Willie Nile: New York City Man
Catching up with the rock ‘n’ roll lifer on the cusp of his 76th birthday
Born and bred in Buffalo New York, Willie Nile is a tireless troubadour who proudly calls New York City home.
It’s little wonder — Nile is the epitome of an urban warrior whose street sensibility evokes the fierce spirit of the city’s seminal punk scene and its insurgent notoriety. Over the course of 14 critically acclaimed studio albums and a near brush with widespread fame and notoriety that came courtesy of his early association with Clive Davis’ Arista Records, Nile’s admittedly had his share of setbacks, but his devotion to the relentless spirit of pure rock and roll has never wavered.
Nile’s latest offering, Live at Daryl’s House Club, remains true to that tack, spotlighting him in the environment that suits him best — that is, in front of an appreciative audience, one that encourages his free-spirited attitude to fully run wild. In fact, there’s not a single song among this baker’s dozen that fails to reflect his workingman-like regimen, all of which are amplified in this stirring live set.
Those that have followed Nile since his seminal beginnings in the early ‘80s ought to appreciate Live at Daryl’s House Club for its unabashed energy and exhilaration, while those who, up until now, have somehow remained unknowing and unawares could consider this an ample introduction. In short, Nile’s never sounded so upbeat and inspired.
In a way, it’s little wonder. A dedicated devotee to his creative cause, he’s never wavered from his determination to bring his music to the masses. “It’s been a really great spring… really busy,” he says. “I was in Europe, I did some shows in Italy, and then I toured in Spain with a Spanish band. It was great fun, and there’s no place like Spain, especially those audiences. And then I came back to the States and I did a solo storyteller tour around the country, like literally a circle, from New York, to Dallas, to L.A. to Santa Barbara, to Chicago to Indiana and Illinois, up to Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Michigan, then back to Chicago. Then I flew to Pittsburgh and then drove back to New York. It was like a blur. And it was really interesting and really fun. I really enjoyed it very much.”
Nile adds that that particular tour found him working as a one man show, sans band and employing only his own guitar and piano as accompaniment. “It took me back to the early days when I played on Bleecker Street in the Village, back in the late 70s, right around the time I got signed to Arista Records,” he recalled. “It was really good fun. When you’re playing solo, you can you can wing it and play anything. You can just make left turns and right turns and tell stories. I’m gonna do more of that.”
For all his travels, Nile’s allegiance and affection for New York remains undeterred.
“I’m looking out the window as we speak,” Nile mentions. “I can see Bleecker Street on my window.. And yes, there is a New York thing. I love that every city has its own magic, whether a big town or a small town. I’ve been in New York City some 52 years now on and off. And it’s taught me a lot. It’s still teaching me things. You know, there’s an edge. It’s such a cosmopolitan city. If you and I stood on the corner of Bleecker and McDougal, in 15 minutes, we’d hear people walking by and hear like a half a dozen languages. There’s rich, there’s poor, there’s everything in between. I got a degree in philosophy from the University of Buffalo, but the streets of New York have taught me so much more. They’re still teaching me, so it inspires me. I’ve written a lot about it and I still do. I’ll drop before I stopped being inspired.”
Nile, who turns 76 on June 7th, insists his enthusiasm and excitement about making music has never wavered, and is, in fact, at full throttle even n ow. “Even at the age I am now, I’m having more fun than ever,” he insists. “I’m writing as much as ever. I put nine albums out in 12 years. I’ve got a guy making a documentary about me. So I held off the last year and a half making a record but I’m working on one now. And of course, I just put out the live album out.”
In a sense, the new album is a compendium of sorts that sums up his career, at least so far.
“It sounds great,” he agrees. “It was a great night. I’m really proud of it. It captures the band and all its power. Plus, it’s a really good and interesting collection of songs as far as the setlist is concerned. Plus, as I mentioned, I’m working on a new studio album. I’m piecing it together. I’ve got so many songs to pick from, so I’m pretty excited about it. And New York is still influencing me. I don’t even have to be here for New York to influence stuff because so much of New York is in my brain.”
That said, it’s Nile’s ability to make music and share it with appreciate audiences that serves as his enduring inspiration. “I believe that music can lift us up,” he maintains. “Life can be hard for you, life is hard for everybody, but it we were all multimillionaires, we’d still have troubles to deal with. It’s not easy for anybody, but music can lift us up and help us get through this journey we’re all on. I feel it in my bones. So as long as I’m feeling that, I’m just gonna share that and just keep following it down that road.”
It was suggested that given a career that stretches back to the early ‘80s, it may be time for a Willie Nile anthology. Happily, he wasn’t opposed to the idea.
“I have so many songs and so much material,” he reflected. “I started working on the new album in the fall and debating about what shape it would take. It’s been a while since I put a studio album out. So I’m more focused on that now. But I think after I put the studio album out — I’m not sure whether it’ll be in the fall or early next year — I’m looking at maybe I could do an anthology. I could do a big one with all kinds of CDs, because there’s so much material. Or maybe a stripped down one of like, maybe 40 songs or something. I don’t know, but I am thinking about doing one. I’ve got so many songs to pick from to fill that picture out. But there are so many trails that I’ve got ahead of me.”
Given his history in Greenwich Village, one that goes back to its burgeoning music scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s, it would also seem apparent that a book documenting the time he’s spent in those fabled environs might also be in order.
“Absolutely, he agreed. “No question about it. I’m not somebody who kisses and tells but I did start making some notes some years back. I know what that story is. So maybe at some point I’ll think about doing a book just because of the stories I could tell. It could be illuminating. We’ll see. It’s one step at a time. I’ve got pages and pages of notes, so at some point, if I have time, I could do that.”
VIDEO: Willie Nile “Love is a Train” (Live in Italy)
In the meantime, Nile has plenty of awards and accolades to fall back on, if, in fact, he chose to do so. He’s been particularly praised in independent music circles, not to mention the consistent kudos he’s received from the critics.
“I’ve been very, very fortunate,” he says humbly. “ I don’t make the albums for the awards. I’m you know, I make them because I love them. You know, that’s the first I love music and the songs but then I’m also trying to make a living. You know, that’s the whole point. I don’t care about winning awards, but but I’m grateful, very grateful for the acknowledgments that I’ve gotten. I’ve gotten more than my share.I think it underlines the fact that you can fool some of the people some of the time. Kidding aside, I’ve been very, very fortunate and very grateful for the accolades I’ve gotten and yeah, it’s meaningful and it keeps me going. I must be doing something right. I have a pretty good idea of when it’s right, and if it means something, I tell the band when we’re playing live,, if we’re having fun, maybe the audience will have fun. If it means something to us, it might mean something to somebody else. It’s been a great ride, and it’s still going full speed ahead.”
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I just saw Willie at Daryl’s house 8/24 for the 3rd time. I was there the night Live at Daryl’s House was recorded. He has become my favorite artist and hopefully will get to see him again. If you’ve never been to one of his shows, I highly recommend seeing him live it’s worth every minute.