Interview with Legendary Singer and Guitarist Rik Emmett (Formerly of Triumph)

October 19, 2020

Interview with Legendary Singer and Guitarist Rik Emmett (Formerly of Triumph)

By Mick Michaels

COSMICK VIEW: Hello, Rik! Welcome to The Cosmick View. Thank you for taking some time out of your day to chat with me, it's greatly appreciated.

CV: Social media has made artist and fan interaction common place these days. Where does the dividing line fall for you when it comes to personal boundaries with fans?
Rik Emmett: Blog & website forum email is fine…but only in very rare cases is there personal email, and it would always be between an intermediary. I taught college for over two decades, so I understand about respecting boundaries and keeping things professional. No question is out of bounds, but there are things I won’t go into detail about: e.g. my personal family life…much beyond social casual news, my finances… Sometimes I get annoyed by the over-infatuation with ancient history, but I get why. So for that stuff, in the area of personal boundaries with fans, I would say the dividing line should be halfway, and if fans expect more, then they are being unreasonable.

CV: When composing is songwriting a matter of lyrics first or guitar chords first? Or is it more personal than that...an organic evolution, where the moment by moment unfolding actually drives the process?
RE: It’s never an either / or. Creativity happens in an infinite number of ways, which is why I enjoy it so much. Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of songwriting ‘lyrics-first’, and that’s not how I used to work, very often…my process was historically more of a musical magpie thing, giving birth to lyrics as the musical chords / melody process developed. Sometimes a writer is a bit of a radar dish, and things arrive and the ‘process’ feels mysterious. But for me, that’s rare, and full songs usually require a great deal of rewriting, tinkering, reconsideration, etc. Sometimes, it’s as if a songwriter is like a sculptor…the song is waiting in that general slab of thought: now it’s a case of taking away all the stuff that isn’t necessary, to reveal the truth that you had a hunch was in there somewhere. The details reveal themselves in the process.

CV: How important is a song's message, its lyrical content, in comparison to the music itself? Can a song be strong even if the two don't necessarily link?
RE: Yes, I think music can be tremendously compelling, and poetic, on its own terms. But if a lyric is weak, it can diminish the potential of the musical ideas. So the best thing is to try and find the prosody between all elements, and have them contribute to each other’s benefit. I admit that lyrics have always had a great deal of value & importance to me: a songwriter is a storyteller, and lyrics are the most accessible way into the story. But by the same token, a lyric can also sometimes be elliptical, and mysterious, and open to interpretation…and still be ‘good’…for the goal of songwriting is to generate emotion, and not deliver hard-boiled news, or didactic sermons. Your question relates to ‘strength’, and my personal opinion is, great songs persuade, or seduce, or simply reveal, or confess…they don’t bully.

CV: Rik, is there ever a concern with living up to your past accomplishments or is the past the past and that's where it stays as you continue to move into the future?
RE: The Present is where The Past and The Future meet: sometimes it’s a collision, and sometimes it’s a harmonized integration. But generally, the healthiest place to live is in the present. In a way, this question relates back to the first one, about fans, and boundaries. We all have to figure out our relationship with our past: our mistakes, our regrets … And the relationship with our futures – our fear and anxiety. A ‘past’ can accumulate too much weight, too much interference, in maximizing the value of the present. I think I’ve had a fairly rounded perspective on all this: after all, I quit Triumph in 1988, and there were many lessons learned then, and along the way.

CV: Can an artist find inspiration in their own songwriting? Has your music ever been a source of inspiration for you?
RE: Sure. Yes. I think an artist has to be inspired by the infinite challenge of art: by the horizon…by the sunrise…by ‘change’. But I don’t fetish-ize past accomplishments or creations: the best song in my catalog is the one I’m working on: and the second best is the next one I’m going to write.

CV: How would you describe or define the "magic power" of music? Does music have what it takes to heal all wounds in your opinion?
RE: “All wounds?” No. Music has what it takes to make my life make sense. To me, music can be very spiritual. It can be healing: but it is not a cure for cancer, is it? The ‘magic’ of music is that it provides connections: between people, and inside of us, and to the universe itself. Its ‘power’ is that it can give people strength, courage, it can speak to sadness, or joy…it enhances life, and, to me, anyway, is essential to a life well lived.

CV: Should musical artists use their power of celebrity to influence others on political and social agendas or should such things be avoided as not to take advantage of fans' trust and loyalty? What do you think?
RE: Taking advantage of others seems despicable to me, under any circumstances. But an artist is no different than any other citizen: they have a right to have opinions, and to express them. Just as pro athletes, or other entertainers, have the right to their own expressions. Suppressing rights: taking advantage: both are negative. By the same token, humility is also a virtue that is heavily underrated in our modern society, along with common sense, reason, manners, social grace, and dignity. Our world could use a lot more of that stuff. I think political and social agendas have devalued these virtues, and we are the worse for it. I wouldn’t blame artists for moral decay: I would say it resides far heavier on the shoulders of politicians, and the businesses that exploited the integration of digital technology into our culture. I think the general public is taken advantage of, every minute of every passing day. Big business does it. The power-hungry do it.

CV: There are many differing beliefs and opinions related to the COVID pandemic, but regardless, it has greatly affected us all. For many artists, a livelihood of any kind has been ultimately altered and for many more, things have come to a complete halt, unfortunately. This is both on the professional and indie levels. Rik, do you see the music industry being forced to make radical changes just to maintain its relativity in what's becoming a "new norm?" Is there hope for its survival?
RE: I honestly don’t know. I always think there’s hope. It just depends on how you use it to shape tomorrow. I think your choice of the word ‘relativity’ is profound…relative to what? Everything is in a state of flux. The problem with making radical change is that we all require patience first, in order to see how we might emerge from the radical circumstances that have imposed themselves globally. The entertainment and hospitality industries are in crisis, but they cannot possibly imagine that they deserve preferential treatment when the medical and scientific communities are directly under the pressure of COVID. Our priorities surely reside with essential services, first and foremost…and patience.

Millions of people have been dying. Music, or movies, or the hotel & restaurant businesses will not save them.

CV: Music has splintered into so many sub categories. Is genre classification even a concern for you or is it all just about making music how you want to make music?

Photo by Stuart Hendrie

RE: If music can’t find an audience, it diminishes in value. Music by its very nature needs to be shared. As the digital universe continues to splinter and fragment the population into demographic ‘tribes’, musicians are forced to consider how they can access enough of a tribe to survive – and cross over to other tribes, in order to succeed.

When I started making music for a living, the marketplace had its conventions: and the record stores had their ‘sections’, and their style categories. And no matter how artistic artists are, they still have to start somewhere. So one can ignore the marketplace – and maybe their work will be embraced anyway. But in the digital universe, that seems highly unlikely to me. If a ‘style’ speaks to me, and I think I can make a worthwhile contribution within that style – you can bet I will take a crack at it – or at least incorporate it into my own personal hybrid of ‘styles’.

But you won’t catch me making a hip hop / rap record. It’s not that I don’t respect that tribe, and that style – it’s just that it ain’t me. I always told students “choose what’s your authentic, real self, and be the best you that you can be.” The fact that I was a fairly eclectic type was maybe a cautionary tale, as much as a role model kind of thing. It’s not like I became the next Beatles…or the next Coldplay. Or the next Taylor Swift…or the next Post Malone, or Drake, or …

CV: What's next for you? What can fans expect to see coming in the remainder of 2020 and beyond?
RE: I have a book of poetry coming out in 2021 on ECW Press, “Reinvention”. I’ve also started work on a memoir. I’m also currently writing new songs for a follow-up to the “Bonfire Sessions” tracks that are up on www.rikemmett.com for download. Plus, there’s talk of a Triumph deluxe box set on Round Hill in 2021, and there’s even some negotiating going on right now about a Rik Emmett deluxe package based on the 3 albums I made right after I left Triumph, from 1989 to 1995.

CV: Thank you again Rik for spending some time talking and sharing with
our readers. I wish you all the best and continued success.

Check out Rik at:
Official: http://www.rikemmett.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rikemmettnetwork/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rikemmett/
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1eSuwr8DSVHAzgnuoTbeaB?si=rXdYdLNVTGSMxyVRiguN7g
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/rockitsounds

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My name is Mick Michaels...I'm an artist, music fan, songwriter, producer, show host, dreamer and guitarist for the traditional Heavy Metal band Corners of Sanctuary. Writing has always been a creative outlet for me; what I couldn't say in speech, I was able to do with the written word. Writing has given me a voice and a way for me to create on a multitude of platforms including music and song, articles, independent screenplays, books and now, artist interviews. The Cosmick View is an opportunity to raise the bar and showcase artists in a positive and inspirational light. For me, it's another out-of-this-world adventure.