Rich Mullins Interviews
“You’re going to get burned. Always choose to be burned by that fire that refines - the fire of obedience rather than the fire of sin.” — Rich Mullins
I stumbled across KidBrothers.net today. It has a collection of interviews with the late Rich Mullins. I’ve always respected Rich because he was a Christian musician that really lived his faith. He wasn’t about the industry or fads, but writing songs and music about the Christian faith and how it shaped his life. Sometimes the music was a bit too much on the adult contemporary side for my tastes but every other album or so, the music would have an authenticness about it. (ie. The World As Best As I Remember It - Vol. 1 and A Litergy, A Legacy, and a Ragamuffin Band are my favorites.)
A great example of how production can either make or break the music would be Rich’s last album called The Jesus Record. It comes with two discs. The first is a boom-box (remember cassettes?) set up in a small church recording Rich playing the songs he had selected for his next record — barely considered a rough demo. Shortly after, Rich was killed in a fatal car accident. The second disc contains other artists’ versions of the songs from the first disc. Honestly, there is more heart and passion captured in the first song on disc 1 than all the songs on disc 2 combined.
Oh to hear someone making beautiful music from their heart in CCM again — instead of just making a technically perfect recording.
October 23rd, 2006 at 11:15 am
Amen to that. Liturgy is my favorite too, and I would tag If I Stand as my favorite single of his. I love the pervasive sense of longing for our true home — set alongside the insidious power that this fallen world has to “compete for our allegiance” — that characterizes so much of his music.
I think Mullins’ influence on Caedmon’s Call is a big reason I like so much of their stuff (”This world has nothing for me…”, etc.)
October 23rd, 2006 at 2:59 pm
David - I will write, record, produce, mix, and master messy heartfelt real music with you anyday!
Just think how far recording technology has come in the last ten years, and then think about how good music has followed an inverse trend. I think that is why I like Peter Gabriels So and Us albums. Well produced by not over produced. Feel over fidelity. The producer also produced my favorite U2 records. Go figure.
I don’t own any of Rich’s stuff. What should be my introduction album? It seems like Liturgy…
October 23rd, 2006 at 3:26 pm
Definitely. Then Vol. 1 as a whole, and then singles after that.
Another hidden gem is The Love of God on the album Never Picture Perfect.
October 23rd, 2006 at 4:07 pm
I agree. My Rich intro sequence would be:
1. Liturgy
2. The World as Best as I Can Remember It, Vol. 1
3. Never Picture Perfect
October 29th, 2006 at 11:14 pm
You boys are talking my language! You well know I love most all CCM pre 1990. All styles. It had passion, heart, and a non corporate feel that was more genuine to me and greatly influenced my life as a new believer in the early 1980s.
There were so many artists that were completely original then and not just “Christianized” copies off of the top 40. Very little of the stuff is decent now other than much of the the praise and worship that really gets me in a vertically focused mode.
By the way, this morning’s worship rocked, and not just because I ran the sound.
I enjoyed some of the more upbeat songs and the song choices. Those new electro-skins are awesome. The overall presentation was used by God to take the Body to a level of genuine worship that I had not seen in a while or ever at GF. It was great hearing the genuine extended applause for God’s fame after the first song. That was new at GF.
Rich Mullins was great and had some very deep songs and some very funs ones too. This was one seriously committed guy. Both to his music and his Lord. Clearly evident.
I am sure you all remember Rich’s very funny and very true “Screen Door” Based on James…..
It’s about as useless as
A screen door on a submarine
Faith without works baby
It just ain’t happenin’
One is your left hand
One is your right
It’ll take two strong arms
To hold on tight
Some folks cut off their nose
Just to spite their face
I think you need some works to show
For your alleged faith
Well there’s a difference you know
Between having faith
And playing make believe
One will make you grow
The other one just make you sleep
Talk about it (yeah)
But I really think you oughtta
Take a leap off of the ship
Before you claim to walk on water
Faith without works
Is like a song you can’t sing (sing)
It’s about as useless as
A screen door on a submarine
Great stuff and I so long for a return of CCM with heart minus the corporate image. I like how Davo described most CCM recently as “musically perfect but with no soul” to paraphrase.
I am very thankful that music can long outlive the writer and performer. What a great legacy for someone like Rich Mullins to leave the world.
I hope we can leave something that lasts after we are gone that can be used for God’s fame too!
July 22nd, 2008 at 12:18 am
Hey, I am also a Rich Mullins fan and I just wanted u 2 know that they no longer play Rich’s music on klove. This really disturbs me. So bad that I cant spell. I know he is gone but I dont believe we should forget about the best writer of our time. If not the best of all time. I am only 18 years of age. So i was very young when Rich died but I still do remember it to this day. And I often ask the Lord why he took him. And of course I never get an answer. But I dont think God put us down here to find answers. I think he put us down here to serve him. And thats all I am going to say. God Bless not only America but the whole entire world.