President Obama has already been occupying the White House for a couple of weeks, but here in the Smoke-Filled Room, we still haven’t quite gotten over the inauguration. Indeed, Americans from coast to coast welcomed the new President with great pomp and circumstance and, in many cases, with very loud rock ‘n’ roll shows. One of the best was staged by natives of the President’s hometown. “Big Shoulders Ball: Chicago Celebrates Change” was organized largely by the owners of the hip and always politically aware Chicago club the Hideout, and the show greeted the new administration with an all-star bill of fellow Midwesterners that included, among other rock luminaries, Ted Leo, Tortoise, Andrew Bird, and Eleventh Dream Day, who were founded in 1983 and mixed Neil Young’s electric guitar wizardry with the energy of punk. We were lucky enough to have the chance to catch up with Eleventh Dream Day’s Janet Bean to chat about the perils of compromise, how President Obama inspired her to get a new pet, and my great taste in art.

Crawdaddy!: Let’s start out with the Chicago inauguration gig… how did it come together?

Janet Bean: That gig really came together because of the sheer chutzpah of Katie and Tim at the Hideout and the ethics they operate the club under—and live their lives under. They created this sense of community through the club because they are so active in issues of social justice within the community, and it brings out the best in everybody. They are always willing to help out. I’ll call them up and ask for a benefit; I’ll say I want to do this event on what’s going on in the Congo to raise awareness, and they’re always on board. So, because of their political activism, they inspire and foster a great environment, and that’s how the gig came together.

Crawdaddy!: And how was it? It must have been a special night.

Bean: Yeah, it went really well. As I understand, it was sold out. It was a very sort of egalitarian event. There was no guest list or anything, everyone had to pay. The money that was not for expenses went towards several worthy organizations.

Crawdaddy!: What a great group of bands: Ted Leo, Tortoise, Eleventh Dream Day. That’s quite a bill.

Bean: Yeah, it was quite a group of bands, but that’s representative of how good the Chicago music community is. And the connections the bands have to each other. It’s such a spirit of community.

Crawdaddy!: Well, now that we’re a few weeks into the Obama presidency, what are your initial impressions?

Bean: You know, I am very, very happy we have Barack Obama in that office. Is he going to do everything I want him to do? No, he’ll disappoint me in some regard, but he’s truly needed at this point in time. His ability to raise our standing in the world in a positive way. I’m very happy about it. He’s done some things so far I’m happy with and I’m pleased, but he’s a political figure so he’s also bound to do some things that disappoint me.

Crawdaddy!: Do you mean he has to play the usual Washington games?

Bean: Yeah, he’s got to make compromises and sometimes I’m not interested in compromising. I’m just interested in doing exactly what I think is right. Like, maybe I’d close Guantanamo in a different fashion than he would; I’d do it right away and have the trials right away. You know, right the wrongs immediately. I would take some stronger stands on the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Maybe his method will be brilliant. I don’t know. I’m not a Harvard scholar or the second coming, like he is, apparently.

Crawdaddy!: It’s funny you should mention the second coming. He really does seem to be a Christ-like figure for some.

Bean: Yeah, my son, who has some medical problems, jokingly said he wants to go meet Obama so Obama can heal him. He’ll put his hands on his head and all will be fixed. I don’t think anybody would have said that about Bush.

Crawdaddy!: As an artist, how do you respond to these trying times? We have a mix of hopefulness with the new administration but an economy that’s struggling mightily. Do you have a responsibility to speak out as an artist?

Bean: I do have a responsibility but not because I am an artist—because I am a citizen and so I have a responsibility. Being an artist gives you a special platform so you have advantages others may not. But with Freakwater and Eleventh Dream Day, our songs haven’t been overtly political in nature, but they are often political in sentiment. Like the song “Buckets of Oil.” It’s not overtly political in the way that it’s hitting you over the head with it. I can’t imagine ever being involved in something that does that—not because it’s wrong or I’m insecure. I just don’t feel comfortable writing lyrics that way. I’m politically involved as a citizen, not a musician. But with your political views, sometimes being a musician is a bonus.

Crawdaddy!: Speaking of Freakwater and Eleventh Dream Day, do you have any new projects going on that we should know about?

Bean: I’m in a band that I started a few years with Jim Elkington. We made a record that’s coming out on Hidden Agenda in the States in the spring and also in Japan. It’s called the The Horse’s Ha—named after an inscrutable Dylan Thomas short story. It’s a really fun project for me. It’s something different, and it’s sort of an exercise to try to do something that makes me rethink my approach to stuff. And, also, right now I’m on my way to get a new puppy. I was in the pet store getting supplies when you called. Obama is having a big influence. In solidarity with the Obamas, I got a hypo-allergenic dog. I finally talked my husband into it. If Obama can have one, we can. It’s a standard poodle. The big old kind of poodle.

Crawdaddy!: That’s wonderful. Congratulations on the addition to the family. You know, before you go, I didn’t want to forget to tell you that one of my very first record reviews, way back in college, was of the re-issue of Prairie School Freakout. And, let it be said, for the record, I gave it four stars.

Bean: Oh yeah? Well, that’s nice to hear. Was that rating out of four or out of 10?

Crawdaddy!: Out of four. Of course.

Bean: You’re clearly a very wise and artful fellow.

Watch: Janet Bean [at youtube.com]

Tags:  Freakwater, Eleventh Dream Day, Chicago

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