Simply Six: Mike Stout

1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer.  For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later.  Is there such a defining moment for you?

Yes - When I was 15 years old at a Boarding school (i.e.-reform prison) in a farm town in the middle of Illinois corn country, I went to a place called the Youth Center and saw a band called the "McCoys" who featured a teenage guitar player named Rick Derringer and a young singer whaling on a song called "Hang On Sloopy,"  followed a week later by a group called "Them" with a young teenage singer named Van Morrison. I said to myself: 'there's my way out of this insanity.'

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to?  Who are some of your favorites?

Phil Ochs, early Bob Dylan, Patti Smith, Bruce Cockburn, Woody Guthrie, delta blues greats like Mississippi John Hurt, Son House, Leadbelly, etc and the Beatles - the all time masters of innovation and 3-part harmony.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

 

In 1973, at an International Peace Conference in Montreal, Canada I performed in front of 500 people from 12 countries a song about a Chilean singer and poet, Victor Jara,  who was tortured and murdered after the Sept. 11, Coup d'etat.  There were 20-25 Chilean refugees in the audience who came up to me after the show crying and thanking me for remembering their fallen hero. Also, on July 4, 1974 I performed an anti-war song in front of 5,000 Vietnam Veterans on the Washington Monument in DC to a standing ovation. 

4.  Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to?   How much can music influence current events?

 

Music can change the world by changing an individual's outlook, attitude and connections with the world around them, whether the song is about other peoples, nature, unjust or oppressive conditions or just a doo-wop 4-part harmony tune that makes you forget your surroundings. Music can change the world by bringing joy, hope and rekindled spirit into their hearts and heads of all with ears.

 

5. How has technology affected the music industry?  How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Negatively, in the sense that it has made recordings somewhat artificial with less of that live, spontaneous feel; positively in the sense that it is so exact and precise that you must be at the top of your game to stand out and be heard. Software such as "Pro Tools" can make the worst singer sound like gold, and the best singer run of the mill. It forces you to sing from the heart, and not from the throat.

6.  Now for my Barbara Walters question:  If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

 

Flip flops - the most open, naked, and easy to remove at any given moment.