Derek Webb at Belmont

Here are some few highlights from a Q&A time with Derek Webb this morning at Belmont. He answered questions about FreeDerekWebb.com and the future of the industry, the church, his role in music, and his upcoming album.

About FreeDerekWebb.com, the future of music, and his role in music: "It's more important than to try to wrench 10 cents for every record. There's a difference between the record business and the music business. The record business tries to get money for a bunch of round peices of plastic."

"People who make art and people who sell art are different. They have different gifts. They need to fight. It's healthy for them to fight. If your marketer tries to make your music for you or if you try to be a marketer, you're in trouble."

On the message of his record Mockingbird: "I have too many friends in the business that are trying to compromise their beliefs so they can build a platform to say something important. If you always make compromises and never use the platform, you don't need the platform and probably don't deserve it."

On the church: "Clearly Christianity has a problem. Clearly we've been co-opted with politics and politicians have learned to use our language to coerse us to do what they want."

On Christian music and the labe "Christian": "It's been a long time since I've thought about or cared about that category. I don't really care about the distinction between Christian things and secular things. I don't believe in a thing called Christian music. There is no music that is more redeemed or glorified than other music. There are Christian people and secular people. And those people make art."

"When I say I'm a Christian, I say "I've got issues." If that's not what I mean, I shouldn't say "I'm a Christian," I should just say, "I'm a pharisee.""

"I have trouble being called a Christian. Not because I'm ashamed of Jesus. I'm ashamed of the tremendous connotations that are associated with Christians in this country. Jesus shocked his closest friends all the time. He was so unpredictable. And Christians today are so predictable. A politician can say one of three words and make us act instantly in a way that we in return make them superstars."

"What if someone from anothier planet comes here and thinks the word Christian means someone that eats babies. When you tell them you're a Christian, does that label do you any good?"

"My music is not a ministry. I don't approach it that way. I'm a singer/songwriter. My brother is a doctor. He's not a "Christian doctor;" I don't know how that would look. His goal is to provide excellent health care, and also to support his life and family. And that isn't any less spiritual than the other. His Christianity certainly plays a role into what he does, but the notion that you have to be full time minister in your job is the same thing in music. I don't have to be a full time vocational minister in my music. "