What stings going to do he's going to continue writing new songs playing new music . Out there. You're listening to Q. 2 fields of. Doesn't like to be bored he can. In the clubs he's. Just a. Singer songwriter. You'll hear about some cutting edge shadow theatre but it's probably not what coming up on cue. Live from n.p.r. News in Washington I'm Jack Speer Hawaii is among a handful of states joining Washington State in a legal challenge to President Trump's temporary travel ban the administration's revised executive order bans travel from 6 majority Muslim countries and carves out some exemptions Somalis say of member station k.m.a. K.x. In Seattle reports that's not enough to dissuade States from pushing back Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson is asking a judge to apply the suspension he granted last month to the president's new travel ban Ferguson says even though some of the language has changed and the scope has narrowed the underlying intent of the band has not changed the cannot be a game of Whack a mole for the court the court issues injunction the president cannot simply repackage a new way and say Now we're clear of any of that injunction Washington was the 1st state to challenge the president's initial executive order this time was the 1st to file suit the new travel ban is set to go into effect next week for n.p.r. News I'm similarly sad in Seattle attorneys general from New York Massachusetts Oregon in Minnesota have also declared their intention to formally challenge the ban a 2nd house committee is approving a bill that would rework President Obama's signature health care law and also fundamentally restructure Medicaid for low income people the House Energy and Commerce Committee cleared the Republican bill today in a party line vote after more than 27 hours of debate the House Ways and Means Committee approved the legislation earlier today the measure now goes to the Budget Committee next house plan backed by President Donald Trump still faces an uncertain future opposed by Democrats and some conservative Republicans. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is planning to host a conference later this month with the coalition fighting ISIS N.P.R.'s Michele Kelemen reports officials from more than 60 countries are slated to attend in announcing the meeting the State Department said that defeating ISIS is this administration's top priority in the Middle East foreign ministers and other officials from $68.00 coalition partners will be discussing all aspects of the campaign when they get together on March 22nd Russia which backs the Syrian government of Bashar al Assad is not part of the coalition and hasn't been invited to the conference that's despite the fact that President Trump has often suggested that the u.s. And Russia work together to fight ISIS Michele Kelemen n.p.r. News the State Department if you have money invested in the stock market or a 401 k. Or own a home you may be feeling a bit wealthier the Federal Reserve says American stock and mutual fund portfolios rose by $728000000000.00 during the October through December quarter with value of homes dropping by $557000000000.00 record rise on Wall Street in recent months filling what the Fed says is a roughly $92.00 trillion dollar rise in household wealth on Wall Street today the Dow closed up 2 points 220058 The Nasdaq was up a point you're listening to n.p.r. The Federal Communications Commission says it will investigate why 18 t. Wireless subscribers could not make 911 calls last night the agency has previously fined carriers for 911 outages and says the problem last night spanned as many as 10 states f.c.c. Chairman aged pi in a statement said every emergency call needs to go through he said I have directed commission staff to track down the root cause of the outage person briefed on the matter says a software glitch may have been to blame. Royal Dutch Shell is selling off much of its Canadian oil sands business and P.R.'s Jeff Brady reports low prices will put financial pressure on the controversy oil sands industry environmental groups have long criticized what they call tar sands the dark gunky substance usually has access through huge open pit mines in Alberta and it requires an energy intensive process to make it into crude oil that means producing oil sands emits more pollution than traditional drilling it's also more expensive oil prices now are half of what they were in 2014 and oil sands companies have had trouble remaining profitable shell plans to sell nearly all of its oil sands business to a Canadian company in 2 deals that will net shell more than $7000000000.00 if regulators approve the deals likely will be completed in the middle of this year Jeff Brady n.p.r. News for the 1st time ever last year more people apparently were having bottled water with their orders than a soft drink the research a consulting firm beverage marketing Corp says Americans in 2016 drag an average of 39.3 gallons of bottled water compared to just $38.00 and a half gallons of carbonated soft drinks some cities have put taxes on sugary soda in effect citing its links to obesity This is n.p.r. Support for n.p.r. Comes from n.p.r. Stations other contributors include the wildest and asian a source of ideas for improving education and enrichment for children both in and out of school more information is available at Wallace Foundation dot org and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. A great debut album from a big long recording career but other times it's the only one ever get from an artist. And I'm Jim dear goddess we share some of our favorite one and done artist this week. That sound opinion Southern ignited a beer on j p r. You're listening to q. On c.b.c. Radio one Sirius x.m. 169 and from p.r.i. Public Radio International I'm Tom power. There's a lot you can get done on the way to work it doesn't matter if you walk or if you drive or if you take the train or the bus the something about just being in motion that gets your brain moving believe it or not musician singer songwriter icon Stang every single day walks to his New York City studio he says it's how he finds inspiration how he clears his head and it's also how Sting decided that he was coming back with his 1st pop and rock album in more than a decade 57th and 9th is named after an intersection that Stan walks past every morning on his way to the studio and it might remind you if you haven't heard it yet of some of his early music with the police stings on tour right now performing the album small venues not huge arenas like he could be playing small venue's of 2 or 34000 people I sat down with him the morning after his gig in Toronto we had a long chat we were sitting on a couch and he was a little intimidating but also honest and candid and thoughtful. I'm excited for you to hear this this is my conversation with Sting. I think it was such a wonderful show last night and thank you for it and I know at the beginning of the show you came out and you said you know the 1st time I played the Horseshoe Tavern in Toronto and heard if you were and you said you weren't there they were the only people who turned up with a record company and there was a maybe 10 of them one table had a great night yeah there were people the only people who were here was this. Night and man so when you look so you're playing you know obviously played a huge stadiums in Toronto before an encounter and now you're coming back and you're playing smaller venue as you put 835-3400 cap last night what do you get out of that as opposed to I think it's a much better environment to introduce new material on a more intimate setting so I can explain a song or it is just more friendly. In a large sports arena people don't want to hear things they don't know yet it's hard to. Note that the show is entirely new material but my job is to introduce it and top and tail of things that people do know but it's just so much friendlier environment I can conceive of his face you can see me up close. It's packed with the vibe. It's like going back you know I've played a lot of places on this tour I played in the late seventy's and early eighty's. Those those memories are much more vivid than playing in a sports arena all sports arenas look the same the dressing room looks the same the audience the thing you know the texture of the city each little club you play that has its own. Vidual you know if you sing Craddick remember it and so that's the vivid part of my my memory your job in a small a venue is to make it seem like an event whereas your job in a large venue is to make it seem intimate so you're doing the same thing from both the different sides but I can stand up in a pub and the thing people you know if through 2 nurses and I can do it you need it or I can play them off a 1000000 people and the other kind of hearkening back as much as people may have seen you in the early days in the clubs the other harkening back is definitely the sound in this new record and I definitely hear. Something I love closer to the early days and play music in your Alabama at the police were you surprised at how this record came out that it sound a little bit more rock n roll. You know I. Usually play a trick on my sofa to make a record the trick I played for most of the storm was to make a confession to my colleagues on the 1st day I said I have nothing. I have no idea what we're going to do because normally I'm very well prepared and know what the songs or about the range of know they're going to sound like but I got nothing so let's just play musical ping pong. You know they play with me for 3 decades so they know and trust me and you know music sort of materialized percolated then I would structure it and then write songs but I said I will so we're going to finish a certain date I want to take only 3 months and. So I think it got a certain energy because a lot of fish will. Limit. Whereas if it had an open ended gender then it would have a different feel to. It within 3 months or years it has a kind of vitality that would be missing on the way. And is a true use to spend some time in your balcony in the cold writing lyrics Well I'm talking about tricking myself and I think the creative process is very mysterious when I have no idea. What happens or how it happens but I know that to capture it you have to change your work in method or you have to change your point of view too and it's like hunting or fishing you know so I would get back home every night with the music tape and not listen to it and I wouldn't allow myself in the house I have a terrace in the cold and I wouldn't in the house until I actually finished the lyric call that they're the 1st song is all about being cold. Minus 20 or something . You said last night that when you wrote a message in a ball you performed it and you said it so it was a it was a very beautiful moment you said it quite candidly that you wrote that song when you were a young man and you only played it to your cat and felt felt it felt so lovely to hear everybody all these years later 3040 years later singing along I'm wondering how that process is changed from the time when you were hungry writing songs like message in a bottle hunger writing songs from the early days of the police to how you write can't stop thinking about you now. I think it gets hotter in many ways the more I know about music and the about the process the more difficult it becomes the more sort of critical I become I think. In my early twenty's I was. Precocious muscle even though I knew less rice right I guess the naive of the of youth to you know. Just going for no I'm much more cautious and in a word so it gets more difficult at the same time there's nothing more satisfying than finishing a so it's a fantastic feeling and that euphoria lasts about 20 minutes before us what we're going to. We're going to do you know. The new record being called his departure this kind of return back to rock and roll and I don't see it that way I don't see it either I think the main thrust of the record is a direct rock n roll but that's been a part of my life it's part of my d.n.a. My musical at the end because those are folk songs you know there are songs that kind of money morning talk. Musical experiences on that record so it's not just that I think it's a good modern tool maybe it's called or call it stings return tomorrow it's certainly was my this is my rock record I can say and that's what brought That's that's what I found really interesting about it when you mention your musical d.n.a. When you mention that common experience I feel like I see hear the same feelings on that record that sure I heard in the late seventy's early eighty's records but still I heard in the eighty's that I heard the ninety's and I heard in the early 2000 I hear I hear a sting this like an essence of your musical d.n.a. Through everything you do and I know it's not even it's one of those things you only think about when you're on the plane in the planes you know delayed or something like that but can you pinpoint like a common thread through your music something that's always interested you. I think curiosity is what drives me what I mean curiosity about music. Where it's going where it's come for orders it's meaning. I don't know but I'm interested in what it is why people out there why they pay their money can go up to see this thing this phenomenon I'm very curious about it I'm very happy it happens I'm extremely glad and grateful that it happens but I don't quite know what it is and you've never been one to play it safe like you've never been one to get up and write versions of your older songs no because I get bored and I would get totally bored if I'm in a like a you know around a maze and I keep pressing a button to get a button on a boat with a bit on I want a different maze I want to different reprise if you like so I'm driven by curiosity fear of boredom was it hard for me to go back on the road 'd with the old and then a few years ago the police Yeah no I think it was it was an interesting exercise in the style just. Was right you know I'm taking full credit for the timing. Happy to see this back together again. It was for a successful but it was a creative springboard. One of the most powerful moments I thought last night was when your son Joel came out and he had already done a beautiful opening set and I had 7 Tony of I want to make all the last panel that it was lovely music and I like record a lovely corny. Player Joe came out halfway through the set he was singing backups he took out his guitar and sang ashes to ashes by David Bowie all by himself until the bank kicked in about halfway through and it was really stunning and it led into your song 50000 off this record to 26 and I have to tell you was it was a tough loss for music fans you know Prince George Michael and David Bowie that's one thing for me to say but knowing these people. Had ahead of that last year thank you well I knew them all not that we weren't bosom buddies or tall but we know we we've been together a lot. Like anyone else when a cultural icon dies of the child in us that that has shocked and surprised him because we actually do think they're mortal and of course that was more than was even I am so that shock is something I was trying to reflect in the song as someone who's 65 you know these people you know I'm in the middle of those people so your mortality is something you need to acknowledge the thought to be it's not going to sell more than if anything it makes life richer when you realize their own of finite number of days that we have so you make use of those days and where you think in the way you behave and what you contribute to the world so that philosophy is something that it teaches us to she's a war. And death death of a friend of a cultural icon even death of a pet teach you something that's up to us to. Acknowledge that. Common. Like so many. But I would make some kinds of instant David Bowie and or smile but I know a good friend of yours and Rickman died last year and you know them they couldn't have been easy No It's terrible he came to New York. And asked to have dinner with my wife and I and we had a wonderful night together earn these regaling us with fantastic stories of the theatre and you know anecdotes and we just spent the whole night laughing. After he died. About 3 weeks later his wife said you know he came to New York to see us for him than every night he chose some people to just be with but without telling them what a wonderful gift it was to us oh I'll never forget it's an old Lester Flatt song give me the flowers while I'm living you know it's not easy to do it and it's not an opportunity we take too often does it make you does it make you change anything about the way you're doing things does it make you think about what you would tribute your own survival you seem like a very healthy well put together generally I'm pretty healthy. Of course it changes you you have to evolve as a human being as you get older and you really have to think about the world your leaving you burn children 6 grandchildren it worries me what's going on at the moment the 6 grandchildren brings to mind and I mention that your son Joe came out last night and a wonderful opening said What's in what's been like having him out on the very wonderful who are food you know I was missing a lot from his childhood because I was on the road the whole time so spending this time. Colleagues together as it is this is never you know just the balance but it's wonderful and he's great company and I respect him greatly and it's just fun when you see it just the balance you know just knowing musicians who have been out on the road their entire lives you know I know that when I run into them in New York I run into them in Toronto we sit down have a bottle of beer they're happy to be there but most of the time they end up talking to me about how God I miss And can a garden or in this I miss and I'm missing a dance recital or I'm missing this oh I didn't miss going to go on no no I didn't miss any of that what do you mean well you know I just like being a father and I think I got the balance kind of right you know between my road life and my family life but going to pick the kids up from school was a nightmare for me right. But it sounds like there was a turning point like you said you said it's nice to have you on the road and it didn't quite mitigate that early experience I did with you know I was there a turning point where you said I need to make a change I need to reconnect certainly wasn't going about going but I can to go and my kids were grown up when I when I could make the connection. You know because I was on the road that's what I did I provided for them and I had to work. Things go to you 0 then I could spend more time at the beginning of their lives it was hard I want to talk a little bit about how this is a very timely record and it's no secret this is a very. Uncertain political climate I mean even in Canada we're feeling that he would just a lot of this in 57th and 9th I know you're saying are you saying. I'm going to go to New York last night and I thought that was such a poignant thing to be an Englishman in New York to deal with both the election a different kind us President dollar Trump and brags it in both realities in your life and I how are you doing with that not very well I think it is a huge mistake. Which is people are coming to realize that I'm looking us from the largest market in the world this is not something that has any kind of sense to it I think people were misled. By the press by certain interested parties I'm saying with the trumpet ministration in America I think people have been misled. It's not looking good I mean my my biggest fear is that the reversal of any progress that's been made before environment which I think is the major thing all of us face. You know getting rid of the e.p.a. And its distancing or leaving the Paris Accords. With good. Things to construct their 1st foundation back in in 1909 you mentioned the environment there are you feeling. Hopeful about our future in the environment houses I was making if you know what I'm not feeling hopeful. I have to to. Keep working at this but but things are going the other way you know the climate is changing it's not a hoax you know I'd love to live in that world by that I would love to live in that will work climate change is a hoax where all of the scientific evidence is actually wrong but it is a fantasy we just have to wake up to that that that can lead you to cynicism like that idea can lead you to cynicism if you don't strike me as a very cynical person a go so how do you how do you combat it is that and that seems to be the thing that people are it's an empathetic question and it's a cynical question how do you deal with with not having these these things that went against the way you want to go he's going to have to keep doing the work you know we have a foundation that's known that's 28. We operate in $21.00 countries or 5 continents and we do you know small projects we fund clean water creation stewarding of the rainforest it's a small world but it's useful work just keep at it you know as someone who's been involved in advocacy and music for so many years where have you landed on the impact that music alone can have. Music on to change things overnight going to plant seeds in people's minds and sometime to look out into a larger audience and you think will maybe one or 2 of the people will become part of the political class you know. Be change makers in the future you can plant a seed in their minds that may bear fruit down the line but that's only going to Hopeful I want to back to this idea of curiosity to close things off I mean I feel like we've talked a little bit about that common thread of curiosity about also of the entertaining going back you know material where do you see things going next. For me yeah I mean though I do now know I have really no idea what I'm doing that. This this tour up to middle of August for a few weeks off with. The get anxious it was a process like I just made a different music are you thinking about it are you thinking I'm thinking Yeah I'm thinking I'm going to put my play on and do a mixture of the last ship but apart from that I don't have any. Agenda it's been a pleasure speaking with you and if we took you to thank you for coming in. Staying with us making 87 song endorsement in New York his new album is called 57th and 9th we'll have the full video of that interview up shortly at our You Tube page You Tube dot com slash Q t.v. Facebook look us up there Mark you on c.b.c. Radio I spoke to Stang on a white Chesterfields in his hotel room. Why not. I'm Tom power back right after this. 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Radio one Sirius x.m. 169 and from p.r.i. Public Radio International I'm Tom power. You may remember earlier this week we had musician and scientist Greg Graffin on the show if you didn't catch that he's the guy who co-founded the punk band Bad Religion now released kind of a country record and we got talking why no matter how much we evolve old forms of art still matter here's what Greg said I think it's because they represent something important I think because they're worth preserving and I think they're actually part of our collective memory that makes us who we are in that just beautiful the idea that we still write letters we collect final we practice calligraphy because it still matters. How made Romani in practice is an art that he believes might be one of the world's earliest forms of entertainment shadow puppetry his new play feathers of Fire is an adaptation of an epic poem called The Persian book at Kings as an Iranian immigrant to the u.s. How made really wanted to do this play and he has a background in computer art like a master's in computer animation but he does the whole thing with shadow puppets like the kind you'd make against your wall with a lamp but the picture yourself sitting in an auditorium like you would for any play but all the characters in front of you even the set they're interacting with the just silhouettes very intricate silhouettes and a hammy and his play feathers a fire that was the best way to share what he believes Americans and Canadians should know about Iran. I want to get into the story of feathers of fire ants and a bit this if I'm not mistaken is the largest shadow puppet show ever staged ever ever yeah for those who may not know what shadow puppetry is. It's funny because I think everyone does know what it is but I probably don't know what they. Just give me a basic so much at a publisher is you know you have a source of light behind a screen basically and you create puppets with your hands or your puppets so like human being like when we used to put our fingers up in the air and pretend we were you know I think so you know imagine the indicate people building fires and somebody pass from the fire and oh there's a shadow and before you know it someone with the talent start like making fun of the. Shadow and then start making stories so perhaps is the very 1st form of storytelling is the shadow theatre shadow play I think that to me it's something that we did when we were kids we would make a little money in the air or the little doctor make him on the radio right now but I mean the shapes in my hand why is this art form a little bit more important in Iran it's from 111-011-1213 since she was. Basically most common genre of intertainment among Muslim and that region from Syria Egypt Iran Turkey and then the last is glory to the book illustrations when the mogul king the king to Iran and start coming shinning the eldest illustrating book and their fairy. Illustrated books usually illustrated the stage of the shadow plays from that era and I think when I'm reading these scholarly written articles about shut the theater in the Middle East I feel that because in a slum you have it. Against to depict Taishan of their faces perhaps the theater shot the play was poured. Not showing the actual face but you know with the story and the faces and the characters so again this being a radio show and here I am doing music my hands which you can't you can't see these aren't rabbit shaped these aren't the duck shape and you can you do me a favor for radio listeners and people. These are in this year we have over $160.00 now over actually to be exact $159.00 puppets it's been designed based on the different era of. History of Iran before Islam or after slum or Indian mogul India or a territory of a German Empire. Because for 600 years we shared the same same visual language yet so I picked from them and then I designed these puppets and also design masks because there are 8 actors also playing and behind the screen is not just puppets and we have over 168 animated backgrounds and this this performance it's feels if they if I don't tell you what you're watching you feel that you're watching an animation what is happening Life front of you Ok so let's talk a little bit about the message can you set up the story of feathers on fire for me and that's the line I have for for here's a fire is 1st of all for those of listeners they're not familiar with chalk not me or the Book of Kings it's a traditional poem it's the longest point written by a single point it's written a Tauzin years ago by the point name for those c he collect and put together a millennium old tradition and mythology of Iranian plot Ok and into 60 Tauzin heroic verses and then this book survive and the reason that Iranian to these days be king Persian because of this book because unlike Syria Egypt that region that they all lost their language in he think she to Arabic we still speaking Persian because of this book so this book contain for tragedies for love stories and endless battles like Iliad and Odyssey for time for folds bigger and this so one of the story that I picked is a love story of Zool and we dub it which I imagine. Room or Juliet and reponse and Jungle Book in one story written thousands of years so even though their stories are. Lovestory these are these are thousands of years old you feel these are still relevant modern audiences all just get totally like you know for instance you go see him lawn or hitch release or there are all these Greek mythology you go see it and you're not necessary Greeks or Chinese go to see these shows but with this show that I designed it's it speaks to all the different nationality or it's very global from the 5 years old to 99 years old they connect and they leave the theater equally enthusiastic I want to play some music this is not just traditional storytelling you're presenting with feathers of fire there's other aspects of Persian culture and this is the music from feathers of fire right now. With music from the shadow puppet play feathers of fire the guy is by my guest award winning visual artist and filmmaker how me throw money and what are these traditional instruments these musical influences there did the music done by Rahman torquey and then as a very well known Iranian composers and they did marvelous job of sort of combining their traditional skills and music with this sort of modern taste one thing I really wanted to bring out in for there's a fire I wanted to create an image that is totally Iranian or what you call it here Middle Eastern so I didn't want to became Chinese I don't want to make it Balinese I don't think it's French because there are mostly when do you see each other theater you feel Ok these Chinese or does Balinese from their Europeans I want to create something totally has a national identity Iranian national. Identity or as I said visually in campus and the entire visual tradition of that region but I also know that that's part of a mission that you had to provide hopefully through art and I'm a firm believer that this is one of the things that are can really do is provide a greater understanding between Western culture and and Persian culture that you know what was the moment well it's not just totally just Persian culture it's just Eastern like that that Middle Eastern that they're kind of like underdog now you know every everything that you hear from us is negative so with this work I wanted to lie like this strength of the culture not just talking about religion and war and nuclear and on these. Issues that there are but was there a moment where that that became important to you was there a moment where you said I'm this award winning visual artist I have all the skills I want to do something about this what was the moment no it was it's just basically your lifestyle you breed like that you know when specially when you migrated migrate what you would like but I couldn't you migrated to night States you know I was like 23 years ago and I realize oh my God everything is against him like a walking to the culture that the media people people they don't know anything about us and also media is all like they have it sort of they're all sharpening their knives for us you know. You know and then so I thought that's my responsibility as an artist to sort of show a different side of the culture and also shore stuff how similar we are so that you know the many different facets of this problem exist so I thought. Myself as an artist I need to bring these mediums together to sort of educate people you know like people and entertain people and show highlights of our cultures not just short coming I was short coming this comes today like a current affair between Current Affair and everybody. He loves that because the media love to show that what's going on right now and what human rights did women rights their you know nuclear religion somebody probably give rethink just negative you know you don't hear about something nice about their culture and so with this show when you create something. Showing something nice There's literature visuals music you know it was speaking of music let's play some music this is this is this is a piece of music for you right now you've talked a little bit about the cultural importance of cultural understanding I know it's a bit of a 2 way street so we this is not this is not necessarily from the show just take a listen to this. Song. The song sung by my guest. And it is like I have a pair and I guess how many. Behind the shadow puppet show feathers fire why are we finding that somewhat of a song when I grew up with this new z. You know I used to actually make of make money of. Sort of painting different cover albums. Funds and this kind of thing and my friends. Walls in their home in the summertime. Like mean something to you for how you perceive the west to you know we are very exposed to the west you know when I came to America I was not really far and I knew everything about America through the movies through music and things and so there's I think the 1st of about listening to Black Sabbath there was nothing but I know even when I was growing up listening to Black Sabbath wasn't cool because it was Satan. You know it's sometimes my father said how I mean just to. Know about you know when you come today you know you have a lot of duality you know when you leave the house you know you have to certain way because of the codes that are imposed to you from the government but you know in the house you know yes Led Zeppelin Black Sabbath. You know the deep purple Yeah you know the 1st time I saw I had Pink Floyd it was just like oh my God this is like the most amazing thing out of her it was dark side of the moon of course I'm thinking about you going down to the United States and I love what you said there about going down and you felt like they were sharpening their blades a little bit and they're not focusing on the the commonalities or the beauty or the art and you say they're focusing on the things that make us different you know we've just seen the u.s. President sign another travel ban that includes Iran but that kind of thing happening do you ever worry that something like this work as beautiful as it is it won't it won't come through yes actually the last month the 1st time that he signed up we had a problem with one of our our actor. Or actress. So she she had a green card and she has a green card and we were supposed to actually cancelled our Polish Poland. Sort of show we didn't know what to do it was really it was a lot of anxiety going on and also the effect and the cultural exchange is enormous you know but do you worry that you did do you worry that it's instrumental. I mean you know people are fighting with it and for these and it's good that makes people in to be that wake that's what's going on but I think these kind of orders and these kind of policies it's very destructive and specially and different levels it's not just the arts in socially you know you just create animosity and there are people who are subjugated to this just people like me or my actors you know she's a singer dancer and actress you know and she has to be affected by these travel ban which is really unjust so therefore these kind of laws are very destructive. He's the visual artist and filmmaker behind the new shadow puppet play feathers a fire that's based on the traditional Persian poem shot at me or the Book of Kings . Join me here in studio I'm Tom power back right after this. Support for q. 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It's another job you know to fill most people's days being a working Tory musician you think that it's just getting on stage and singing songs it ain't it's a full time job more than $812.00 sometimes 14 hours a day but 3 years ago east coast singer songwriter Amelia current decided to take on as 2nd a gay guy an advocate you see in 2014 Amelia current opened up publicly about her struggles with mental illness talking about it was a big step but Amelia wanted to do more she formed the mental health advocacy group called it's mental she got behind the camera producing and directing a documentary about the stigma around mental health and suicide called gone her 2 gigs as a musician and advocate come together on her new record watershed on it Amelia lets advocacy and activism take center stage you're going to hear my conversation with Amelia Curran in a moment but 1st here is a 1000000 current and her band performing the title track right now in our Q Music Studio. sounds to me like you're writing with the band in mind as opposed to writing just for yourself yeah I am writing with the band in mind and you know for this album for sure and it's because this band we made the last record together as well so this is actually the 1st. I'm in my career that I've had a band carry through from one record to the next I certainly had great partnerships with musicians who appeared on more than one record. But as a unit. This band has has really stayed the course and so when I'm writing a song that could be a folk song or just rock n roll or even a pop song I don't know whatever. These are the guys that I'm thinking of these are the musicians I'm thinking of and how they play and how they like to play it must be a beautiful feeling it's really great since you released your last record they promise you Bursey back in 2014 there's been another and that's here a very exceptional chapter in your story really 14 you started as Mental a mental health advocacy group in doing so you open up your mental health issues publicly for the 1st time you open up about them you direct produce gone this documentary that exposes stigma around mental illness and suicide it feels in many ways like you have another job here and I know you I know you feel that way to her How are you managing to fit it all in. Miraculously. It's great you know what it's. I mean when you're in your job is your life it's not like you leave your job and go home and have dinner and watch t.v. And go to bed I mean that's just it's your entire life and advocacy and mental health care reform is the same thing these are my 2 jobs but they're also my life and life's good you know and I and I love my work in both these facets and them it's very fulfilling advocacy is very difficult a lot of things are mistaken for advocacy and don't actually go anywhere. So I mean focusing on change is very challenging right to actually achieve some kind of change is very challenging and that can get you down changes really really slow especially when it's political. You know but we can get there and we keep sending this message out that I mean we're telling people who are suffering with mental illnesses or addiction. It's that they're not alone but the message carries through I think to fellow advocates to activists you know who are just trying to spread a message of compassion and acceptance and it can be really really hard you can hit a lot of walls and we're trying to tell those people that they're not alone also know that even the idea of being not alone I think quite often people who are open about mental illness are quite often people who are not afraid of disclosing that. A large part of the question I have is that just publicly it's not necessarily very easy to do to stand up and admit something about yourself and I don't want to harp too much on where we're from but I know that and a lot of places in Canada and in Newfoundland it's a little bit harder if there's a little less of a culture of disclosing these kind of vulnerabilities you know you hear people in all of our families I'm sure you know who had mental illness who suffered through mental illness and you always hear oh he was a bit touched or he was a he was a little bit ill yeah I think he might have seasonal affective disorder he may have been a bit bipolar but we never really talked about it you know what has it been like to open up a personal that part of your life not only as a public figure but coming from the culture that you come from it's well I tell you I completely underestimated it I didn't think I knew there was some value in just standing up and raising your hand and saying me too yeah you know and sometimes when a group of people hears that then. That's empowering for them and I knew that that was the thing but I underestimated exactly how far this would go how far when we made them this video and when we started putting you know the it's mental website up we got such a strong reaction from all over Canada and I. Really had no idea I guess I was a bit naive as to how badly this stuff needed to be said. And I mean New Zealand culture we are I mean we're funny we're friendly but we're we're hardworking people so we're heard so when you have. An issue that is deemed as sensitive. You know or weak soft soft Exactly yeah this is perceived as a soft thing and we are we're not a soft people and we don't we don't identify with that softness which is kind of amazing I mean like New Zealanders are so compassionate and. But there's a fight through thing you know we've had a lot of hard times pollute politically and economically and we still do and we fight through those and I think we're proud of our struggles and how we move through it and I think it's part of our story as people and I think that's really important but sometimes we have to be soft and it's Ok to be soft you know and these things are not weaknesses I have lost my train of thought now you're making progress and I know that so many you know after that video came out and after you started speaking you had these people don't know Amelia put off this big concert at holy her theater in St John's were a lot of people I am there and even more people came and that's ideal I guess for people you know and then place and and you saw people online and starting to talk about their own mental illness and again I can't wait this out more enough but I know that's why the president a lot of northern communities and a lot of Western communities a lot of prayer communities that are across the country these things aren't easy to talk about I'm curious as to whether and I don't want to make any assumptions but as to you know whether opening up this chapter of your life being more public about this chapter of your life and more importantly thinking about these things differently you mention underestimating Yeah what this would do it did it change it was a songwriter did it change as an artist I think if it did I can't really pinpoint it I can't point it out and say There it is that's how this experience has changed it but I mean. You know I'm a songwriter and you can offer a good song if nothing is happening to you so I mean this is a very large part of my life of course it's affected my writing you know it's affected me as a person it's you know changed me in all kinds of ways so I mean of course it's there but I couldn't. I don't think that I'm targeting these specific subjects in this in these songs I think I am still writing what I have always written which is a lot about just. You know how tough it is just being a human. Have ridiculous it is sometimes and you know I'm writing about peace and love and compassion and trying to and always have to be it's a beautiful record I really like talking to you I like talking to you too I always do. That was Amelia current from Newfoundland and Labrador her album watershed is out everywhere. Today by the way tomorrow you're going to hear me talk with small feet a writer and producer and director who's had a hand and said she was comedies bridesmaids the Ghostbusters reboot co-creator of Freaks and Geeks one of the greatest television shows of all time talk about all of . My interview with earlier in the program you can find it on our website c.b.c. Dot ca slash. Facebook page. Public . On Wednesday night April 19th at 8 pm g p r s one world concert series in the Oregon Center for the Arts s.o.u. Invites you to experience the music a vessel. Has been described as treading the enchanted territory between classical folk and pop All Things Considered said they play with such genuine passion and glee that everything on the globe seems to disappear except their hometown fires the Scandinavian trio showcases unparalleled musicianship and infectious joy that leaves audiences wowed and performs Wednesday night April 19th at 8 pm at the s.o.u. Music recital hall tickets. Or by phone at the box office 541-552-6348. This is southern Oregon University's Jefferson Public Radio 89 point one. N.p.r. News and all things. You simply can't put lipstick on a pig and repackage it.