We promised too much and gave it too soon (Joe Pug interview)
Last month, I sat down with the marvelous Joe Pug (previous post here) on a park bench in Boulder, and we talked about life while the twilight got deeper.
Joe said things like this:
“I think what a lot of people don’t necessarily realize… I mean, there’s no question that as you get older you get wiser. I’m not wiser than anybody else. But I think with youth there’s a certain greater willingness to say these things I say in my songs, whereas when you get older, you’ve experienced so much and you’ve seen so many contradictions in your life that you rightfully are hesitant to say anything out loud because you’ve seen everything proved wrong, at least once, you know what I mean?
In youth, you can make broader declarations, but also at the same time – there was one artist who said, “The entire job of the artist is to not get beat down by the meanness of the world.”
And I’m not talking about hope, or hopefulness. Art can be about that, but doesn’t necessarily have to be about that. It does have to do with believing things, though, whatever those things are. Whether they are the bleakest thoughts on the face of the earth or the most hopeful, you have to believe in them. And even if it’s temporary – even if you just believe them for those five minutes when you wrote the song, or if you’ve believed it since you were three years old until you pass on. So maybe it’s easier to believe in things when you’re younger.”
Joe makes me believe in things. He has a free EP of new music available, and please go read the rest of my interview with Joe over here. Joe plays Denver’s Mile High Music Festival Sunday July 19th at noon.
VIDEO: Hymn #101, live in Boulder
VIDEO: Ol’ 55 (Tom Waits cover), live in Boulder
Name: Heather Browne
another fantastic Chicago artist on tour with Josh Ritter right now! Girl, I like your taste
Matt Hart — July 11, 2009 @ 9:23 am
Damn, he’s fine!
And I like his voice also.
spookycat — July 12, 2009 @ 6:38 pm
thanks for the pointer, heather. caught him at sxsw this year and was impressed…
ajs — July 13, 2009 @ 7:04 am
[...] I was first introduced to Joe reading Heather Browne’s music blog “I am Fuel You are Friends” she does a great interview with him too check it out. [...]
Moo’s Farm » Artist Spotlight: Joe Pug — August 24, 2009 @ 7:42 pm
Just saw Joe Pug supporting The Low Anthem in London on weds, and I thought – either Heather will have already written about him, or she’d probably like to! So I wasn’t surprised to find a bunch of posts about him already
He was really really great! I must have already read about him here but didn’t make the connection when I saw him the other night. But anyway, very glad to have seen him! 
Caz — November 20, 2009 @ 5:14 pm
Just reading your interviews with him is thrilling! I was finally able to catch him live this year when he was touring with Justin Townes Earle (who’s also brilliant) … and just witnessing Joe without his music is an experience in itself. I can’t forget at the end of his encore when these fog machines went crazy, he just smiled and said,”Ladies and gentleman … I’m livin’ the dream.”
Rachel — July 31, 2010 @ 4:08 pm
[...] only 26 years old, Pug has showed a certain wisdom and confidence not only in the music he plays, but also in his marketing and promotion abilities. [...]
Joe Pug puts his Poetic Harmonies on Display at San Francisco’s “Bottom of the Hill” | Bay Area Surf ‘n Sport — May 24, 2011 @ 2:10 pm
[...] only 26 years old, Pug has showed a certain wisdom and confidence not only in the music he plays, but also in his marketing and promotion abilities. [...]
Joe Pug puts his Poetic Harmonies on Display at San Francisco’s “Bottom of the Hill” | Connor Buestad — April 12, 2012 @ 7:59 pm