archive

Copyright © 2022 Ricky Ross. All rights reserved.