Hop Along's Frances Quinlan: on Reading, Writing & Influences
By: Kyler Bingham | Posted: April 1st, 2019 | Original Article
Hop Along (Photo by Tonje Thilesen)
The Philadelphia based Hop Along will play Salt Lake City's Urban Lounge on April 3rd. There most recent album is 2018's Bark Your Head Off, Dog. Singer, guitarist and songwriter Frances Quinlan was gracious enough to answer some questions before the band kicks off their tour in Denver at The Bluebird Theater (4/2/19).
1. What is something that you have read recently that has stayed with you?
Over the holidays one of my cousins gave me a book called "Housekeeping," that one is full of lines that really struck me, I wrote a number of them down. Here's one: "When one is idle and alone, the embarrassments of loneliness are almost endlessly compounded." Dang.
2. Do you have a specific process for writing?
Perhaps it's not best to say this but I think it's a little on the chaotic side; or at least the initial part is--for songs it usually starts with a small phrasing on the guitar, some little passage of words, and maybe some of them fit with something I wrote in my journal a few months back--or a phrase comes up right there and I shape the rest around it---it's very rare in my case where a whole song comes out in one sitting as far as lyrics go. Once in a while it happens. "Texas Funeral" happened that way, I wrote it all on the couch one evening, basically---"How You Got Your Limp" happened very quickly too, it's the "newest" song off of Bark... I think I'd only written it a month or two before we went into the studio.
After I've put something really raw together, with lyrics that in some places I'm already sure will be gone by final recording, I send the demo to the band and we go on to edit and re-edit and arrange it, in some cases into a whole other piece. That's what happened with "Somewhere a Judge." That song came out extremely different from the way it had started. I personally think that song is the best round of editing we've ever done.
3. Who has influenced you the most with your music in the past 5 years?
It's really hard for me to quantify time like that. Also to distinguish who is influencing me and who I can never properly channel, only enjoy. For example, I love Nina Simone and Nick Drake and will never be able to emulate what they created. God I wish I could.
I will say it wasn't until 2 or 3 years ago that I realized Fleetwood Mac is an incredible band. I got very into Mirage and Tusk for a while. They're such an adventurous group of arrangers. I'd say I was inspired hearing all the strange risks they take on a lot of songs. They didn't seem to be afraid of failing. They really go all over the place, and I think maybe they did even fail sometimes (on Tusk, anyway). Failure can inspire too though, how bad is failing, after all? I mean I get very upset when it happens, when things I meant to say fail, but in the end I'm glad to have pushed an idea as far as I could-- I'd rather that than sticking to any kind of pattern.
Also most of my life I was only aware of "Blue" and Greatest Hits of Joni Mitchell; in the last 5 years I was introduced to "Court and Spark", "Hissing of Summer Lawns," and "Hejira" - all phenomenal records, I listen to them a lot more than Blue now. It's amazing to have the kind of catalogue with so many incredible chapters, that a person can get older with your work and find new discoveries in it as they age. There's such magic to that. There were a number of times when I wanted to emulate "Court and Spark," in recent years. I'll probably look to Joni all my life as a writer.
Lastly, for whatever reason I took some time getting into Bill Callahan, only because I was such a Smog fan, I would just stick to those records. It's insane because literally the only difference is the dropping of a moniker. Goes to show how uncomfortable I can be with change of any kind. Anyhow, this last year I finally sat with "Sometimes I Wish We Were an Eagle" and it clicked with me. "eid ma clack shaw" is an amazing song. He remains one of my all-time favorite songwriters, I read his lyrics like poems.
4. I have to ask about the song "The Knock" from 2015's Painted Shut. I grew up a Jehovah's Witness and the first time I heard it I was like, "Wait...is she singing about JWs?!" Can you tell me how that song came about?
You know, someone came up to me after a show recently and asked me what "The Knock" was about-- but first they told me what they thought it was about. They had a really interesting theory they and their friends had discussed- I loved hearing about it, and the very fact that it had been a part of a stimulating dialogue. It was so different from what I remember my initial intention being, which is fantastic to me---I almost liked their idea of the meaning better. Then they asked me what it "really" was about.
"I almost don't want to tell you now," I said. "Do you really want to know?"
"Yes, I really want to know."
"Ok." And I told them what I'd meant when I initially wrote it.
Their expression fell. They looked utterly disappointed. I still regret telling them. So I think it's best if I leave it to your interpretation. I don't mean to be evasive, but in a lot of cases it just doesn't seem to help people to know what I was thinking at the time.
5. Have there been any writers (musicians, novelists, poets, journalists) that you have been excited about recently?
My cousin introduces me to great authors all the time---Knausgaard was a big one, "A Time For Everything" really had an effect on the lyrics of BYHOD. A lot of people talk about him I know, but the My Struggle series is so good (I'm about to start on book 3, my hold is in at the library!) She also gave me "My Brilliant Friend," a couple years back, so you know her taste is spot on. I recently read "Play it as it Lays" by Joan Didion, my sister in law lent it to me. That one knocked me out. I love when people loan or give me books they think would suit me and it ends up being absolutely true. A nice way to feel known, recognized.
"Newcomers" by Lojze Kovačič was a good one, that's a bit older. I also love poets Louise Glück and Robert Bly (not all that contemporary I suppose). Only just started the book "Twist,"by Harkaitz Cano, I think I'm digging it so far but I'm not that many pages in.
As far as music; Sidney Gish, Cate LeBon, NoName, The Beths, Mary Lattimore, Thin Lips (they put out a great record last year called "Chosen Family"), and forthcoming albums from Big Thief, Radiator Hospital, and Sandy Alex G. I also tend to be pretty behind when it comes to music, my brother Mark is usually the one who enlightens me about great music coming out.
Hop Along (Photo by Matt Allen)
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