Minds interviewed The Americans', See What Their Frontman Patrick Ferris Had To Say!

Q&A Answers From The Americans' Frontman Patrick Farris!

My first question is, what would you most like to be remembered for?


I like to think we've invented our own approach to rock & roll, in the same way bands did back in the '50s and '60s. Like many of them, we started out with traditional blues and folk music; everything we write goes through that prism.


What are some of your influences?


Charley Patton, Skip James, Tom Waits, Joanna Newsom, Bob Dylan.


What’s your opinion of the politics of the world today?


It's more common than ever been for people to hear only the views they subscribe to. And the most extreme ideas appear more popular than they actually are. It's a distorted reality.


What has been your greatest achievement so far?



Opening for Dr. John before he died.


If you had the chance to speak to every human being on earth, what would your message be?


Consider opinions other than your own.


Have you ever wondered whether you were doing the right thing?


I guess so. I hope I do the right thing.



What’s your opinion of the highly engineered and marketed music we see in the charts today?


I think there's good stuff and bad stuff, just like always. A lot of the music we love is in the past, so we tend to focus on that. Sometimes I wonder what we're missing from contemporary music.


Why do you think music and words seem to work so much better than just words as a means to get a message across?


I don't know. A song is a translation of an abstract concept. It enters the ears, and is translated back to the listener. It's like a foreign language that only you speak.



What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?

Oh boy. I once got in a drinking contest with our 300 lb Texan friend at a festival. We were supposed to join Ryan Bingham on stage, but there were hours to go. I blacked out, slept beneath the main stage, woke up exactly on time, and walked on. I have no memory of doing so, but I'm told it went OK.


What would you still like to achieve?


More people to pay attention to our music.



Do you believe in man-made global warming? Or is it natural?


I do.


How do you feel about the state of the world today?


I can't tell if things are crazier, or if things have often felt crazy throughout modern history. I guess we'll have to stay tuned.


How do you think we can come together as one to stop global warming?


We're making some progress, though of course not enough to flatten the curve. Nuclear fusion could solve the problem.


What should we do about animal cruelty? What do you think should be done to the ones that "Sport Hunt" animals in a cage?


I think cruelty to animals in its present form will be remembered as a grave injustice. Not that I'm doing anything to help. We'll probably have to explain to our grandkids what we were thinking.


What would be your message to the world about unity? Do you think it can be done in this day and age?


I think the world is getting better. It doesn't seem that way, but large populations of the world's most vulnerable people have been spared war and starvation, compared to the decades prior. So I guess I have a Steven Pinker outlook. But of course it could always go south.


Finally, If there is truly a God, What would you say about humanity and where it's heading?


Help us out!

 

Review by: SchizoFranic
Link: https://linktr.ee/SchizoFranic