MUSIC/ Craig Finn on a break from Hold Steady and his "new friend Jesus"

He seems to have just punched out and left the post office where he works. He looks like a nerd who could not be more nerdy: plump, slightly balding, glasses. Instead, he’s a rock musician. He's not really a star, but is the antithesis of a rock star. He's Craig Finn, the leader and singer of the Hold Steady, with a voice that sounds like that of young Bruce Springsteen and a host of terrific songs.
In America and the United Kingdom, the Hold Steady is among the most loved recent groups, thanks to their most recent album, "Heaven is Whenever", which added to their reputation, and a renowned aggressive and throbbing live act.

Added to this now is his first solo album ("Clear Heart Full Eyes"), a record that confirms the good things that have been said about him. Craig Finn could come from a book by Nick Hornby like High Fidelity: like the protagonists of that wonderful novel, the American singer is a fan of rock music and his life is marked by it.

“Rock music is a part of who I am”, he told Ilsussidiario.net. “I am a huge rock and roll fan and so it defines who I am as a person. When you think about the way that the music and the words go together, it is not just words and not just music, but the two together to create something exciting or intense for the listener, and make you feel the things rock and roll should make you feel: free, wild, smart, excited. I guess that’s what I think a rock and roll song is and does these days and I guess that’s what I think it has always done.”

Again, in the song that gave the title to Hold Steady’s latest album, he clearly says: “heaven is whenever, we could get together, sit down on your floor, and listen to those records”. Nothing more, nothing less. Craig Finn has many other interesting sides to discover: for example, his religious faith or his literary interests. He easily quotes Raymond Carver and Jeffery Eugenides, and says about his song My New Friend Jesus: “A lot of the songs I write about religion or Christ are to try to personalize Him and make Him more like someone we would know than someone we don’t”.

How long had you been thinking about this solo project?
I had been thinking about it for around two years. I had been writing songs that were a little quieter, outside of what I thought the Hold Steady normally did. I had a loose or rough idea about it, but then, in March, the Hold Steady decided to take a break for four months and I thought that it was a really good time to do it.

How did the other people in the Hold Steady react to this project? Will you be back with them soon?
We’ve been writing the next Hold Steady record. The Hold Steady was very supportive, I think also because it was so different from anything we do in the Hold Steady, so they felt like it was no problem. They were excited to hear it, and they know that we’ve been working hard on the Hold Steady record and that’s coming soon.

How was it to work on this solo album? Was it easy or did it take a long time?