People: Just think of it as a civic tune-up
Though Janet Reno is credited as the executive producer of “Song of America,” a three-disc boxed set chronicling the history of the United States in song, she is quick to downplay her role.
“I had the easy way,” the former U.S. attorney general says.
But while her nephew-in-law, producer Ed Pettersen, may have done a lot of the heavy lifting, the set – featuring new interpretations of seminal songs like “Dixie’s Land” and “The Times They Are A Changin’ ” – reflects Reno’s vision.
Through 50 songs, reinterpreted by artists including John Mellencamp, the Black Crowes, Martha Wainwright and Devendra Banhart, the story of America and the different challenges it has faced, from war to racism to the Depression, is retold for today’s audiences.
Though Reno, 69, is slowed these days by Parkinson’s disease, she is forceful and passionate when speaking about the decade-long project.
Q: You could have just gotten archival recordings of these songs. What made you want to give them a new interpretation?
A: The basic reason why I think these songs are going to make a difference is that that they show that they are constantly new and changing ideas … It is important to inspire people. If you are defeated and you accept defeat and just wallow in it, you’re not going to do very well, but if you pick yourself up, and motivated and inspired by song, you move forward. Song can be a vast, vast motivator.
Q: What were some of the more inspiring songs to you in your life?
A: “John Brown’s Body” is one of the songs that has meant so much to me, and this particular recording is just exceptional. That and the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” are two songs that spell out what the (Civil) War was about, and what we tried to do here is divide it into segments of united we stand, divided we fall. If America can come together with its history explained as in these songs, we have a better chance of moving ahead for the future.
Q: What do you hope this CD can accomplish?
A: I think (people) can learn more about their country, I think they can be inspired by what they hear, from some of these songs. They can remember when they are facing adversity that people were able to overcome terrible situations in their life and in the history of our country. …
To come out of the Depression into World War II, into the greatest war we have ever had, and to face the challenge of the atomic bomb, ever present after that war, gives us a sense of the challenge we face. But it’s also there to say, “Look, we did it, we can overcome, we can get past this time in our history.”
The birthday bunch
Actor Ricardo Montalban is 87. Actress Kathryn Crosby is 74. Actor John Larroquette is 60. Singer Amy Grant is 47. Actress Jill Hennessy is 38. Actress Christina Applegate is 36.