Ellis Paul: Redefining the term "folksinger"
I went to school with Ellis Paul, here in town. We're
still friends, but I don't see him much. He's doing music down in Boston and doesn't make
it up to Presque Isle, Maine too often. Last time we talked, he had said he was writing a
song about me and the town - about our cruising days up and down Main Street. We wore
grooves into the pavement down, every Friday and Saturday night, draining gas tanks and
pay stubs. Got to be that we could recognize our friends a half-mile down the street just
by the shape of their headlights. You go down there today and you'll swear you're seeing
ghosts - same hats and cars and pickup trucks, all driven by the same faces. Sometimes
that's even true - brothers, sons, and daughters of the kids we once were. Some things
never change, like the fact that I'm still here to witness it all.
I've heard the song. I'll let you judge for yourself. He
went and changed the names of things - but I know what he's talking about. I bet you will
too, if you grew up in a small town.
-
A friend of Ellis Paul's, on the song, "Look at the Wind Blow"
Ellis Paul is a polished writer. Ellis Paul can sing a song.
That's evident on the track included in this issue, "Look at the Wind Blow."
While sometimes labeled a folksinger, Ellis prefers to call himself a singer/songwriter.
It seems most people don't know what a folksinger is anymore, though Paul may be in the
process of redefining that label.
On his first and only release, Say
Something, Ellis Paul serves up quite a smorgasbord of material. Though the
acoustic/folk sound provides the foundation throughout, there are distinct differences
between the eleven courses. While half the songs are solo and acoustic, producer Bill
Morrissey does a fine job of inserting other players (e.g., electric guitars,
drums/percussion, violins) on the remaining tracks without losing or interrupting Ellis'
pure honest delivery.
We had the pleasure of talking to Ellis a
few weeks back:
How many Brooks Brothers suits do you own?
Zero. I don't own a tie and I don't own a suit.
Tell us the story behind the tattoo on your shoulder?
Well, uh, Emily my girlfriend, had talked about wanting both
of us to get a tattoo for a long time, and I would always kind of roll my eyes at her. She
wanted to get the Woodpecker off the cover of this Tom Robbins novel, Still Life with
Woodpecker, tattooed on her back. For awhile I was just like, alright, you go ahead
and do that, and she kept trying to talk me into it. I said, "Well, you know, I can't
think of anything that I would want tattooed on my body."
Then I was out at this club in Dayton,
Ohio, called the Canal Street Tavern and there was a guy behind the bar, Jamie, who was
giving me beers; he had tattoos all over his body. And right behind him was this poster of
Woody Guthrie, and uh, I'm a huge fan of Woody Guthrie, and all the books that have been
written about him. I've read them all, including the ones written by himself. I just
thought that would be the only thing I would want on there. So I drew the picture of Woody
from the poster in my journal. I'm a fairly good artist so it was a good likeness and when
we got back to Boston, Emily and I went and got her Woodpecker, and I got Woody Guthrie.
She's got her Woody and so do I.
What are you political tendencies?
Well, I try and... uh... I try to present my political
leanings in songs, though I don't try and push it too much. I'm definitely a liberal. I
was a social worker. I guess I'm more or less a Democrat, although I don't really
subscribe to all the things in the Democratic Party.
Are you saying you don't have a "Rush Room" in
your house anywhere?
No, I don't. But I'm working on a song about good ol' Rush
[Limbaugh]. But I want to make it not so obvious.
When writing songs about socially oriented
subjects, I just try and more or less be a reporter and just say things the way they are
rather than try and put some sort of opinion along with it.
I'm curious as to what you think of a band like Nirvana?
I love 'em. I think they're great. They're like The Beatles
meet The Clash. Kurt Cobain, the guy who writes for them, uses pop hooks.
They're only a three piece band yet they
can sound so big and fat and huge and then they will drop out the guitar, and the dynamic
changes are really unique. And then Kurt comes up with great pop hooks... he's a great
writer, a great pop writer. A lot of these grunge bands, you know, the songwriters are
really thoughtful folks who maybe in the 60's would have been playing acoustic guitars.
The End.
The Leak - Winter 1994
