Life, politics, war, the media—it’s all rich material for Ani DiFranco
Ani DiFranco is a prolific singer and songwriter known for her personal and political lyrics, percussive guitar style, and energized live shows. She’s given birth to 20 albums since 1992 and has been an advocate for radical social change, independent music and a free media. And this year DiFranco has become a mother. We can make an educated guess that the experience of raising a child will be reflected in DiFranco’s future music. The highly-regarded musician will be performing in Santa Cruz on Monday, July 16 at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. Joining her onstage will be upright bassist Todd Sickafoose and drummer Allison Miller, with special guest Anaïs Mitchell opening the show. Expect to be moved by a span of musical genres and moods, from driving folk-punk to melodious jazz-funk with lyrics that illuminate the human condition and raise a poetic and intelligent mirror up to consumerism and absolutism. The following is an excerpt from an interview with DiFranco originally broadcast on Free Radio Santa Cruz. YOU WERE VERY ACTIVE BEFORE THE NOVEMBER 2004 ELECTION IN GET-OUT-THE-VOTE EFFORTS. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF THE WORLD THAT MAKES YOU FEEL SO STRONGLY ABOUT ENCOURAGING YOUR FANS TO BE POLITICALLY ACTIVE? WHAT IS AT STAKE? I think that a pretty big problem in the world is the government of the United States. I think that in every desperate situation, such as the political circumstances we find ourselves in these days, we have great opportunities for change. A whole lot of people in this country are becoming aware that we haven’t been participating as citizens. I’m interested in using this crisis as an opportunity to get people inspired to participate once again. It would be a lifestyle shift in this country, from consumers back to citizens. HOW DO YOU KEEP GROUNDED THESE DAYS AMID THE WAR AND DECEPTION? At the same time that all of those horrible, destructive things are happening, there are also amazing things happening. Political art is out there, whether it is supported in the mainstream culture or not. More and more I try to focus my energies and attention on the people who are doing the good work, who are out there being active and creative and designing alternatives. Sometimes I show up to venues in cities and people shout out things like, “Talk about George Bush, Ani!” I say, “No! What, are you kidding me? (laughter) You can turn on any TV station and hear all about him!” I want to talk about all the people the major media is ignoring. Our heroes are the people who are out there to inspire and empower. It keeps me hopeful to dedicate my own energy to helping people who are doing great things. THIS BRINGS TO MIND, “GRAND CANYON,” A SONG ON EDUCATED GUESS. YOU SING ON IT, “I LOVE MY COUNTRY, BY WHICH I MEAN I AM INDEBTED JOYFULLY TO ALL OF THE PEOPLE THROUGHOUT ITS HISTORY WHO HAVE FOUGHT THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE RIGHT.” My patriotism is of a democratic variety, as opposed to the fascist version of patriot being put forth by the media and the administration. Their vision of a patriot is of a blindly accepting, non-questioning drone. But Mark Twain stated it really well: “Loyalty to the country always, loyalty to the government when it deserves it.” My patriotism is born of the cultural and activist history of my country. The land, the beautiful land that we inhabit, everything we hold dear about this country, all of the rights and freedoms that we brag about around the world, were fought for by activists. None of them were granted benevolently by power. From the original revolutionaries who overthrew the king, right up to today, and all of the political struggles that citizens are undertaking for justice and for freedom and peace. WHAT IS YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH INTEGRATNG THE PERSONAL AND THE POLITICAL, SOCIAL CHANGE AND SPIRITUAL GROWTH That is a very deep, important question in this 21st century. The political movements that I know of, the left of my time and place, seem to be in opposition to spiritual modalities. I understand this because many of our religious systems are extremely patriarchal and, I know for myself, quickly lose appeal for that very reason. Certainly women can and have and will continue to find their own place within traditional religions. But I think [our place is] in our political systems as well as our spiritual ones. Then, I think, we can find a modern coming together of spirituality and activism. I believe you need both. It cannot be a choice for people. Our struggle for society, for community, for all humanity, must be at one with our struggle to become ourselves. I think that a really powerful political movement has a spiritual center to it. But I think we also need a new spirituality that is as evolved as our global resistance. If you look around the world, all stories, as they go from bad to worse, have patriarchy as a common denominator. I long for a spiritual core to a progressive movement that is uplifting for all of us. ON EDUCATED GUESS, YOU SING, “MEN ARE DEKUCATE ORIGAMI CREATURES WHO NEED WOMEN TO UNFOLD THEM.” THIS SONG SEEMS TO RELATE TO THE PRESENT STATE OF OUR WORLD. MEN ARE GENERALLY AT THE HELM OF POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS AND HAVE CREATED A WORLD STRUGGLING WITH POVERTY, HUNGER AND PERMANENT WARFARE. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT? I think that the masculine and the feminine are contained within each of us and when I talk about a desire to shift from patriarchy to a balance of power, it is much more complicated than saying just that women should step into all of those offices. I’m talking about a different way of thinking. There is a masculine and a feminine intention in each of us. Our religious and political culture lacks an understanding of paradox. There is this oversimplification that becomes “good and evil,” “right and wrong” and “us and them.” WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE IMPORTANCE NOW OF INDEPENDENT MEDIA? Its importance is greater than ever. We need to put into action Abbie Hoffman’s suggestion: “Don’t hate the media, become the media.” We’re taught to think of politics as a contest between these two dudes. “Which one looks cuter in a flight suit? Which one has a better smile? We’ll vote for him.” The truth of course is that these men are not kings. They are heads of huge political parties. Changing the president could mean a whole new administration of people and thousands of judicial appointments that could include more progressive people. The ripple effect would be huge, and includes, for example, the independent renegade radio stations being able to broadcast their art and their ideas without having the FCC come and rip down their antenna. This is the kind of change in atmosphere that we need. Imagine if we had a whole country full of good human beings who are somewhat out of crisis mode and who could begin to increase the momentum of their good work. The above interview was reprinted from “Sounds of Freedom” by John Malkin (2005) with permission from Parallax Press, Berkeley, California, parallax.org . {ic_cal}Hear Ani DiFranco live at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium on Monday July 16.{/ic_cal}
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