TRT 1:00:21 // ORIGINAL AIR DATE: 8/10/19
In this episode, we go beyond and back with songwriter and musician Jakob Dylan.
![Jakob Dylan, Charlie Sexton, John Doe at the 2019 Austin Music Awards [photo: Krissy Teegerstrom]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/54a5b5dee4b0fe11941753d4/1622664027067-UMF5N4G1F9647LR7KEYB/jakobdylan_charliesexton_johndoe_PHOTOBYKRISSYTEEGERSTROM.jpeg)
Jakob Dylan, Charlie Sexton, John Doe at the 2019 Austin Music Awards [photo: Krissy Teegerstrom]
Jakob Dylan has been playing music for more than 30 years, touring all over the world and winning two Grammys with his band The Wallflowers. He’s released two solo albums and most recently he collaborated with his longtime manager Andrew Slater on the film and project called Echo in the Canyon, which celebrates the music that came out of LA’s Laurel Canyon in the mid-1960s. In the film, Jakob performs with contemporary musicians and interviews musical legends from the era.
Something I often like to ask my guests is how creativity was viewed in their home growing up. Well we’re not going to discuss that in this interview. Jakob’s been surrounded by music his entire life, we all know his father as one of the greatest living songwriters, but that doesn’t make it any easier when you sit down alone to write a song. In this conversation Jakob and I talk a lot about his songwriting process, where inspiration comes from, and why we both think it’s important to share encouragement with others. Jakob and I spoke somewhere in the basement of ACL Live at the Moody Theater, located off of Willie Nelson Blvd in Austin TX.
We recorded this in February before I had the chance to see Jakob’s new film Echo in the Canyon. As of the release of this episode, you can still see the film in select theaters around the US. What I found interesting about the film was the hyper focus on two years of musical output from a particular neighborhood, really, but then the exploration of it was broad, with archival footage, interviews with many musical legends influenced by the era, plus live performances of the era’s songs by contemporary musicians including Jakob, Cat Power and Fiona Apple. It was Tom Petty’s last film interview, which is bittersweet to watch, and even though you don’t see Jakob asking questions of the legends he speaks with, he’s a constant presence throughout the film, a bridge from the past to the present. Being surrounded by legends could be intimidating or inspiring, maybe both at the same time, but to me Jakob gives off an air of equanimity. He can take it all in and still hold his own center. That’s a great skill to have in this wild world.
So go on, don’t art yourself out, but keep going because there’s room for you.
EPISODE SPONSOR:
This episode is brought to you by Heritage Boot! If you need a pair of show-stopping handmade cowboy boots that are actually comfortable, look no further. Their designs are inspired by the 1930s-60s and each pair is made by hand with grade A leathers. Visit the shop on South Congress Avenue in Austin Texas or find them online at www.heritageboot.com.
Thank you Heritage Boot for supporting
the Beyond + Back podcast.
LINKS:
Echo in the Canyon film website
The Wallflowers tour dates
THEME MUSIC BY DAVÍD GARZA
SONGS IN THIS EPISODE:
“Truth for a Truth” by Jakob Dylan from Women + Country
“God Says Nothing Back (demo version)” from The Wallflowers: Collected 1996-2005
“One Headlight” by The Wallflowers from Bringing Down the Horse
“You Don’t Know How It Feels” by Tom Petty from Wildflowers