You Asked, Todd Answered, Part 4

The final set of answers to ‘Ask Todd Anything’

Todd Snider still thinks about his late dog Cowboy Jim every day. (Photo by Anita Webb)

By Daryl Sanders

This is the final installment of Todd Snider’s answers to questions posed by readers of The Snider Files in the “Ask Todd Anything” thread. In his answers to these final few questions, Snider discusses how the Sunday morning live streams from The Purple Building developed, why he had certain songs removed from the streaming services and a little bit of his family’s colorful history.

Tony Richmond: What types of questions/interactions with fans do you love/not love? Favorite things about the troubadour life. Any plans to write another book? What are some of your favorite books? Do you crack up every time you tell the George Boedecker “Free Bird” story? Because I do. Any chance of a Camp What the Folk scholarship/discount prize for a poor public school teacher who would be missing the second week of school if he could make it? Would you be willing to make a guitar book with songs, tips, and advice geared towards a 40+ year old beginner guitar player one year into his guitar journey? Songwriting/rhyming and harmonica tips, too. Do you want to hang out next time you’re in town? Might not want to answer, but why did “Battle Hymn” get cut? I enjoy blasting that and “Conservative Christian” while driving through MAGA areas in my town. I just hope you realize what an indescribably positive impact you’ve had on so many people, and just how appreciated and loved you are. Todd Snider Rules!

Todd: I cut the “Battle Hymn" song cuz I thought it was crap, especially the way I say his name over and over. It ruined the album for me. There’re already songs about that guy, and the world didn’t need a half-baked one. There was a version of that song that John Carter Cash and I wrote that actually had some meat on it, and for some reason I took it off, which pissed him off, too. So I told someone to take it off. Also they took a song called “Close Enough To You” off New Connection. It sounds worse than fingers on a chalkboard to me. More like chalk on a mosquito bite. And maybe “Bring ’Em Home” got tossed, too. If not, I am gonna get them to. Same problem. What’s the song called again? Sometimes with songs about politics, it’s hard to find a way to sing those types of words. They are clunky and have a know-it-all it ring to them. Tough surf.

David Staudt: Hi, Todd! Did you get another dog? They are the best. Also, have you ever thought of doing small, bar-room-sized shows and airing them live on some sort of Patreon site? I'd pay to have access to that. I sure do miss the weekly Purple Building concerts. I’d do Covid all over again just to relive those Sunday afternoons!

Todd: I haven’t been able to replace Jim yet.  I don’t know if I will. I had such a deep connection to him. I never trained him or anything, and one time, he was walking ahead of me and my brother, and the road came to a T. He looked back at me, and I said, “Left,” and he went left. We were walking around downtown in Louisville. I still think about him every day. 

You know, before the pandemic, we had started buying cameras and lights in preparation for the unfortunate day that I might not be able to travel or guarantee to be able to do anything at such a certain time. So when the pandemic hit it just so happened that we were a few hundred bucks worth of gear away from being able to broadcast a show really good. Although, my favorite part of it was that I was just singing for the crew and my two buddies, Mark McClendon and Mike Wilker — we’re Grady, Bubba and Fred — and not having clapping or laughing on there.

In fact, these albums coming out now are my favorite ones I’ve done and are the best example of what I know how to do naturally without adding any of the shit I learned to do cuz I was interested in it. People I grew up with can listen to this and hear the same person they knew growing up — even though I didn’t play or sing or seem to be headed that way till I had grown up and moved away.

Eric Kincaid: What's something about you that your fans would find surprising? Why did you have “Battle Hymn of the Album” taken off of Spotify? What's your favorite song that you've written? What are some guilty pleasure songs that you like? Thanks for doing this.

Todd: That I have a sister, or that she’s the only person in my family I’ve ever been really close to. She’d never come onstage, but she and her kids are the rock in my life. The rest of them are full-on jive turkeys. High five!

Also though, my dad, and the way I grew up. There is a book called Rose City Vice and on page one of that book is a photo of a man named George DesBrisay. He was the leader of an organized crime family based in Beaverton, Oregon. And my dad was way up in it. Then in ’83, we left town fast with nothing. Growing up, we would hear that our father was in the mob, and looking back now, it seems so obvious. He had “guys” who just stood around. I saw him break a guy’s leg when I was about 10. My mother finally came off it when the book came out because we knew everybody in it. When he died in Memphis in ’94, he was still in it. He was good at it. In Memphis, he worked with Danny Owens. You can look it up I bet.

Oh, yeah, I didn’t think the lyrics were good enough to warrant speaking to that subject. “Get down on the ground” started to sound borderline racist to me. And I every time I put it on, I wanted the guy to stop saying the same person’s name over and over. So to be frank, I thought it was crap. And there are songs about John Brown.

Anyway, there is a song called “Close Enough to You” on New Connection that I had them get rid of, too. I just think the words are awful. Same with “Bring ’Em Home.” I think I might have left that one at the bus station, too.

You know, I don’t have a favorite song — maybe “Good Fortune.”

I don't think I have a guilty pleasure either. Or maybe I don’t get out enough anymore to know what that would be.

Thank you for being so cool to my mom. And running the Wire.

Also, I run the 40 in 3.7, bench 440, know karate and Morgan Fairchild is my girlfriend. And that my friend is the ticket.

Kim: No question from me. I just want to thank you for providing this amazing community I feel part of through your stories and music. Your songs have helped me get through life. They've helped me get to where I am in life, and I have found my happy place. You will never know how much I appreciate you! 💜

Todd: Thank you for telling me that. I needed to hear that today. Thank you.

© 2024 Daryl Sanders