How much ground can you cover in one short interview? Well,
when it’s a chat with John Mark McMillan, the answer is ‘not enough.’ You get
the sense that there’s so much beneath the surface; this man’s waters run deep.
Even more intriguing, is how his music draws you into a different type of
worship. It must be something about the union of his paper-thin vulnerability
and roughly-hewn vocals reminiscent of a rock and roll legend. Here is the dialogue
that left me wanting more…
John: So, let’s
start with some background questions. Where are you from?
John Mark McMillan:
I’m from Charlotte, NC. I was born here and still live here
today.
JOHN: How long
have you been doing music? Did you grow up in a musical home?
John Mark: My mom
and dad messed around with guitar, but I don’t think they would consider
themselves musicians. I grew up in a Christian home and went to church where
music was played regularly. Honestly, I got into music to impress girls, because
I wasn’t very good at sports, but I don’t think it really worked. I did
[however] fall in love with music [in the process].
JOHN: So, are you
married?
John Mark: Yes sir
I am, and I have 2 kids.
JOHN: So music
must have worked at some level…
John Mark:
(laughs) Yeah, I don’t know if it was the music or what but… um, yeah (laughs).
JOHN: So with
that in mind – how did you transition from being in music to impress girls to
saying, I want to do something with this?
John Mark: I had
friends who played and I thought, if they can do it, I can do it. So I picked
up the guitar and started playing. But there wasn’t a particular moment or
anything. [I was] like most young kids; they start playing music because their
parents make them take lessons or they’re just kind of interested in it or in
my case, because there are some musical friends around. It’s typically a
discipline or something you kind of enjoy, but for me, I just really became
enamored with music and the idea of making melodies – even just for my personal
enjoyment. I just became really interested in music somewhere down the line –
practicing, playing and writing songs.
JOHN: In your bio
it mentions that you were influenced by Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. What is
it about those artists that resonates with you?
John Mark: I
think a couple of things. One is the ability to tell a story – to write words
that resonate with people. The second is their ability to speak to the sort of
‘common man’ – the average guy or girl. For some reason that idea of making
music to connect with the common individual or to empower [them] is fascinating
to me. And they both have such an
amazing ability to do that. So that’s really why I became enamored with those
kinds of guys.
JOHN: You came
out with a couple of independent records before you signed with Integrity Music.
How was that transition for you?
John Mark: You
know, when you’re independent your greatest strength is also your greatest
weakness. I was coming from a world where I could do whatever I wanted with the
resources I had, into a situation where I had to bring a bunch of other people
on board. The positive is that I actually had
resources through Integrity [and could do things] that I hadn’t been able to do
before. You have a bigger community of people to get work with, to get behind what
you’re doing. I think the negative side is that you have to get all of those people behind you, and
you have to have a lot of conversations about things that I used to just say, ok,
I’m going to do this. That hasn’t
been bad though – [Integrity] has been really good, that’s why I signed with
[them] as opposed to other labels. They really seemed interested in letting me
be myself and do what I wanted to do. They haven’t had major questions over
lyrics, song titles, album covers or anything. They’ve never challenged me on
any of that. They’ve been pretty cool on letting me do what I wanted to do.
It’s a double-edged sword, ya know. You have a team behind you, but the
negative side is that you have to work with a team (laughs).
JOHN: When the
average person thinks of Integrity Music they typically think of Don Moen,
Darlene Zschech or Alvin Slaughter. When you think of John Mark McMillan you
don’t necessarily put him in the same lineup. Do you consider yourself to be a
worship leader in the same vein as
those other artists?
John Mark: Ya
know, in a lot of ways I don’t know. In the world I came from a corporate
worship world was – well, I just wasn’t really exposed to all of that stuff, to
be honest. I didn’t really know much about all of those guys when I came on
board. I’ve met a few of them and they’re all really great people, really sweet
and talented. I didn’t really think about it that much. But in philosophy, yes,
they want to connect the hearts of people to the heart of God. They want to
give people a language to express the things they want to express – and that’s
what I do. Stylistically we’re very, very different. So it’s yes and no. I think
we’d sit down and have great conversations and be on the same page on most
every issue, especially creatively. They’re very creative. I think sonically, lyrically,
and in the way we do what we do, we’re very different, but in philosophy we’re
the same.
JOHN: So do you
consider yourself to be a worship leader?
John Mark: I do,
and I have a couple of things to say about that. The first is that I have done
and still do what people consider to be a worship leader’s job. You stand on
the stage and play sing-alongs before the guy that speaks gets up at whatever
fellowship you attend or whatever community you’re involved in. I do that and I
love doing that. I think on the broader scope, it’s like there are two words
for worship that overlap in places but are different things. There’s sort of a
biblical term ‘worship’ that music can
be a part of but is actually a small part of, and then you have this sort of cultural
phenomenon of worship which is the musical portion of a gathering. I am
involved in and I love being part of the musical portion of the gathering, but also
in my mind I think if you’re a janitor you should also be a worship leader in
the way that you’re a janitor. If you’re a CEO you should be a worship leader
in the way you lead your company, ya know? So for me, I consider myself a
worship leader in both of those regards.
JOHN: Let’s talk
a little about your song “How He Loves.” It was from an independent record
first, and then you put it on The
Medicine, right?
John Mark: Yeah, Integrity
really connected to me through that song. I actually recorded and released The Medicine independently before I
signed with Integrity though. So when I signed with them I told them, I want to
put The Medicine out [through the
label]. They asked me to put “How He Loves” (the version from the old album) on
it and I said no. So then they asked if I might re-record it. I thought ok,
it’s a good opportunity for people to connect with it because people know that
song. So we recorded it in a way that I thought sounded a little more like the [new]
album.
JOHN: When you
saw the song was being recorded by other artists and sort of taking on a life
of its own, how did you react?
John Mark: I was
excited, I thought it was great.
JOHN: So The Medicine has a black and white cover
and there are certainly some elements of death, sin and darkness. Economy isn’t a direct opposite, but
there seem to be lighter moments. Was there some transition going on in your
life that this reflects, or is that just the shape of the songs?
John Mark: I
think it’s more the shape of the songs. The concept behind The Medicine was death and resurrection. Those references come right
out of the Bible, because resurrection only makes sense in the light of death.
There’s still some of those references on the new album, but we’ve kind of
moved on (not that I’ve moved on from
those ideas but), to more about everyday life. I was thinking more about
people when I was writing it, I mean, specific people in my life and those
around me. I thought of it more as a here and now album, [whereas] The Medicine was more of a contemplation
about death and resurrection.
JOHN: This next
question may seem random, but there’s a method to it... Do you fear anything?
John Mark: (laughs)
Do I fear anything? Yeah, I fear lot of stuff, but I try and overcome my fears.
I mean, I know biblically that I
shouldn’t and I know the way I’m supposed to feel, but you’re human. You fear being
unsuccessful, being irrelevant, being alone. You fear sometimes maybe you’ve
poured your life into the wrong thing. Those aren’t things that haunt me on a
daily basis though.
JOHN: You said the
word ‘haunt.’ That’s one of the things that brought me to ask that question, because
there is an element to your music that sounds kind of haunting. Pleasantly haunting, if that makes
sense.
John Mark: (laughs)
Yeah.
JOHN: What would
you say is the main theme behind the “Economy” CD?
John Mark: If
there’s a theme behind the album, it’s the economy of life and death, light and
darkness, the economy of relationship and what it means to face many of these
issues together as people.
JOHN: If there is
one song that makes a statement about who you are, or what you’re about, which
one would it be?
JOHN: Let’s
finish out with a few lighter questions (laughs). What records are you
currently listening to?
John Mark: I’ve
been listening to The National (High
Violet), Bon Iver (Bon Iver) as well
as some Paul Simon, M83, and Peter Gabriel.
JOHN: Coffee or
Mountain Dew?
John Mark: Definitely a coffee man. Espresso – cappuccinos, lattes, stuff like that. [I’m] not a big sugar guy.
JOHN: And what
books are you reading?
John Mark: A
couple of books by Frances Schaeffer and I just finished William Golding’s
classic, Lord of the Flies. I know
it’s kind of dark but there’s a great message in it. Plus, I missed out on
reading a lot of the classics in school so I’m trying to catch up.
JOHN: That’s a noble
reason, for sure. Well John Mark, I really appreciate you taking the time to
chat today. I look forward to catching up with you again sometime soon.
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