Robert Plant and David Crosby: Focused on the far horizon
Dear Reader,
In his 2005 song 鈥淭in Pan Valley,鈥� Robert Plant sang, 鈥淢y peers may flirt with cabaret/some fake the 鈥榬ebel yell鈥�/Me 鈥� I鈥檓 moving up to higher ground鈥�.鈥�
A handful of elder statesmen, like Mr. Plant,听are听still inspiring us with vital and surprising work. What can we learn from the likes of Jeff Beck, Judy Dyble, John Hiatt, Paul Simon, and the late David Bowie? Sometimes I get to ask them.
David Crosby partly attributes his creative rebirth to working with new collaborators.
鈥淭hey're young writers and excited with life,鈥� he told me during听听with the Monitor. 鈥淭hey widened my world.鈥�
When I interviewed Mr. Plant,听听why he鈥檇 rather create exciting new music than reunite Led Zeppelin. 鈥淎n old pal of mine said, 鈥楬ey, Robert, why do you keep turning your back on the obvious?鈥欌�� Mr. Plant said. 鈥淏ecause I really love music. I don鈥檛 like repetition and tedium.鈥澨�
Phrased differently, artists should avoid comfort zones. A creative rut may mean one is stuck in old ways of thinking.听
Steven Wilson, a British progressive rock artist, has a theory about why some older artists lose their edge.
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鈥淚 believe that curiosity is the most underrated and undervalued human attribute,鈥澨�. 鈥淐uriosity is that admission to yourself that there鈥檚 something you don鈥檛 know and you don鈥檛 understand, but you would like to know more about it. The majority of people, when they grow up, associate that with being a kid and [think] they should somehow be above that.鈥�
Mr. Wilson鈥檚 final advice? 鈥淪tay in touch with your inner child.鈥�
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Stephen Humphries,听Culture听writer
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