Here’s an interview I did recently with emPower Music and Arts, about living the humor lifestyle. (A great website and resource, by the way.)
Greg,sharing laughter sounds like a pretty fantastic job description, but I bet it’s harder than it looks. What is the creative process like for you?
It’s best in the shower. I pretty much just stay in the shower all day. It’s hard on the skin, but I never have to use deodorant.
Okay, seriously. (Sort of.) I do like to let creativity come and not try to force it. Relaxed moments are the best for that. But even more important is having the attitude of not trying to take things seriously, and always looking for humor opportunities. It’s a mindset you consciously adopt. Eventually it becomes a habit.
One good exercise is to try never to give a serious answer to a question if you don’t have to. After a while people start finding you a lot more interesting.
When I’m writing songs with Richard Helm, we just sit and talk and have a tendency to be pretty silly. Song ideas bubble up from that, and if they make us laugh, we figure they’ll make other people laugh.
It seems to be working pretty well for you. Your music and humor inspires your fans. How have they inspired you?
By actually buying my stuff! They’ve allowed me to get away with doing this for a living. Plus they read my blog and newsletters and stay in touch and let me know when I’ve struck a chord, when I’m on the right track. They tell me stories of how the songs and humor have helped them.
One guy with cancer recently wrote me and said he took one of my funny CDs to treatment and laughed all the way through chemotherapy. That inspires you to do more, to want to help.
Still on the subject of inspiration, who have been the people who have inspired you most?
Gandhi. That guy was funny!
Just kidding. I grew up with friends and family much funnier than I am, so I kind of soaked it up from them. I was a serious little kid, but I observed that not being serious was more fun. So I made that intention. I think all of us are naturally playful, we just un-learn it. So sometimes we have to re-learn it, like I did.
Role models for funny songwriting are John Prine, Randy Newman, Steve Goodman, Jim Stafford, Loudon Wainwright, Ray Stevens.
What about those days when inspiration fails? We all have days where we’re down, we’re discouraged and don’t want to get out of bed. How do you fight off the blues?
I sleep with a pet skunk. Getting out of bed is no problem.
I don’t really get the blues much, but if I feel a little low I call somebody who’s fun to talk to. And I don’t talk about feeling down. Just the opposite. Connecting with somebody fun is all it takes.
The old gratitude list also works wonders. Very helpful.
Laughter is an integral part of your life, but is there ever a time when a little humor just isn’t going to be appropriate?
Yes, but I’m learning that those times are fewer than I used to think. I was on a plane next to two older ladies who were coming back from their sister’s funeral. They told me all about her, and were obviously grieving. I mentioned I had recently lost my dad, and had written a song for him. They asked what it was called and I said, “Chicken Soup For The Dead.” They stared at me in shock for a second and then just cracked up. Totally lost it. All that pent up emotion came out as laughter, and I could tell they really needed it. For them, it was a gift.
Five days after 9/11, something similar happened. I was speaking at a church Sunday morning, and everybody had been watching TV all week, filling their heads with those horrible images. They were totally depressed and shellshocked. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I winged it and gave a lesson about focusing on what we can actually control, using some funny songs to illustrate that. To this day, I have never had an audience laugh harder. They really needed that release.
You’ve become an expert, it seems, at reading your audience and seeing what they need to hear. What’s the toughest venue/crowd you’ve ever played?
A celebrity charity event of NFL players, spouses and girlfriends. The organizer insisted she pick the songs, and the ones she picked were completely wrong for that audience. I was bombing so badly on stage my mouth went totally dry and I couldn’t form the words I was trying to sing. I was praying just to be able to finish and get off the stage.
It sounds funny now, and it worked out okay. They paid me a lot of money to learn a valuable lesson: never give up creative control.
You’ve received many awards for best songs and best humor. What accomplishment are you most proud of?
At the risk of repeating myself, getting away with doing this for a living. That, and winning a La-Z-Boy recliner on a TV game show.
Okay! So when you have some down time and are relaxing in that La-Z-Boy, what are you planning? What are your future goals?
To inflict myself, in a good way, on as many people as possible. I’m also always hoping to write a really great song. One that makes a difference to a lot of people. It might be fun to start an award for using humor in a very creative, helpful way. To honor people who do that.
Greg, thank you for being with us. I’ll ask one last question and then we’ll let you go. We just celebrated April Fool’s day. What is your best April Fool’s day joke ever?
The one I always remember was when I was a kid. My mom, who was not a practical joker and who never fixed breakfast for us kids because she worked, got up early and made pancakes. But she put a piece of round cloth in each pancake so you couldn’t cut through them. We were young and took forever to figure it out, and she got a huge kick out of that. Then we couldn’t wait for dad to wake up so we could watch her do it to him. I saw a whole new side of my mom, and learned all about practical jokes. Maybe that’s what started me down the road to silliness.
And we are all grateful for the road you’ve taken. Thank you again for taking the time to talk with us.
Thank you.
