Interview | Michael Seyer

( Photo by Roger Hallaway)

Rapid-fire Questions

1. What have you been listening to lately?

I’ve been listening to a lot of Blaze Foley

2. Any book recommendations?

I haven’t read in a very long time but Seize the Day by Saul Bellow is always a good one to recommend

3. Would you ever consider collaborating with Willie Nelson? If so, what would your band be called?

He’s the only person I’d collaborate with: our band name would be called “Three Chords & The Truth”

5. Which would be scarier if there was concrete proof of their existence: aliens or ghosts?

Ghosts because people are already scary

Can you tell us a bit about yourself for those who may not be familiar with you?

My name is Michael Seyer. I’m an artist from Los Angeles.

I read that your dad had a big influence in getting you into music when you were younger. Is that what first sparked your interest in music? Are your parents pretty supportive of your music career?

That’s pretty much it. My dad put me on to good music and guitar first and I think I started playing guitar just cause I was jealous of my brother and cousins jamming out and I just stuck with it and learned some more stuff along the way.

I’ve been really grateful for everything so far—I’ve had some really special moments, with a lot of work, but some of those moments include my parents acceptance of all this, who were a bit indifferent at first but they always gave me the space and trust that I needed as an artist.

You also write poetry. What are the main differences and similarities between songwriting and poetry? Is there one that you enjoy the most?

Poetry is harder. Music achieves the same effect but has the ability to hide behind things: the tempo, the structure, the melody, the instrumentation. And though poetry hides behind its own devices as well, the medium feels less forgiving. Because poetry needs to make its own music within its own lines.

And on that same thought, i probably enjoy songwriting more because it’s easier for me.

Is there anywhere where we can check out some of your poetry?

Some of my songs are old poems. They just didn’t work as poems so I rework them as songs. I can’t really recall all that were but Heaven Only Knows and Father stick out in my head.

Your LP “A Good Fool” is out! Can you talk to us a bit about it?

I recorded in 2020 during quarantine. Everyone had some time on their hands so I just wanted to take that period to write a body of work.

What was your mindset going into making this album?

I wanted to be as honest as I possibly could. So I guess my ethos for this project was vulnerability.

Where does the album name/ title track “A Good Fool” come from?

Not sure if the phrase came from somewhere specific but I know I was think a lot about a The Fool/Trickster character. It’s a bit of a archetype that appears a lot in books. They are always the best characters to me and I couldn’t probably go on for too long but what the character typically represents fit well with what I was writing about.

Do you find that writing helps you better understand a situation or even yourself?

Of course. Sometimes a little too late.

Do you ever write anything that is too vulnerable to share with an audience?

I don’t think there’s such a thing as too vulnerable. Just what you’re willing to share and how you choose to share it.

When you’re writing a song, do you have the listener in mind?

I try not to. I’m sure you can never disassociate from that feeling but I think as an artist, the first person you should please is yourself.

You’re going on tour with Men I Trust in a couple of weeks (at the time of writing). Are you excited about that?

We’re almost done with the tour now, with a few days and some change, and it’s great to be back and playing shows in front of people. A bit of an adjustment but I’ll manage.

Ideally, what do you want to accomplish with or through your music?

I think for me, the only thing I’m trying to do is express myself. If I’ve done that honestly, then I feel accomplished.