Podcast Summary: "James Taylor Will Teach You Guitar"

Podcast: The New Yorker Radio Hour
Host: David Remnick
Interviewers: Adam Gopnik (The New Yorker)
Guest: James Taylor
Date: May 17, 2019

Episode Overview

This episode features an intimate, wide-ranging conversation with legendary singer-songwriter James Taylor, conducted by The New Yorker's Adam Gopnik at the New Yorker Festival. The discussion explores Taylor’s early musical influences, his unique guitar style, the deeply personal nature of his lyrics, the evolution of his sound, and the transformative influence of Brazilian music. Memorable live performances and an impromptu guitar lesson conclude the show, with Taylor’s warmth and wit shining throughout.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

Early Musical Roots and First Instruments

• Family Background and Early Influences
  • Taylor describes a home rich in Broadway, folk, and “light classics,” describing trips from North Carolina to Manhattan orchestrated by his mother to expose the children to the arts.
  • Quote: “My folks loved Rogers and Hammerstein, Rogers and Hart, Cole Porter, My Fair Lady… and some folk music too. And of course, I loved Elvis and I loved the Beatles and I loved Ray Charles.” (02:24)
• Transition from Cello to Guitar
  • Initially played cello “badly, reluctantly,” but the guitar “was going to be it for me.”
  • Recounts his first guitar purchase at Schirmer Music in Manhattan.
  • Quote: “Immediately I got… sounds that I wanted to hear more of.” (03:20)

The Birth of James Taylor as Songwriter

• First Attempt at Songwriting
  • Taylor plays his very first song, “Roll River Roll,” demonstrating early use of “Travis Picking.”
  • Quote: “The fact that nobody here tonight has ever heard it is pretty proof of how lame it was.” (04:50)
• Musical DNA
  • Gopnik notes that even the earliest songs contain the musical signatures Taylor became known for: descending bass lines and minor resolutions.
  • Quote: “It sounds like a James Taylor song… the way the bass line goes down.” (05:32)

Early Career, Struggles, and Breakthrough

• Formative Experiences and Setbacks
  • Discusses forming the band “The Flying Machine,” facing setbacks, and eventually returning home for support.
  • Touching recollection of his father rescuing him from a bad patch in New York.
  • Quote: “My dad actually heard me on the phone... He said, ‘you just stay right there. I’ll be there in 10 hours.’ And he was. That’s wonderful... That memory… that thing he did. I wrote a song about it called Jump Up Behind Me.” (07:20)
• Recording with Apple Records
  • At 19, Taylor secures a contract with the Beatles’ Apple Records in London, calling it his “big break.”
  • Quote: “That was the door that opened and let me through to the life that I’ve lived ever since.” (06:40–07:00)

Writing as Personal Diary, Going Public with Private Songs

• The Transition from Private to Public Artist
  • Discusses the dissonance of writing deeply personal music that later becomes universal touchstones.
  • Quote: “It’s always that moment of going from the private to [public]… When you’re doing it alone… it is a very strange transition to make.” (08:56)
  • Taylor relates how initial songs weren’t written “with an audience in mind… They really were personal, like diary entries.”
• Songwriting Longevity
  • Taylor says “Something in the Way She Moves” was the first song he truly felt was “finished.”

Evolving Sound, Embracing Covers, and Motown

• Searching for New Sounds
  • Gopnik observes a mid-career transition in the 1970s as Taylor begins recording covers.
  • Taylor explains these were spontaneous, often decided on in the studio after recording his own songs.
  • Quote: “That’s the way it was with How Sweet It Is. That’s the way it was with Handyman…” (12:26–12:59)
  • Taylor performs “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” live.

Brazilian Influence and the James Taylor Signature Sound

• Discovering Brazilian Music
  • Taylor credits his older brother with introducing him to jazz and bossa nova.
  • Profoundly moved by João Gilberto, Astrud Gilberto, and Antonio Carlos Jobim.
  • Quote: “For a guitarist, that Brazilian thing is just a rich vein to get into… I couldn’t get enough.” (15:08)
• Guitar Technique and Harmonic Style
  • Taylor traces his harmonic sensibility back to Christmas carols, hymns, and Bach—before melding Beatles, Ray Charles, Motown, and Brazilian influences.
  • Gopnik and Taylor break down how “Beatles chords, Beatles beats, Brazilian chords, and Bach harmonies… [become a] James Taylor tune.” (19:19–19:22)*

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Spontaneity in Studio (Covers):
  • “We’re going to be paying for [the studio] anyway. So you still feel strong and energetic... Why don’t we try ‘How Sweet It Is’? ” – James Taylor (12:26)
• On Songwriting as Intimate Exposure:
  • “Those first songs weren’t written with an audience in mind… They really were personal, like diary entries or poems that you write for yourself.” (09:52)
• On Influences Filtering Through His Technique:
  • “I think I’m playing Ray Charles. I think I’m playing Jobim… But it actually is put through this sort of narrow filter of my technique—and it makes it sound like James Taylor.” (17:16–18:00)
• Anecdote about Miles Davis:
  • “I met Miles Davis once… and he said, ‘D is your key.’ The oracle is spoken.” (29:05–29:30)

Live Performances (with Timestamps)

• “Roll River Roll” (James Taylor’s first song) – [05:19]
• “Jump Up Behind Me” – [08:06]
• “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)” – [12:59]
• “Never Die Young” – [20:27]
• “Something in the Way She Moves” – [24:44]
• “You Can Close Your Eyes” – [29:46]
  • Includes duet with his wife Kim, with Adam Gopnik attempting the guitar under Taylor’s direction

Guitar Lesson Segment: James Taylor Teaches “You Can Close Your Eyes” ([28:13]–End)

• Adam Gopnik shares he’s played “You Can Close Your Eyes” for his children for years, asking Taylor to teach him the proper way.
• Taylor instructs Gopnik and audience on finger placement and tuning, sharing personal anecdotes about his instruments and collaborating with his wife.
• Fun on-stage moment as Taylor’s wife, Kim, is spontaneously brought up to sing.

Conclusion

The episode offers a rare and engaging window into James Taylor’s creative world—part musical anthropology, part masterclass, and part candid personal reflection. Both serious musicians and lifelong fans will leave with not only greater appreciation for Taylor’s craft, but also a sense of having witnessed a living legend in an intimate, lighthearted setting.

Noteworthy Segments & Timestamps

• James Taylor’s introduction to guitar and songwriting: [01:30]–[06:00]
• First break & rescue by his father: [06:17]–[08:06]
• Processing personal experience as public song: [08:56]–[11:13]
• The evolution into covers and studio stories: [12:26]–[13:14]
• Brazilian & classical influences meet pop: [14:11]–[19:24]
• Live performances: [20:27]–[27:57]
• Guitar lesson and family cameo: [28:13]–[31:33]

This summary captures the episode’s heartfelt storytelling, musical demonstrations, and the unique informal style that defines both the New Yorker Radio Hour and James Taylor himself.