Interview Begins.
CP: Thank you for taking the time to interview with us, as well thank you for lending your voice to help set the tone for last year’s Campus Pride Summer Leadership Camp at Towson University. We are very excited to have you join us again.
RD: It was truly a pleasure and was/am excited to be invited back again this year! I can’t wait to see the amazing students that are coming to Camp this year.
CP: Randi, you are always welcomed at Camp anytime anywhere! Now lets get down to business - many may not know you write your own songs , so what inspired you to sing and compose your own music? How long have you been doing it?
RD: I began singing at age three, and to my best recollection, writing music at age nine.
My family was musical. We sang around the piano, we went out to hear live music, and I was always performing in church and at school
CP: WOW! Your dedication to your life’s passion is truly an inspiration to anyone. If anyone looks for people of inspiration it is youth! College students seem to really resonant with your music. What are the reasons behind this wonderful fact?
RD: College students, in my opinion, are open thinkers. My music seems to resonate there.....in that forum. I am particularly inspired by the outpouring of support from college and high school students. Sometimes at my school shows, I am able to dive into topics and issues that may not go over as well at....say, a loud bar! :)
CP: Yes, the use of music allows people to enjoy talking about topics that are not the most enjoyable, which brings me to our next question. This year will be the 10th anniversary of the death of Mathew Shepherd. We have all seen the effects of hate and the effects of love that came around this tragedy, what motivated you to write the song about Mathew? What is the essence of that song?
RD: Just like the rest of the world, I was saddened and outraged by the death of Matthew Shepard, but I was also inspired by watching Judy and Dennis on television. In just a few brief words, I understood how deeply and unconditionally they loved their son. My only thought for that song, was to write about just that...unconditional love. Love for your family, love for everyone. That is how “what matters” was born.
CP: I will agree anyone who watched them could see they loved Mathew. You talked about you were inspired by Judy and Dennis, do you feel that your music inspires people or just makes them feel the sadness of occurrence?
RD: I would hope it would make them reflective and HOPEFUL. The story of Matthew is certainly a sad one. It should make us sad, it should make us angry, it should make us think. However, the work that Judy, Dennis, Logan and The Matthew Shepherd Foundation is doing to end hate should make us PROUD. Hopefully ...the song makes us think about what love means to each of us...and how we can create a better tomorrow.
CP: We can only hope that the work that all of us are doing will create a better tomorrow. By any accounts the LGBT Community considers you an ally to the cause. How do you define the term ally and how do you feel it relates to you?
RD: Being an ally to any community means aligning yourself with the struggles of that community. Connecting with them. Taking on their cause as YOUR cause... In my mind, it is OUR cause. I feel that I am an ally in the fight for social justice and EQUAL rights for EVERYONE! “we are all part of the same race, the human race...”
CP: I will have to agree and say thank you for joining the cause of equal rights for all! But, how have you become to feel so connected to the GLBT rights movement?
RD: I have met so many inspirational people fighting for justice. People who spend day and night fighting hate. I am moved, inspired and committed to the cause. I fight for anti hate, for acceptance for everyone, for equal rights, for women’s empowerment...and now more than ever ..the right for GLBT couples to BE MARRIED!
CP: Again, thank you for all the hard work you do every day! How did you & what made you first get involved in GLBT rights/GLBT activism/being an ally of the GLBT rights movement?
RD: It truly began with my work for the Matthew Shepard Foundation. I have learned so much from Judy Shepard. That woman just makes you want to build little fires, and create change.
CP: We can see how closely you have worked with Judy Shepherd. What types of things have you worked with her on and what is she like as a person?
RD: Judy is a tireless advocate, who continues to inspire me. We have done anti hate rally’s, pride events, political events, and national and community fundraisers. She is a hero to so many. ...it’s truly amazing.
CP: Let us change it up a bit, with adding in some politics into the mix. What are your opinions on the candidates for the next election and what do you hope they will accomplish while in office?
RD: I would be honored to have either Democrat candidate lead this country. I am hopeful that our new president will see the importance of a peaceful nation, and equal rights for all. I am also deeply concerned about the state of education and health care.
CP: Many in the community will defiantly share those feelings. Now we will go back to your passion, MUSIC! Many consider music an incredibly powerful medium. What are your thoughts about the power of music to connect with people and to spread a message?
RD: I have seen music reach groups in a way no other medium can. I have witnessed that first hand. Sometimes music transcends... It can speak in a way nothing else can... that is powerful and humbling.
CP: Yes, music has a way of doing that with people. Speaking of people, we all have visions of what the ideal world is and is not, what is your vision for an ideal world?
RD: Oh, it sounds so cliché, but a world in which people get along with one another, peacefully accepting all of our differences. It would be wonderful if people could accept that it is in fact our differences that can bring us together and make this world so wonderful. (I’m optimistic)
CP: Being optimistic is not a bad thing; it is what keeps the movement moving forward. However, we know we are not in the ideal world. Have you ever seen anyone you know personally be open discriminated against in the music industry?
RD: Not in the music industry per se. I have had friends bullied, and teased. And my own music has been banned from several radio stations in the south- specifically, “What Matters”.
CP: Well some will say you are not a true activist until you have been banned by someone or some organization – so you are meeting that stereotype. Activists in the movement are normally assumed to be non-heterosexual, what fears do you have with people questioning your sexuality? Do people assume your lesbian?
RD: I have no fears, and I find that I am simply, for the most part embraced as musician singing about social justice and unconditional love.
CP: As we bring this wonderful conversation to a close what advice do you have for other straight allies? What have you learned?
RD: I can’t give any specific advice, I simply appeal to people to do whatever they are comfortable with in promoting acceptance and teaching love. The more voices, the louder the choir!
CP: Randi THANK YOU so much for taking the time to have this conversation with Campus Pride! So here is your shameless plug - how would someone purchase one of your Cd's?
RD: Thanks for asking—and thanks for taking the time to interview me.
CDs are available at-- www.cdbaby.com (search artist randi driscoll) or www.randidriscoll.com :)
CP: Again thank you, Randi, for spending time with us! We are very excited that you will be joining us at Camp again this year. Safe travels and see you soon!
Inteview Ends.
You can learn more about Randi Driscoll and how to bring her to your campus online at http://www.randidriscoll.com/about_biography.html |
