Sober musings

Silver Jews’ David Berman drops
wisdom in advance of his Montreal debut

LACONIC ICON: David Berman

by JOHNSON CUMMINS

When they started off in 1989, with main man and singer/guitarist David Berman at the helm and members of Pavement in supporting roles, Silver Jews hit the indie scene with the unfortunate and inaccurate tag of a mere Pavement side project. After six full-length releases under Silver Jews’ belt, though he may not be prolific, Berman has become one of the most respected lyricists around.

Having previously shown an aversion to ever touring, Berman surprised longtime fans by finally caving in and letting people see the band live with a tour of the U.S., Europe and Israel in 2006. With the Silver Jews’ latest tour in support of their new record Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea, Montreal fans can finally catch their first live glimpse of this indie rock legend. The Mirror interviewed Berman in an email exchange.

Mirror: You previously had an aversion to touring, but then started in 2006. What made you want to tour?

David Berman: Over the first four albums, I just didn’t care. I had been happily surprised to find I could live off the album sales. Eventually it became part of the shtick. I was thinking about other things during those years. While most musicians are burning down the road, I was home-scorched. What made me want to tour? Hospital bills.

M: Do you think there are too many bands now taking a slumber in the womb of rock’s history?

DB: Sleeping or mute. Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote: “Man is a messenger who has forgotten his message.” I think the messenger has gone AWOL, somewhere out drinking in a karaoke bar.

M: Would you care to tell us about your dust-up with Frank Black that happened years ago?

DB: I’ll just say that the headline in [British music mag] NME was “Jew Baits Black.” People who only know England through PBS don’t realize what vicious people they can be.

M: You have recently been embracing spirituality, specifically Judaism.

DB: I saw significance in the lastingness of Judaism. I guessed to myself that for it to have lasted through so many attempts to stamp it out, it must have some congruence with reality.  

M: You have now been sober for three years; how have things changed for you?

DB: It’s very different. How different? As different as, let’s say, moving to Canada. Actually that would make a better metaphor for sobriety than “on the wagon”:  “moving to Canada.”

M: Do you have problems with the rash of blog-style rock criticism?

DB: I’ve read more good criticism on blogs than in print. There is a lot of meanness on the web, which is unpleasant, but there is also the opposite, a way of slathering mediocrity in superlatives that can be sickening. 

M: With the iPod culture etc., people tend to listen to music passively, with a lot of music only providing a soundtrack for some other exercise. Do you find people are listening to music differently then they did 20 years ago?

DB: I see the passivity. That’s why I decided to put the chord tablature in the CD. It’s an invitation to action.

WITH HALLELUJAH THE HILLS
AT LA SALA ROSSA ON WEDNESDAY,
SEPT. 3, 8:30 P.M., $18.