International sensation David Broza came to Shriver Hall on Nov. 13 to play his beloved folk rock music. Effortlessly blending Hebrew, English and Spanish lyrics and musical styles into his work, Broza's appeal is far-reaching indeed. With 23 albums under his belt, Broza, a megastar in Israel, is slowly but surely gathering a mainstream following in America. Recently, the News-Letter had the opportunity to discuss his career and influences with the singer/songwriter himself.
News-Letter: You sing and write in English, Hebrew and Spanish. I'm curious where the Spanish influence came from.
David Broza: I lived in Spain from the age of 12 to 18, so that's where the Spanish influence came from.
N-L: Obviously, there were linguistic influences. What about musical influences?
DB: Well, that came from living in Spain and being exposed to the music.
N-L: What kind of music in particular?
DB: Well, everything that was the singers' and songwriters' of the '70s in Spain, and the Flamenco musicians'.
N-L: Could you name one or two chief influences in each language, whether they be singer, songwriter, poet, activist, politician, anything?
DB: Serrate is a big Spanish singer that influenced me. Paco Iba-ez is another. In Israel, it's Shalom Hanoch, Mati Kaspi. In the States, it's everything from Hendrix to Bob Dylan.
N-L: I know a lot of poets have influenced you too...
DB: Well, it's not the poets that have influenced me -- I've always been interested in poetry. So I've kind of developed a way of working with poetry and turning it into song and making that fusion between poetry and rock-and-roll.
N-L: Who are some of the poets you generally pick a lot to translate into song?
DB: Anything that I read that I like I can turn into a song.
N-L: What are you main sources of poetry?
DB: Everything. It happens all over the place. It can be a tiny little book that is published by the poet and is not distributed, but you find it in some kind of a little newsstand. And then there's the Gotham Bookmark in Manhattan, which has been my source for many years. It's the greatest poetry store in the world.
N-L: When you want to translate a poem into a song, what are some problems you come across?
DB: No, it's not a problem. It's a matter of how you formulate it, how you figure it out, how it inspires you. There is no problem. You create the problem by trying to deal with an existing poem to start with. So there's no problem. It's just a matter of technique and perseverance and style. That's my way of working. I just have to find the melody that lies within the lyrics and see what it evokes.
N-L: What about in the language itself? I know that you translate your songs into many different languages, and poems too. Poems are so deeply rooted in their language in the first place that it must be a meticulous task to translate. How do you deal with this?
DB: Well, I live in Spain now because I wanted to feel and understand the language. I lived in the States for many years, and I went down into the Midwest and all kinds of places to get close to the language. So that's what I think is most important -- to speak the language for real and not just understand it.
N-L: I've read that you teach poetry at Bennington?
DB: It's not that I teach. I've been giving master classes at Bennington in creative writing. It's something for which I was approached by the faculty. It really turned me on because I didn't know so much that I could inspire writers to a degree where they understand my way of working, my thesis. It's been a very rewarding personal thing of mine, to be able to give these classes.
N-L: When you influence someone through these classes, how does that compare to influencing someone through your music?
DB: It's more direct. It inspires me.
N-L: Your first English album was called, appropriately enough, Away From Home. Do you find a dramatic disparity between your reception in Israel and your reception here?
DB: Of course. I mean, I came to the states at the peak of my career in Israel. I came to a new territory where I was a total unknown, and it had a deep effect on me.
N-L: When you arrived in the states, did you have memories of when you were an unknown in Israel? Did it evoke similar feelings?
DB: I didn't have memories, I lived it. Not memories, it's my life. No, it never occurred to me because I'm always moving forward. I had a plan. I didn't come to the states just to see what was going on. I had a plan, and that was to create my music in English and for it to be something which is parallel to my Hebrew stuff, and this is what I'm doing in Spain now in Spanish, and this is exactly what I have achieved. To create a career that is made up of three phases, the Hebrew, the Spanish and the English, all entwined into one.
N-L: You've performed with some of the greats: Dylan, Paul Simon, Van Morrison. And you're a fan of these guys just like the rest of us. Was it intimidating at all?
DB: Intimidating? No, it was exhilarating.
N-L: Any favorites to perform with?
DB: No. Well, with Sting it was something special because it was at the Sea of Galilee. Very unique. It was a wonderful evening.
N-L: The obligatory question: Can you think of a specific best gig and worst gig?
DB: I couldn't answer you that. There's never a best or a worst. (laughs) Some better, some worse, but the intention is always to make a great show. I'm not the one to judge my shows. I'm very critical of thing that don't matter to the audience. My point of view doesn't count at all.
N-L: I also read that you originally wanted to become a graphic designer, but you became a musician. That' a pretty interesting switch. How did that happen?
DB: It happened overnight. I was singing for fun and a friend in Israel asked me to join his show.
N-L: You're the Goodwill Ambassador for UNICEF. How did that come to be?
DB: They were looking for someone to write a song to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of UNICEF, and somehow I got it on my table. I took it. That basically was the involvement that we've had. My actual involvement with social issues world wide? I'm much more concerned with thing like Arab-Israeli villages in the Middle East, or any other organizations that dedicate themselves to the education of better understanding and coexistence. Seeds for Peace and things like that. UNICEF was just a one-time project for me. As I see it, I think the organization is too cumbersome, big and complex for any one person to be effective. I think for me the involvement with smaller groups that deal with coexistence is much more effective.
N-L: And finally, could you tell us a little bit about your new album, All or Nothing?
DB: It's the epitome of everything I've wanted to do when I envision my career. It's got a poppy sound, it's got excellent, unique and special lyrics, and the arrangements are outstanding. It's the album I've worked the most for in my life. I spent a year and a half in a studio. It's my labor of love.
