. . .

An interview of Linford by James Kilpatrick, a student at MBI in Chicago.
An edited version of this interview appeared in MBI's student newspaper, with the title "Detweiler discusses music: Over the Rhine's pianist reflects on work, grace and Olivia Newton-John."
May, 2000

James Kilpatrick: Without any further ado… How long has Over the Rhine been playing together?
Linford Detweiler: Ten years.

J: How do you feel your music has progressed since your first recording, "Till We Have Faces?"
L: Patience, our second album was dreamier, more atmospheric. Eve was a record where we tried to rev up the guitars, and make more noise. We had been playing in a lot of clubs prior to Eve, and we felt we had to play louder, more up-beat material to be heard. We were wrong. Good Dog Bad Dog found us returning to the center of what Over the Rhine is about. Over the Rhine has always primarily been about confessional songwriting, and a voice that invites the listener to come closer. With Good Dog Bad Dog, we made peace with just being ourselves come what may. Darkest Night was a spare, after-midnight collection of songs we had been slipping into our annual December concerts. Besides was a Sunday evening meal of musical left-overs--songs that were recorded but which never made it onto a record. Amateur Shortwave Radio, our latest, is a photo album of concert-snapshots documenting ten years of playing together.

J: What are some of the highlights of that time? Favorite shows, friendships made, etc.?
L: Over the Rhine's music enabled Karin and I and our bandmates, essentially small-town Midwesterners from Ohio, to see Britain and parts of Europe for the first time, open for that legend from Hibbing, Minnesota (my parents lived in Hibbing for a while and never once mentioned that Bob Dylan grew up there), and to get up in front of an audience night after night and dream of discovering together what we could not put into words. The closest I can come now to summarizing all those nights of music would be to say we were hoping to figure out what to make of this gift of too-large life, and to come to know what this gift of too-large life would make of us. And, oh yeah, I got to have dinner with Olivia Newton-John in France.

J: How has your Mennonite upbringing affected your creative process?
L: The work ethic has been an asset and a curse. We were raised in an environment where there was always work that needed to be done, and hard work was praised and was thought of as being rewarding and enriching. The problem with this is, a kid can feel that with enough hard work, anything can be accomplished. If I'm unhappy, I need to work harder. If relationships are growing increasingly complicated and disappointing, clear some land and plant some potatoes. Wow, what a great potato patch. Isn't this wonderful? Y'know, lift yourself up by your boot straps and get on with your life and be content. It took me a long time to begin to learn that most of the good stuff in my life had less to do with my hard work than I could possibly imagine, and a lot more to do with gifts I was given for reasons that take a lifetime to begin to understand. What can all my work amount to compared to the gift of a healthy set of lungs? Two legs that can walk a dog down sloping hills, under tall trees? Most of the important teachers that have come into my life have nothing to do with my hard work. They were gifts that were given to me.

J: Who are some of the band’s influences? (this does not have to be limited to music)
L: Anyone I have ever met, read, or listened to has influenced me in some way.

J: What have you all been listening to recently?
L: Heavy rotation in recent years would include any of the three recordings by Canadian song-writer Ron Sexsmith, Gillian Welch, lots of Tom Waits, Radiohead's OK Computer masterpiece, older Van Morrison records, Joni Mitchell's Blue, (I've been listening to that record non-stop for the last week on my turntable; I'll play one side half-a-dozen times and then flip it and do the same thing and then flip it again), the Emmylou Harris Wrecking Ball album- a classic, and we've been listening to a fair bit of Neil Young, mostly older stuff.

J: Having heard you and Karin play at Calvin College it occurred to me that Over the Rhine’s music has a sensual quality that parallels the sensuality found in the film "Babette’s Feast." Which leads me to wonder…. What books or films, if any, would you compare Over the Rhine’s music to?
L: Oh I don't know. Some of my favorite films include Lasse Halstrom's My Life As A Dog and he also did What's Eating Gilbert Grape? I was crazy about Ben Hur when I was a kid, and I love the film Some Like it Hot. I loved Slingblade and The Apostle. A little known 1999 documentary about a NYC tour guide called The Cruise was brilliant. I enjoyed American Beauty and The Fight Club. Very similar themes: if you really own the fact that you are going to die, what would you want your life to look like? Boys Don't Cry was exceptional. I don't know. I guess I like movies that are about something. I hope our music is about something.

J: Speaking of books and film, what are you all reading right now and what film(s) have you seen recently that you would recommend?
L: I guess I tackled film in the last answer. As far as books, Anne Lamott has been a recent discovery. Karin and I have read Travelling Mercies and Bird by Bird. Amazing.

J: Even though Over the Rhine is not part of the "CCM" market, the band still plays in venues that are attended by a decidedly Christian audience. How would you characterize the similarities/differences between yourselves and bands that are expressly part of the "CCM" market?
L: We occasionally play Christian Festivals... I don't know if I can comment, I'm pretty out of touch with "the CCM market." I still keep hoping that they'll leave their little private party and come on out on the dance floor with everyone else and strike up a conversation with someone lonely, and maybe have a little musical fling, take a walk on the wild side. Art is about taking risks and cutting safety nets and letting them fall. Not double-locking all the doors so no one can get into your safe place, and then pretending you're normal.

J: Over the Rhine is currently touring to support the re-release of "Good Dog, Bad Dog." Is there a new studio release on the horizon for the band?
L: Yeah. Welcome to the world of labels. There is a release scheduled for September 12, but this may be moved to January of 2001. This will be our first record containing all new material in quite a while. The label is just trying to find a time to release it when they can really focus on it.

J: Over the Rhine has recently signed a contract with Virgin/Back Porch records. What are the implications of that deal? Can we expect to see you on a VH1 special soon, or is this more just a national distribution and radio promotion type of deal?
L: There are no pretenses about turning us into rock stars overnight. Over the Rhine has the kind of following, and we make the kind of music that hopefully will allow us to make records for a long, long time to come. It's not about cute videos, or top forty singles. But the nice thing about doing music for a living is that it's a wild card. Anything can happen and does. Again, when good things happen, it often has more to do with grace, than work.

J: The band is known to frequent the Chicago area. Are there any places in the city that you are particularly fond of?
L: We always look forward to playing at Schubas, and we usually sell out two shows there. Chicago is a great city. I love the art museum, and have run along Lake Shore Drive once or twice. We stayed at a hotel--I think it was called Hotel Monaco--where you could have your own gold fish in your room if you wanted some company. We made a field trip to the Wade Center at Wheaton College once as a band. We'll be playing at Wheaton College on April 28th. Maybe some Moody folk can make the trek. I always think of Moody during Founder's Week. My parents are big fans and listen religiously. And I remember seeing all those Moody Science films growing up. I guess I should have listed them under my influences.