Preview
HAWKSLEY WORKMAN
Thursday, April 8
MacEwan Hall Ballroom (U of C)
Some days seem better than others, according to Hawksley Workman. This comment comes as the singer-songwriter recovers from a blown eardrum that cost him the last half of his recent European tour. A fumbled sound check has left the singer with a damaged right ear, and the inability to distinguish high-range frequencies. On the advice of his physician, the DIY despot has pushed back his Canadian tour dates and retreated to the relative quiet of his Ontario home to recoup and relax – a luxury his heavy schedule has long denied him.
"It’s been great having this little break," says an upbeat Workman. "Even though it’s only for a few days. I’ve got a lot of things to think about.
"It’s so cool to have time off again. It’s the first time in five years that I’ve been able to look up from the plow," he says, noting that between the TV appearances, the touring and the four albums, the last five years have been pretty busy. "It’s like a light is going on, an opportunity to take stock, see what’s been planted, where I’m going, and what’s left in the field."
He readily admits that the biggest personal transformation he has undergone is the fine-tuning of his consciousness to the plight of humanity on an international scale.
"My brain is very much on the planet," the metaphorically immersed poet professes. "I’m fascinated by the history of humankind and the complex social architecture that we’ve created. I’ve taken a few steps back and have been researching our warring ways."
Pursuing the truth to its sometimes ugly roots, Workman voyaged to Bangladesh to film Inside Your Threads, an exposé on global sweatshop practices in the garment industry produced by MuchMusic, and gained a new perspective on life, death and the privilege of choice.
"As far as I can see, we don’t really have any right to be on this planet," he says. "It’s a really shocking thing that we’ve created. We’ve set ourselves up as the custodians of a new mini-world of globalized economies, and yet at the same time we have negated any responsibility for it.
"The right to life and health is no right at all. Here in North America we have these comfy sensibilities to death – we’re too sentimental. It’s a disease that breeds the feeling that we have a right to life, and that negates the rights of others to the same."
While he’s the first to admit that poetry and politics don’t always mix, he draws upon his inner Lover/Fighter (coincidentally the title of his latest album) to delve deep into what is destined to become his primary future concern."Canada is so culturally bland. We are so wide, varied, progressive and sensible. We can’t let our identity wither. We can’t play the economics game like the U.S. and Britain, who treat it like an old-fashioned sport. We’re entering a new realm. It’s the openness to having new experiences that feels special to me. When you get on stage in front of a community of 500 or a 1,000 people, all that Juno and award stuff just kinda falls away. It’s wonderful, and it’s not about accolades, it comes down to a great artist, and a great audience, and the undeniable willingness between the two. My purpose is to ignite change through a desire for truth." |
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