Since starting this blog, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing Dallas Green of City and Colour a few times. He’s one of those kind people that, right before we meet, I have to remind myself that we aren’t actually friends. But seeing someone familiar, whose career has had so much success in the past few years, it’s hard to not be proud of them, the same you would be of a friend or family member.
Hours before the first of his two sold out shows in Calgary, I got the chance to talk to the singer, but this time it felt different. I had prepared a series of questions and was looking forward to hearing exciting stories of having a number one album (Little Hell), tales from the road and the how surreal it must be to a North American tour that is practically sold out. Almost immediately our conversation took a different turn, one that initially got me threw me off, but then I was able to buckle myself in. Over the span of half an hour, Dallas and I talked about his career and why, for one reason or another, it didn’t seem like enough. Truth be told, it was shocking to hear him talk about wanting something different then his life right now, since there were people already lined up outside the concert venue, but it seemed like a thought process of anyone, famous musician or not, that nowadays is smart enough to recognize the signs, that even after you achieve all of your goals, it’s okay to feel that maybe there is more to life.
Below is our conversation, unedited. It was surprising to me how candidly he talked about possibly walking away from his career. In fact, I really struggled with whether or not I even wanted to publish the interview. If his concerns are that he’s sharing too much of his life, why would I then publish an entire interview about that very fear. But as I went back and listened to it a few times, I found hope in so many of the things he said. I found it refreshing for someone, who so many people look up, to admit that 31 years old he wanted more than anything to be happy in his life, even if it meant leaving what, up until recently, seemed to be making him the happiest. Just like all of us, there are indeed challenges ahead for Dallas Green, which means that at some point, whenever he’s ready, we’ll be lucky enough to hear about it.