Pigeon Opinion Featuring an Interview with Bill Barlow

“Trouble Being Human” by Bill Barlow is a highly thoughtful piece that forms the focal point of a highly experimental music album that attempts to blend different genres. The central theme of the song lies in the issues associated with identity amid the digital age where imitation is prevalent.

Interview with Bill Barlow

(^)>What personal experiences or observations led you to write “The Trouble Being Human” as the album’s anchor?

AI has impacted our culture in many ways. Many of those are good while others, at least don’t feel good to those who lose their livelihood over it. This is not exclusive to music; AI’s impact is being felt broadly. I have some personal experience in my day job in advertising that inspired me to write a song about it. I’ve watched medium size creative agencies reduce force to only a couple of folks who all use AI to get ideas, write copy and then create other creative assets.

(^)>How do you translate existential themes like identity and authenticity into accessible song structures?

For me it always comes from the emotional side of things. You may be in a situation where you are losing your lover. You are at dinner and the conversation is forced; the body language is wrong, etc. But for me what translates into a song is how that makes you feel. The feeling is what people connect with more than the situation of the story. That is what makes a song accessible.

(^)>What emotions sit at the center of your fear about machines mimicking human creativity?

I guess it’s the fear of losing the outlet to share my work. If AI gets good enough at making music, and the record companies decide to go that route vs human artists, then they can write songs and music with AI and create personas that feed the algorithms so they produce hits. No need for people like me who write every word of their work. And then there is no place for me to release my music.

(^)>How do you balance passion and sarcasm across the album without losing emotional consistency?

For me that is my personality. While I am passionate about things on one hand, I am equally sarcastic on the other. It’s a natural balance. So, when I write, that all comes out the same way. In a way passion and sarcasm are the same. When I am sarcastic it’s a backhanded way of expressing what I am passionate about. Thus, I wouldn’t be sarcastic if I wasn’t passionate. Yin and Yang.

(^)>What does “being unmistakably human” mean to you in a practical, everyday sense?

Being unmistakably human is being engaged with real life. Smelling the flowers, tasting the wine, enjoying the conversation with someone in person. The moments when you are fully present and undivided. I wrote Social Butterfly as a sarcastic view of someone who’s not doing any of that but yet wants your attention and engagement at any cost. That is not being unmistakably human.

(^)>How did blending Pop, R&B, Rock, Folk, and Blues help you express different sides of the same message?

My song style is emotional conveyance. That is done by expressing the true raw and human emotion so that the person listening feels something. To do this I need to express the melodic side of the song to compliment the lyrical side. Emotions come in all flavors and thus so does my musical genres.

(^)>Which track on the album felt the most emotionally difficult or revealing to write?

I guess that would be, “What’s a Man to Do.” It was written in a dark time when I was trying to write something positive. My thought was if I can think about something positive, things can be positive. The lyrics wrestle with a difficult situation while seeing something good in it. Things worked out in the end, and I have this eternal reminder that positive thoughts can bring a positive outcome.

(^)>How does “Dream Girl” contrast with the heavier philosophical themes of the title track?

All of my albums are an emotional journey. There are ups and downs. Dream Girl is a high point. I was trying to express the feeling of loving the one you are with. Not wanting them to change and even wanting to brag about that. When you are in love sometimes you just want to scream that from the mountain tops. That’s what Dream Girl is, am top of the mountain love chant.

(^)>What role does vulnerability play in your songwriting process, especially in an era of polished production?

Vulnerability is about 90% for me. If I can open the doors or my heart and let that fill my mind, what comes out is a raw expression that is hard to ignore. The more you polish vulnerability the less authentic it feels and the less true it becomes.

(^)>Why did you choose to close the album with a live studio recording?

The album opens with Time Stands Still, a reflection of some moments that feel rare in a busy world where work follows you home in your cell phone. In the center, we have The Trouble Being Human, about the struggles of humans competing with AI. So, to end with a live studio track that is unrehearsed and raw acts like a bookend to Tim Stands Still and yet feel humanistically rebellious to the AI driven world mentioned in, The Trouble Being Human. While the style of the song doesn’t match the rest of the album, the bigger message it sends makes it a perfect ending to the album.

(^)>How do you hope listeners reflect on their own relationship with technology after hearing this record?

I don’t like to tell people what to think or how to adapt my songs. I believe that the subjects are generally universal. We’ve all felt love, lost love and seen hard times. I believe that many of these songs are relatable in their emotional portrayal. I want people to use these songs to help them process or celebrate those emotional times.

(^)>If this album is a mirror to modern life, what part of it do you think most people avoid looking at?

I still feel that people (me included) are quick to adopt new and cool technology. But we rarely think through where it can go and how it may be used. In the 1960’s it was predicted that AI would eventually take over making decisions for people so we can focus on other, more human, things. Now that we have let this genie out of the bottle, no one wants to think about what this may all really mean long term. Do we really want machines making all of our decisions? The answer is no. But the real question that we are avoiding is, “What are we doing to stop it?”

(•)> That's all, Folks! Check out Nick Pappalardo on the Pigeon Opinion Playlist