You’ll have read our review of Ron Brunk’s latest releases, ‘You Make Me Crazy‘, and ‘Sometimes All‘. Now we speak to the man himself about these tracks, what keeps him going, and his musical legacy – so far.
Having made 34 albums, what inspires you to keep making new music today? Where do you pull fresh inspiration for songs?
I can’t stop. It’s who I am. Since I was a little boy, I’ve always had a percussive rhythm burning constantly through my soul. And it manifests itself by flowing out through every part of my body. My feet are always shifting, my hands always knocking, and my teeth always grinding & chattering a drum beat. And the song ideas and lyrics are never-ending. I have many boxes, drawers, and tubs filled with notebooks, napkins, and assorted scraps of paper containing a legion of ideas and lyrics. And it’s easy to pull fresh inspiration for songs because every brand-new day given by our Almighty God & Father is filled with new experiences, feelings, ideas and emotions.
When it comes to writing & recording songs, I’ve always tried to push all boundaries and create outside the box. Therefore, I see and sense song possibilities in EVERYTHING. And that is no exaggeration. Every day you will find me bebopping around the house, scatting or rapping or singing songs. One moment you may hear me lamenting about burning the toast, and the next I may be singing about my love affair with chocolate. And later you may hear me singing about what a blade of grass is trying to tell me, or about the futility of a spider building his beautiful web by the door. And of course, you would often hear me singing about how very precious my wonderful cats are to me. I have so many songs about my kitty babies that it would boggle your mind!
How did your faith influence the lyrics and overall message of ‘Sometimes All’? Why is sharing your faith important to you?
‘Sometimes All’ is very, very special to me personally. It is one of a handful of extremely powerful songs that I HAD to write after recovering from a near-death experience (By the way, ‘Be Somebody’ is another of those songs). I nearly bled to death from massive intestinal bleeding, and only transfusions saved my life. This actually happened to me three times. I was in the hospital for several days each time, and had to go through a long list of tests. But none of the doctors could ever find an explanation for what was happening to me.
And I can tell you one thing for certain – when you’re lying helplessly in a hospital bed all alone at 3:00 am, trying to recover from an inexplicable brush with death, that is definitely the moment when you realize that it’s just YOU and GOD. The Almighty is all you have. All your family and friends can’t save you. All your money and possessions mean absolutely nothing. All your hopes and plans fly right out the window. It’s rock bottom, my friend. And that is what ‘Sometimes All’ is about.
‘Sometimes All’ and ‘You Make Me Crazy’ have very different sounds. What inspires you to experiment with different styles in your music?
I LOVE to experiment with different styles. It brings me great joy! You should hear some of the crazy songs I’ve written but haven’t had time to record yet!
But my biggest musical heroes and inspiration were The Beatles. Duh. Sure, many people say that because they were just so amazing. But one thing I especially admired about them was how they wrote so many different types of songs. Each album was a mix of very diverse sounds and styles. Just listen to their ‘White Album’! It ranges from ‘Blackbird’, to ‘Helter Skelter’, to ‘Revolution #9’, to ‘Ob la Di and on and on. To me, that’s genius and true creativity!
With most artists, you know what you’re gonna get. They have a certain lane, and they stay in it. BORING. I like to keep changing lanes, pushing the boundaries, and trying new things. I aspire to make albums the way the Beatles did. That is, by combining differing styles on one album and juxtaposing songs in a very imaginative way. To me, the song order is extremely important to the listening experience. Of course, it seems that we are in a time period where many people don’t seem to have as much interest in or appreciation for an album as a work of art. Instead, they just want to download the latest, empty-headed or profane single. Not everyone, of course, but I do see a lot of that.
Did you face any surprises or challenges in the production process for these two songs?
Actually, it’s pretty amazing that everything went so smoothly in recording, mixing and producing these two songs. ‘Sometimes All’ was particularly smooth as it all seemed to come together quickly and like magic. And I think the end result speaks for itself. I firmly believe that God was truly in control of the entire process.
‘You Make Me Crazy’ also was without any major challenges. The biggest hurdle was getting the piano player to play with wild abandon, which is the way I wrote the song. He is a professional pianist, far more technically skilled than me, and he kept trying to play it too straight and proper. Especially that wild & crazy Interlude section about ¾ of the way through the song. I had to go to the piano several times and demonstrate how I wanted him to play it. In a bit of frustration, I banged on the keys with my palms, elbows and foot! Then he understood the type of wild abandon I wanted.
Did you have a clear vision for the ‘You Make Me Crazy’ music video? How did you bring this vision to life on your own?
Yes, I wanted this video to present in a different manner than most. I thought a split-screen approach would work out very well, and I’m quite pleased with the result. At the outset of the process, I knew what I wanted to do. I envisioned a split screen with clips of me performing the song on the right, and the interpretive dancer doing her amazing thing on the left. And I knew immediately that I wanted her clips to be real and raw, but mine to be enhanced with some sort of pop art colourisation. And I did all that editing on my computer to accomplish the finished product.
Were there any creative risks or bold choices you made in either video production that you are especially proud of?
I think the idea of the astronaut in ‘Sometimes All’ was bold, and if I may say so, brilliant. But at the same time, I knew it would be so different that some people might be puzzled and wonder why I used such strange imagery for that song. And, as I suspected would happen, several people have questioned me about it, stating that they didn’t understand what I was trying to say. And that’s okay, I get where they’re coming from. Admittedly, my approach to the video was a bit odd. But I LOVE it. And I’m just glad and thankful that people are listening and thinking.
If you could give any advice to young artists chasing their dreams, what would it be?
It will probably sound cliché, but the biggest thing is to never give up. Never give up. Never quit. Let the creative fire within you burn madly and brightly until it consumes you. And the truth is, if you were born to create art, you will never be able to stop. Because it is who you are.
Are there any elements of ‘Sometimes All’, and ‘You Make Me Crazy’, that you plan to expand upon in future projects?
That is an interesting question. If you mean specific musical or lyrical elements contained within those songs, my answer would be no. I have not made any conscious effort to do that. BUT, as for the general vibe or message of those songs, the answer is definitely yes. ‘Sometimes All’ is obviously a spiritual song with a very powerful message, and I definitely intend to continue creating songs in that vein. Likewise, I fully intend to create more fun, uplifting, and raucous songs like, ‘You Make Me Crazy’.
Watch the music video for ‘Sometimes All’ here. You can watch the video for ‘You Make Me Crazy’ below. Ron Brunk can be found online on his official website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
