Audio: JP Corwyn

ROB Joining us via Skype from Florida now it's J P Corwyn. Hello JP.
JP Hi, how're doing Rob?
ROB Sorry about the oil spill by the way. I just feel we should wrap that up.
JP Yeah I've heard that before. I've heard there's a lot of sorriness going around. You know we'll accept the apology and just be glad.
LIZ We have to apologise.
JP Besides there are things to scrub now. We can clean.
LIZ It was an excuse.
JP We get bored on the golf course, we like to clean things it's a hobby.
ROB Yeah think of it as a spring clean exactly.
JP Exactly.
ROB So tell us a little bit about you, obviously you're a musician, you're blind, you're based in Florida. What more can you add to that rather terse description?
JP Wait, wait, wait I'm blind? When was someone going to tell me this stuff? Next you're going to tell me my hair's too long. Let's see how it is. So music's what I do, it's what I do fulltime. I'm very, very lucky, I'm very fortunate. And there's a lot going on between touring, I've done some charity things I'd like to do more of those, I've not hit the UK or any place overseas yet that's on my list of things to do but as I'm sure you must have seen and heard before from the other very, very talented musicians that have come on the show, to DIY to completely do it yourself is kind of a... It's all about the deep pockets that you don't have.
LIZ But you've written and EP two full length albums already.
JP Yes.
LIZ I like this the title's In Plain Sight and The White Cane Conspiracy. Does blindness come into your songs or just the album titles then?
JP Well as you've only just told me I'm blind I would have to say it's a fluke.
ROB He needs a bit of time to work on some new material now.
LIZ Oh sorry.
JP No I heard this recently you had two very esteemed business women on and I heard it said that blindness can kind of be a door opener, or any sort of handicap or disability can kind of be a gimmick, for lack of a better term.
ROB It's your USP there.
JP Yeah, yeah that's exactly it. Everyone needs every opportunity is a networking opportunity, every conversation you have, every minute of the day bumping into someone at the market it doesn't matter it's going to potentially turn into something - you never know who you know. And I've always maintained that I may not be... my bio writer said the same thing, "You're not quite Stevie Wonder blind" well no that's true I'm not Stevie Wonder blind...
ROB Which is the benchmark against which all other blind people...
LIZ Is that like really blind to be Stevie Wonder blind?
JP Yeah exactly.
LIZ Okay.
JP Exactly. There's no drivey drivey. Rob, you should be familiar with the whole legally blind thing, you're not quite totally blind after all, you've said that several times.
ROB Yeah I like to drill that into people's heads.
JP Well you know it's safe to drill into their heads because they get very confused don’t they?
LIZ Do you think the more blind you are the more musically successful you are?
JP Well I don't know that I'd call it that high as a benchmark I mean I'm not willing to put my eyes out the rest of the way just to see if the theory's accurate.
LIZ Just wondering.
JP And it doesn't matter how much of a dare you make that, that's not on my list. But yeah I think there's, I don't know if Rob, if you've experienced this before but people they're unfamiliar with the less obvious handicaps. And so I think if you're fully deaf, fully blind, a quadriplegic, paraplegic whatever the case may be if it's something that's more familiar it's easier for people to accept, categorise, digest and move forward.
LIZ So JP you have a very American sound to your music. So we've thrown together...
JP I've heard that.
LIZ ... together a few questions here especially for an American based on everything that we've ever learnt via our TV set okay?
JP Uh oh!
LIZ Okay?
JP This should be good.
LIZ So, white cane or guide dog?
JP Guide dog.
ROB Candy or fruit?
JP Fruit.
LIZ Was the 1969 moon landing real or fake?
JP I didn't see it.
LIZ Customers who like JP Corwyn also like...
JP Oh Shine Down, Angio Aparo, Pearl Jam, Creed, Athlete I hope.
ROB If I was the President I would... complete that sentence.
JP Wow really is that what we're going with?
ROB If I was the President I would... quick fire.
JP If I was the President I would wonder who the heck JP Corwyn is and go and find out.
LIZ Raccoons or chipmunks?
JP Chipmunks.
ROB Like a rhinestone cowboy or like a rolling stone?
JP Definitely like a rolling stone.
LIZ Jaws or voice over?
JP Voice over.
LIZ Oh little niche blind screen read a question apparently we just threw in.
ROB And finish the sentence, finally, 'we built this city on...'
JP The BBC radio.
LIZ Ooh!
ROB Thank you very much, JP, God he's so good. So how do listeners find out more about you?
JP Best and fastest way to find me is at JP Corwyn, with a Y, that's jpcorwyn.net
JP This is Find a Reason from the new record The White Cane Conspiracy.
[Playing music]