City and colour Interview with Dallas Green

City and colour :: Berlin :: 04/01/08 :: Interviewer: Prokura

At the day of the only German show of his tour, Dallas Green also gave some interviews at his hotel. Originally I had the plan just to read him the questions of my beloved chiefeditor, but unfortunately those never arrived in Berlin, so this interview is not as profound as it was meant to be. I am sure someone who is more into City and Colour will make up for a better one when “City and Colour” will return for his next tour. I cut out a lot of “you know” and “you know what I mean” etc. expressions to straighten the interview a bit. I hope you don’t mind, though it is typical for the way Dallas speaks. Check the little video to get an impression of his original voice & way of talking.

Punk76: I was wondering why there's only one date in Germany
Dallas Green: Originally there wasn't supposed to be any, because I do both at the same time i can only tour for a certain amout of days, and actually I am supposed to be at home writing new Alexisonfire songs. But I'm taking a little bit off time for touring a bit, so I wanted to do at least one show. I'd like to tour in Germany a lot, I like to tour everywhere, but everyone has just to be patient with me, cause I have to juggle two things at the same time, you know?

Punk76: So it's no option for you to quit Alexisonfire?
Dallas Green: NO! I don't want to! I mean.. it's an option, but I don't wanna do that!

Punk76: I'm sure a lot of Alexisonfire fans will be happy to hear that!
Dallas Green: Yeah! I like both! Well, the touring is difficult, we're done touring with Alexis for a while, but we are also supposed to do a new record so I gotta tour a little bit and then go back and write some more songs.

Punk76: Sounds like you are a busy man?
Dallas Green: VERY busy!

Punk76: Do you have time for a private life at all?
Dallas Green: I try! I mean.. I have a house with my girlfriend but... I never get to see her...but we do our best. But that's a problem you know about when you are getting into music.

Punk76:: Is it important for you that people understand your lyrics? Or would the fact, that in some countries people do normally not speak English that well be a reason for you not to tour in that country?
Dallas Green: No, that's not a reason for not touring, I love touring and I love touring at places that don't necessarily speak English but i think my songs are pretty straight forward and honest enough, that people get the general idea, you know what I mean? I got a lot of very nice emails from german people saying that my music has somehow been touching them so thats reason enough to come and play here.

Punk76: As you put the lyrics in the booklet of the CD I guess it's easyer for people to understand what you are saying with them,
Dallas Green: Yeah... that's why! I kind of like get bummed out when I‘m riveted on to a bands record and I don't have the lyrics, but I can understand if some people don't want people to read their lyrics.. that‘s cool ... I get it ...

Punk76: Ye? Why would someone not want that?
Dallas Green: I don't know... maybe some people just think that they're pretty personal..

Punk76: But your's are that too...
Dallas Green: But I don't mind sharing them with people, that's the thing...

Punk76: So is it like a "soulstrip" every night when you play?
Dallas Green: Not really, no.. I mean I just write songs and I write songs about things that bother me thats the way I've always done it, so I don't have a problem singing it for people. Cause I'm singing them just for myself as much as I'm singing them for other people.

Punk76: Do you have any songs about things that make you happy, too? I mean.. most songs sound quite sad...
Dallas Green: Especially on the new records there are more upbeat songs, but I think, a lot of people just hear the way I sing the songs ... as in a pretty sad type of soulful voice...so people automaticly think it's a sad song, but I think on the new records there is definately a sense of hope in the distance.

Punk76: I found in some of the lyric some religious points.. or.. maybe better "faith or believing.... "
Dallas Green: Most of that is 'bout believing in yourself or a lack of faith in yourself. I don't sing about religion... I'm not religious. I'm just myself, you know? When i say faith or such, I'm talking about believing in yourself and havin trust in yourself or not, I know some people need the religion and need things like that, but for me its more about....at the end of the day it's you, as much as you believe in something else, it‘s you and the faith in yourself... I don't know... talking about all that religious things would take forever...

Punk76: I was just wondering, cause I read, that all profit of your first single went to the "Denis Morris High School Starvathon"
Dallas Green: Yeah, that's the highschool I went to. I went to a catholic highschool and a teacher that I had was a very very good teacher and very instrumental in the way who I became.. and.. he passed away a couple of years ago and that Starvathon was something he ran every year... so I donated in this charity cause I believe in what he was doing ... he was great person.

Punk76: So, he was important for you .. or your development?
Dallas Green: He was just a great man.. he was a religioun teacher, but he didn't force it on you he was a good teacher, in my opinion, how a teacher should be. Just helping you along the way, not trying to force anything on you. Not forcing ideals on you, just guiding you. A great man.

Punk76: I heard, that you chose the name for your solo project (Dallas -> City ; Green -> Colour) cause you didn't want to play under your real name? Why not?
Dallas Green: Swimmy... just didn't make me feel very good. I pictured people wearing a t-shirt that said "Dallas Green" or buying a CD that said "Dallas Green" and that just made me sick in my stomach like.. I just don't feel like thats me. Like I rather hide behind something else..

Punk76: Not the "big EGO thing" ?
Dallas Green: No... it's no ego!

Punk76: No "popstar feelings" ?
Dallas Green: Nooo I don't like that...that's not for me .. I just write songs so I didn't want to be it all about the person. Especially nowadays, everybody is making it more about the person than they are making it about the music. I just rather seperate myself from the music.

Punk76: But especially in your case, there's so much of your personal beeing in the music
Dallas Green: Yeah.. you know ... I write the songs for myself... and I hope ... well, people can interprete them the way they want and get from them what they need for their lifes. I just don't want it to be a "Dallas Green story". Its just a story that I wrote. I want to be Dallas Green when I'm at home.. when I'm with my girlfriend, when I'm with my family, that's Dallas who I was when I was a kid, so when I put this out, I knew it was gonna be more just about me, so I wanted to be there some sort of separation.

Punk76: Well, you went to the Juno awards, you won the award and next year gave it to others and I guess you could be called a "celebrity" on the other hand you don't want yourself be too much in the spotlights... don't you fear to become schizophrenic?

Dallas Green: Well... sometimes.. but as I said, I try to seperate.. I don't let anything go to my head. The music industry nowadays is so fickle...and there is no longevity really in anything.. to put out something they make think you you're the greatest and that everyone loves you ... I don't expect anyone to like what do, cause i don't like everything that I hear ... so I just write songs and that's it. I write music, I like to play music.. I have been playing music since I was a kid. I'm lucky enough that I get to play it for a living and that's where it ends. I don't care about fame or things like that. If I did I would try and write catchier songs, songs that I know would be played in the radio and try to be signed to a major label. But I don't care about that. I just like to play my guitar and singing.

Punk76: Or have a crazy haircut and wear fancy punkrock clothing?
Dallas Green: Yeah.. some people are into this, some people get into it for that and for the fame and the recognition and i just.. I didn't get into it.. I started playing guitar when I was eight, my parents got me a guitar so I've always been playing music and I just love it.

Punk76: So.. what brought you from just playing your music more into that lifestyle of getting tattoos, beeing in bands and leaving the "normal" life?
Dallas Green: Because every time when I started to think of something else to do... all I wanna do is play music. So I figured I'd try and make it my career.

Punk76: But could you also have become a studio musician then?
Dallas Green: But that's not what I'm about. I don't know how to read music, I just wanna write my own music, I don't want to play other peoples music. Since I was a kid I was always writing music..you know?.. so I think that's what made me want to get into it... writing my own songs. So I tried to play them.. in front of people... some people liked it, so I thought why not try to play them for some more people... here we are! .. You know?

Punk76: I know. it's just interesting why people chose a way, what's behind a decision.
Dallas Green: I think there are people who get into music for the fame and there's people who get into it cause they love music. I just love music, I can't NOT play it. I've tried... I get home after a month on tour and the first ding I do is play my guitar it‘s part of me.. it's part of me ... it's what I do...

Punk76: So obviously you are a lucky man, you do what you want to do and you love it...
Dallas Green: VERY lucky!

Punk76: That sounds great, but... . you are a lucky man and you do what you love to do.. and still so many songs sound so sad ... ?
Dallas Green: Just because I do what I love to do doesn't mean I'm happy constantly. And that's the way I write songs.. some people, when they are upset, they write a journal or they go ahead and run, cause that's how they get their energy out, what I do is, I write a song.

Punk76: From the new album, what would you say is the most important song for you? Dallas Green: Oh,. I don't know.. I like them all... *lacht* I like the song "waiting" that was one of the earlyer songs i wrote for that album and just makes a lot of sense to me. Can you explain a little bit why?
Dallas Green: Its a bit about... I don't take life for granted, but sometimes I worry or complain about the smallest details.. thats the way I am but sometimes you have to realise that everyone has problems.. everyone is dealing with it his own way... sometimes I just have to remember how lucky I am.

Punk76: What's your favourite own song ever and why?
Dallas Green: I don't know if I have one... it's like asking a parent "who's you favourite child?"

Punk76: So do you think a lot about life itself, politics.. ?
Dallas Green: I try to think more about life itself and stay away from thinking about politics and writing about politics, cause I think I don't have enough intelligence on the matter... but I do think a lot about life... I think. I'm just a thinker, I think it comes from my parents, my mom is a worrier, and I guess that's where i got it from.. I just worry about everything. that's kind of the way why I don't sleep that much, I can never relax.....

Punk76: we call it "thought roundabout" over here...
Dallas Green: Yeah.. that' s what I got going on all the time and I do most of my writing at night anyway cause I can't sleep, so I gave up to try...

Punk76: but that must be exhausting, especially on tour.. ?
Dallas Green: oh yes, it is!

Punk76: so how long can you do that before you break down?
Dallas Green: I don't know.. I've been touring straight for the last 4 years... because every time we get off tour ( with alexisonfire) then we write a record and then I go on tour with this and then I do another record. So I did 4 records in a row.. straight..

Punk76: that's rough
Dallas Green: it is.. but.. as I said.. when I'm at home, I am up at night anyway, playing my guitar anyway, so it's the same being on the road...

Punk76: but its more exhausting on tour... ?
Dallas Green: Oh yes, it is! In the last months I have been to Australia, New York, L.A. Texas, Toronto and here...just The people who think beeing a musician is glamorous, I want them to spend a month with us and be on the road and see how it is. Well.. obviously when you are a really big big band... and have your own jet or so.. it might be different, but when you are a band of our size... But at the same time, I don’t think i would change it if I could the end of the day... if there’s a day when you are really exhausted and sick and feel terrible ... you go on stage.. and it all goes away.

Punk76: Then you get the energy from the crowd...
Dallas Green: Yeah.. if you play in front of 400 or 500 people or thousands... their energy just feeds you...

Punk76: So.. for a change... after all the things that make you worry or sad. What makes you happy or laugh?
Dallas Green: A good song makes me really happy like hearing a good song makes me smile seeing my girlfriend is nice, she really makes me happy... a good movie makes me lough or makes me happy.

Punk76: Whats your favourite movie just to be entertained?
Dallas Green: I like movies like “National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation” just to be entertained. Have you seen “National Lampoon's European Vacation” ? Movies like that are just funny... comedies from the late 80‘s and early 90‘s they just make me lough. You don’t have to think about anything, just watch and lough.

Punk76: It’s good to have things that make you just – maybe stupidly- lough and happy...
Dallas Green: Oh absolutely! That’s why you need it! You know I take my music very seriously, but I don’t take myself very seriously.

And please tell people I’m sorry.. I’ll play more german dates next time!

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