Lest Justin think I forget him…Music Friday! (Sometimes known as Music Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.)

The longer I am a published author—and the more I am aware that’s not very long at all, really, and that I’m just starting out—the more I am interested in people who have had careers in any creative profession for 10, 20, 30, 40 years. I especially like listening to those who have made comebacks, or who take their careers in directions that critics or fans don’t understand or appreciate. Because, you can grapple with all kinds of anxiety about making people happy with your work, or not rocking the boat, but if you don’t figure out how to let that go you will be pretty miserable, I think.

I love this Fresh Air interview with Rosanne Cash. When I first heard this, I thought…damn, I want to be friends with her. Wisdom, humor, humility. (You’ve got to listen to the whole thing, not just read the transcript excerpt.) Rosanne Cash’s’ web site. (I’ve been thinking a lot lately about her song “This World” from the Interiors album.)

Steve Earle is another person I admire, and whose work I’m a fan of. He made this big country-rock-rockabilly splash in the eighties and early nineties, nearly destroyed himself with drugs, wound up in jail, then went on to make all these great bluegrass, roots rock, alt-country, and political albums. Here he is singing “Close Your Eyes,” which on my emotional playlist for Sweethearts is Cameron’s song to Jenna. Lyrics. (As a reminder: if you pause the video and let it buffer up for a few minutes, you shouldn’t get stops and starts, though YouTube has been a little difficult today.)

This song is from The Hard Way album, which I own. You can, too. (Is there an IndieBound equivalent for record stores? I don’t know the PC place to link…I guess the main thing is to buy it new, not used, so artist gets royalties.)

Finally, here are Cash and Earle (older, balder, hey, time gets us all and at least he’s sober and still a gorgeous man in my book) reflecting on some stuff then doing a rendition of “Guitar Town” together. You have to watch American cheese propaganda first…