David Mead, up and coming singer songwriter, new found New Yorker, and a rather interesting press pack.
DM) There's one question that I was hoping would start the
ball rolling. Your press pack has a little notebook. Is this
really the notes you did while working on this album?
Mead) Well, to be perfectly honest with you, that's about
75% of actually stuff. All the notes are correct, except that
I had to change some people's phone numbers that were there.
And there's some lyrics that I didn't have the original copies
of handy so I had to redo those. So, not to fudge. it's about
75% authentic.
DM) That was the most striking press pack that I've ever seen
in my life. I think what got me was I used to keep the same type
of notebook.
Mead) With the same type of cover and everything?
DM) Exactly.
Mead) Oh, that's good, I buy about twenty of these things.
I just like them, they work.
DM) How many songs were in there that didn't make it into
the album?
Mead) I've have to see it to see if there's a mention of it,
but we started with about 40 songs that we considered and kinda
went through a narrowing down process that went through with
me and the producers. And everybody went throughout their list
and we got it down to 25 and then 18 and then we ended up cutting
16 and using 13.
DM) So now you have a few lost tracks that never made it on
the album?
Mead) Yeah, I'm hoping they'll get into films or possibility
television shows. Because I really like them. There's some things
that went better with the others like a body of work. Not to
sound too pretentious or anything, the others kind of broke up
the flow instead of enhancing it.
DM) Have you been working to get these into films?
Mead) My publisher has. I know nobody in film, so unfortunately
I have nothing to offer in that area. So far it seems she's doing
a fairly good job. She used to be intimate with Steven Spielberg
actually, (laughs) a weird point of interest.
DM) You did say, "intimate with"?
Mead) She lived with him for a few years actually. She has
a few really good ties in the community.
DM) That would do it. Spend the night with Steven Spielberg
and get your work in a movie.
Mead) Yeah, wait a minute, hold up, you just said spend the
night with Steven Spielberg... I didn't spend the night with
Steven!
DM) I know, I know, it's the publisher who, possibility, might
have...
Mead) Let's hope she has. You're going to spend three years
with a guy, you might as well get a good lay out of it. Or at
least I hope so. I should probably stop that line of reasoning
right here. Poor woman, such a nice lady. Talking about her sex
life here.
DM) Then for a change of subject, are you a native New Yorker?
Mead) I'm actually from Long Island originally... I was born
in Syosset but we lived in West Islip. To be honest, I spent
the first two years of my life there but we then started moving
around. So I can't really claim to be a native new Yorker.
DM) So where did you go to high school then?
Mead) High school was mostly Nashville, Tennessee.
DM) Why were you moving around so much?
Mead) My dad works for 3M which is a big multi-conglomerative
with 8,000 different divisions. SO basically he was getting transferred
here and there. I grew up mostly in the south, I mean I did stint
in Minneapolis, Minnesota. But I moved around a lot in the south.
DM) So you'd consider the south more of your upbringing and
attitude?
Mead) I guess so. I don't think really think of my southern.
DM) So after living in New York for a little while again,
are you a city mouse of a country mouse?
Mead) (laughs) I'm learning very quickly how to be a city
boy.
DM) What are some of your favorite parts of the city now?
Mead) So far I really like this place named, "Mona's".
I went to a great place last night on the upper east side. A
good old Italian sort of hang. Kind of a Mafia vibe to it. I
like this little place three doors away from my apartment called,
"Detour". But I don't know if I've been here long enough
to nail down favorites. I'm interested in checking out your neck
of the woods (Brooklyn), but I don't have enough friends who've
volunteered to show me.
DM) I'll show you Coney Island and the Verrazzano Bridge and
what not.
Mead) Sounds great, we'll have to do it sometime!
