TWS-- Ep 3-- Anais Mitchell

[@epicglitter7218]

Truly fascinating to come across this interview now that Hadestown is a full-fledged Broadway musical with 8 Tony Awards and glowing reviews. I love the friendly, genuine, down-to-earth vibe in this interview. Comfortable, relaxed, familiar, and with none of the absurd or sensationalizing questions she's started getting in more recent interviews. The musical (and its official cast recordings) resonate with a wide audience, the cast members and director call her a "prophet" and "oracle" and I don't think they're wrong. She's created a work of art, based in song & rooted in folk tradition, that provokes deep reflection on hope vs. despair, solidarity vs. isolation, agency vs. fate/inevitability, speaking truth to power, and the tremendous value of telling (singing) stories. I can't wait to see (hear) what she does next! Edited to add: the discussion of Why We Build The Wall was a bit heartbreaking though. I realize it wasn't originally written about *that* wall (tbh, when I first heard it, it evoked the wall in Palestine). But still. At the time of this podcast, few thought Trump would actually "win" the election, and I so wish that like Orpheus's song, WWBTW could've changed things somehow...

[@matthewkrause5492]

Great podcast/interview, I absolutely love Anais Mitchell! I saw Anais Mitchell with Patty Griffin and Sara Watkins, it was amazing. I tweeted and facebook messaged her before the show to play my wife and I a song from her "Child Ballads" album and she did and it was so great. She has an incredible gift and I hope she keeps making great music for years and years to come. "Why we build the wall" is truly a song that will stand the test of time.

[@tenn4fab4]

Thanks so much for doing this interview. There's no songwriter I love more than Anais Mitchell, and that's a lifetime of loving the genre and growing up with the likes of Randy Newman, Paul Simon, Leonard Cohen, James Tayor, Cat Stevens, Joni Mitchell, etc. Anais works relentlessly at the art of it, and brings her very special heart and soul and consciousness to the work. Life-changing artist, her songwriting is definitely useful and worthwhile!

[@AdjacentJustice]

Joe, these are so great that I think you could quit your day job and follow your dream of podcastinating. I just put this on and lie back on my floor and I'm grinning the whole hour. Talk on!