Outside the Mainstream

Singer/songwriter Richard Shindell offers an expatriate’s view.

By: Susan Van Dongen
   During the 1984 presidential race, Republican candidate Ronald Reagan came to the small town of Hammonton in Atlantic County and tried to jump on Bruce Springsteen’s bandwagon. Springsteen’s career was probably at its apex that summer, with hit after hit from his album Born in the USA.
   Unfortunately, the title song turned into a nationalistic anthem, a circumstance that must have made The Boss blanch. It was grossly misunderstood by legions of fans — as well as Reagan’s conservative handlers. With the song’s massively popular hook and chorus, "Born in the USA" was misconstrued as a flag-waver. Give a careful listen to the lyrics, however, and it’s anything but patriotic.
   It’s an indictment of the aftermath of war — all about how small town boys got sent to Vietnam unwillingly and landed in an experience that forever altered their lives. How they came back to find unrewarding jobs and an unsympathetic community. How some young Americans never came back.
   Singer/songwriter Richard Shindell notes that Springsteen also released an acoustic version of the song, and without the ostentatious production, the lyrics came through beautifully, meaningfully.
   Mr. Shindell includes "Born in the USA" on his self-released CD South of Delia and gives this and 11 other songs the sensitive treatment they deserve.
   "I tried to sing it in such a way that the verses were as clear as I could make them," he says, speaking from his hotel in Arkansas. "That’s one of the dangers of rock and roll production — some of the subtleties of the lyrics are lost. Because of people’s listening habits and the nature of the production, it makes the words difficult to hear. With the big budget rock and roll version of ‘Born in the USA,’ some of Springsteen’s irony got lost. It’s a great song and I think it needs to come back."
   A New York native living in Argentina, Mr. Shindell is on the road promoting his latest release, available through his Web site (www.richardshindell.com). He’ll be at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing in Titusville April 21, accompanied by bassist Greg Anderson and violinist Sara Milonovich.
   South of Delia is a bit of a diversion for Mr. Shindell, since it is all cover material — but of premium quality. He tackles a bit of everything, from Robbie Robertson/The Band’s "Acadian Driftwood," Woody Guthrie’s "Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)" and the traditional "Sitting on Top of the World" to Peter Gabriel’s "Mercy Street," a paean to poet Anne Sexton, who burned brightly, then took her life in 1974.
   "’Mercy Street’ is interesting because it’s not the typical American story," Mr. Shindell says. "It’s kind of an exception on this record. I’ve always liked the song, my wife likes it and so do my kids and that’s mainly why I included it. But it also contains one of my favorite (song) lines ever — ‘…swear they moved that sign.’ It speaks to the experience of going back somewhere and not recognizing this familiar place. The idea in your head is not corresponding to the thing you’re seeing. This (concept) underlies the entire record."
   An expatriate himself, many of the songs included in South of Delia focus on exile or a feeling of being outside of the mainstream.
   "I chose this material for several reasons, one of which was because of the subject matter — that of someone living outside of the United States looking back at our country," he says. "They speak to an image of the U.S., things that include exile, dealing with war and the fallout from the war. Also, they’re songs I can sing that I feel like I can make my own."
   Always a bit of a rambler, living in Argentina doesn’t surprise Mr. Shindell, who says he lived in Chile as a youngster.
   "Almost the same longitude as now," he says. In 2000, the family moved to Buenos Aires where his wife, a native of Argentina, found work.
   In his younger years, Mr. Shindell moved into a Zen Buddhist monastery after graduating from college, then traveled through Europe, settling in Paris as a struggling musician who often played for coins in the underground Metro stations. Returning to New York and fascinated by philosophy and religion, he enrolled in Union Theological Seminary, where he began writing songs.
   Signing with the independent label Shanachie, Mr. Shindell produced three albums and was invited to tour with Joan Baez. In 1998, along with Dar Williams and Lucy Kaplansky, he formed the acoustic trio Cry, Cry, Cry and released an album of covers.
   Produced by Larry Campbell, longtime member of the Bob Dylan Band, Somewhere Near Paterson became Mr. Shindell’s most successful release.
   For South of Delia, Mr. Shindell called upon some of his old friends, including Ms. Kaplansky, as well as Eliza Gilkyson, Tony Trischka and Viktor Krauss. He was thrilled to include guitarist Richard Thompson and keyboardist David Sancious.
   "The album started off to be a little tiny record, recorded in my dining room in Argentina, just a couple of microphones and my guitar," Mr. Shindell says. "The intention was to record it quick and put it out. But once I had done this, I couldn’t leave it alone. My friend (Mr. Anderson, who co-produced the project) and I began to imagine, ‘Who would sound good on this song, or that one?’ We sent out the raw data, the various tracks via CD to Richard, Eliza, Tony and everyone and said ‘Do your worst,’ and then they sent them back. Technology made this possible.
   "One of the reasons I was able to put this amazing group of people together was that being together in the same room was not one of the requirements," he continues. "Doing it this way frees everybody up to do what they can. They all have complicated lives and schedules, so there’s no way we could have put this group together schedule-wise. We said ‘do it whenever you can,’ but we need it back in a couple of weeks. In every case we were happy with what everyone did."
Richard Shindell performs at the Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing, 268 Washington Crossing-Pennington Road, Titusville, April 21, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $23; $5 14 and under. (609) 406-1424. www.crossingconcerts.com