When I recently sat down for an interview with singer-songwriter, philanthropist, and jack-of-all-trades Ken Newman, I only knew a brief summary of his life courtesy of my dear friend in PR Angela Tyler (Muddy Paw here on Substack). Little did I know the adventure I would soon find waiting inside the confines of these nearly 90 minutes that far exceeded any prize in a cereal box. Ken is the kind of human being you see on a television show or chatting on a podcast and think, they’d be fascinating to talk to. I would want to know this person if I met them.
Fortunately, I can count myself in that category now. I’m a writer by trade, but I’m still trying to find the descriptive words for what this conversation meant to me. It took a few days longer to put up than I intended due to some creaky reception issues with our Zoom call that required editing (as well as my busy schedule), but I wasn’t going to wait any longer to unveil this to you all. Ken is a true storyteller, not just as a lyricist but also as a person who can spin a yarn that will captivate you.
As I say to him during the interview, he can go in ten different directions of thought and I’d want to hear all ten. If he wrote a book about his life and experiences (in music and otherwise), I’d buy it tomorrow. There are times during this chat when I barely need to speak because I’m just held perfectly in the grasp of the illustrations he’s telling. I feel like I made a friend in just an afternoon.
We talk about the world, philosophy, songwriting, music, improv comedy, how going to school for medicine turns into becoming an actor, breaking cycles of abuse/negativity, helping the less fortunate, love, humor, current events, and what it means to be a human being during such frightening times. His new song “Who Are The Bad Guys” (which I will cover in more depth in a separate piece) asks the most vital questions during such emotionally heavy times, when people are at each other’s throats in opposition to one side or another.
Instead of casting blame on one “team,” what happens when we look beneath the chessboard to see who’s controlling all the pieces? Instead of looking at our neighbor or someone who doesn’t look like us as the source of our problems, what happens when we all look into the mirror and see what our collective apathy has become behind our backs?
Are we all the bad guys in the end? Check out Ken’s new song “Who Are The Bad Guys” out now down below, then watch the interview (or listen as I start incorporating these into audio podcasts). We may not find the answers, but there’s a feast of food for thought at the table for us all.
You can also check out Ken’s stuff at kennewmanmusic.com and on Instagram here!
