On today’s episode, we interview the great John Flynn. He’s a folk songwriter who sings about social justice, and then walks the walk. He’s worked against the death penalty, and In 2017, Flynn founded New Beginnings – Next Step, Incorporated. It’s a non-profit dedicated to helping incarcerated and returning citizens successfully transition to freedom.
John laughed when Aaron said he has the voice of G-d, but if the big guy had a voice, it would probably sound a lot like John Flynn. Rough hewn, strong, big-hearted, and compassionate. That’s how his songs are too.
This past summer Aaron saw John play the main stage at the Kerrville Folk Festival. He must have made quite an impression on that night’s headliner, Ray Wylie Hubbard, who had this to say about John: “You want a bad ass folk cat who tears off pieces of his soul, rhymes them and lays lyrics that bleed on melodies that even poet angels smoking cigarettes in the alleys of seventh heaven envy, and soulful little demons hanging around Detroit recording studios all wishing they could sing like him? Well then, John Flynn is your man.”
In part one of our conversation, John talks about how he made the decision to exchange commercial success for more freedom as an artist, and he reflects on what it cost him, and what it allowed him to do. He discusses how he got involved with the New Beginnings prison work.
And he talks about that time he found a box on his front steps with a note that said, “John, do the work.” That box, and that note, changed his life. Here’s part one of our interview with John Flynn.
