Brendan Slocumb, THE VIOLIN CONSPIRACY: A Novel
[0:01]Hi, I'm Sivi Owens, and you're listening to the award-winning podcast,
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[0:41]Today, in honor of February being Black History Month,
[0:45]I am doing a giveaway of a beautiful collection by Azora Neale Hurston,
[0:50]called You Don't Know West Negroes and Other Essays.
[0:53]Introduction and edited by Henry Lewis Gates Jr. and Genevieve West.
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[1:52]Okay, so today's interview is with Brendan Slocum,
[1:56]who wrote my new favorite book called The Violin Conspiracy.
[2:00]Brendan Nicholas Slocum was raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina
[2:05]and holds a degree in music education with concentrations in violin and viola from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
[2:11]For more than 20 years, he has been a public and private school music educator
[2:15]and has performed with orchestras throughout Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C.
[2:20]He's currently working on his second novel.
[2:22]Again, it's called The Violin Conspiracy and you'll see in my conversation with Brendan just how excited I am about it.
[2:29]Also, if you would like to watch us live, I am doing a politics and prose event with Brendan on Wednesday, February 9th.
[2:37]Again, that's Wednesday, February 9th at 6 p.m. Eastern Time at politics and prose.
[2:42]It'll be over zoom, so just go to the politics and prose website and sign up.
[2:48]Welcome, Brendan. Thank you so much for coming on mom's no time to read books.
[2:52]It's got The Violin Conspiracy, which is like my new favorite book.
[2:56]It's so good. Oh my gosh, problem.
[2:59]Thank you so much. I really appreciate that. Thank you.
[3:02]It's just, I know I've already raved about this on Instagram, but it's just so good.
[3:07]It's so good. And I love Ray. I love the whole story.
[3:13]I feel like I've learned so much about music and the whole music symphony world.
[3:19]I want to like go to a symphony now.
[3:21]I never saw any of this coming.
[3:24]The whole thing. Brilliant. Just brilliant.
[3:27]Love it.
[3:28]That is overwhelming praise and I really, really appreciate it. Thank you so much.
[3:32]Okay, so back up.
[3:34]Why don't you tell listeners what The Violin Conspiracy is about and what inspired you to write it?
[3:39]Okay, I got this. I got this.
[3:41]The Violin Conspiracy is the story of Ray, who is a young core kid growing up in rural North Carolina, who discovers that his old family fiddle is actually a priceless strativarius violin.
[3:56]And this discovery catapults him into super stardom in the world of classical music.
[4:01]And right before the world's most prestigious classical music competition, the Chekovski competition in Moscow, his violin is stolen.
[4:10]And he will do any and everything he can to get it back. Who took it? Will he get it back? Will he win the competition? Will he perform in the competition? You got to read it to find out.
[4:21]Wow.
[4:22]Okay. And this comes from your own experience in part. Talk about your own relationship to the music world and all of that.
[4:32]Well, I am a classical violinist by trade. I started when I was nine years old through a public school music program. So music is obviously very important to me.
[4:43]I say this and I don't mean it as a cliche, but music really did save my life. I was, you know, the neighborhoods that I grew up in and the kids that I would play with now.
[4:54]A lot of them are in prison or have been to prison or are unfortunately deceased because of activities that, you know, not doing good stuff.
[5:03]And the world of music actually took me away from a lot of that because I would have probably been right there with them had it not been for, you know, orchestra rehearsals or violin, you know, having to practice or having to go to a concert or even a trip that we were taking because of music.
[5:19]I was on the world first time I ever went to New York was with an orchestra. I never would have had that opportunity. I spent several summers in Asia never thought I would go because of my music and it's just been a lifesaver, you know, growing up in that environment and having someone who believed that I had something.
[5:39]I was worth cultivating it just, you know, it literally changed my life and had a slew of teachers who just encouraged me and pushed me and would not let me quit and just, you know, and this is the results I'm here.
[5:54]So who is your Miss Janice?
[5:56]My Janice Stevens is Dr. Rochelle better Huang. She's a teacher in Scripps College in California right now.
[6:04]And she is the woman who not only taught me how to play the violin, but she taught me how to teach.
[6:10]and I will be forever indebted to her to that and for that and she just, you know, every opportunity I get to talk about her to my students I do.
[6:21]And they, I feel like they know her better just as well as I do because I talked about her so much and everything I do. I try to make it a reflection on her because I'm so, I'm so grateful to her for what she did for me.
[6:32]Oh my gosh, that is so amazing.
[6:34]I know I thought one of the most poignant moments in the book was when Ray was a master class teacher and another young black boy who was rent had to rent the violin just as he had came in and the other people were so rude and awful and he was like you keep it up.
[6:52]And there's what you have to do and like that you can see right there like your own love of teaching and how you right because then I just wanted Ray to keep teaching more people and like who could write teach and what would happen then so.
[7:05]And that is actually that was that was a real experience I had, you know, I kid came in and I, the other judges I kind of written them off and I was like you know what was let's give them a chance and I'm going to digress just for a moment that giving people a chance.
[7:20]And that's about any preconceived notions that to me is so important and that's something that I think we're really really lacking nowadays and I always try my best I don't do the best I can not to judge anyone based on appearance.
[7:35]judge you based on know how we interact you know you come in with a backed up beat up violin that doesn't mean anything it just means that you have a beat up violin doesn't know you know it doesn't tell me how passionate you are about what it is you do or how much you really want to pursue this so.
[7:51]he gave you the benefit of the doubt this kid came in with a tape recorder he really did he came in and he played my heart will go on and I just sat back and I just I loved it I absolutely loved it and I'm like his mom was there his mom was she was almost in tears because he played so beautiful.
[8:08]and I just it's like dude don't ever stop I said you you were better than me when I was your age do not stop it is fantastic and I can tell you love it just keep it up.
[8:18]What happened to that kid do you know I have not been able to catch up with them but I'm hoping that those those words of encouragement stuck with them I hope so I hope it.
[8:28]Well, maybe he'll be the next right or you or maybe that one next me on that's not so.
[8:35]Did you have these experiences with the police yourself or was this more like a cultural okay well you're okay all right you buckled up you ready okay you're ready I'm ready.
[8:47]The Baton Rouge thing and I will say I the Baton Rouge thing is a little bit modified I never went to jail, but I did get stopped by the cops in Baton Rouge and I was terrified.
[9:00]I had to I was with a friend we were growing we were driving cross country in 2000 and we were in Baton Rouge just taking that southern route right before New Orleans and it was it was a Sunday there's nobody out.
[9:13]And you know this was pre GPS so it's like okay I think the hotel was that way and I'm in the right lane and I needed to turn left he was like yeah I think it's that way got put on my signal there's no one else on the road.
[9:24]I turn who lights and tires on what is going on it's like I knew it I knew it my friend was like what are you talking about it's like just here it goes.
[9:32]So I pull over into a closed convenience store when that had light and the officer is on his bullhorn shouting instructions to the driver I am terrified have to get out with my hands up.
[9:46]And I listen to my back pocket very slowly put my wallet on the ground get on my knees face down you know he had his gun drawn and it was it was terrifying and I said I will never return to the city of Baton Rouge as long as I live ever because.
[10:00]of that experience. It was, it was terrifying. And all I'd done was make a left turn from
[10:05]the wrong lane with, that's all I did. But I'm sure he thought he was doing his job.
[10:09]I love that this book now has become like the press conference that Ray gave, right? Like this is
[10:16]your way of being like, I'm not quite in a Baton Rouge again. Thank you very much.
[10:19]That's exactly it. Oh my gosh. Well, that's seen. And then the subsequent scene too, I mean,
[10:25]and was it in Boston? Was it in Boston? Yeah. Yeah. That's actually one of my favorite chapters
[10:30]of the book. It's a great chapter. Oh my god. That was quite a scene. And the way you painted
[10:35]the marxes. Oh my gosh. And even how she changed her accent around the police and you're like,
[10:41]raise, try, almost loses it. And then he's like, oh my gosh. Wow. Crazy. Well, when did you learn to write
[10:48]like this? I mean, this is like, was this just a gift you just were born like you love to write
[10:53]or you didn't love like, when did this whole writing piece? Because obviously you're gifted
[10:57]in violin and teaching and all that. But like, this is really amazing. So you must have had
[11:04]some practice. I can't, I mean, I hope you've had practice. Otherwise, you're putting so many
[11:08]writers to shame if you just like crank this out as your first attempt. So tell me about the writing.
[11:13]I have actually had a lot of practice. I started, I remember in high school, my English teacher,
[11:20]Evelyn Far, God rest her soul. I had, I was fortunate enough to have her for 11th grade English
[11:25]and 12th grade English. And, you know, the writing assignments that we would do. Okay, you know,
[11:29]you'd write. And I would never get my papers back. And I never understood why. In one day,
[11:34]I looked up on the bulletin board. They're all up on the bulletin board and kind of like,
[11:36]okay, well, she takes that. This is good. I never paid too much attention to it. And I'm in a band.
[11:42]And we needed songs to do. We were, we'd done every cover imaginable. So we needed original songs
[11:48]and none of the other guys were like, I'm not doing this. Okay. Well, I'll try writing a couple of
[11:52]songs. First, you were terrible. Of course, they all rhymed and everything was awful. And we thought
[11:58]we were just, hey, we're it. We got this. Got some good songs, whatever. So my writing evolved a
[12:04]little bit from the song writing. And that's been maybe 20 years now. And I took a stab at writing
[12:10]a manuscript for a science fiction novel. I love science fiction. I love mystery and I love
[12:16]science fiction. And I wrote this probably in 2007. And it, I look back at it now. And it is
[12:26]embarrassing. It is horrible. It is the story is great. But it's just, I mean, it's all over the place.
[12:32]And I got some really good advice. Some good advice I got was to write what you know and write
[12:38]from the heart honestly. It's like, okay, I can do that. And being a teacher, I was able to
[12:44]manipulate words to make anyone understand. Like, I'm a specifically on a music, music person.
[12:50]So all these musical terms, they make perfect sense to me. And like, so I asked people as I was writing,
[12:56]does this make sense to you? I am completely clueless. I don't know what this is. So I would go
[13:00]back and modify. I said, well, how about this? Oh, well, that makes sense. So that's, I tried to tailor
[13:05]my writing to an audience that didn't know anything about what it is that I was talking about.
[13:10]I'm the expert. These people who are reading are the novices. And I want to bring them up to the
[13:15]level of expert with, with the writing that I did. And I just, you know, I tried to manipulate it to
[13:21]where everyone could understand everything that was going on. And it all from the heart.
[13:24]Wow. So then how long were you working on this particular one? You weren't working on this
[13:29]since the science fiction novel, right? Oh my gosh. No, I almost quit. After that science fiction,
[13:33]oh, it's terrible. I ever think about it. I just want to cringe. Most people's first novels are
[13:38]supposed to be terrible. I feel like people think because you spent so long writing a novel,
[13:42]and you did it that it's going to be good. But chances are it's not going to be good. And that's
[13:46]that's the way it's supposed to be. Well, I'm glad I am adhering to that principle because it was
[13:52]terrible. It was terrible. And I might go back and rewrite that one. It really is a good story.
[13:57]But this one, you know, it was funny. The summer of 2020, you know, everybody was stuck at home.
[14:02]And we were all just kind of, you know, twiddling our thumbs and wondering what we could do.
[14:07]And I started writing. I saw it advertisement for, you know, selling books in the age of COVID.
[14:12]And I'm like, okay, well, maybe I should give this. I'm not doing anything. You know, I'm sitting here
[14:16]gaining 15, 20 pounds. And I'll go exercise. And then I'll come back and write. And I submitted.
[14:22]And my agent was like, yeah, this is a great, but you have a good voice. You should try writing
[14:28]something that you know. And I was like, okay, music. I know about music. And I remember telling a
[14:33]friend and he reminded me of this, a college friend, my life up to that point. It just, I thought
[14:39]it was interesting. And he said, you know, Brandon, you should write a book. And so you know what,
[14:42]I'm going to, I'm going to write a book. So I thought about that. And it's like, you know, maybe
[14:46]my story would be interesting. And I could kind of, you know, jeers it up a little bit. We'll see.
[14:51]And violent conspiracy was written in two and a half months. Oh my gosh. Yeah. All I had to do
[14:57]during the summer was right. So I wrote every day. Wow. I'm so impressed. And I didn't even
[15:02]WordPress. Sorry. Did you know all the twists and turns before you started? No, no, no, no, I was
[15:10]writing it like half of it was the story of my life. The other half was, and I'm going to write this
[15:16]like a movie. What would I like to see? I would love to see this or I would love to see this.
[15:20]Oh, I need a twist. Oh, this is going to be great. Oh, no, I can't do that. Oh, yeah, I'll do that.
[15:24]We'll see what happens. Yeah, it was, it was, it was a lot of fun to do. It was a lot of fun.
[15:28]It really was. Wow. And you sold it as a two book deal. So what's the next one? The next book
[15:33]is called the composers last score. And it's a music related book, but it's not what you think.
[15:40]It's a story. Well, I can just give a little bit of a detail because it's being reviewed right now.
[15:45]It's about a woman living with autism back in the early 1920s. And no one really knew what
[15:53]autism was and didn't really know if she had autism, but she is a musical genius. And she can do
[15:59]things and then, you know, someone maybe takes advantage of her skills and, you know, maybe some
[16:05]music was written. And we don't really know who did it. Was it her? Was it the person who
[16:11]is taking a liking to her? We don't know. And what happens, you know, that was in the past and then
[16:16]what happens in the present when the descendants of this musician who is just an amazing person,
[16:23]everyone across the world knows his name, they find out, well, maybe he didn't write everything.
[16:28]Oh, that could put their whole corporation in jeopardy. Have to see what happens. Wow.
[16:35]Oh, my gosh. Well, I will read anything you write from now on pretty much. I love it. Thank you.
[16:40]Wait, going back to this book for two seconds. Did you and not to keep delving into your life? But
[16:45]I'll please. Do you have like the relationship between Ray and his grandmother is so special and
[16:51]wonderful. And she was just, I mean, I fell in love with her too. And her encouragement for Ray to just
[16:56]keep being that sweet boy to work twice hard. And all of that was just so poignant and moving.
[17:03]Was that based on your relationship? Or is that fictitious?
[17:07]It is a true relationship. My grandma Nora was the absolute sweetest person on the face
[17:14]of the earth. And I mean, I think there's a line in the book that I have to forgive me. I read
[17:19]this book probably two dozen times, but it's been a while since I've read it. And I think there
[17:23]was a line I wrote that her voice was so sweet. You could get diabetes just listening to her. Yes,
[17:28]I read that. Yes. It is the honest truth. You know, as I was writing her, I could hear her speaking to
[17:35]me. I could hear you know me asking her questions and her saying this to me. She was the sweetest woman
[17:40]alive. And I remember specifically one time I was really mad about something. And she just sat me
[17:47]down and didn't yell, didn't scream. She just just so sweetly said to me, I need for you to know
[17:54]that what you're doing. You're doing the right thing and you're doing it the right way. Just know
[17:59]that. I need for you to know that. And I just, well, okay, all right, grandma. Okay, sure. All right,
[18:03]I'm better now. Thank you. That was my grandma. Oh, wow. Well, if this is really her on the page,
[18:10]you're so lucky. And she seems like just such an amazing woman and support. And oh, my gosh,
[18:18]what a person. The question I had when I was reading this is she seemed so amazing. How could
[18:24]the mom character then have turned out the way she did? Well, okay. First, let me be very, very clear.
[18:32]This is not your actual. I know. I know. I said the mom character. I said mom character. I didn't
[18:38]say your mom. Now, there are elements of truth that that go back to, I mean, I think it's with anybody's
[18:45]parents. You know, they don't quite understand what it is you're doing. And you know, whatever. But
[18:48]that my mom was, no, she was nowhere near like like the mom character. But you know, it just everyone
[18:55]has her own things going on in their own quirks and own personalities and grandma Nora had several
[19:01]children. And, you know, some of them turned out to be this way. Some of them turned out to be
[19:05]this way. And mom character just happened to be that way. She just didn't get it. She just didn't
[19:09]get Ray. You know, and that's okay. That's totally okay. Well, I wouldn't say the stuff that went
[19:14]on. And it was totally okay. I mean, I thought it was pretty terrible. And there's been
[19:19]and the girlfriend and all of them, you know, at least there was one and ally. But aside from that,
[19:26]I just felt, I just could not believe Ray, you know, such a great boy was continually sort of
[19:34]not abandoned, but betrayed really by all the people who were supposed to support him.
[19:38]Yeah, that was kept picking himself back up and going back and doing his thing. It's that was
[19:46]that was the whole point. It's just perseverance, perseverance, tried you do it because you love it.
[19:51]They're going to be obstacles. And you've got to learn how to face them because they're going to,
[19:55]they're going to confront you. And you've got to learn how to deal with it. And I really
[20:00]You wanted to push that point home for everyone.
[20:02]You know, you are going to face obstacles.
[20:05]It is going to seem like it's impossible,
[20:07]but you've got to keep going.
[20:08]Your perseverance is going to get you through.
[20:10]And, you know, I think it showed in the story.
[20:13]Wow.
[20:14]I've loved also the inside glance
[20:15]into what it's like to be a traveling musician
[20:19]at this level.
[20:20]And there was one line I think when you wrote
[20:22]about the indignities of traveling
[20:25]and how you had like how are you supposed to stay fit
[20:28]when you're like traveling all the time
[20:30]and eating all this terrible food.
[20:31]And, you know, it's not such a luxury to be packing up
[20:34]and on the road again.
[20:35]And then, you know, I hadn't even thought,
[20:38]I just wasn't as familiar with this world
[20:40]and what the demands would be like.
[20:42]I found that very interesting.
[20:43]It's pretty demanding.
[20:45]And you really have to love it
[20:46]to put yourself through, you know, everything that you do.
[20:49]But you get on stage and you do what you've been working so hard
[20:53]to do and the people react to it,
[20:56]the way that you want to do.
[20:57]And it's all worthwhile.
[20:58]Wow.
[20:59]It's amazing.
[21:00]So what advice would you have for somebody
[21:03]who wanted to write a book aside from just perseverance,
[21:06]obviously?
[21:07]And, you know, not worrying about the first draft baby,
[21:11]sticking to it, all that good stuff.
[21:13]Like what else would you say, you know,
[21:15]if you were teaching writing instead of violin?
[21:18]Well, definitely don't worry about that first draft
[21:21]just go ahead and write it and get it out of the way
[21:22]and be done with it.
[21:23]Definitely write what you know from the heart
[21:26]if it's not honest.
[21:28]You don't believe it, then no one else will.
[21:30]How can you expect anyone else to?
[21:32]You have to write what you know,
[21:34]what you believe, what you love,
[21:37]what you know, what you believe, what you love.
[21:39]You do that, you can't go wrong.
[21:41]Oh my gosh, I love it.
[21:42]So no outline, no nothing.
[21:45]Oh, well, you know, you can do that outline.
[21:47]But, you know, my outline,
[21:48]I tell you my outline changed probably two dozen times.
[21:52]It changed.
[21:53]And that is just like, well,
[21:55]if I'm really being true and honest to myself,
[21:57]I've got to do it this way.
[21:58]You know, there were times where I would have fights
[22:01]with my agent, no, you can't write that,
[22:04]no, no, no, things like that don't happen.
[22:06]I'm like, dude, they really do.
[22:08]This happened.
[22:10]I mean, it was a fight, you know,
[22:11]you have to stick to what it is that you believe in.
[22:13]And I did, you know, the first couple of times
[22:16]I gave in was like, well, okay,
[22:18]I'll take your advice on this,
[22:19]but there were times where things would,
[22:22]I would write things and I knew for a fact,
[22:25]this is what happened.
[22:26]This is the way that it happened.
[22:27]This is the way that it happens regularly.
[22:30]This is my perspective and it's valid because it happens.
[22:34]And just because it's not your perspective,
[22:36]it does not mean that it's not true or it's not valid.
[22:39]So I'm going to stick to my guns
[22:41]and I'm going to really fight for this
[22:43]to stay in the book and I did.
[22:45]And I think it was a good result.
[22:48]So definitely do what you love, right?
[22:50]What you love, right?
[22:51]What you know, be honest.
[22:53]And one thing that you stress sort of with the story itself
[22:56]and then the note at the end and everything
[22:59]is the importance of bringing more people of color
[23:02]into this world of music and especially at the highest
[23:06]Ashland, I think you said at one point,
[23:08]there is like 1.8% or something like that
[23:11]of all symphony musicians were black,
[23:14]which is crazy.
[23:15]I had no idea.
[23:16]That's how can we fix that?
[23:18]What can, what can we do about it?
[23:21]Wow, okay, let me see.
[23:23]I'm glad I'm sitting down for that one.
[23:24]I actually had to go back and redo the stats on that
[23:29]because I thought it was a little higher.
[23:31]My initial numbers were like 2.7
[23:34]and then I did some more research
[23:36]and I found that it was quite a bit less than that.
[23:38]So it all starts with, I think it really starts with perception.
[23:43]This is not music, classical music,
[23:47]violin strings, whatever.
[23:49]It's not just for a certain group of people.
[23:51]You don't have to be rich in an affluent neighborhood
[23:55]or have parents who are CEOs in order to play the violin
[24:00]and to love it and to be good at it.
[24:02]You don't have to.
[24:03]All you need is the desire.
[24:05]And if you want it badly enough, it will happen.
[24:08]And there are so many people that look like me
[24:11]who are capable, who just have not been given the opportunity.
[24:15]And unfortunately, some of us have given up.
[24:18]Some of us are still fighting.
[24:19]And I think as long as books like this come out
[24:23]and stories like this come out,
[24:24]that's one reason I really wanted to do this
[24:27]just to raise awareness.
[24:28]And I'm hoping that that has happened
[24:30]and will continue to happen.
[24:31]If people know that this is a thing, okay, well,
[24:36]well, they're not very many black people.
[24:37]Why is that?
[24:38]Then the question gets asked.
[24:40]And then we can come up with answers
[24:41]from there once the question is asked.
[24:43]But you know, who would think to even ask the question,
[24:46]you would just look at a symphony
[24:47]and see if faces, none of them that look like mine
[24:50]and they'd probably be fine.
[24:51]But for people like me, I'm like, wow,
[24:53]that's kind of messed up because I can do that.
[24:55]Why am I not up there?
[24:56]Why are other people who look like me, not up there?
[24:59]So I think a big part of it is just to ask the question first
[25:03]and to raise awareness.
[25:04]And that's one thing that I'm really hoping this book will do.
[25:08]And we can start with programs and getting kids in early.
[25:12]We can go to these places that don't have music programs
[25:15]and just start them just seeing a violin.
[25:17]I've never seen a violin before.
[25:20]I don't think I'd ever heard one, to be honest.
[25:22]And when I saw this lady Susan Ellington, God,
[25:24]rest or so, when I saw her come in with a violin, wow,
[25:28]that's pretty cool.
[25:29]Oh, okay, I wanna do that in a thanks my life.
[25:32]Wow, I wonder if there's some sort of program
[25:34]to be set up for the kids who have shown
[25:37]even a slight interest and yet have to rent the violins.
[25:40]Like that also, when Ray almost had to give his back
[25:43]and maybe there's some way to respond
[25:46]to her violinist or sponsor musicians.
[25:48]Yeah, yeah, I mean, there's so many opportunities
[25:52]that I'm looking into and thinking about starting
[25:55]and working with people on these programs,
[25:58]they say it, I don't say this lightly,
[26:01]they are life changing, they will change,
[26:04]they will save lives.
[26:06]Music really does save people's lives.
[26:09]I made living example of it, a lot of my friends
[26:13]who are musicians now, there's no telling what we would
[26:18]have been doing, but I'm sure it would not be good
[26:20]if it weren't for our music programs
[26:22]and I am a staunch advocate for it.
[26:24]Whenever I go and do a conducting gig
[26:26]or like do an all-state orchestra
[26:28]or a county orchestra or whatever,
[26:29]I always tell them how important it is
[26:32]to keep these programs going and encourage your kids
[26:35]and you all are here at the concert listening to your kids
[26:39]and that is tremendous.
[26:40]You have no idea the impact that that will have
[26:42]not only on them, but on the program,
[26:45]write your principles, write the superintendents,
[26:47]don't email, don't call, write them a letter,
[26:49]let them know how important it is to you,
[26:52]let them know that you want this to continue and to grow.
[26:55]Wow.
[26:56]Last thing in Ray says at the end about the violin
[27:01]that it's not necessarily the form of a Stradivarius
[27:06]that makes it so unique, that he believes
[27:08]that Stradivarius put some sort of spirit
[27:12]into each of these violins
[27:13]that they're almost like living breathing things.
[27:15]Just tell me a little bit about that
[27:17]because I really hit him.
[27:20]For Ray in particular with his Stradivarius,
[27:23]I wanted to convey the feeling that it was truly a part
[27:28]of him and a part of his heritage
[27:30]and his great grandfathers, great great grandfather.
[27:33]Excuse me, Papa lay on marks.
[27:35]He just, I believe that his spirit embodied the instrument
[27:39]because of everything that he had to go through
[27:41]when you read the chapter with Nora's letter, she was.
[27:44]Oh my gosh.
[27:46]To be honest, the first time I started reading it,
[27:49]I was like, I don't even know if I can keep reading this
[27:51]after the hand.
[27:52]I was like, oh my gosh, but it's so important obviously
[27:55]to know and to read and to remember and to acknowledge
[27:58]and all of that.
[27:58]And believe it or not, I actually toned that down.
[28:01]Oh my gosh.
[28:02]Yeah, yeah, I toned it down a lot.
[28:04]I was just like, whoa, it was almost too much for me.
[28:07]I was like, okay, I got to bring this back in a little bit,
[28:09]but where was I going?
[28:10]I didn't, wait, didn't you write the letter?
[28:11]You wrote it first.
[28:12]I did.
[28:13]I mean, you wrote it into extreme.
[28:14]You didn't actually find this letter, right?
[28:16]Oh, no, no, no, no, I wrote that.
[28:17]You wrote it.
[28:18]Okay, okay, you're sick.
[28:19]No, I mean, when I toned it down,
[28:21]like there were so much more graphic detail going on
[28:24]that I actually felt my agent when he looked at it.
[28:28]He's like, this is heavy.
[28:30]Yeah, it is, but it's true.
[28:31]Yeah.
[28:32]Wow, that is, wow.
[28:34]So yeah, I toned it down just a bit.
[28:36]And I was going somewhere with that.
[28:37]Yes, Leon's spirit was in the violin
[28:40]because of everything that he had to endure.
[28:42]And you know, as a people, black people in general,
[28:45]we've had to endure a lot over the centuries.
[28:48]And you know, we've just got this, this, you know,
[28:51]this perseverance within us.
[28:53]And I truly believed in the story that Leon's spirit
[28:56]was part of the violin and passing that down
[29:00]to his daughter and his granddaughter.
[29:02]And then finally to his great-great grandson,
[29:04]you know, it really was a part of him.
[29:06]And I feel personally, you know, your instrument,
[29:09]it really is personal.
[29:10]You can have a row of 1520 violins
[29:14]and you would know exactly which one
[29:16]that you want to play.
[29:17]They would all be, you know, priceless instruments,
[29:19]but there's that one that calls out to you.
[29:22]And as a musician, it might sound a little bit lame,
[29:24]but you know, it really is a part of you.
[29:26]My violin that I play on now, you know,
[29:29]if it were missing or if it were stolen
[29:31]or whatever, it would be a part of me that was gone.
[29:34]It's just, I mean, you practice on this thing
[29:36]for hours and hours and hours and hours.
[29:38]And it becomes a part of you.
[29:40]And it just, it lives with you.
[29:42]And I tried to, you know, convey that in the story
[29:45]and raise violin.
[29:46]He gets it.
[29:47]Ray totally gets that the violin is a part of him
[29:50]and a part of his heritage and a part of his family
[29:52]and part of the people that have all come for him.
[29:54]He totally gets it.
[29:55]Well, amazing, amazing.
[29:58]I was gonna say something else.
[29:59]And now I lost.
[30:00]But that's how I'm sorry. I'm just really not going to do this.
[30:02]No, no, no, no, no, no.
[30:04]Anyway, I like never do that.
[30:06]Liz, my question.
[30:07]Anyway, I got so caught up in it.
[30:10]Well, anyway, I think this book.
[30:13]Oh, I know what I was going to say.
[30:14]What I was going to say is that if you haven't planned
[30:18]to do any sort of events or if you haven't met
[30:20]Jacqueline Woodson, she has a new children's
[30:23]book that I'm about to interview her for, I think,
[30:25]tomorrow or this week or something about sort of the power
[30:28]particularly back in the day and slavery of the mind
[30:33]to sort of take you out of your current thing
[30:36]and the power of perseverance.
[30:37]And anyway, I feel like YouTube would have an interesting
[30:40]conversation.
[30:40]So someone should moderate that.
[30:41]So just put it on the docket, get in touch.
[30:44]Or, you know, I could go through Woodson.
[30:46]Woodson, Woodson, see I wrote it down.
[30:49]I can put your, put your publicist in touch or something.
[30:53]But I feel like YouTube needs to, you need to do an event
[30:56]together because I wanted to watch that conversation
[30:58]and have some.
[31:00]I want to watch this conversation.
[31:01]This is so awesome.
[31:02]I can't believe they're talking to me.
[31:04]This is great.
[31:04]Oh, stuff.
[31:06]No, really.
[31:08]Wow.
[31:08]OK, Brendan, thank you.
[31:10]This has been amazing.
[31:11]I, you know, I'm like almost embarrassed by my gushing here.
[31:14]But I really, your book is very special.
[31:18]And I really hope that I get to watch it just like fly
[31:21]up the charts.
[31:22]And it's just, I can attach a lot of people's hearts
[31:25]and help people's lives.
[31:27]It's going to be great.
[31:28]I'm so excited about it.
[31:29]Just hearing you say that, that's, you know, that's plenty.
[31:32]If it does nothing, that's OK.
[31:34]Just hearing that someone like it and got something from it.
[31:36]That's plenty for me.
[31:37]And thank you so much for your kind words.
[31:39]You're so welcome.
[31:40]OK, keep writing.
[31:41]I want to read your next book.
[31:43]OK, wait for the third one.
[31:44]That's going to be all.
[31:45]Oh, yeah.
[31:46]Oh, okay.
[31:47]All right, I'm in.
[31:48]I'm taking myself.
[31:49]OK.
[31:51]All right.
[31:52]Thank you so much.
[31:53]Thank you.
[31:53]Bye bye.
[31:54]Thank you.
[31:56]Thanks for listening to this episode of
[31:57]The Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books.
[31:59]Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at zebi Owens
[32:02]and at Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books.
[32:04]Also sign up for my newsletter at zebiowens.com
[32:07]and sign up for my virtual book club
[32:09]and meet lots of authors on Zoom every other week.
[32:11]Thanks so much to Steve and Ryan at Textures Sound
[32:14]for the Sound Editing.
[32:15]And thank you to Morning Moon Productions
[32:17]for providing this fantastic intro and outro music.