Because he's a nice guy, Joel recently agreed to do an email interview with me. What follows is the product of our correspondance.

Me: How long have you been at this crazy music biz jive?

Joel: Ein Heit formed in Missoula, MT in 1983, Silkworm in 1987, and Robert, Bill and I began playing together in 1995.

Me: On your latest record, the Inland Empires EP, you play mostly cover songs. Why did you choose those particular songs? Any special signifcance? What catches your ear in a song?

Joel: The Iris songs had been favorites of mine for some time. Calling For You was recorded during the making of Blackbird and as I had been listening to it often I chose to make it part of the, uh, process of making that record. Someday dates back to it's release as a single and some now legendary (to me and a few others that is) listening sessions at Tom Kipp's house (Ein Heit co-conspirator and friend) in Montana. The Townes Van Zandt song was our shot over the bow of some of the greatest songs ever written and came on the heels of my screwing up every version of Flying Shoes we did...I suppose had I heard The Highway Kind at that point we might have taken a stab at it, but I'm glad we chose that one. I'm no Lyle Lovett but still... And Songbird bad been on my back burner ever sind the Silkworm 7" The Chain (heck if you can write better pop songs than the greats on Rumours, for goodness sake please do...). All the songs had a special place with me I guess and the main point was of course to pick songs that we could make convincingly

our own. The big gripe of a fella at The Washington Post about the Tom T. Hall cover we did several years ago was that we had missed The Point - his musical intentions (and ours was too darn slow and my voice hurt his ears I suppose). But any good cover has its foundation built not just on interpretation but on transformation. This does not mean adding a funny squiggly noise to the chorus, dance beats or (cursed) distorted vocal tracks...this means a dunking in the river and re-birth. It requires, for better or worse, the faith of thieves who can without a second thought say NOW THIS IS MINE. Which is not to say that a cover need be much different than the original...only that it must take on new life. Not much different from playing one's own songs really.

Me: Is rock and roll dead and does it matter? In other words, do you think popular music in general sucks worse now, or has it always been this bad (or good, depending on whether you're a half empty/half full type)?

Joel: It's not dead but clearly it could use a couple of sick days...don't know if popular music is worse now but I think it seems so if only because it's practically inescapable...you can't hardly get up in the morning without being bombarded by crappy this that and the other thing. And though I have no explanation for the state of modern music I find it interesting that for the first time in my life I'm convinced that I won't ever again feel like I'm making "contemporary" music...

Me: What music do you listen to, or do you really listen to music at all? Or like Prince, do you (Continued...)
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