| On being music "royalty"... | |
| Question: | What are some of your early memories of being "Dez Dickerson's son"? When did you realize what an amazing musical legacy your father had? |
| Answer: | I honestly don’t have a lot of lucid memories in terms of him in his time as an artist. I was born after his time with Prince, and was just a small child during his first times as a solo artist. I have a couple vague memories of hanging out in his home studio in South St. Paul, when I was maybe 2 or 3. I have a lot of memories in terms of my dad and his endeavors in the music business. I remember going and hanging out with him when I was a kid and he worked in A&R at a label called Star Song. I also have a lot of great memories of his second phase as a solo artist, when he did his “Oneman” record. He recorded a great portion of that album at his house. My room shared a wall with the studio, so I used to spend a lot of late nights lying in bed listening to him tracking. |
| Question: | How would you compare your guitar playing to your father's? |
| Answer: | The biggest difference musically between me and my dad is that guitar isn’t my first instrument. My first instrument is drums, which I started playing at 3, and my second instrument is bass. So guitar is actually my 3rd instrument. I didn’t start playing guitar until I was 12 or 13. I’m predominantly a rhythm player. I’ve never really bothered with scales and all that stuff. However, when we parted ways with our first lead guitarist a while back, I had to kind of learn all the insane lead stuff he was playing, and kind of discovered I had the ability to play lead. I just haven’t really tried to cultivate it yet. Anyways, that’s kind of a long answer to a short question. I would say that the biggest difference between my guitar playing and my father’s is that my focus isn’t really on the lead aspect. I’ve really tried to focus on being the most solid rhythm player I can be, and the best writer I can be. |
| Question: | I read in your dad's liner notes, that one of your favorite songs as a kid was "Is This (Pop Music)?", now as an adult and looking back, what are some of your favorite songs from your dad's legacy? |
| Answer: | I really think the “Oneman” album as a whole was a great album. And I’m not just saying that because I’m his son. I think it was tremendously hooky without being at all derivative. I think some of my favorite tracks on that album were “Peacehopejoy”, “Love Somebody”, and “Real To Me”. As far as the Prince era, I’ve honestly never listened to a whole lot. I honestly don’t know why, it’s just one of those weird things. “1999” and “Little Red Corvette” obviously stick out in my mind due to the great video clips in rotation on VH1 Classic. |
| Question: | I know your Dad has helped guide you along the way, coming from a "family" business myself, how has working with him been for you? |
| Answer: | I think I was able to get a more realistic taste of the business at an early age then most musicians are given. I think a lot of people who grow up with a desire to get into the music industry develop preconceived delusions of grandeur as to how the business works/how people make it. I think I was lucky enough to find out early on just how hard it is to be able to make it at any level in the business, by seeing it from the inside out. Thanks to that, I was able to begin my career sober minded. |
| on being Lenny.... | |
| Question: | Tell the world about "Lenny", When people pick up your cd, what separates it from the rest? |
| Answer: | With Lenny, my goal is to write music that is as relevant and appealing as possible, while maintaining a level of uniqueness. I want it to by the kind of music you can enjoy on the first listen, but at the same time the kind of stuff you hear something new in every subsequent listen. My influences range from great 90s rock like Third Eye Blind, to legendary acts like U2 and Dylan, to more current acts like Thrice and Jimmy Eat World. I think our sound is a coalescence of all that stuff. |
| Question: | Tell me about the tour your are setting out on this spring, and what is a "Lenny" show like? |
| Answer | This spring we’re going out and touring on our own, just hitting as many cities as we can. Then hopefully, we’ll go back out this summer with some other bands and hit some more cities. |
| Question: | I've asked this to every band I've interviewed, so, When you start a band, there is usually a vision, whether it getting your message to the people, making lots of money, taking over the world or just having fun, what's the vision of "Lenny"? |
| Answer: | I think our vision is two-fold. One part of our purpose is to impart a positive message with our music, and really to just get people thinking. I think the other half of our vision is musical. Musically, my vision is to create music that is equal parts pop and innovation. I firmly believe that art and accessibility are not mutually exclusive, and my goal is to get closer and closer to proving that with every song I write. |
| Question: | What is the writing process like for you? Is it Lyrics first? a guitar riff? When you write a song, where do you start? |
| Answer: | My writing process is pretty unpredictable. A lot of times a hear a melody or progression in my head, and go to work around that. Sometimes I just hear a little catch phrase and a fragment of a melody in my head, and I build something around that. A lot of times I just hear the entire song in my head before I even pick up a guitar, as if it just writes itself. Those are by far the easiest, haha. |
| Question: | What are some of your favorite tunes on the new cd? and why? |
| Answer: | Picking favorite songs often feels like declaring who your favorite kid is, haha. I really like each song on this EP for different reasons, because they all represent different points in the last 4 years of my life. It’s often said that your favorite song is the last one you wrote. Right now, that kind of rings true. At the moment, my favorite song on the EP is “Rapture”, which was the last song I wrote for the EP, and the last song we recorded. I think it is the closest I’ve come to hitting my target, in terms of writing music that’s catchy and memorable, and unique at the same time. |
| Question: | What do you think of internet radio and the internet in general and how does "Lenny" use it? |
| Answer: | I think that the Internet as a whole is becoming more and more important every day. I don’t think it will be too long before brick and mortar retail becomes obsolete for the most part. I heard today that CD sales for this quarter are down 20% from last year. To me that says that the public is turning to the internet more than ever. Not only for music purchasing, but for music discovery and for music community. I think internet radio is great because you can find the right station for you, and listen to it no matter where you are. No longer are you limited by the 5 or 6 stations in your hometown that may or may not play stuff that interests you. I think we use the Internet mainly to keep in touch with the people who enjoy our music. Myspace and things like that are great for keeping people informed about your band and vice versa. The Internet is also a great way to spread word of your music, without having to spend a dime. |
| Question: | In closing, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to be a part of Emancipation Radio, If there is anything you'd like to tell the people about yourself or "Lenny" that we haven't covered, the floor is yours.... |
| Answer: | Thanks so much for the opportunity. I guess I’ll just say that I really appreciate anyone who takes the time to listen to our stuff. I’m really excited about what the future holds, and I hope we’re able to do this for a long time. |
Thank You Lenny for taking the time to keep us up to date! For more information, check out www.myspace.com/lenny - and tune into Emancipation Radio! |
|