Matthew West Talks To Himself: An Interesting Q&A
MW: So, I take it you're not a morning person?
Matthew: How'd you guess?
MW: Well, for starters, this interview was supposed to begin at 9:00 AM and it's now 10:34 AM.
Matthew: Hmm. My watch must still be on Chicago time.
MW: But that's still the same time zone.
Matthew: Well, I, uh, I got lost.
MW: We're at your house.
Matthew: Well, it's a new house and I'm still learning my way around. But I'm happy to be here, so fire away.
MW: OK. What was it like growing up in a suburb of Chicago?
Matthew: Wow, you've done your homework.
MW: It's my job.
Matthew: Well, good job.
MW: So, back to the question...
Matthew: Oh, it was good.
MW: That's it? It was good? Care to elaborate?
Matthew: Well, I suppose I could tell you all about my awesome family that I am super close with. My Dad has been a preacher at the same church for 30 years, and I learned to sing by standing next to my mom in the front row every Sunday morning listening to her sing harmony to all the songs. I'm the oldest of three boys...my two brothers and I grew up on the baseball field and we thought we'd be playing in the big leagues someday. The closest we ever got was dad taking us to Wrigley field every chance he could and a couple times we even got to call in sick from school just to make it in time for the first pitch at 1:20.
MW: So, which came first, the singer or the song?
Matthew: Good question...definitely the singer. I was encouraged all through junior high and high school to sing solos in choir and stuff like that before I ever had the idea to write a song.
MW: Any memorable moments?
Matthew: One time I entered a Karaoke contest at this place that was like Chuckie Cheese, and I thought for sure that I was going to win. In the final round I did this stellar rendition of "God Bless the U.S.A," and I thought it was in the bag. But instead I lost to a senior citizen man who looked like Frank Sinatra and sang "Mac The Knife." It was my first taste of rejection...actually it was pretty funny.
MW: Funny. Do you think you're funny?
Matthew: I think I can be funny. I would say I have funny potential. Sometimes, on stage I will say something that I think will be funny, only to find out that it's not so funny, but then the audience laughs at my own reaction to my "not so funny" joke. And that's funny, I think.
MW: So, talk about your songwriting process.
Matthew: I love to write songs. I started writing during my first year of college. Immediately, it became my favorite outlet. I have always been a student of music, always listening to new music, digging into the forms of songs, and trying to figure out what made a song truly speak to me. So, I think by the time I started writing my own songs, I had already developed an internal knowledge of how to structure a song, and it was just a matter of putting my heart into the right words, and fitting the pieces into the structure of a song.
MW: Good segue to my next question. What brought you to Nashville?
Matthew: Well, a couple weeks after graduating from college I signed a songwriting deal in Nashville. The fine folks at Word Music took a chance on me, and I guess they saw promise in my songwriting. I was encouraged from the beginning to start building my career from the songwriting up.
MW: How did you do that?
Matthew: I was given an opportunity to write for other artists and projects that needed songs. So, I really took it as a challenge to become a versatile writer, being able to step outside of my personal music preference, and write a song for different artists.
MW: In your first few years in Nashville, you've had songs recorded by Rachel Lampa, Jump 5, Sara Groves, and Salvador, among others. How did it feel to have your songs hit the charts being sung by someone else?
Matthew: It was an adjustment. My dream had always been to sing my own songs. But, quickly I found this whole new world of cool opportunities for me to keep exploring as a writer. It's something I'm still actively involved in. It has become part of my whole creative process.
MW: Aside from the writing, you kept busy as an independent artist. What did that include?
Matthew: Doors began to open for me to travel around the country playing concerts. After three years I had played almost 200 colleges, as well as a bunch of churches and youth groups. I booked the shows, sent the posters, set up the chairs, fixed the sound system, sold the CD's, drove the bus. OK, it wasn't a bus...it was a Honda.
MW: Did you ever think of quitting?
Matthew: Honestly, no. I had a blast. I mean, there were nights driving through a January snow storm in Iowa, just me, a Honda Civic, and that Delilah show on the radio. Those were the nights when I just wanted to go home and live a normal life. But I truly believed that God was using those experiences to prepare me for the next stage of my life. I call my college shows "The Humility Tour." Humility is a good thing.
MW: Speaking of humility, you recently had another dose of the stuff...
Matthew: Oh, you mean this?
MW: Yeah, can you talk about that huge scar that runs down the length of your forearm?
Matthew: Well, I prefer to call it my beauty mark...
MW: What happened?
Matthew: It was the last Friday in July 2002. I had clumsily locked myself out of my house, and decided to do what I've done many times before...climb through the front window. I was in a hurry running late for a meeting about my new record deal with Universal South Records. While trying to open the window, my left hand lost its grip and broke through the glass. I was bleeding heavily, and immediately went into shock. There was no one around in the neighborhood to hear me screaming for help, and after a few minutes I fell over in my neighbors front lawn. While I was laying there, 2 guys came running down the street to help me. I remember they didn't speak English very well, but one guy called 911, and the other one helped me stay awake. I could hear him praying in Spanish.
MW: So, what happened next?
Matthew: Well, I was taken to the hospital, and there were some difficulties in surgery. Basically, I woke up 5 days later surrounded by my family and friends, and cookies...I remember cookies.
MW: And???
Matthew: The doctors were less than optimistic; I guess they have to be. Turns out the glass stopped 1mm short of all the major nerves in my arm. So, they told me I was fortunate to still have a left hand. I had to go through therapy for 3 months, and didn't pick up a guitar during that whole time. There I was...only 2 weeks away from seeing one of my biggest dreams come true of being offered a record deal! And then, in an instant, that dream felt like it was tied to the end of a string, and it was slipping further and further away. And this time I couldn't even reach out for it. I was helpless.
MW: Please tell me there's a happy ending!
Matthew: There is, indeed. I signed a deal with Universal South, with my right hand, and then went on to a full recovery. I'm almost finished with a new record ironically titled, "Happy". I'm back, and I'm happy.
MW: So, it's no accident (pun intended...) that your debut release is titled, "happy?"
Matthew: No accident. I am truly happy to be alive. Is this life still hard? Yes. Is this world still confusing? Yes. But I am Happy. The song "Happy," on the record says, "I should be living up these days just like I know who runs this place..." I am finding peace in the midst of a crazy life that my best friend is the One who is leading my steps every day.
MW: So, when this record hits stores on Dec. 26th, why should people check it out?
Matthew: Well, I always remember the day after Christmas as being somewhat of a bummer. Everybody hits the stores to return the pink bunny rabbit pajamas that "didn't fit!" This year, you can go to the store on the day after Christmas, and get HAPPY!
MW: Very funny. Say goodbye Matthew
Matthew: Goodbye Matthew.
|
