All Eyes Out For You

Jennifer Knapp update (and, um, some other stuff)

As you might recall, I had an email interview with singer-songwriter Jennifer Knapp discussing her upcoming album Letting Go.  In hindsight, it was a fairly innocuous interview.  Ironically, I felt maybe she got a bit prickly about my questions regarding her move away from the Christian music community.  As a fan of Buddy & Julie Miller, Sam Phillips, Joe Henry, etc., I certainly respect that artists can write about their faith in inspiring and unique ways that are in no way confined to a "Christian" music label.  However, I also know full well through my own personal experiences that Christian Music is a real genre, as cordoned off from the rest of music universe as just about any other genre.  The people I know who listen to Christian music listen to little else.  Every musical style is represented within Christian music, but it is bound by an industry that caters to a very specific and large listener base.  I find it fascinating when an artist who is known almost exclusively inside that industry chooses to step outside of it.  One might question why.

Well, the answer to that question has become a bit clearer in the past week.  I was more than a little surprised to find a press release in my inbox a week ago announcing that Jennifer Knapp was coming out (though I was familiar with the persistent rumor).  That news was followed by interviews with Christianity Today (1181 comments!), Reuters and The Advocate.  Jennifer appeared on Larry King Live on Friday night to discuss her newly-public sexuality with Pastor Bob Botsford (who published an admonishing blog about it) and disgraced former pastor Ted Haggard.

Let me stop you right here.  You don't care about my own Christian beliefs and didn't ask my opinion.  I'll give it to you shortly anyway.  I should mention that I'm a Christian, as fallen from grace as you're likely to find.  I was raised Southern Baptist and generally find little use for the Church in my life today.  Or more specifically, I find little use for the churches that I've generally attended.  When I was a blossoming young fan of music - Madonna, Van Halen, Huey Lewis, you name it - I attended Youth Group with a whole lot of little assholes who enjoyed telling me how listening to that crap would send me quickly to hell.  I had more than one Youth Director who spent plenty of time telling us what was wrong with "secular" music and, especially amusing, deciphering lyrics to reveal their true demonic meaning.  This topic was split pretty evenly with lots of useful guilt over our emerging sexual feelings (just regular hetero feelings - homosexual sex wasn't even mentioned).  I have nothing particularly against folks that enjoy Christian music exclusively - hey, to each his own - but many of those folks tend to be pretty closed off from the rest of the world.  I should add here that I have many wonderful family members who listen to nothing else.  In fact, my brother-in-law has really good taste in songwriters and has pointed me toward a number of good artists.  I, however, view him as the exception that proves the rule.

So I watched Jennifer Knapp on Larry King on Friday, and she took great pains not to condemn anyone or disown her Christian beliefs.  However, here's an argument I don't buy - we are all sinners, so why should anyone single out her homosexuality as worthy of condemnation?  Here's the problem, as I see it - you can't be intimate with someone and have your family in faith condemn it as a sin.  Neither can you disown those relationships as the act of a sinner.  Loving another person is the closest most of us come to true grace.  I'm not saying that Jennifer isn't a Christian -- quite the opposite.  She'll at some point have to drop all the pretense of respect and agreeing-to-disagree.  Make no mistake, many of those fans that made her a Dove Award-winning artist will abandon her over this because they are part of an Evangelical community that regards homosexuality as unacceptable.  Better to just embrace that and move on.  I've read plenty of supportive comments from fans as well, but I have no doubt they will be in the minority.  Bob Botsford spent the whole show shaking his head and painting himself as her concerned brother in Christ.  Sorry, Pastor Bob, that's not Christ speaking through you, that's just you being another judgmental jerk feigning concern for someone else's soul.

At one point, she said respected people who believe in Biblical inerrancy but also went on a tangent about Greek translations that may or may not have meant "homosexuality," as we understand it.  As for Biblical inerrancy, I'll just say that my own Southern Baptist mother taught me that the seven days in Genesis were - obviously - a metaphor.  I only realized a few years ago that there were actual human beings with high school diplomas and college degrees who believe that the Earth is only about 5000 years old (and therefore disbelieve everything ever taught to them in a science class).  If you believe that, you are stupid (sorry, but why are you still here?).  The Bible is chock full of contradictions.  In fact, that's one of it's most fascinating elements.  Most Christians I observe (ya know, on Larry King) think they or their preachers have worked it all out, know God's master plan like the floorplan of their house.  As you might have guessed, I don't think they do.

My point (if I have one) is that Jennifer Knapp won't be able to have it both ways.  She will at some point have to say, "Hey, sorry folks, when I was younger I thought we were all in the same boat.  But now that I've dealt with the complexities of my own life, I just don't share the same strain of Christianity with you."  I suspect that anyone condemning Jennifer would equally question the Christianity of a music-blogging, non-churchgoing, foul-mouthed sinner like me.  Have at it.  I don't care because my Christian beliefs do not require their endorsement, just as theirs don't require mine.  I like to think my Christianity is a big tent, but I'm quite sure that some Evangelicals I see every now and then aren't in it.  I'm happy to let God sort it out.

I do respect the bravery she's shown in doing this so publicly.  It is fascinating to watch it unfold, only because she seems to be working out how best to discuss it.  Bravery, by the way, does not always equate with wisdom.

Letting Go will be out on May 11, and it has a pretty good shot at landing in my Top 10 this year.  I'll have to more to say about the MUSIC in the near future.  And I promise, I'll have nothing to say about her sexuality anytime soon.

A few questions with... Jennifer Knapp

A few weeks ago, I was sent a digital copy of the new record from singer-songwriter Jennifer Knapp.  The album is called Letting Go and will be released on May 11.  I wasn't familiar with her work at that point, but I've really been enjoying the album.  Since then, I've sought out her three previous records and am really intrigued by her music.  For readers of my blog, I can tell you that Letting Go has a lot in common with some of my favorite singer-songwriters (note her mention of Patty Griffin in the interview).

The record marks her return to recording after a few years away from recording and touring.  Knapp is currently on tour with Derek Webb, though she played a solo show here in Houston last Friday.  I had hoped to have this interview posted in time for the show, but our schedules didn't quite sync up in time.

Note:  This Q&A was conducted via email, perhaps not the most interactive format.  Many thanks to Jennifer for taking the time to answer my questions.

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Ramblings:  I imagine much will be made of the fact that you've been on seven-year hiatus from recording and touring. So let's get this one out of the way: Why the lengthy absence and why did you choose to return now?' 

Knapp:  Simply put, I was tired and had lost the enthusiasm for being a musician. I felt I was missing the joy I had always found in music. Everyone around me called it a 'hiatus' or a 'sabbatical'...I called it quitting and never coming back! In the long run, I think the length of time is indicative of just how used-up I was feeling, just how far removed I had gotten from why I started writing and playing in the first place. It took about 5 years, but I finally picked up my guitars and started writing again. I had missed it so very much. There's really no "Why now?" to returning other than the fact that I've got some music I'm excited to play and share. I'm stunned that there are people still wanting to listen. 

The recording industry has struggled to keep pace with technological changes over the past few years. As you've returned to recording and touring, what challenges - and opportunities - do you see for yourself and fellow artists? 

Finally now, maybe we'll get past this notion that in order to be a legitimate musician, one needs to have a record label and make lots of money? If money is what you're after, surely there are easier ways to get it? If number of records sold is an indicator of artistic impact, then how do I explain the fact that Patty Griffin changed my musical life forever, and Elvis inspires me to eat bacon & peanut butter sandwiches? (Don't get me wrong, Elvis is awesome!) In the end, I'm glad that music is being challenged to be more than just a commodity, it gives me hope that what I and other artists create WILL matter culturally and socially. It should. Even if we don't get paid well for it, I bet we'll still paint of cave walls! 

A friend of mine described your previous albums as "theologically conservative." Broadly speaking, does that sound like a fair assessment of where you were on those records? Do you hear some differences between the beliefs expressed on your prior records and the new album? 

I don't know you're friend, so I'm not sure how we're defining 'theologically conservative'...If anything I would argue that much of my previous work, as a whole, desperately reached for some understanding of how a Christian God and I could live gracefully with on another. For me, grace is not conservative. It's nasty, dirty business that requires accepting what you've got to work with and moving on. In whatever ways I began exploring my Christian faith while songwriting, I had no clue that I would later be encouraged to adopt a specific language subset in order to be deemed valid in speaking of my spiritual journey. I desperately cling to writing, I will do it whether others choose to listen or not, and in that reason alone, I am the same musician as I have always been: not seeking to proselytize but to share the journey of living. 

I'm guessing Letting Go will be labeled your first "secular" album.  Though many themes from your previous records are certainly present, are you specifically looking to engage an audience outside your traditional Christian music base?  Do you worry about alienating your longtime fans?

Could we not fill an entire article with a discussion of what delineates Secular vs. Sacred music? 

If anything, I'm specifically seeking to engage listeners, however they come. I still wonder if I've ever had a 'traditional Christian music base'? I suspect that most fans are broad and demanding listeners who expect their artists to be relevant and honest to their own journey despite where on the theological continuum they may fall. It would be truly disappointing to me if anyone mistook this latest record to be a denial of my past work simply because it was not written for use in the church. There's no pre-requisite here, I do not expect a single fan to buy the next record simply based on my past work or based on the merits of my spiritual life. The albums that have changed my life have met me where I am, however I am, regardless of genre or beliefs of the author. Whether it's U2, Tracy Chapman, Mozart or Ashley Cleveland...that's all you can ever hope for, that a recorded work will meet people where they are, however they are. 

Several of the songs on the new album feature pretty rocking arrangements (for lack of a better term). Do you generally walk into the studio with the arrangements fully-formed in your mind, or is recording a process of discovering how you want to present the songs on the album?

It depends on the song really. Some songs are fierce and produce themselves, others are more fluid, and open to more interpretation. Going into the studio, I always like to have a general idea about what I'd like to walk out with on the other side, but attempt to be aware enough to recognize the moments of that call for spontaneity. For example, 'Want For Nothing' was a song that I had labeled as a steady album cut, solid, but not too bold. I had only ever played it acoustically, but when we started playing it live in the studio, the song exploded into a radio-single. I'm too much of a control freak to go in unprepared and unaware of what I hope to accomplish, but at the same time, I'm learning that letting the music carve it's own way once in a while is a good-value risk. 

You're currently on tour with Derek Webb, but the Houston show is part of a small run of solo shows following your appearance at South By Southwest. What should audiences expect for these solo shows, and what can we expect in the way of touring for the rest of 2010? 

Not to sound boring, but vintage Jennifer Knapp, really. For most of this spring you'll catch me in small venues, just me and my Taylor 810ce. For now, I'm just getting used to being on stage again and singing full-time. Hopefully, after the record releases I'll crank it up a notch and get a band together. 

How do you foresee your older material sitting alongside these new songs in a live setting? 

I've been pleasantly surprised. I thought all the 'old stuff' would self-segregate itself out, but there are a few that still seem to want to hang around. I switch it up pretty regularly to try and keep it feeling fresh. Some songs off 'Kansas' are over 15 years old and I've sung more times than I care to count. Still, I have a sneaking feeling that there are a few songs that are truly written on my heart and I may never lose them...others, well, they may have to wait their turn more than some.

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(You can download the track "Dive In" from Letting Go here.)