Woody Lissauer Takes Us Deeper Into His Music And ‘No Kings’

Following on from our review of Woody Lissauer’s incredible new single, ‘No Kings‘, we take a deep dive with the man himself.

What does ‘No Kings’ mean to you personally? 

Thank you for asking.

My ‘No Kings’ song was written as an immediate reaction and pushback against the July 2024 ruling (Trump v. United States), when the Supreme Court decided that a president has absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for a very broad and ill-defined range of actions. 

I’ve always been a huge fan of history and a believer in the role of freedom and the rule of law, here, as well as the wider democratic influence of the United States, so I did take it quite hard, personally, when the court failed to uphold the rule of law. 

 And didn’t even bother to narrow its ruling at all. 

How did your father’s love of music influence your own journey?

Well, he started it all.  He adored music, and would sit around and play on an old classical guitar, and sometimes sing, his wonderful old folk songs and blues from the early days.  

I just thought it was magical, and I had to do it.  Sometimes we would all do it together.  My sister Kate also became a professional musician with many albums and a huge following over in the UK, where she lives. 

Dad had a real passion for fairness; he had seen the bad stuff and loved the folk music with an uplifting message that was coming, with Seeger, Odetta, Dylan, and all, in the late ’50s/early ’60s.  

What was the writing process like for this song? 

It was pretty instinctual. 

I did not have to grapple with any compositional challenges. 

I came into the industry from the music side of things. 

In the songwriting world, and in a broad swathe of the fan base, ’a song’ can frequently actually mean the words. 

But for me, it has always meant the music, so when I know the words of what I want to write, like here, the music really takes care of itself, and the whole process can be surprisingly rapid. This idea did feel quite original, at the time; this was a full year before the No Kings movement really started dominating headlines, and social media – I just got the phrase from my own extensive studies of history. 

But it turned out to be an idea that a whole lot of different people would have, independently, and good for them. I’m very happy that so many people are thinking so deeply about these issues. 

Our country is a real car wreck at present, but this does not totally obviate the possibility that some good thing can come out of this, such as a much greater overall involvement in the democratic process by the electorate. 

We’ve always been quite low in that area, relative to our peer countries. 

Why did you feel now was the right time to release it?

Because it was finished, ha ha. 

Finally.

I was aching to release it much earlier, but I’m a bit of a perfectionist in the music-production process.

And, therefore, had actually considered that some events, on the ground, might have come along and rendered my work obsolete.  

But, regrettably, this was not to be the case. 

How did the featured musicians contribute to the track? 

The guest musicians were all very dedicated to the cause of preserving our democracy and constitution, and their inspiration was greatly uplifting in the making of this recording. Their performances were just out of this world. 

The drummer’s track was recorded in London, where they are facing their own issues with neo-fascism. 

Chuck Sabo has played with Elton John, Tina Turner, Seal, and a host of other luminaries, and there is also a second drummer, playing orchestral drums!

I played so many different instruments on here, because I really wanted a big sound, and the icing on the cake – a whole giant crew of guest singers, they were just so magical – they sound really awesome together, singing their beliefs into life. 

What was it like creating and directing the music video yourself?

Oh, it was really neat, it was kind of like a series of pleasant surprises. 

I am not a trained (visual) artist, so this process of starting with an idea, and then making it into an image, and then refining that image, and then turning that into a moving picture, is just an endless astonishment of all the beauty that can exist in the visual arts. 

I’m really fascinated by those arts, and a huge fan. 

What was the biggest challenge during the video shoot? 

The first scene. It’s a long scene, and there was nothing else in the video at the time, so it was very challenging not to be able to get the wrecking ball to do exactly what I wanted.

I wanted it to be a classic wrecking ball on a chain, so I was very punked out about the fact that I couldn’t get that, after a zillion attempts – but when I sat back and saw what I was able to create, I realized that this punching movement, was its own metaphor for our beloved democracy getting punched in the face, in a way that a standard wrecking ball could never have been. 

So I guess I’ve learned that good things happen if you stay open and flexible. 

You’ve worked in many different styles over the years. What keeps you inspired? 

Well, part of it, is what you just mentioned, the working in different styles. 

This is the only job that I’ve ever had, so to always have band work, over that long career, I’ve had to go with the musical styles that had jobs available, and then also change styles, as the culture changed its music styles, over the decades – you know how they do. 

And then, again to that first point, I would also change instruments, to remain employed – I’ve had full-time jobs on every band instrument except the drum kit, and also done feature instruments, like saxophone, flute, violin, and stuff like that. 

So that’s what resulted in me knowing all the different styles, and then the result of that was my formulation of a broad compositional ecosystem in which each musical style reflects a particular emotion. 

Like heavy metal can be good at conveying anger, or a folky talk-song can convey humor, and soaring classical harmonies can express heavenly beauty, and of course, there’s a variety of styles that can affect your body rhythmically, and make you want to dance, and so on. 

So that’s kind of a long answer, but I think what I’m saying is that I’m still exploring this new ‘universal music’ compositional system, where each genre represents an emotion, and I am very motivated to see where it leads. 

What does it mean to you when fans connect with your music?

Oh gosh, well, that is just the best. 

When someone reaches out and says how much a piece meant to them or even when I get those statements showing all the times when people I’ve never even met have decided that they just have to have my music, well, it’s just very deeply touching, and that really keeps me going, also. 

Before we go, is there anything else you’d like to share?

I love you guys more than you can know, and I am incredibly happy that you have chosen to listen to these songs. 

And thank you for reading these words!

Be moved by the music video for ‘No Kings’ below, and find out more about Woody Lissauer and his music online on Facebook, YouTube, and Spotify.