Name: Fred Frith
Bands: Henry Cow, Art Bears, Massacre, Skeleton Crew, Keep the Dog, Tense Serenity, Cosa Brava, FF Guitar Quartet, FF Trio...
QRD How old were you when you first realized you wanted to be a professional musician?
Fred I never thought about it in that way. I've been playing music since I was 4, it never occurred to me to do anything else, & although I'm privileged to make a living from what I like to do, I would do it anyway even if that wasn't the case (as do many of my friends & a lot of the musicians I admire).
QRD What are a few highlights of your musical career?
Fred I think the biggest highlight of my life to date is that I'm still out there doing it & loving it.
QRD At what age did you decide you wanted to become a father?
Fred Is that something you decide?
QRD What are some positive & negative impacts your family has had on your career?
Fred If I thought of life in terms of a "career" I might be able to address that question, but actually I find it oddly limiting. I try to deal with every situation as positively as possible, family or no family. Sometimes I succeed.
QRD What are some positive & negative impacts your career has had on your family?
Fred Traveling & being away from home more than I would like is always challenging for everyone. & the typical administrative workload that comes from being self-employed, but that's true of anybody running a "small business". For every hour spent performing or composing or recording there are countless other hours spent planning, persuading, preparing, accounting, & those things go on round the clock.
QRD Have your children affected the music you make &/or listen to?
Fred In the former case, sure, though without necessarily being able to pin down how. In the latter case, enormously, since everyone has very different tastes, just as my family did when I was growing up. You become aware of things you simply wouldn't know about otherwise.
QRD Do you think being involved in music has made your children different than their peers?
Fred All children (& "adults") are different & pretty much everyone listens to music & has tastes & opinions about it. Don't really understand the question. I think they appreciate the fact that we are both doing what we love without compromise.
QRD Have you had problems with the lack of steady money from a musical career providing the security you feel necessary in your household?
Fred Yes.
QRD Given the limitations having a family has on being a touring musician, would you have toured more earlier in life if you'd known?
Fred I toured a lot more extensively anyway, when I was younger & childless. I didn't particularly think about it, except through an awareness that two of my band mates had kids & I could see what they had to deal with, practically speaking. Slowly learning the havoc & pain that touring causes in relationships of all kinds, I eventually found some kind of balance. I'm glad I did.
QRD Do you think being a father or a musician has a greater impact on your community?
Fred In order to even think about that question we'd have to define for ourselves what "community" means in this case & whether we're talking about the same thing. Logically I would say that being a musician has a greater impact on my community of musicians & being a parent has a greater impact on my community of parents. They are both vibrant communities that I cherish & some people belong to both!
QRD Would you rather see your children eventually become musicians or parents?
Fred I would rather my children (& grandchildren) make whatever decisions will bring them happiness & peace & not feel obliged to think of decisions in terms of needlessly limiting binaries.
QRD Both family & music seem like things that will take up as much of your time as you're willing to put in. How do you end up dividing your time?
Fred With difficulty.
QRD What do your kids think of your music?
Fred Well, I'm sure they don't all think the same thing, but I feel great love & respect from them & that's a wonderful feeling.
QRD Do you think you could ever do a musical project with your children?
Fred Absolutely. Already doing one as we speak!
QRD Any words of advice to young people?
Fred Same as always -- have fun & don't waste your time...
Reprinted with kind permission from QRD Magazine/Brian John Mitchell/Silber Records
See other interviews from this issue of QRD magazine
See releases by and with Fred Frith @ Squidco
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