Jackie Leven: 'Nelle canzoni cerco frammenti di poesia'

The Milan interview accompanies “Shining Brother Shining Sister”. Leven explains why he includes poems and reciting guests in his recordings. In doing so he distinguishes his song lyrics from actual poetry: in his estimation, poetry is found only in places in his songs. He combines his enthusiasm for literary language with a criticism of the rock of the time.

Leven names Fontella Bass and Feodor Chaliapin as early inspirations. He explains “Heroin Dealer Blues” as an attempt to approach Randy Newman's art. He traces the sound backdrop of “Classic Northern Diversions” to train journeys; he also links “Irresistible Romance” with observations made on the road. These are the songwriter's statements about his work, not independently verified records of how the songs came about.

Further topics are his interest in the music that taxi drivers listen to and the pub as a public place of encounter. He explicitly explains the Neruda reference of the album title against the background of the looming Iraq war and the humanity of the people living there. At the end the editors list five planned Italian concerts in March 2003. No author is named in the visible version.