Lover/Fighter, Workman

By Peter Hemminger

“I hope to never be cool,” says Hawksley Workman.


Workman, the epitome of the slash artist (singer-slash-songwriter-slashproducer-slash-multi-instrumentalist slash-poet-slash-etc.), is talking about the current standard of cool. Artists like the Strokes, the Vines, and the reigning garage elite are definitely lacking in his eyes.


"I guess I just never bought into the ‘it’s cool to be dumb’ sensibility,’" he says. "I’ve always been attracted to people who can go out there and be earnest. Seeing people trying to be distant and removed in interviews, to me that’s all bullshit. People living earnestly may look a little ridiculous and they may open themselves up to being criticized, but to me that’s our responsibility. To open ourselves up, to be truthful and honest to the soul of music, is a great responsibility."


In that sense, it’s clear that Workman is living up to his responsibility. Through the course of four albums he has remained true to his muse and his vision, playing the majority of the music himself. And while that approach has garnered him acclaim in Europe, France in particular, in Canada he has somehow remained a fringe act.


"I’ve come to terms with the fact that this is my fourth record and I’m still being treated as a new artist in most places I go to," he says. "I think it’s because every time I release a record, it’s to a newer and bigger audience, who are hearing me for the first time. With [the first album,] For Him and the Girls it was a very grassroots effort. There were some fans, and a few journalists who really caught on, but that was it. Then, with [the second album, (Last Night We Were) The Delicious Wolves] there was a fluke hit in the song "Striptease," and I was being played on MuchMusic. Then, with the release in Europe, I was a new artist on that continent. And now that I’m a major label recording artist, they’re pushing me as the new artist on the block. So that’s not bad, I guess."


While he’s accepted his current status as a perpetual newcomer, Workman’s "competitive nature" refuses to let him wait for belated accolades. His first album has few imitators, perhaps due to the difficulty in imitating such a distinctive talent, but Workman still feels compelled to expand his sound. In fact, one of the most jarring moments on Lover/Fighter, his newest CD, is the rap section in "Smoke Baby" that seemingly comes out of nowhere. Hearing that didn’t surprise me nearly as much as this darling of the indie scene’s praise for mainstream hiphop.


"I’m listening to a lot of Jay-Z, and Eminem, and Naz, and anything that Dre has produced I want to lend an ear to," he says. "Right now that Beyonce single, "Crazy in Love" with Jay-Z, has got me. I flip for that one every time I hear it. It could be the best pop ditty of the past five years."


It’s an answer guaranteed to lose him some of his indie credibility, but that doesn’t worry him. Even the slick production, polished enough that Exclaim magazine touted it as proof Workman shouldn’t self-produce, is a calculated move away from his current underground fans and towards more mainstream acceptance


"I’ve been the closet genius long enough and I really did want to contribute a record to the mainstream, that’s always been my goal," he says. "I know that for a lot of these journalists it’s important to feel apart from the masses. I figure a lot of these music journalists are busy trying to make sure that their readers know how cool they are. I really find these criticisms a little funny because this is still a home recorded album. I just recorded it in a more professional way."


While the polish will likely throw off long-time listeners, there’s plenty of reason to look past it. After the "three to five listens" Workman predicts his fans will need, Lover/Fighter reveals itself as a welcome addition to his discography. Better still, listen to the album live when Workman plays on Mon., Oct. 6 at the Whiskey, and hear the songs without any production at all.


For Workman, the concerts are a time to give back to the audience, to celebrate the music, and to establish a true connection to his fans. It’s the time to prove his respect for the music, his honesty to its soul and maybe even show some of that earnest living he praises.


But it’s certainly no time to act cool.