Coffee with the Dog EP155 - singer/songwriter Robert Andrew Wagner

Pittsburgh based singer/songwrwiter Robert Andrew Wagner joins us.
ROBERT ANDREW WAGNER - THE LITTLEST WRETCH
My songs are mirrors, and I often begin or end my performances by playing a version of The Velvet Underground’s “I’ll Be Your Mirror” extended to more than ten-minutes in length to include some of the images that most shaped my view of the world as a young man—working men and women enslaved in pursuit of the dollar, the now-vacant void from whence the spirit fled filled with the distraction of mindless entertainment, alcohol and assorted drugs, people so numb that self-destructive violence has lost its impact and the only way they can hope to feel anything is to hurt the people they love.

Having descended from Slovakian immigrants that sought fortune in the once-booming steel towns of Western Pennsylvania, I elect to portray the lives of those around me—family, friends, community, work. In literature and art, working class characters tend to appear as comic relief or in the form of "the noble savage." They are cast as victims, oppressed and betrayed. Personally, I'm sick of Tom Joad. I hold my characters accountable.

If you sell your soul for money, don’t come crying that you got a bad deal.

I don’t suppose I’ll ever be accused of telling people what they want to hear. Then again, I’ve crafted some rather compelling musical portraits of my grandparents and parents, my sister and brother, my neighbors, closest friends and fellow travelers. There’s a considerable portion of love and compassion in these songs, though a lot of people tell me I sound angry.

I’m not angry; I just enjoy a good fight.

https://littlewretches.com/

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