Pi i nit it (“i |(»u\ Brig ha* Ci him*
lo r\|M't i ihr uiif x|>n ltd
from singci songuiitr!
Mu had Prnn
! akr thr irjH ( mt idrnt
Prill*. krvboaidut I’.iffH l
Wariffi and an i »■ gi i»i< i
uric irtmding thru latest
irJr.iM / in fm Ml. .*« Brig s
studio (.in night
I trhinird and I hr.mi iralh stiatigr
(lili.il lit listt .mil ^h<*ll i oprtird (hr
\in had. fhr niumm and Patn« k
Will til iuii in .i lr{>rr ami h.lii in
t audit s ami m k doing '.nine soil «* 1
Ntxxi< h »(lain t Hrtgvaxs
\\ < kept (hr leper up l«»i o\n a
month lot no tcasoit oihct than it I* mg
tulit tth»uv anil it nrailv made it to tin
i ti\ri of tlx a I hull) I hi' ttav ail. «* I
tom m Mu hail' dt »mg
* i(M), it srciih, w.h /ur/tw Mi
in his sophotnoir idrasr fiout K< \
Prim < * Hit 11 lues (lie sti aighth HV.inI hlriwl
of iiaditioiial folk aixl i«h k (hat mat it him
M 1\ S |*>HI Ik*si New \ltist with Mutih
( onsiitrnng that it uavmv fust ir««ml
it did trail* urll Prim sa\s I in \« in
gtatcfld Ini that a lid imtt I vsas ahlr to
make a set ond irt old. whit h cvriNtxKh
ft t Is gt**d alxuH
Matih - itliH ll stoked NMtlrspit ad ptaise
foi Prim t n »ss4 tl folk and |w ip un it xlit s
NMtii sensitive and amusing hu« s
I'M tin t//e\ploirs tliflririU ten Hones
Net mtnuns as ingenious as its
pictlt t t sv>1
I ike the (urvioiis aIImm. tm for MI i> a
in his own
world
A blend of life’s experiences and rich folk
tradition make Michael Penn’s music aJreefor-all
V4>ti \jmkrn ^ of ) 1.11 moiiK hit-mi'
.1 Nooihin^ t omtmi.itmn t?| ai oustit
m ii i.»i anil >uii It til \oi<r, a kind “I vnnng
Hull l)\lan txloi < IV«»)» IKIan lx t aim
Ik .}» 1 >\ I.in
hn fat t// in in ti in (in mnufiKrsol
tolk n niiv like Hill ( >< h* amt |olm Hmc
uho It ft a mai kt<l mi pat t nn tl»r nuiiiij'
S4 Ht^WllU'l
Michael Penn:
Hi* friend* call him
umnual Hi* muck:
confirm* H
\ 11*1 I’t lIII s Holds Iim., .i|( I l« !l 111 till
hoi11i 11«>111 wliu h hr draws his Im h s
oiliri |m o|)Ir n 11\< n uho 1 knou
.uni \%lto I ir.ui .iix mi and m\ own lift*
1 hr .illHUII 1 rails is .t her lot all \%lie'll II
i onu s to uh.it lVm» itsrals ahout his
t "inn o| ihf* xsoild
I ik* the n." I lhnik.i i Mil! in uhuh
IVnn WTilrs aliout thr I os \ngrlrs riots
You i an tun awa\ In mi tilings that ate
going on in I os \ngrlrsj. hut it II
rsrniualh t an h up with you IVnn saw
Hut tin aina/mg dung about l \ is that
it s v i mam r ns trot tint nts that vmi t an Ik
«lost tn that, and \ou tan Ih- in tliat and
Irrl it r\er\ single* da\. and thru <ln id<
\ou nrrd to grl auas foi a tin wnrnt and Ik
abb to line! a plat r whrir \ou it
toinplrtrh awas (loin it all
l ikt IVnn s song wilting, tralh It shrit
that IVnn pit Iris isolation a piohlrm
though, while* on tour foi his last album
“ l hr pit iblrm It *i ntr vsas that I uas ^ ml
lot sut h a long tunt on tout. anti I hmini
tliat 11 oil Id n i unit- on (hr load, \s hit h was
soi t of a diago! a irvrlation IVnn in alls
\ml so it uas an ama/ing vst n mouths
on out level hut not too it uaiduig on
auothn U srl from thr standiroint *d not
Ik mgahlr to write
l sr lit nails IVnn g< >t hat k to his wot Id «>l
solitude \ml hr* hn W/t amt toith
Dining thr last irtoid, l put pirssuir
on msvlt to make* a grr.it album, hr sass
’’Hut masl>r it hat! something to do vsith
grtiing signrd Min iK ingat fmusit l«»ng
t iiough to Ik- si hmih al la thr timr I gt »l a
it*t t>itl tit al. I stas sort «i( k h krd ui (lit wa\
I tin! t st tvthmg
IVnn .dtri all. has hrrti plasutg his
niusit foi somr tinir ntiSt
Hr lust \t.is mspurtl tti Ik a lllllstt tan as
a st mug Ik a . IVnn saw I Ir pl.tsrtl a hit «»l
piano. .»< mails but guitar betaine bis
instrument of t holt r
I’iaim "st.isn t as iruaidmg as the
guitarhr saw
IU I bs | . when hr loimt d thr I.os
\ngeles-basrd band. 1 >< *11 ( ongiess IVim
wav well \civd in gliilai I veil though tin
gtuup showed pioiltise and I ui< i a l« »\ a 1 tan
base, K biokc lipaltei five veals
But. while still with the band, Penn nu t
Wam-n and Brig, tin* pair with whom In
eventually tollalwaated on his albums It s
a musnal union with whit h I’rnii and
tvsjK*i live friends ai e pit ,im d
■* I hrv it* Iwt > «»t im t losrst ft tends, and
we stin of just .til get (ogethei in the studio
anti have a it alb gieat time Penn savs
“It sa tew.tidinge\jH iiente
he i g set ins to think *» t«M>
Duting some point in tin middle of
pi < h It it it l)^ J die let old was lli\ hiilhdav
P* i g i < t alls Anti Mit hael took foui of m\
pet peeves whit h ait t towns < Igais
whistling anti jHMinies and lentrd a t lowu
smoking .» i igai with a bug of pennies
whistling » that s tin kintt of hit ml ht
is "
\iid the kind of musn ian. i« *o
Penn’s imisit aliei all hasbetoim
anything but piedu table, wliu b is tint
with him as long us you doti i 11\ to stuff his
st mini inn»a t ulrgt ha like ~ alter native
\nvthmg tfi.u is lain led alternative is
l>et oming less and less alternative/ Penn
savs “It's like when punk betaine new
wave and it stiddeulv got all t Iraned up.
nit e and titiv
Not likt Penn who Beig pituullv
«li st hIh s as "unusual
\\ hat a l« >t < >f people don • know is dial
1 Penn s| enumoted witfi arcane tehgions
and kimi of quasi lehgions/ Beig savs
I ft has slut lit d them liotfi quite a bit. and
he s well read in Ro\it net ian anti Masonic
lileiatuie
Ikisu alb . he s t teated his «*wn vievs of
the UlUVeise
\iul though IVejg is hesitant to define
Penn s view of the universe loi him. vou
tan he sine that il it’s anything like his
song wilting, Penn’s view t>1 the woild is a
keen one undouhfedh a liJtle strange and
paitit ulai b s.u uni to Mu hael Penn
I«» KHIS ! \ I \KS<
( hit tit_»*< / nmu
I <>f Illinois. ( III! .1^1*