Tom Rush tells tales about storytelling
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Jul. 15—The call comes in from an undisclosed location in southern Maine. Tom Rush, the granddaddy of American folk, is on the horn and wants to talk about two upcoming shows, Thursday, July 21, and Friday, July 22, at Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport.
He's got a few minutes before he's scheduled to record a bunch of songs for his new "Rockport Sundays" project.
The first question, admittedly off topic, is "what's the link between storyteller and an overnight sensation?"
After all, his version of "The Remember Song," written by Steve Walters, has garnered more than 7 million views on YouTube. Basking in the attention brought by Rush's version, Walters has even recording the hit again, giving kudos to Rush for reaching millions of listeners.
How'd that happen?
"I can't remember," he deadpans, explaining he heard the song at a show in Wyoming and decided to perform it for a special Judy Collins concert in California that was being recorded for broadcast. The song didn't make it in the show's final cut, Rush said, but he had access to all the songs that he performed.
"My webmaster was putting up stuff on YouTube and I said 'let's put up that Remember thing. I don't know, somebody might like it.' And, of course, it was the one that took off."
"Storytellers aren't usually overnight sensations, I guess."
For an artist who looks a bit like Mark Twain, storytelling seems effortless for Rush.
"I started telling stories early on because I realized if the audience likes you, they are much more apt to like the song you're about to do. So I would try to get the audience engaged by telling them a story about the song I'm going to do next or it could be totally unrelated," he said.
As an example of storytelling's power, Rush offers a tale of Robert L. Jones — known for his topical storytelling and a love for Woody Guthrie songs — playing at the Club 47 in folks' heyday.
"I actually heard him one time do a 30-minute set without ever getting around to doing a song," Rush said.
"He didn't realize it — it was just, one story led into another one and then the 30 minutes was up and it was 'thank you very much'. Anyway, I took a page from his book."
"So I tell stories and people love it, I get requests for the stories. 'Tell the one about the guy from New Hampshire...' It blows my mind but people regard the stories ... like the songs. 'Here's the thing that Tom does,'" he said.
"I think if the person who is telling the story thinks it's funny, you're going to laugh."
No Regrets, no politics
"I try not to get political. Sometimes I can't help myself. I send out a newsletter on a regular basis...and anytime I get political. Actually, I think most of my crowd are like-minded people, but I will piss off somebody and get some blowback," he said. Rush said he tries to practice civility in interacting with the occasional angry email.
Rush said he sees the shows as a chance for fans to get away from the daily grind.
"I don't get political in the shows themselves," he said, "I would like my shows to be a little bit of a vacation from all the problems in somebody's life. You get to go to a Tom Rush show and forget about all that stuff and just have a good time for a few hours."
Singing to the choir
"Personally, I never really got into the protest song thing. The protest songs — back when I was starting out — there was Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton and, of course, Dylan and they were writing powerful protest songs. But I don't know if they ever changed anybody's mind but they did help to bring like-minded people together. So they reinforced the message — I don't know if they converted anybody."
"The writers who converted people, and Dylan might be among them, but Woody Guthrie for example, would writes songs not about issues, but songs about people. If you sympathize with that person, you then sympathize with the situation that person was in — that might change your mind about that situation. He was a very effective protest writer."
A perfect illustration of that, Rush said, is "Deportee," by Guthrie.
"He gives names to these people, they weren't just deportees," he said.
Old stomping grounds
In recent years, Rush has lived all over these parts of New England. Now in southern Maine, he recently spent about two years living in Rockport, some time in suburban Boston, and of course his home state of New Hampshire. "And don't forget Vermont, I lived there, too," he adds.
But he's also lived in Wyoming and California and spent time in NYC after college.
But he called Deering, New Hampshire, home for 18 years and admits that when you're a born- and bred-New Englander, it's kind of gets in your blood.
"I think that's about right."
Curtain time
Shalin Liu Performance Center on the waterfront in Rockport is near and dear to Rush. He can't say enough about the venue.
"Shalin Liu is one of the most fabulous venues anywhere in the world. It is just a total treat. I've been playing there every year, of course we missed a couple with COVID, but I've been playing there two nights a year forever, since somewhere in the Harding Administration. I am totally looking forward to it, it is such a spectacularly beautiful venue," he said.
COVID came early
Just before the pandemic set in, Rush performed the opening leg of that winter's tour in New England — including a January 2020 show at Firehouse Center for the Arts in Newburyport — and then headed south. It was on the plane ride home to Rockport from Florida that Rush probably contracted COVID-19, he said.
He got very sick but never required hospitalization.
"It's not fun — I don't recommend it, please go get vaccinated, folks," he said.
Bouncing back
Just six months or so into the pandemic, in September 2020, a few venues tried to open with drastically reduced crowds, masking and social distancing as part of the concert experience. And Rush found himself, just months of recovering from the virus, on stage at the Portsmouth Music Hall, socially distanced from his partner-in-crime Matt Nokia, playing for a smattering of fans, all masked.
"They did it right, they spaced people out. They didn't pack 'em in together...they had really good ventilation and everybody was wearing masks. It was kind of weird but actually it was great to be able to play for people."
IF YOU GO
Tom Rush
Thursday, July 21
& Friday, July 22, 8 p.m.
Shalin Liu Performance Center
37 Main St., Rockport
(978) 546-7391
