I get what your saying mtotch123, about sometimes feeling he contradicts himself, but maybe in a way it’s not so contradicting at all. Artists – be it singer/songwriters, actors or painters – will of course use their own experiences in life in their work. But that does not mean their work necessarily is in a way a (true) mirror of their experiences or their life. They use their experiences to fuel their creativity.
And really, most songs/movies/paintings all revolve around the same themes: love, death, joy, sorrow, things like that.
As for John saying he does not like to collaborate but then does. I don’t find that strange. I think we all have (to) do things we don’t like or are not really good at or are even afraid off. There is no room for growth or new experiences in life if you shy away from that.
I’ve listened to most of the interviews for Ghost Brothers that were posted here. And to me in those interviews John Mellencamp comes across as someone who likes to speak his mind, is passionate about his projects and other topics he speaks about and at the same time he does not take himself too seriously and likes to joke around.
I found this interesting observation from T Bone Burnett in Paste.com’s most recent issue:
“Burnett, who produced Mellencamp’s Life, Death, Love and Freedom and No Better Than This, recognizes the restless creativity that drives Mellencamp, as well as the trap of being an icon. Working outside expectations is a good thing.
“He’s the lightest and happiest in the entire time I’ve known him. He was a much darker character. … But once you get trapped in your own persona, it’s a world you can’t really escape. When [John] was in his late teens, he was a killer R&B singer, just as good as Jagger.
“And as Roy [Orbison, whose A Black & White Night Live Burnett spearheaded] taught me back then, [fame] is its own being. He told me driving around one day, ‘I just have to drag this legend around with me. There’s nothing else I can do.’ And he did.””http://www.paste.com/#issues/week-95/articles/t-bone-burnett-slow-storytelling