Paul Calvert of Radio Hayah spoke to singer, songwriter and author GARTH HEWITT
Garth Hewitt
Veteran singer, songwriter, minister, author and political activist Garth Hewitt has beentaking his message around the world for decades. The recent releaseand publication of a two CD, 31-song compilation and an in-depth book,Against The Grain: Choices On A Journey With Justice, are a neatsummary of decades of tireless ministry. Recently, Garth was inPalestine where he was interviewed by Paul Calvert of Radio Hayah.Here's what he said.
Paul: I'm here in Bethlehem with singer/songwriter Garth Hewitt. Now, youhave a huge number of albums, what got you first involved inmusic?
Garth: That is an interesting question. When I was in school, Istarted to play and sing and I got a little band together, a couple ofbands. When I was at university I got my guitar playing to a levelthat I had a few chords up my sleeve and used to go and play. I was upin Durham and went and played at local folk clubs. But also I playedat some of the Christian student organizations and so on and startedto write songs in that situation, and then I had more and moreopportunity for gigs and played at quite a lot of Christian events. Atthis point, I was invited to make an album, a guy called Norman Millercame up to me and said, 'Would you do an album'. It was for anorganization called Hildenborough Hall, and they had a label calledBreakthrough which sadly didn't break through. We had recorded analbum and then went to Ian Hamilton who, with his father, was runningWord Records. They released that album, 'The Lion And The Lamb'. Thatis how I got into the recording side of it. Music itself I simply hada love for and I found that I was writing songs. Then I was invited bya man called Tim Dudley Smith to go full time with a churchorganization called Church Pastoral Aids Society. Tim is actually abishop but he is, I would say, a very significant hymn writer. Hespotted me playing at an event. They actually salaried me to be a kindof contemporary gospel singer, which I did for quite a lot of yearswith them. That is what took me to the next level; that I had thatchance was absolutely unexpected. I was actually a curate in a Parishand expected I would go on eventually to be a vicar but then I foundthat I had a different route.
Paul: How long have you been in the music industry?
Garth: That takes a bit of counting. I released my first album in 1973and so I was recording and doing concerts from the late '60s, early'70s, and then it increased much more during the mid '70s.Occasionally I have done other things and thought I would do a littleless music, but I get the sort of feeling that I am not doing what Ishould be doing, which seems to be interwoven with my vocation.
Paul: So are you classed now as legendary?
Garth: (Laughs) You know it's funny, I think as you get older thatword has come out a bit whether you are legendary or not.
Paul: Your latest album is 'Against The Grain'. Tell us alittle bit about that?
Garth: Yeah, it's an album and a book. The book is a memoir, I thinkthey call them memoirs these days or autobiography. When I was talkingwith Ginger Dog, the record company, about doing the book, I wasgetting their advice because they've also worked with books before, soI said 'I'm writing a memoir'. It's quite hard to do a memoir comparedto other books. They said, 'You need to do an album with it.' Thenthey asked, 'What's the title of the book going to be?' and I said,'I'm wondering about Against The Grain', and they said 'If you call itAgainst The Grain we will release an album, in fact a double album.'
I recorded four or five new songs for the album specifically, plusthere are three or four old tracks that hadn't been released on albumbefore. One called "Mar Gregorious", which is about an archbishop whowas taken hostage in the Syrian situation. Then I found some old demosand things, and one of them astounds me in terms of its relevance. Italmost frightens me it's so powerful. It's called "We Don't Do BodyCounts", which is a quote from an American general in the Iraq war.Then there's a couple that, at one time, could have been calledcountry rock songs but actually are sort of Americana now. I recordedthose years back when I had a band, and they are a really nice sound.They were taken off cassettes so the quality isn't great but the feelis rather fun.
Paul: Do you write songs to challenge people?
Garth: Challenging people is a part of art. We are sitting here inBanksy's hotel and I was just reading an article by Banksy where hequotes Eleanor Roosevelt about saying that art is to comfort thedisturbed and to disturb the comfortable. So I think there is in art atremendous responsibility to comfort people and that is where thespirituality of gospel music comes in very strongly. But there is alsoa side in music which is to challenge. You look around here. There areall these works by Banksy that are challenging. They have got a realpolitical message. But they have humour. I think in music we have aresponsibility to do the same thing. I used the phrase gospel singeron one album that I did. Normally to many people gospel music almostmeans a musical style. But I would use it in terms of the message ofthe Gospel. I hope that message is reflected in my albums and in mysongs because if it does, they will be a two-edged sword. In otherwords, they will bring you hope and encouragement, but they will alsochallenge you. The song "Against The Grain" is about Jesus riding intoJerusalem on Palm Sunday where Jesus defines himself in terms ofcoming in from the opposite side of Jerusalem from where the warhorses would have come in, where the empire came in. Jesus is saying'No, this is the peace way and this Kingdom of God challenges all theempire.' So it's Jesus defining himself as this peacemaker in a verypowerful way.
Paul: Who inspires or challenges you?
Garth: In my life I have been very fortunate that I have heard or metor seen people who are enormously significant. When I was a teenager,I went to hear Martin Luther King speak. Well, it was a life changer,because I saw that Christianity was picking up your responsibility tolove God but also to love your neighbour. That feeds the social actionand so on. I think Archbishop Desmond Tutu was a great inspiration asI saw what he was doing in South Africa. A Baptist Pastor in Nicaraguawhere the Amos Trust is working, he was a doctor who started a reliefand development agency. He was a person who made visible thespirituality of Jesus and so he was a great inspiration. I think inthe music sense, I would go back to Mahalia Jackson as a greatinspiration. A woman who, with her music, was able to do somethingvery special and yet she was quite a prophetic figure. She was theperson who yelled at Martin Luther King, 'Tell them about the dream,Martin,' when he was preparing his speech. He wasn't going to includethose words. These days I admire those who speak up. I like to seepeople reflecting the Gospel message. Sometimes the Christian Churchis very reticent in speaking up on the challenges of the world aroundus. I mean, we are in an horrendous situation around the world at themoment, people are swinging right wing in an extreme and Fascist way,countries are having leaders who are truly awful, we are walkingbackwards. So this is a moment particularly to reflect that wonderfulvalue of the Kingdom of Jesus and to speak up about it, not just to bepolite as the Church but to be a prophetic voice.
Paul Calvert
Paul: Has Christian music changed over the years?
Garth: Yes. What happened particularly in Britain and to some extentin America was that worship music came in and it dominated because itsold more records. (Laughs) But I think what we lost was thestory-telling Christian music. There was a very valuable time in the'70s and '80s where the story tellers were strong. For people who wantto pick up justice issues like myself there has always been a mixedreaction. In the States a good friend of mine called Ken Medomar;amazing writer. He was thrown off his label in the States with thewords "justice doesn't sell." I think that is the whole point.Prophets don't sell (laughs) but they speak the truth. I feel therewas something valuable about that time and the story tellers. I don'tknow what Christian music is doing so much these days, I haven't heardso much in the States. I am sure there are people doing good things.But I would like to music have a greater commitment to issues ofjustice which I think reflects the whole heart of Jesus.
Paul: You published a book, Bethlehem Speaks, and a film,Bethlehem Hidden From View.
Garth: At one stage the Amos Trust and I were particularly trying tofocus people's attention on what was happening over here withPalestine and Israel. Bethlehem is, of course, a very significantplace for the Christian community. But most people don't know anythingabout it. Bethlehem Speaks is an interview with 16 different peoplefrom Bethlehem about the current situation of the occupation. Then Idid a film called Bethlehem Hidden From View. I found when I talkedabout Bethlehem in my concerts people didn't realise there is a hugewall separating the place. About 87 per cent of Bethlehem's land hasbeen taken by the Israelis. Bethlehem is a tiny little town now. So Ithought I'd make a film about it. I interviewed some Jewish andChristian friends and made Bethlehem Hidden From View. It got a lot ofplays in churches; it got some very interesting play on Muslim TV; itwas played at a film festival in Malaysia; a Muslim festival playedit. It did more than I expected.
Then I released an EP called 'Bethlehem, Palestine'. I have found thatpeople who come to Bethlehem in coaches don't even know where theyare. I've asked them, 'Where are you?' and they would answer, 'We'rein Bethlehem in Israel.' I say, 'It's not in Israel, it's inPalestine,' and they are bewildered. I thought we have got to saywhere places are, so I did two EPs, 'Bethlehem, Palestine' and 'Gaza,Palestine'. On 'Bethlehem, Palestine' there's a song called "BethlehemHidden From View".
Paul: So is Bethlehem close to your heart?
Garth: Yes, very much and the places round here, the communities.Places like Beit Sahour, the shepherd's field area and so on. I have alot of friends and I suppose this is the place I have written mostabout both in songs and in books. I put together a double album called'Songs From The Fifth Gospel'. I see people look a little strangely atme, 'He's written a fifth gospel?' But it is actually picking up thewords of Saint Jerome who lived in Bethlehem in about the fourthcentury. He talked about the Holy Land being the fifth gospel, castinglike a light on the other gospels and the communities of the Holy Landas well. So I put together all the songs that I had written thatrelated to the situation. Wisam Salsaa, the director of the Walled OffHotel, Banksy's hotel, asked me if I would put together the songs Ihad written and I thought okay, we will do that, we'll do a CD. But itturned out to be a double album as I had written so many songs on thesituation here, and I included songs that would be suitable for peopleon a pilgrimage.
Paul: Christians have left Bethlehem. What is your message tothose who have stayed?
Garth: The situation for the Palestinians has never been worse. Lastyear with the Amos Trust, people walked all the way from London toPalestine and we ended in St Georges Anglican cathedral in Jerusalembecause we were apologizing for the Balfour Declaration. The BalfourDeclaration talked of giving a homeland to the Jewish people but itsaid it wouldn't upset the non-Jewish community that were here.Obviously that part has been ignored and the suffering of thePalestinians has been terrible. The Christian community here is almostunrecognised by the Christian community around the world even thoughthere are such names as Jerusalem and Bethlehem and so on. It has beenvery important to tell that story and to come here regularly so thatthey sense that there is support coming from around the world. We havebrought many, many groups just so they can walk on the ground and seethe holy sites.
What would I say to the people who are here in Bethlehem? Well, Iwould like to say one of the ways you inspire me is the way you'vestayed here witnessing to the world for centuries. It's a lot to askof people when the Israelis are using such a brutal occupation. But Iwould certainly say we'd like to maintain our friendship and supportfor them and campaign to change our governments' minds. I mean, theBritish government has caused a huge problem. Last year Theresa Maysaid, "I'm proud of the Balfour declaration." Palestinians werefurious. This caused the Nakba for them - a catastrophe, that wordmeans. Why didn't she say something about the catastrophe that wasdone to the Palestinians, do something about it? It would be easy todo, it's not the hardest thing in the world. Politicians have failedand that is very sad; but the people who I think haven't failed arethose here in Bethlehem and other parts of the West Bank and Gaza whoare committed to non-violence, committed to creative resistance,created to show there is a better way forward. To those people I wantto say thank you, you're showing the world there is a better way todeal with things, it isn't just violence and guns.
Paul: Do you see a lot of potential here inBethlehem?
Garth: Yes. Bethlehem is a place where a little event happened oncewith a baby being born. It transformed the world, or large sections ofthe world. I believe the witness of non-violence that comes out ofBethlehem, the witness of creative resistance that comes out ofBethlehem, all of that is a message to the world. But they needsupport because the pressure is so strong. It's easy for us to noteven think about these thing because we're not pressurised withoccupation and issues that are so every day in our lives. But I'mafraid I feel the world is changing, we may well find these kind ofthings ourselves. But Bethlehem has stood firm and shown good news forthe poor and oppressed and forgotten; Bethlehem is a place of hope.
Paul: Finally, what is your prayer for Bethlehem?
Garth: The Prince of Peace was born in Bethlehem. I would like theprayer to be that peace will come with justice. You can't get to peacewithout justice and the beautiful character of a generous and lovingGod. I would like to see that brought as a reality here and that willmean some repentance. Israel taking that 87 per cent of the land andso on, don't do that, there is a better way. There is a better waywhere people can love their neighbours as themselves, which is therein the Jewish scriptures, we pick it up as Christians. So my prayerwould be let's live out the values of the Prince of Peace, let's drawon the reminder to love God and to love our neighbour as ourself,let's bring some hope and healing, let's make sure that religiondoesn't divide, violence doesn't divide. Let's make sure that we,whatever the cost, are committed to the way of a God who isgenerosity, who is mercy. Pope Francis wrote the book The Name Of GodIs Mercy. I like that. I think there will be a song with that title.We really need to discover the character of God, the mercy, thegenerosity, the love and live that way. My prayer would be forBethlehem who's witnessed to this through 2000 years, keep witnessingand let that be a visible reality in our time.
The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.
