David Torn: The CirdecSongs Interview

The best musicians have their own voice, be it vocal or via their instruments. Be it Miles Davis, Bill Bruford, Tony Levin, or Rhiannon Giddens, there is no mistake whom one is hearing once said musician goes to work.

David Torn is one of those musicians. For decades, the guitarist has been melting our brains with his unique approach to his instrument. Calling Torn a mere “guitarist,” however, is wildly inaccurate. Torn is a sound manipulator, a soundscape specialist, and a true innovator. His sound often has a “cut and paste” quality to it, but it’s the way the pieces are assembled that makes him so different from others.

Throughout his career, Torn has worked with a cavalcade of top-flight musicians. His own bands have featured the likes of Levin, Bruford, Mick Karn, and Terry Bozzio. He has also taken his talents to the works of David Bowie, Meshell Ndgeocello, and Jeff Beck among many others. His current efforts with Swiss quartet Sonar have taken that band’s already innovative approach to a entirely new stratosphere.

One might think that such a musician would have a deadly earnest personality without much room for anything but his work. At least, that’s what I assumed. But Torn is affable, laid-back, and possesses a wicked sense of humor. We have never spoken before, yet within 90 seconds of meeting him, we were laughing uproariously. It certainly made for a fun interview.

Torn and I talked for the better part of three hours. Almost half of it was recorded. If this isn’t the most fun I’ve had conducting an interview, it’s definitely in the Top Two.. I’d like to thank David Torn for taking the time to participate in this CirdecSongs Interview.

Photo by Scott Friedlander