Kevin Hearn become friends with Lou Reed and the musician inspired him with his latest album, Days in Frames.
Known as the keyboardist for Barenaked Ladies, Kevin Hearn has enjoyed a thriving solo career and for years was the musical director for Lou Reed's touring band. A leukemia survivor himself, the musician spent time with Mr. Reed during his final days in 2013, before the alt-rock pioneer succumbed to liver disease.
The death of his friend influenced Days in Frames, Mr. Hearn's thoughtful and day-dreamy new album. Recently Mr. Hearn was treated for cancer of the tongue, which has rendered him unable to participate in the Art of Time Ensemble's tribute to Lou Reed on Feb. 27 and 28. Because he is still healing, our interview was conducted by e-mail.
How are you feeling physically?
It's been a rough few months but I'm on the mend, thanks.
How about your spirits? When I saw you at your album launch at the Piston, you seemed on top of the world.
I was! I really enjoyed that show, perhaps more than any other in a long time. The Thinbuckle Band was in great shape, and I was really happy with the new record.
So I felt comfortable, and I was excited to play it live. I also had the health concerns floating around, so I wanted to give it my all. The diagnosis happened the next morning, so the joy was short lived. But it was a great night nonetheless. I'll hang on to that until I can play another show.
You were with your friend Lou Reed as he was dying. Did that affect the music?
It affected me very much, so yeah , that in turn affected the album I suppose. We became closer and closer till the end, which was wonderful, but it made it that much more difficult.
The song Floating is written from a patient's point of view, and Lou Reed is credited as co-writer. Are the lyrics his or yours?
A fellow named Matthew Zachary runs an organization called Stupid Cancer that aims to help young people dealing with the disease. Every year they hold a summit in New York. In 2009, Matthew invited me to be the keynote speaker. I decided to read some of the memories and thoughts from my journal, which I arranged into poems. Lou came out to see it. Afterward, as we were getting on the elevator to make our way out, he tapped my arm, recited a few lines of one of the poems, slightly altered, and said "spoken word, set to electric guitar and piano." So we began this intermittent back and forth.
Can you break the process down?
Well, for instance, he would suggest something like "my heart beats like a floating balloon," out of the blue. The last little back and forth we had on it was while I was taking him up to the roof of the hospital to enjoy some fresh air and look at the sky. He just spoke the entire second verse to me. So I guess it began from my point of view as a patient, then his, and then I put the last verse together using some things he had said to me. I chose to set it in a doo-wop style because he loved that so much. And there is some of Lou's guitar playing in the outro. It's a special song for me.
What about other songwriting influences on the album? Melody/Memory sounds like something that wouldn't be out of place on John and Yoko's Double Fantasy.
Really? That's interesting. That one is rooted in a fifties sensibility, perhaps in the spirit of the Fleetwoods. I told both Gavin Brown, who produced the album, and Tom Elmhirst, who mixed it, that I wanted to take it into David Lynch territory, where the vocal is distorted and the mood is dark and dreamy.
Do you embrace themes of mortality in your music?
I feel I have to. Anyone who's been through it knows that a cancer diagnosis, even at a younger age, can thrust you into considering your mortality very, very seriously. I guess these types of themes are the ones I often choose to wrestle, or dance with. They are very emotionally complex and rich, and I feel I need to explore them, express them and try to find the beauty in them.
And yet there's an uplifting feel to the record I think. Would you agree?
I definitely would agree. It's about finding peace with loss, different kinds of loss. And a renewed sense of passion and appreciation for life, love, nature, and what lies ahead.
If you were performing at the Lou Reed tribute, what song would you perform and why?
I was going to perform I'm Sticking with You, because I used to sing lead on that one with Lou. And I was also going to sing Baton Rouge, which is one of my favourite late gems, from his record Ecstasy. I think it's a tour de force that really highlights his poetic genius.
Last question. As you see it, what is Lou's legacy?
Lou set out to elevate the rock and roll song and take it where it had never been taken before. He achieved that, and in so doing expanded the parameters of modern music. When an artist needs to make a difficult choice, or just needs to find a way to trust their inner vision and have the courage and honesty to follow their heart no matter what people are telling them, I think Lou will forever be someone they can turn to for inspiration in that regard.