Ravinia 2021 - Issue 3

RAVINIA/RUSSELL JENKINS Douglas and Hiatt played Ravinia just two weeks apart in 2014, Hiatt with his four- piece combo and Douglas alongside Alison Krauss with Union Station, and the two consummate collaborators will share that stage on August 24. the ceremony. Hiatt was feted with versions of his songs performed by several admiring devotees, including Elvis Costello and Lyle Lovett. When asked about this latest return to Ravinia, Hiatt fondly sum- mons up previous visits. “Ravinia is a special gift. Every time I play there, it’s magic. I know it’s magic for me , I’m not sure how it is for the audi- ence,” Hiatt humbly jokes. “We’re just looking forward to coming back and playing for folks. It’s what we live for. “Jerry and I may do a couple of songs with just the two of us. This set-up with Jerry is a little different, but we’re excited about playing a good chunk of the new album, and I’m also interested in reworking some of my older material with Jerry’s unbeliev- able dobro playing and the band’s bluegrass instrumentation,” Hiatt says. “James Taylor describes Jerry as the ‘Muhammad Ali of the dobro,’ ” he respectfully adds. Hiatt says he sent Douglas about 15 new songs to consider before they went into the studio to record Leftover Feelings . He credits Douglas with encouraging him to record “Light of the Burning Sun” despite its serious tone. “I’ve had a couple experiences with suicide in my life—my first wife, and my older brother,” Hiatt solemnly relates. “I thought the song was so dark, but Jerry told me, ‘No, people need to hear it, this is something people go through.’ I was grateful to get it out. I’ve chipped away at the emotional baggage of it all my life. It was cathartic to write it.” Hiatt adds that the revealing “Bud- dy Boy” is among his favorites on the new album, also dealing with a heavy subject: his battle with the bottle. “I thought of it as a tender moment be- tween an older guy and a younger guy, or a good talking-to-yourself. Like, it’s time to wake up and smell the coffee. I’ve always admired a man’s tender- ness. It’s not something that came naturally in my parents’ generation.” “It’s all there. John belongs in the highest class of American songwriters. Many of his songs are about things that happened to him. He’s good at writing about his personal experienc- es,” Douglas affirms. Leftover Feelings also is packed with plenty of Hiatt’s patented wry wit and chugging grooves, like the bluesy “Mississippi Phone Booth.” Hiatt quips, “I really like that one. I wrote it so young people can give me that [quizzical ‘His Master’s Voice’] RCA dog look, like, ‘What the hell is a phone booth?” In considering why the Midwest has produced such poetic, insightful songwriters including him (Indi- ana), Dylan (Minnesota), and Prine (Illinois), Hiatt took pause. “Just to be included in that company, forget it, that’s more than I can bear. I don’t know—maybe we don’t mind leaning into a hard wind.” James Turano is a freelance writer and a former entertainment editor, feature writer, and columnist for national and local magazines and newspapers. He has written official programs for eight Elton John tours since 2003 and is also a Chicago radio personality and host on WGN 720AM. RAVINIA MAGAZINE • AUGUST 18 – SEPTEMBER 6, 2021 10