One of the reasons we at GreenBase like John Butler somuch is because he embodies of the main missions of this site: "Art changes people ... people change the world." Here is a great interview originally posted on Grist a few weeks ago. Enjoy!
Aussie guitarist John Butler on nukes, dickheads, and common sense
By Sarah van Schagen 14 Aug 2007
The John Butler Trio: (L to R) Shannon Birchall, John Butler, and Michael Barker.
For the record, John Butler hates the word "environmentalism." Actually, he's sick of all the "-isms." The Australian jam-band musician is more interested in the interconnectedness of problems, in
why humans do the things we do. "Lack of love, or hope, or opportunity," he says, "are the core problems that end up, down the road, becoming environmental or human-rights issues."
Known for his outspoken political beliefs and signature dreads, Butler -- who was born in California and moved down under at 11 with his family -- has a way with audiences that goes back to his days as a busker on the streets of Western Australia. Now most of his performances are on a stage in front of thousands of people, gaining him a platform for the issues that matter to him: banning nukes, fighting AIDS, curbing climate change. At the
Live Earth concert in Sydney last month, Butler took the opportunity to do just that, making T-shirts emblazoned with "Say no to nuclear energy" and encouraging fans to think about renewables.
Butler's green leaning isn't just an act. The
John Butler Trio's most recent U.S. tour was greened by
Clif Bar's GreenNotes program. His messages have made their way into album inserts (printed on recycled paper) and lyrics. His website even includes a
forum for debate about the environment and global politics.
The
video for Butler's most recent single, "Better Than," an upbeat song set to a relaxed, rootsy beat, closes with this quote: "Art changes people ... people change the world." It's a notion he truly seems to live by.
I got the chance to chat with Butler post-Live Earth during a brief stop in the U.S. (he called from a parking lot in Hollywood) before the band finished up its
Grand National tour in Australia. Our conversation echoed his musical style, laid-back and thoughtful, as it meandered from the obligatory questions about green touring to reflections on human psychology.
You recently returned from Australia, where you played Live Earth. What was that like?
It was good. It was really good actually. The theme of the day was awareness, but it was so much more about action. So we thought we'd put the
fifth pledge into action -- put pressure on your leaders to support renewable energy.
We decided to bring up the nuclear issue, because we have 40 percent of the world's uranium in [Australia], and we're being heavily lobbied by all the people from the uranium industry, nuclear industry, and even the government's gotten behind it. ... In the name of this concert and in the name of the fifth pledge and in the name of, actually, common sense, we were out there putting pressure on our leaders to support real renewables, rather than going down the nuclear path.
Everybody wore these T-shirts that said, "Say no to nuclear energy." I had a speech in the middle of it and got about 40,000 people all saying they wanted a nuclear-free Australia and a nuclear-free world. To me, it was a success on that front, when you put something into action. A few people were a little bit confused, like, why would you say no to nuclear energy when it's the bridge to renewable -- and I'd say well that's just bullshit, you know? So many people are getting fooled in Australia and all around the world, [saying] let's go to a green energy like nuclear energy ... it's like going from the coal fry-pan into the nuclear fire, you know?
They wanted us to take action, so we figured rather than celebrating doomsday, we'd have an action.
Did the concert have a different feel than when you normally go on stage?
When people come together for a cause that's bigger than themselves, if it's something that connects us all, in a way, as humans and as humanity, there's a special feeling, for sure.
You guys partnered with Clif Bar's GreenNotes program for your recent tour of the U.S. What was that like?
It was great. They hooked both our buses up with biodiesel; both our buses are running on B99 -- that's almost 100 percent biodiesel. They also hooked up some really great riders backstage -- a lot more organic and a lot less waste. They were a really cool crew.
What made you decide to be part of that?
We were just kind of sick of talking about it, actually.
John Butler.
Photo: James Minchin
We started in Australia first ... we offset all the emissions from our touring and reduced a lot of the freighting by going ground instead of air. We were buying carbon credits from New Zealand; that was also going back into the wind-energy industry over there, and we offset that whole tour. Then we decided we'd try to do it in America, but it was already happening over there with
Reverb and Clif Bar -- it was almost too easy, actually.
That seems to be a rather recent change in how people are touring. What do you see for maybe the next five or 10 years, or what do you hope to see, in terms of the music industry making changes?
It's just like society -- it's up to individuals, or these individual bands to take the initiative on. Clif Bar, Reverb,
Music Matters -- all these crews -- they make it easier than ever, and that's what needs to happen. At the moment, it's easier than ever to destroy the planet with fossil fuels and the amount of waste that's going on ... because people provide the service for it to be easier. So the minute people provide another service ... then most people do the right thing.
In Australia in our last tour, we had two tickets -- we had a green ticket and a regular ticket. The green ticket basically just offset people's emissions that they make coming to our gate, and we wanted people to have the choice. We could have just made the ticket that way and offset everybody, but we really wanted to let people know that they had a choice in the matter. And you know, 80 to 90 percent of the people made the right choice to buy the green ticket and offset it. When people are given the opportunity and the information, and then they have the access to do the right thing, people usually do.
And I think it's the same with the music industry. More artists know about the fact that they can do it and somebody's making it easier for them to do it -- like Reverb and so forth. The more it happens, the more affordable it's going to be.
Everybody basically wants a world to live in. So I think people are just going to keep doing the right thing, or they're going to pay the price. Human beings are pretty smart, you know? We learn very slowly, but we have our own interest in mind at the end of the day, and our survival.
So you were talking about individual actions making a difference. What are you doing as an individual?
Every day we go on stage is an action for us, and a way of adding to positive change on this planet. And it's also the buses on biodiesel, the recycling at home, choosing to buy green energy as opposed to regular types of energy. Those are the things anyone can do. Those are the things I've been doing for a long time -- it's just the right thing to do.
Are you planning to continue this in your future tours -- offering the green tickets and the biodiesel, and all that?
At the moment I think we're just going to do it while it's cool, and then when it dies out, we'll just go back to being dickheads. [Laughs.]
I mean, yeah, of course. Once we started it, it was just the way to be done. And if you can do it, why wouldn't you? These things are about common sense. This is not a right-wing debate, it's not a left-wing debate, it's not an environmental debate, it's a human-being issue, a human issue. It's the same when you see an old lady coming to a door, you open it up for her because that's just the right thing to do. You treat people with respect -- not because it's the fad, or because it's going to make you look good -- because it's the right thing to do.
You've mentioned a bunch of different issues that you support. Do you include any of this in your music? Do you mention it when you're on stage, or in your lyrics?
We put a brochure [about renewable energy] in our latest CD, and that's direct action as far as I'm concerned. That's 100,000 people getting information that they don't have to find from some site -- it's on their lap.
Nowadays ... I'm more interested in looking at why we consume, and the way we consume. Why we always think the grass is greener on the other side. Why we always want one more flat-screen TV, and why we want a better nose, and all those things that end up making us destroy ourselves and each other. Why do individuals who run corporations that make billions of dollars in profit still want to make that little bit more off cutting out working conditions in their factories?
You can complain about it 'til the dogs come home; there's always going to be dickheads. I'm more interested in why dickheads choose to be dickheads. And it's usually not an evil thing; it gets back to being hit as a child or not loved enough, or being insecure. I find that really interesting. Because that's where we're going to really solve the problems, when people love themselves and are willing to be awake, rather than escaping.
That's going to make some real big change in this world -- when it's not a Republican issue, when it's not a Democratic issue, when it's not an environmental issue, or a human-rights issue -- when it's actually about human beings loving themselves, loving each other, respecting themselves, and then, in due course, respecting other people, and other things. That's the common denominator for me; when you peel all the layers off the onion, that seems to be the core issue.
I gave you way too much there! [Laughs.] I didn't answer the question.
No, that was great. I've actually interviewed a lot of musicians, but nobody ever talks about [the] why.
It gets boring talking about pointing the finger. It doesn't really do any good. Yeah, there's something wrong, and people have been saying "there's something wrong" for fucking thousands of years. And we're still in this situation because we haven't really dealt with the issue -- which is us, you know? Us.
Labels: Grist, John Butler
I love the Great Lakes. I do. I remember visiting them as a kid and being totally in awe of their size and beauty. Both of those qualities are now in jeopardy. From
Grist.org:It could be a summer of record lows in two of the world's iconic places: the Great Lakes and the Arctic seas. Water levels in Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Superior are well below normal, and Superior could soon hit a record low set in 1926. The U.S. and Canada have undertaken a five-year study that could shed sloooow light on the situation, which has been blamed on climate change, rainfall patterns, and human activities like dredging. "I think we found that all of those contributed to some degree," said Robert Nairn, principal of an engineering firm that has studied the issue. "The big question that remains is how much is each contributing." In the Arctic, measurements made last week by the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center found sea ice extent nearly 30 percent below the long-term average. With a month of melting season left, scientists say, a new record will likely be set. Says Mark Serreze of NSIDC, "We cannot explain everything that we have seen just through natural processes."
The bag above is from BuiltbyWendy.com--show some love for the Great Lakes while you save those plastic bags!
Labels: Great Lakes, Grist
Kate Sheppard of Grist.org published this interesting interview the other day. Sharing must be in the air....it's about time! Kate's column, Ask a Brokeass, is one of my personal favorites.
Posted by Kate Sheppard at 9:24 AM on 03 Aug 2007
Long ago, I promised an interview component to Ask a Brokeass. I've talked to some badass brokeasses since then, but I haven't gotten around to transcribing all of those interviews. The intern needs an intern.
Then last week I received an email from Mark Hexamer, co-founder of the innovative new media trading site Swaptree.com, who saw my posts on the greening of Harry Potter and the virtues of sharing and wanted to talk up his project. What's greener than an eco-edition of Harry Potter? Well, the edition of Harry Potter that never had to be printed, argues Hexamer. Lucky for me us, he agreed to do an email interview on Swaptree, which allows users to post books, DVDs, CDs, and video games that they're done with and exchange them for the things they're looking for. Essentially, Hexamer's great idea helps you get tons of new-to-you things for free, without using more natural resources. Since I have no inside information about his personal finances, I can't straight-up call him a Brokeass, but I will give him the Brokeass Seal of Approval for coming up with a great idea that all of us can benefit from.
Without further ado, Mark Hexamer:
So, when/how did you start Swaptree?
Greg Boesel and I started Swaptree back in 2004. It took us two years from the genesis of the idea and initial prototype until we were ready to start having the system generate trades for "real" users.
What was the inspiration for the site?
The inspiration for the site was really a whole bunch of things, as opposed to one "a-ha" moment. For example, I don't think it was a coincidence that the idea came about at the same time where it seemed everyone had a copy of The DaVinci Code. Greg and I, when pitching the idea, would ask potential investors, "How many copies of The DaVinci Code are in a square block radius in NYC?" You could always see the light go on when we asked that question. At the same time you had community-driven sites like Craigslist and Freecycle really taking off, not to mention Netflix. Furthermore, we noticed that we frequently traded books with our friends, that our nephews played a new $55 video game for a week or so and then never again, and that our shelves were full of CDs and DVDs that we would never play again. All of these factor contributed to the genesis of the idea.
What kind of resources are behind this (staff, funding, etc.)?
Currently we have a staff of five people, in addition to some off-shore development in India. We have done two angel rounds and have raised around $2 million.
What is the benefit of having a program like this?
Well, the obvious benefit is that it allows you to recycle the books, textbooks, CDs, DVDs, and video games that you have, but are finished with, for the ones you want, for free. Our users only pay for shipping. So if you have a bestselling book you just finished, put it up on Swaptree and trade it for another bestseller. When you are done with that book, put it up for trade and get another. And on and on, for just the cost of shipping, which with media mail can cost just a couple of dollars. So there is a tremendous cost savings.
In addition, using Swaptree saves a significant amount of natural resources. How many copies of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows are going to be printed? 20 million? 50 million? Do we really need to print 20 million copies of the latest Harry Potter? Can't we just share, say a million, and leave the trees in the forest? So there is both an economical and environmental benefit.
Do you have aspirations for Swaptree having some sort of wider effect on community or consumption habits?
We do. We started off with these items because people have lots of these items laying around collecting dust and are already comfortable trading these offline. Once our users get comfortable trading these items online, we will begin to introduce other categories, like baby gear and clothes, women's clothing, collectibles, etc.
Furthermore, we really want to foster the notion of sharing as much as trading. One benefit of being free is that we can really create a great sense of community on the site. Since we are free we can encourage our users to trade informally, without trying to figure out how Swaptree can collect a transaction fee. So if you log onto Swaptree and see that your neighbor or co-worker has a DVD you want to watch, we don't care if you simply call them up and ask them if you can borrow it. In the future maybe you will be able to log on to Swaptree and see that your neighbor has a ladder or lawn mower that you can borrow.
How have people reacted to the project so far?
The feedback so far has been fantastic. People are amazed that they can offer, say the book Freakonomics for trade, and we instantly show them the thousands of items they can receive in trade for it right now. So there definitely is this "wow" factor with the site. The other feedback we get a lot is that it's fun and easy. It's like the trading you did on the playground as a child -- I give you this, and you give me that.
This is important to us because when we designed the site, one of the guiding principles we had was to make the site so simple that our mothers could understand it and use it. When people tell us it's "easy and fun," we know we passed that test. Lastly, people tell us all the time that they are amazed this idea hasn't been done before. We like hearing that because it's a sure sign that you have good idea that's well implemented.
Have you used Swaptree yet? What did you trade, and what did you get in return?
I use Swaptree every day. My most recent trade I shipped out the Amy Winehouse CD, "Back to Black," and received a brand new Peter Pan DVD for my daughter.
What's one book or film you don't think you'll ever be able to swap?
You will be shocked by what some people want. A co-worker actually got rid of a Milli Vanilli CD. Bad enough he owned it, but shocking that someone wanted it.
Concerned about the environment but don't have the economic means to buy your way to carbon neutrality? Need some ideas on how to be savvy about the earth and your dollar? Direct your questions, comments, and ideas to ksheppard@grist.org. And remember, as the old saying goes, it's better to be broke than to further the break-up of the Arctic ice shelf.
Labels: green resources, Grist, recycling
I'm already on page 100, and I can't put the damn thing down. I'm happy to report that my favorite hero's chronichles are being reported on the greenest pages around.
From Grist.org
Final Harry Potter tome is "greenest book in publishing history"
The final installment of the mugglicious series is said to be the greenest book in publishing history -- a good thing, since it's set sales records at retailers like Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble. Sixteen publishers around the world used eco-friendly paper for the edition, including U.S. publisher Scholastic, which went the conventional route for the last Harry book and faced a boycott as a result. In all, says Markets Initiative, a Vancouver-based group that helps publishers go green, the switch for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows has saved nearly 200,000 trees and avoided almost 8,700 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Which totally makes up for the fact that Harry dies in the end. Oops, did we say that out loud?
Labels: green printing, Grist, Harry Potter
Music festivals across the country aim to lessen their footprint
By Sarah van Schagen
Bonnaroo 2006.
Photo: Sarah van Schagen.
I'm sitting in the middle of a field in rural Tennessee, and it feels like it's got to be 110 degrees out. Somehow I've forgotten about my sweat-lined brow and muddy shoes; instead, I'm focused on listening to Bonnaroo's head press guy, Ken Weinstein of Big Hassle Media, talk about the music festival's ongoing efforts to put on a greener event. "No one likes to be trendy," he says. "But as trends go, this greening shit is pretty cool."
The "greening shit" he's referring to is certainly a growing trend among music festivals. From dishing out organic food on compostable dishware to using recycled toilet paper in the port-o-potties to powering stages with solar energy or biodiesel, festivals around the country are getting creative in their efforts to be green. Some, like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, are even devoting venue space to the issue, inviting artists and fans to participate in educational activities and visit informational booths staffed by nonprofits (like Grist).
But can a music festival ever truly be green? An hour in a line of idling vehicles waiting to reach Bonnaroo's entry gates answered that question for one Grist staffer. Certainly any event requiring masses of people to travel is already in the red when it comes to being green. Whether an event is in an urban center or in the center of a field starts to matter big-time when you're aiming for sustainability.
The sheer volume of trash generated by one of these multi-day events is also a massive issue. Last year's Bonnaroo festival produced more than 1 million pounds of waste, but recycling, composting, and reuse efforts kept more than half of it from ever reaching a landfill.
As cities across the world this week begin preparing for the climate-change-focused Live Earth concerts on 7/7/07 (an event that has
come under fire itself), I decided to take a closer look at what some of the major music festivals in the U.S. are doing (or have done) this year to address climate issues.
I've graded them based on overall intent and six specific factors: ubiquity of recycling bins; use of green power sources like solar, biodiesel, and wind; presence of green exhibits or educational aspects; purchase of carbon offsets; direction of donations or proceeds to green causes; and availability of organic and local food options.
Unfortunately (for the music fan in me, but probably fortunately for the planet), I haven't been able to travel to all of these festivals and judge them firsthand. Instead, I've relied on the festival websites, press releases, media coverage, and event organizers themselves when possible -- not as good as being there, but it does help indicate how well the festivals are communicating green initiatives to fans.
South by SouthwestWhere: Austin, Texas
When: March 9-18, 2007
Who: 27,000 attendees
The scoop: In addition to offsetting energy use at concert venues during the festival, SXSW organizers
accounted for energy used all year at their offices. They also boosted mass-transit options for festivalgoers and assisted in local tree-planting efforts.
The score: B-
CoachellaWhere: Indio, California
When: April 27-29, 2007
Who: 100,000 attendees
The scoop: Apart from a partnership with youth-focused eco-group
Global Inheritance that resulted in an
alternative-energy display and carpooling incentives, this Hollywood-heavy festival showed little green initiative.
The score: C-
Sasquatch!Where: The Gorge, George, Washington
When: May 26-27, 2007
Who: 22,000 attendees
The scoop: Via Sustainable Energy Partner's
Carbon Harmony program, the event was over 100 percent offset, but that's about as green as it got. Aside from the
Global Inheritance TRASHed Recycling Store, there was nary a recycling bin in sight.
The score: D
Bonnaroo Music & Arts FestivalWhere: Manchester, Tennessee
When: June 14-17, 2007
Who: 80,000 attendees
The scoop: The jam-band festival's
ongoing efforts to be greener this year include use of non-VOC paints, organic cotton T-shirts, recycled toilet paper, a festival-wide composting program, and a solar-powered stage.
The score: B+
LollapaloozaWhere: Grant Park, Chicago
When: Aug. 3-5, 2007
Who: 165,000 attendees
The scoop: Former Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell has
worked hard to green this fest, which this year will use biodiesel to power vendor stands and solar energy to power a small stage. Additionally, a Green Street area will feature nonprofit-staffed booths to educate concertgoers on eco-issues, and 'Palooza proceeds will benefit Chicago's
Parkways Foundation.
The score: A-
BumbershootWhere: Seattle, Washington
When: Sept. 1-3, 2007
Who: 150,000 attendees
The scoop: This long-established nonprofit music festival is aiming to fully integrate green initiatives into its operations and hopes to get festivalgoers on board by offering rewards (like cash!) for recycling. Because of its urban location (read: limited parking), bikers and carpoolers will also be encouraged with incentives.
The score: B-
Austin City Limits Music FestivalWhere: Zilker Park, Austin, Texas
When: Sept. 14-16, 2007
Who: 165,000 attendees
The scoop: Festival promoters helped jumpstart an Austin Parks & Rec plan to install an irrigation system on the Zilker Park grounds, providing healthier grass for concertgoers and park users year-round. ACL will also feature a special area within festival grounds to highlight various environmental nonprofit groups.
The score: B+
Sarah van Schagen is Grist's assistant editor.Labels: fan resources, festivals, Grist
My neighbors have started celebrating Fourth of July.....it's intense. I mean, it's usually pretty noisy as perfectly captured in
Curtis on the Corner by Sonny Smith, but this is ((((next level)))).
Because I like to geek out on environmental footprints, I sometimes think about the footprint of my neighboorhood. Plenty of hobos recycling cans, a hippie commune across the street, and families who generally live in small efficient apartments (myself included). Not to mention the
renewable energy certificates I buy to offset the emissions that come from my electricity use.
On the other hand, there are SUVs, muscle cars doing donuts in the parking lot--OK, you get the picture. Because fireworks have become...how do I put this?..... such a neighborhood fixture, I thought it would be good to figure them in, too. Luckily, Umbra of grist.org solves the mystery of the environmental impact of fireworks:
Repost from
grist.orgDear Umbra,
Our family has always lit a fair amount of fireworks for our 4th of July celebration. I would like to encourage my family and friends to find other ways to celebrate due to the CO2 emissions that will result. However, I don't really know how much carbon is emitted. I already have to deal with the fact that many in my family are not taking climate change seriously, so I want to be knowledgeable when I state my case.
Donna
Elk Grove, Calif.
Dearest Donna,
Can one change a family tradition given only a few days of warning, let alone change it at all? Intra-family fireworks may result from your efforts to limit celebratory incendiary devices. But personal fireworks may be avoidable if your main concern is -- as it should be -- climate change. Although fireworks do give off carbon dioxide, they aren't known for their greenhouse-gas impacts. They do have other potentially toxic components, and pollute air and water. Toxic enough to stop once-annual use? I'm ambivalent.
The cons bursting in air.
Photo: iStockphoto
The basic ingredients of a firework seem fairly simple: a powder and a fuse will make a loud bang, just as they do with a gun, and
that's called a firework. If the firework is physically designed to rocket, the explosion propels the rocketing element. There may be a delayed fuse, too, which will ignite various metals embedded in the rocketing firework in the form of "stars." The stars burn up, sparkling as they fall to the ground. Or maybe in your home fireworks there are no "stars," just one chunk of metal dust filled with colorant that lets off a nice sparkle. As for that whistling sound -- yes, that is caused by our friend carbon dioxide. Who knew?
The more serious concerns, however, are things like the potassium perchlorate used as an oxidant in fireworks. Perchlorate, which messes with our thyroid glands, falls to the ground as the firework performs, and may fall into water, where it was recently studied by the folks at the National Risk Management Research Laboratory. Perchlorate in the lakes they studied rose precipitously after fireworks displays, but dissipated to background levels in about 80 days. Still, they are worried about aquatic life and need to look further into this, they concluded. I concluded, do not drink the water after the fireworks display.
The Disney Company has developed aerial fireworks that use
compressed air in place of gunpowder, but those aren't for backyard celebrations. Of course, the NRMRL wasn't studying backyard fireworks, either.
The other small trouble with fireworks is the additives used to get nice colors. They're usually heavy metals (lead and barium are two examples) with various human health risks attached. They are powdered and fall from the sky as the firework explodes. A few of the additives, such as copper salts, cause fireworks to produce
small amounts of dioxins. And, of course, even if the dust weren't all heavy metal, dust itself is difficult for those with asthma.
For your own family celebration, please consider that fireworks studies are usually done on large aerial displays, not backyard shindigs, so the bad should be taken with a grain of saltpeter. I'll get in trouble for this, but I'm not sure your family needs to ban fireworks. It's your decision, of course. If you do decide that the potential heavy-metal pollution is worth the family fight, my best suggestion for you is to bring a noise-sensitive dog or baby into the family, have everyone fall in love with it, and then plead no fireworks on its account come next year.
Independently,
Umbra
Labels: climate change, fireworks, Grist, sarah
Bush gets it from all sides
Posted by
David Roberts at 7:40 AM on 03 Jun 2007 -from
Grist.orgPoor Bush, he just can't get a break. He announces a
shiny new climate-change strategy, and what does he get? Nothing but grief.
Nancy Pelosi
called it "the same stale proposals he has repeatedly put forward to the international community."
Al Gore
called it "purely and simply smoke and mirrors [that] has the transparent purpose of delaying the efforts that could start now."
Dan Froomkin
called it an "attempt to muddy the debate about the issue and derail European and U.N. plans for strict caps on emissions."
Britain and Germany are
not amused:
Britain and Germany yesterday joined forces to warn President George Bush that talks on climate change must take place within a United Nations framework and not in an ad hoc process floated last week by Bush....'For me, that is non-negotiable,' the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said of the need to ensure that climate change negotiations take place within the existing UN framework.
And what about the right? What's the reaction from Bush's eternally faithful base? Mark Levin
says this to the president:
You expanded the federal role in education, and we held our nose because of the war. You signed McCain-Feingold in the dead of night, and we held our nose because of the war. You expanded Medicare by adding prescription drugs, and we held our nose because of the war. You increased farm subsidies, and we held our nose because of the war. Today you disparage us for opposing a massive amnesty program that endangers our economy and national security. Today you even embrace the religion of global warming, a stunning shift from prior policy (your administration even went to the Supreme Court and argued correctly that carbon dioxide is not a pollutant). What's a conservative to do?
I won't answer that last question.
Labels: Bush, climate change, greenhouse gas, Grist
An interview from
Grist with Mr. Bird himself:
Bird Watching-Nine things you should know about musician Andrew Bird
By Sarah van Schagen 04 May 2007
Andrew Bird.
Photo: Cameron Wittig/andrewbird.net
Meet Andrew Bird. He's a musician and songwriter who artfully combines his talents on multiple instruments -- violin, guitar, glockenspiel, his own flute-like whistling -- to create an eclectic, memorable sound that defies typical terms like "indie" and "folk."
Over the last decade, Bird has been gaining momentum, releasing eight studio albums and performing at progressively larger venues -- including
Bonnaroo last summer and Coachella just last weekend. Now he's on a U.S. tour in support of his latest album,
Armchair Apocrypha (and hitting Seattle tomorrow for a show sponsored in part by Grist).
As Bird's following grows, so does the size of his tours -- and his footprint. "I was relieved and happy to be doing well enough to afford a bus," Bird said when I caught up with him via phone this week. "But after that, I was depressed about just going down that prescribed path of bigger production and bigger waste. I wanted to do something proactive and not just accept that this is how it's done."
Disgusted with the disposable and temporary nature of life on tour -- "touring promotes apathy," he told me with a sigh -- Bird decided to partner with
Reverb to load up a biodiesel bus and let his fans know that he cares about green issues. Here are nine more things you should know about him.
He has a recording studio in a barn, and says he gets inspiration from working there. "Definitely when I moved out there ... it had a dramatic effect on my music. It could kind of finally breathe and finally became fully honest -- just relaxed enough to be what it is."
He recruits fans to support alternative energy. During every show, Bird plays a song called "Dear Dirty," from one of his live albums. Then he tells his fans about his partnership with Reverb, asking them to support alternative energy by buying a magnet that says "Dear Dirty, be carbon neutral."
He keeps his backstage requests simple, asking for rice cakes, goat cheese, mixed greens, and LÄRABARs. Instead of consuming a dozen half-bottles of water and forgetting whose is whose, his crew requests several-gallon containers of water to refill their individual Nalgene bottles.
He's an avid cyclist. Bird describes biking in his not-so-bike-friendly home of Elizabeth, Ill., as "an extreme sport trying to get across town." But, he says, there's still a strong bike culture and some good bike shops. "Every time I see people unnecessarily in their cars, I think, 'Gosh, what a shame, what a waste.'"
His favorite summer drink is a Pimm's Cup, made with Pimm's liqueur,
Reed's Jamaican Ginger Brew, and fresh cucumbers (organic, of course).
He argues with global-warming skeptics. After one fan posted a comment to his MySpace page accusing him of "buying into this whole Al Gore propaganda," Bird says he wondered how anyone could be arguing against sustainability. "It's just very shortsighted, that argument."
He loves Green & Black organic chocolate and Chicago's Intelligentsia coffee. In fact, that's all he'd want with him if he were stuck on a deserted island: "I really don't have much need for material possessions."
He reads Grist. "My manager, Andrea, turned me on to Grist, and I've been following it for a while."
He hates lists.
| Sarah van Schagen is Grist's assistant editor. |
Labels: Andrew Bird, Grist
