10 comments on “A Radio Interview From a While Back”

  2. A good interview. i like how he explained his fantasy setting, as not being biblical, but having been a world created by the same God. I’ve never read anything quite like Lee’s novels. They are uplifting, but not preachy. That’s a hard balance to achieve.

    Reply

    2. It was quite unusual. Obann existed as a complete, very real place that Lee kept in his mind.

      There is an analog, however, in music. A few days ago, I dusted off a song I wrote in 1977, and played it for the first time in years. It was not an Opus Magnum, but it holds up as a piece of music. I’ve never recorded it, but after decades, I played it complete, unaltered from the way it was composed, nearly 50 years ago. I’ve noticed that when you write a song, there is a point where it coalesces and becomes a real song, with real identity and from that point on, it is complete and will not be altered.

      I don’t mean this in some mystical sense, but the idea of the song comes to have an identity. The song isn’t conscious, it’s not alive, but it lives in my mind. Perhaps when all is restored and we live as God intended, I will pursue music in a greater way. As it is, I quickly tired of the music business and have no desire to record and distribute my songs into a world where musicians and composers end up ripped off, so frequently.

      By keeping my compositions private, I also protect them from appropriation. There’s a new phenomenon of AI emulating existing musicians and composers and marketing these to streaming services, falsely claiming to be the actual band they are “training” their AI to copy. It’s about the dirtiest dealing I can imagine but it appears to be on the rise. They target lesser known artists, whom cater to niche audiences, in part because bands such as these cannot possibly afford to defend themselves legally.

      Anyhow, back to Lee’s work. The ability to have a complete world, sustained in the imagination has to be rare. Steinbeck comes to mind, as he wrote about the places he knew in California, and yes, they were real and complete in his mind. Based upon the reality he had experienced, but having a life of their own. Lee had a similar thing happening, and IMHO, a very useful take on the effect of spiritual darkness, and spiritual light.

    4. Indeed, it would be devastating. One of the main reasons that I limit my music to small events and the occasional benefit is because that allows me to retain a greater degree of control.

Leave a Reply