Steve Seskin

June 2007 Kerrville Folk Festival

FAF: What do you think is the most important issue facing us today?

“Well, that’s a tough one, because there’s a lot of them. I think one that pervades all of them is what the song Whatever [co-written with Allen Shamblin] is about: the notion that we’re so polarized in our world these days, both in this country and worldwide, that we can’t seem to effect any change because we’re on such different pages. That song talks about “whatever it takes,” despite our different points of view. So in one sense, I think that effects everything.

“There are a lot of issues: the war in Iraq, which I think is a huge issue; the global warming issue; the terrorism situation and what to do about it. I’m not one of these people who thinks you have to know the answer to think that what might be going on now is wrong, because I don’t know all the answers. But, I do know that we have to find a way to work together, both in our government and as people.

“It saddens me how polarized we’ve gotten. The whole talk radio thing: you’ve got Rush Limbaugh and then you’ve got Al Franken. It doesn’t matter which side you’re on, the point is there’s people using the air waves to basically spread hatred of the other side. It becomes the ‘sides’ thing. And I don’t think that gets us anywhere, I really don’t. So, one of the things I try to do with my music is bring us closer together, rather than further apart.

FAF: And that leads us to my second question: Do you think that we, as musicians, are doing enough, considering the mess we’re in right now?

“I think it depends on who it is, obviously. But most of us are trying to do everything we can. I think it all helps, in your own little world, whatever it is you’re doing. People pick their spots. For me, it’s become this education thing, and, I kind of got thrown into it, but I’m wholeheartedly in it now [Operation Respect at dontlaugh.org]. [Don’t Laugh At Me by Shamblin & Seskin is the theme song for this movement.] So that is working with kids on bullying and taunting and teasing. We live in a culture of disrespect.

“When I was a kid in school we definitely were teased and all, but it was considered part of life. “Oh, get over it, shake it off.” Well, first of all, back then it was still damaging emotionally. But now it’s also manifesting itself in a lot more serious ways, as in school shootings. There weren’t any school shootings when I was a kid. There might be a fight on the playground or something. But look at what’s going on now. It’s pretty serious. Teen suicide is at an all-time high, and it’s not all attributable to bullying, but it certainly plays a role in it. So, I’ve decided to put most of my time and energy using my music in that arena, to go around to schools, to talk to kids, to work with teachers. I kind of got thrust into this by Peter Yarrow, but, it’s been the most rewarding work I’ve ever done.

“I find that, if you spread yourself too thin, then you don’t get anything done. So each of us has to take our natural talents and use them for some good. And I’m not judging what that means. In other words, everybody decides that for themselves. But I do feel that there’s a pretty clear line in the sand. No matter who you are, no matter what your political leanings are,, there’s a pretty clear line about hatred versus love. And to me, as long as you’re spreading love, and the idea of people getting along, and trying to work towards that in peace: then I think that it’s not my place to tell you how to do it, or, you can go to sleep at night knowing you’re doing something. And this doesn’t just have to do with musicians or songwriters. It has to do with everybody.

FAF: Regarding your song Two Paper Town, it’s a subject that is close to the hearts of my fellow Arkansans, because we had a huge newspaper war between two titans for years, with a sad ending.

I was in Little Rock about three months ago and heard a little bit about this. It’s going on in a lot of places. That song is about a couple of different things but, there again, I decided I didn’t want to take sides. I didn’t want to make it a political rant or left versus right or liberal versus conservative.

“There’s a line in that song that says, “It don’t really matter what side you’re on, nobody wins when our choices are gone.” So that whole first verse is really about the two paper thing: the availability of information. It’s about us not becoming sheep and following. The thing is, if you’re only given one thing, well then, you start believing it.

“How did Hitler rise to power? Because the people were not doing well and

because he was a good speaker. As much of a madman as he was, he really could rally people. And I fear sometimes that we’re becoming a little like that in certain places in America where there’s not availability of information, and there’s only one side of the story and people keep getting fed it and then maybe they start believing it. So, that’s really what that’s about.

“I live in the Bay Area, and it’s all available. Yeah, it’s a pretty liberal place, but I can pretty much read any kind of paper I want there, and I like that.

“And then the place where I broaden the metaphor there is talking about the

franchisation of America: the [Big Box Store] versus the Mom-and-Pop thing. I like the individuality of towns, when you drive somewhere and you say, man, this is like nowhere else, what a cool place. Well now, it’s like, what a cool mall, sort of, and it’s not that cool. And so, I fear that we’re becoming a place, in America, that it’s going to be one big mall, one of these days. And so Two Paper Town, broadening that [metaphor], just means choices, and not all the same thing.