"You must get married at least once, so you know what you're stepping away from." This was one of many nuggets of wisdom given by Van Dyke regarding the value of a music education during the Van Dyke Parks and Rufus Wainwright panel. Coming into this panel, I wasn't familiar with either panelist so I came in with zero expectations. What I got was an entertaining and insightful look into the musical philosophies of these two accomplished artists, and some amazing live performances from the front row.
After a brief introduction, we got straight into the good stuff. Both Van Dyke and Rufus had a lot to say about their relationships with music and its impact on their life philosophies. Van Dyke suggested to "write what you know" and launched straight into an upbeat jazz number on the piano that represented his "dream escape." Rufus quickly followed with a beautiful and pensive piece he wrote in light of his mother Kate McGarrigle's illness. It was a surreal experience seeing the contrast in tone between the two musicains, and how quickly they were able to color the room with their voices and a piano. Looking around, I could see that everyone was as engaged as I was.
Near the end of the panel, the discussion turned to fame. Van Dyke claims that he's a "beta" and views fame as a distraction whereas Rufus believes it's a "disease" that he's always enjoyed. Both artists expressed their appreciation for the collaborative process. What struck me was how different their outward personalities and musical stylings are, yet it felt that they're coming from a similar place musically. During the Q&A session, Van Dyke left us with another piece of sound advice. "The secret to good songwriting is to create a non-sueable offense," he joked. I didn't want this panel to end and could listen to these guys talk music all day. Can't wait to get home to familiarize myself with more of their work.
