RTÉ Culture had the opportunity to chat with American singer-songwriter Josh Ritter ahead of his tour across Ireland this December. Watch the first part of Josh Ritter's interview above.
The musician spoke about embracing his "inner weirdo", working with Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead, his most memorable night in Ireland... and his new found love for Jay-Z.
The Monster Ballads singer has advised aspiring artists against trying to "write a hit", instead, Ritter uses his finely-honed lyrical skills to turn his songs into stories, covering topics of heartbreak, religion, life, loss and love.
Speaking on his writing process, Josh says it's all about staying open to inspiration:
"My process for writing is to try and stay open to lyrics and to music, whenever they should come around.
"I don't have a system, I never sit down every morning and write a song. It's not that I'm lazy, I just don't find that it's effective.
"I like to grab songs kind of like birds out of the air. You just grab them when they're there and when they're not there, you've just got to find something else to do".
Ritter isn't shy when it comes to mining his personal life for art - his acclaimed 2013 album The Beast In Its Tracks deals with the singer's divorce from his first wife, Dawn Landes.
Here, the Idaho man describes how it feels to share his most intimate thoughts to his fandom of strangers:
"I fell like I'm a very private, reticent person, and for me to have discovered a way to communicate with people - and not to communicate with people in a grand way - in just a way to feel like I'm having a normal conversation, the way it works for me is songs"
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage PreferencesWatch the second part of Josh Ritter's interview below.
Discovered by Glen Hansard at an open mic night, Ritter explains how his relationship with Ireland has grown over the years, why he trusts the Irish people for honest opinions and why his most memorable night took place in Ireland took place in Whelan's.
Josh Ritter will tour his new album Gathering across Ireland this December. Tickets are on sale now.
