DJ Jill Monroe asked Van Hunt's fans to submit questions for him to answer. What follows are the answers to some of those questions!
| Question: | How did you come up with the lyrics to "the thrill of this love"? |
| Answer: | I don't remember "how" I came up with them. But, I do remember that the song started out as an ode to an electrifying, yet still, traditional man/woman relationship. However, when I really analyzed the potential of what I could be saying (or, maybe even what the song was trying to say TO ME) the theme became a description of my emotions surrounding the birth of my son, and when I’m around my son. |
| Question: | When you get stuck in a rut while writing, etc. what do you do to find inspiration? |
| Answer: | Even while writing, sometimes i listen to other people. I read that Bob Dylan used to do this. He would listen to, let's say, Otis Redding while writing the lyrics to one of his songs. It might give you a different word to use; or, grant you the atmosphere/background that makes the subject matter of what you want to say...pop! |
| Question: | In a musical/artistic sense, what do you think are your strengths and weaknesses? |
| Answer: | Well, good news first... my strengths are my writing, my ability to access my imagination and my courage to try new things. The bad news?... my weaknesses... they begin and end with my fear... which breeds and feeds my laziness. |
| Question: | Let's just say that you're the headliner on the next tour. Who do you want to open your show and why? |
| Answer: | I love the idea of DJ's opening shows. They can set the mood with the right set of songs. They don't take up a lot of space; and, they don't tire or piss off or agitate the crowd (unless they have exceptionally bad taste). |
| Question: | If you could trade careers with any other artist today, who would it be? |
| Answer: | Salvador Dali. He made everyone think he was on drugs by simply having the courage to express himself. And, I just really, really love his work. |
| Question: | What kind of gear do you use to write on? Do you use a workstation of some sort? Which one? |
| Answer: | I won't go into specifics. But, I have a drum machine, keyboard, guitar, bass and a really good set of muses-straight to 4 track (yes. I said 4-track...necessity is the mother of invention). |
| Question: | Are there any current topics that you have an interest or concern for? |
| Answer: | The lack of education in the black community. Societal success runs from the bottom TO the top. We can see that the trickle down theory does NOT work for education... which we need more than we need exclusive restaurants, glamarous clothing shops or trendy nightclubs. |
| Question: | How do you handle criticism of your work? |
| Answer: | ...not very well. So, I generally, don't read reviews...or, care... especially if i know that the work is sincere. |
| Question: | What are you thinking about while you're singing on stage? |
| Answer: | I used to think about all of the bad notes I was hitting... or, why the bass player keeps missing that cue... or, why the guitar player is using that tone on THIS song... or, I would, literally.... fall asleep. If anyone noticed, that's why we play mostly up-tempo songs. I LOVE writing ballads. But, I simply cannot sit on stage and sing them all night. It makes me doze off-and; I imagine it does the same to the audience. NOWadays?... the only thing I think about is how much fun I'm having. |
Take good care of yourself. Thank you. |