Through the window of an upper floor office in West Hollywood, the sky changed from cyan to navy and then indigo blue. The lights of Century City flicked on in the distance, and the expansive view of the Pacific Ocean disappeared from sight. For about three hours, Dwight Yoakam sat at a conference table with a glass of iced tea and two smartphones in front of him, his mind abuzz with details.
The country performer’s stories about music are rife with the minute observations and historical tidbits absorbed and disseminated by die-hard fans. We were there to discuss Yoakam’s new album, the singer’s first batch of new songs in nine years. In order to get to that subject, however, he needed to tell me about his inspirations.
He talked about the Dust Bowl and its reach throughout the Midwest, where we are both from. He described the connections between bluegrass figurehead Bill Monroe and celebrated American songwriter John Prine. He covered classic country artists Jimmy Rodgers, Buck Owens and the Carter Family.
Yoakam was particularly animated about one of his favorite bands, the Byrds. He opened the Spotify app on one of his phones and typed in the search box. Yoakam stretched his arm toward me and played “Set You Free This Time,” the third song on the Byrd’s 1965 album “Turn! Turn! Turn!” A green check mark appeared next to the song’s title because the 68-year-old had added it to his Liked Songs playlist at some point.
Yoakam cupped his free hand around the bo.
