11/13/2012 - Andy Greene of Rolling Stone magazine sat down with John, Stephen King and T
Bone Burnett during a recent table reading in New York to discuss the completion
and release of the CD/DVD of Ghost Brothers Of Darkland County expected in stores in 2013. In addition to the interview
Rollingstone.com is streaming the track "It's Me" off the release sung by
Elvis Costello.
Here are some excerpts: "It was Steve's job to tell the story," says Mellencamp. "It was my job to develop the characters through songs. That's different than most musicals..."
"On a creative level we were always in harmony," says King. "We have the same kinds of interests, same background, small town, regular people kind of thing. Also, the more I worked with him the more amazed I was by his level of talent..." Click "Read More" to read the interview, see the track listings and artists on the soundtrack. Read More
03/02/2012 - Read Jennifer Chancellor's complete article about John's involvement in the The Woody Guthrie Centennial Celebration Concert. In the article John talks about the influence Woody has had on his music and artistry. Here are some excerpts: "There is perhaps one thing that has inspired Mellencamp the most, he said..."
"Just being able to stand up for himself and be counted as an individual. Plus, he also lived outside of the music business..."
"In a time before major record label deals, arena tours and million-dollar contracts, Guthrie was out in the cotton fields playing to migrant workers. He wrote and performed because he felt compelled to, Mellencamp said..."
""You, know, I've always been an outsider, too..." Read More
08/11/2011 - John was interviewed at his Bloomington, IN home for a Farm Aid piece by CBS corespondent Ayla Brown. The interview is expected to air Friday morning August 12, 2011. Watch Mellencamp.com for updates on the exact time we expect the piece to run. Read More
12/13/2010 - John was interviewed on Public Radio International's "Bob Edwards Weekend" Dec. 11-12, 2010.
Bob spoke with John about his early career, the making of the No Better
Than This record and John's politics. Click HERE
to listen to this half hour interview on the Bob Edwards Weekend website. Read More
10/28/2010 - John was interviewed by WTHR 13 Indianapolis' Scott Swan during his rehearsals for the Friday kick off of his No Better Than This Tour at the Indiana University Auditorium. A portion of that interview aired Thursday, October 28th during the 11 PM news. Other portions will air during the newscasts over the next few weeks. After the jump we have the text article and a larger version of the video.
09/29/2010 - Recently, John filmed a public service announcement for World Homeless Day (10/10/2010) and sat down to talk with 1Matters’ Ken Leslie, on behalf of street papers worldwide. Click HERE to watch the PSA and read the interview.
1Matters has taken the video of John's interview and interspersed it with clips and lyrics from No Better Than This. The piece finds John talking about progress, his first experiences with racism, the unique recording of NBTT, and shares the best advice he was ever given by his grandfather.
08/26/2010 - In 2007 John visited a tent city in Toledo, OH raising awareness of the homeless which sparked the founding of 1Matters.org. John has continued his support not only for 1Matters, but all of those who have lost domestic autonomy in our nation.
Recently, John filmed a public service announcement for World Homeless Day and sat down to talk with 1Matters’ Ken Leslie, on behalf of Toledo Streets Newspaper, about homelessness, music, and progress. The interview and more information is available after the jump.
08/23/2010 - NPR, for a limited time, is streaming the entire No Better Than This album on their website - LISTEN NOW. Additionally, NPR's Fresh Air re-aired John's excellent 2007 40 minute interview with host Terry Gross - LISTEN NOW. Highlights of that interview are featured after the jump. Read More
08/20/2010 - Not only was John the musical guest recently on 5 nights of Tavis Smiley's PBS television show, he joined Tavis for an interview for his syndicated radio show "The Tavis Smiley Show."
You can listen to John's complete interview HERE along with a bonus question only for the web. Please note some Firefox browser users may not see the audio player load, in that case we suggest using Internet Explorer to listen. Read More
08/19/2010 - John was a guest on NPR's Morning Edition on Thursday, August 19th. John discussed his new album with host Steve Inskeep. Click HERE to read a summary of the article and to listen to the interview on NPR's website. Read More
08/18/2010 - John will be the featured guest on the nationally-syndicated radio show NPR Morning Edition with host Steve Inskeep, tomorrow Thursday, August 19th at 5:21 AM and again at 7:21 AM. Please note times are estimated and may vary depending on station and time zone. John will be discussing his new album amongst other topics. To find a station near you or listen on the Internet for the broadcast, go to npr.orgRead More
08/08/2010 - Why the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Chose Savannah To Cut His Latest Album
Connect Savannah writer Bill DeYoung recently spoke with John about his new record No Better Than This. Here is an excerpt: "No Better Than This is Americana, pure, direct, sonically honest and brilliantly basic, inhabited by ghosts and imbued with hope for a future generations..." Note: Article includes several photos from the recording sessions. Read More
