Misplaced Music interviews Charlie Parr (November 2003)

What inspires your songwriting?

I don't know. I listen to a lot of old music, and try to talk to a lot of people and learn as much as I can. Usually I write some music that I like and then think about a story I've heard or made up and work on fitting it into the music. I'm not a very good at the craft of writing, but I enjoy it. I also really prefer story–style songs and I end up weaving together a gob of stories into one song.

Which artists do you consider to be the most influential to you?

Mississippi John Hurt, Blind Blake, Rabbit Brown, Dave Van Ronk, Charlie Patton, Willie McTell, Dock Boggs, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Tom Bell, Mance Lipscomb, R.L. Burnside, Fred McDowell, Shape–Note choirs, John Fahey, Rev. Gary Davis, all of Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music, Johnny Cash, Spider John Koerner, Robert Wilkins, Bo Carter.

When did you first start playing music and what prompted you to start?

I started playing around 8 years, since there was always music in the house. Dad listened to old folk and country records and always encouraged me to play something. He sang constantly, all these old folk tunes and dirty songs. I still don't really feel like I have much of a grasp on what I'm trying to play, but I'm learning.

How is it being an artist in Duluth? Do you get much chance to play outside Duluth and outside Minnesota?

It's great in Duluth, there are many good places to play and people are very nice to me. It's like an incubator for music here right now, the musical community is very supportive and doesn't feel competitive or mean–spirited. I get out of Duluth a lot to play around MN and Wisconsin, and I've made several short tours to the south and west, which I'll continue and hopefully expand on.

You have released two excellent albums already. Do you have any plans for any more recordings and how do you see these differing from the earlier releases?

I'm recording this winter, it'll be a simple thing, all analog, recorded in a space other than a studio. I want it to sound live, very present. I've finished about 3/4 of the writing, and have chosen a few old tunes to rearrange. I think it'll be good. Probably closer to the first record than the 2nd as far as production, but I think I'm a better guitarist now.

This interview will be continued at a later date…