San Jose Mercury News: Mellencamp Delights Fans At Steinbeck Show
By Jim Harrington -
Oakland Tribune
John Mellencamp likes to shoot from the hip.
He's honest, observant and unafraid -- which goes a long way to explaining why
he's such a terrific songwriter. Those same qualities, however, could make him a
bit of a wild card during a Q&A session in front of a live audience.
Thus, before he started fielding questions on Monday night in San Jose,
Mellencamp thought he'd better first caution the crowd.
"I think it only fair to say I come with a warning," the 60-year-old
singer-songwriter said right after taking the stage at the lovely California
Theatre. "So just be aware of that."
Mellencamp continues to be a breath of fresh air in an industry otherwise
consumed by political correctness, where watching what you tweet seems at least
as important as writing what you know. That factor is one of the main reasons
why he's such a deserving recipient of the 2012 John Steinbeck Award.
He came to town to receive the prestigious honor, which is also known as "In the
Souls of the People" Award, from the Martha Heasley Cox Center for Steinbeck
Studies at San Jose State University. The award presentation also included a Q&A
session, moderated Robert Santelli of the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, and a
short seven-song concert, featuring Mellencamp and his six-piece band.
The whole package was a treat. The Q&A, which basically came across as a
conversation between Mellencamp and Santelli, was insightful. The mini-concert
that followed was well-rehearsed and fun, focusing mainly on greatest-hits
material. Both parts of the program helped to explain why Mellencamp was chosen
to receive this honor, previously bestowed on three other musicians -- Bruce
Springsteen (1996), Jackson Browne (2002) and Joan Baez (2003) -- as well as
actor Sean Penn, director Michael Moore, author Studs Terkel and other
well-known figures.
The award is handed out to -- and I quote from the Center for Steinbeck Studies
-- "writers, artists, thinkers, and activists whose work captures the spirit of
Steinbeck's empathy, commitment to democratic values, and belief in the dignity
of people who by circumstance are pushed to the fringes."
Yeah, that fits Mellencamp.
Having got his start in the mid-'70s as a rock-pop idol -- who sang cover songs
and went by the manufactured name of Johnny Cougar -- Mellencamp dramatically
matured as an artist over the years and went on to champion many of the causes
associated with Steinbeck, including, most famously, the plight of the American
farmer. He's stuck up for the downtrodden, challenged "The Man" and constantly
fought the good fight.
Bravo.
The most interesting topic, of the many explored during the Q&A, was the
songwriting process. It was intriguing to learn that Mellencamp does not
consider himself an autobiographical songwriter.
"As I said to my girlfriend the other day, 'You know that when I say 'I,' I'm
not talking about me," Mellencamp said. "I never write about myself."
Ironically, he doesn't take full credit for his best tunes. Instead, he thinks
of himself simply a conduit — a human vessel that songs pass through on their
way to the page — and sometimes it takes him a while to understand just what
he's written.
"There have been songs that I've written in five minutes that, 20 years later,
I'm like, 'Oh, I get it!'" he said.
After the Q&A, Mellencamp finally gave the fans what they'd been waiting for --
a live concert. He strapped on his guitar and joined his six-piece band onstage
for a pumped-up run through many of his best-known songs, including "Rain on the
Scarecrow," "Pink Houses" and "Crumblin' Down."
The legacy of Steinbeck colors those songs, as it does so much of Mellencamp's
catalog. Now, thanks to the Center for Steinbeck Studies, the two Johns are
forever linked.