Michael Franti and his band Spearhead are known for their political music and have been called a part of the resistance. This outspoken artist has got a lot to say, and with music as his tool, he speaks what some might call the unspeakable.
Daily Lobo: Can you discuss why you felt it necessary to speak with a college newspaper?
Michael Franti: One reason I really enjoy speaking and playing at universities is because young people don't have the attachment to the commercial world, for lack of a better word. A lot of times, people who are older only think of things in terms of their economic effects, or their political effects and they rarely think about the human effects or the effects on the environment.
That's why I think it's really important that young people have a voice. It seems like as people get older and older, they seem to care more about themselves and less about others.
DL: Can you talk about the events that inspired you to write your latest album?
MF: This record is heavily influenced by the events that happened after Sept. 11. After I started seeing the U.S. making plans about what they were going to do in retaliation, I started thinking about how I would want our country to be viewed by the world.
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I would want our country to be viewed as a benevolent country among nations. That's not what we've done. What we've done with the war so far is not bring an end to terrorism but made other countries hate the U.S.
This record really speaks to all the confusion, the frustration that all of us are feeling. It's making the best out of a difficult situation.
DL: Do you really see it getting better before it gets worse and if so, what role does music play in the healing process?
MF: I am very hopeful about the future, but I hope the future gets here quick because right now it's easy to look around and have despair about all the things that have taken place in our world.
One of the things I think that music does is give us a release. It gives us an opportunity to express our emotions, our thoughts, our feelings. Maybe music won't change the world overnight, but music can help us make it through a difficult night. Sometimes that's what we need to make it to tomorrow.
DL: Is censorship something you as a band face regularly or does your growing popularity protect your music from being silenced?
MF: Well, the more that we go out on the road and the more that we bring the music directly to people, the more our audience continues to grow. We rely more on word of mouth than on MTV or radio stations to play our stuff. We're really grateful and proud of the fact that our audience continues to be out there, sharing our songs over the Internet and telling their friends about what we do.
DL: Are there any Democratic presidential endorsements that you'd like to speak about?
MF: I never endorse candidates. I only endorse ideas.
