S1E08 Michael Lee Firkins Interview (audio only)

Music embeds itself in a special way in your brain. Many interesting studies have already been conducted on this topic. Thinking about this, I also recall videos of elderly people with dementia who can do very little. However, one thing they can still do is flawlessly sing or play songs they stored in their memory during their youth.
I experienced the powerful way all that music is etched into your memories when I listened again, for the first time in at least 20 years, to Michael Lee Firkins' debut album from 1990. The melodies he writes are quite complex, yet I could still sing along with all the nuances of "Laughing Stacks."
This is, of course, not only due to my brain but also largely to the talent of this friendly American. I had lost sight of him for a while, despite the great impression his debut album made on me when I became captivated by instrumental guitar music as a teenager. Along with 'Passion and Warfare' by Steve Vai and 'Surfing with the Alien' by Joe Satriani, 'Michael Lee Firkins' was my favorite guitar album. MLF had and still has a tone that you can recognize out of thousands.
After his debut album, he made a lot of music, but he never matched the success of that first album. Although, what is success really? Is it reaching a lot of people with your music? Or making the music you want to make, regardless of the number of listeners? Michael Lee Firkins leans more towards the latter vision. He writes more music than ever, he told me in the podcast interview. However, he doesn’t release much music anymore. The guitarist disagrees with the revenue model behind Spotify and similar platforms.
I consider myself lucky to have finally seen him play live after all these years and that he took the time to talk about his music, his career, and the choices he has made in his life.
Chapters:
00:12 Introduction
03:02 Creative Process Evolution
05:30 Burst of Creativity
07:16 Nighttime Creative Flow
08:46 Drive for Focus
09:54 Transition to Vocal Songs
18:15 Signing the Record Deal
21:12 Starting Over in California
22:37 Success of Debut Album
24:25 The Definition of Success
28:41 The Art of Touring
33:50 Overcoming Technical Challenges
38:09 Striving for Perfection
40:37 The Creative Process
42:42 The Artist's Dilemma
47:06 Embracing the Underdog Status