Feb 1, 2017
I heard <a href="http://www.donwhite.net/"
target="_blank">Don White</a> on the radio long before I
met him. He would tell these wonderful stories about his family,
often followed by a heartfelt song. I <a
href="http://archive.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/articles/2007/01/05/hometown_is_still_whites_muse/"
target="_blank">interviewed him for my then-weekly column for
the <em>Boston Globe</em></a> a couple of times,
talking about humor and songwriting, and where the two intersected.
About a decade ago now, I moved into Don's old neighborhood in
Lynn, and have since gotten to see him work in his own community,
trying to help his fellow aspiring artists figure out how to
balance their creativity with the rest of their lives and
encouraging them to keep at it. I've worked with him on his PR and
had many a conversation about music, especially Frank Zappa, and
stand-up comedy. In this conversation, held in Don's living room in
Lynn, we covered a lot of practical stuff about staying creative
and Don's own curiosity - how he spent a few months studying silent
comedy to help his stage presence and what he learned about passion
from watching Judy Garland.Don's latest album is called
<em>More Alive</em>, and you can find out more about
him and where you can catch him live <a
href="http://www.donwhite.net/" target="_blank">on his Web
site</a>.
After the conversation, stay tuned for one of my favorite songs
from <a href="http://www.johncraigiemusic.com/"
target="_blank">John Craigie</a>'s new album, <em>No
Rain, No Rose</em>, which <a
href="http://nickzaino.com/departmentoftangents/2017/01/31/new-release-roundup-ty-segalls-focused-freak-out-tift-merritts-songs-of-quiet-strength-john-craigies-jamboree/"
target="_blank">I reviewed for the New Release
Roundup</a>.