Meet Gary Stockdale
Nestled between two large trees with his signature hat on a warm evening, American musical composer Gary Stockdale rocked the home concert I was fortunate to attend.
I met Gary, thanks partly to my husband and a good friend who introduced us. “I think I’ve met you before,” Gary said. And we all laughed.
That’s Gary Stockdale.
Here’s our interview.
Gary, you sang passionately and touched my heart with themes of love and beauty. I knew right away that I had to interview you. So, thank you for following up with me.
Thank you, Elvira. I’m sorry it took me so long to get back to you.
What about love and beauty makes you write songs about them?
Well…lovely is lovely, and beauty is beautiful. But I try to write songs that ring true to me, so sometimes that’s about love and beauty, but sometimes it’s about the exquisite pain of being human.
You are a singer-songwriter nominated for Emmys twice. As unique and wonderful as you are, why do you think you never got the award?
I lost one of the Emmys to Alan and Marilyn Bergman, who have written so many hits over many decades, and the second one I lost to the composer of the show “Monk,” which was getting much press during that time so, as they say, that’s showbiz.
What’s it like composing music?
Like any creative art, facing the “blank page” is sometimes terrifying, and hoping you get a good idea for a song or a piece of music. Deadlines help to force one to get the job done, but most of the time, it’s scary and fun at the same time.
I was glad your mother greatly influenced your music journey. She had you take piano lessons at age four. A singer herself, did she teach you how to sing?
Not directly, but her musicality and her semi-professional singing when I was growing up meant that she recognized my abilities early on and supported me in my musical ventures.
When you switched your major from theater arts to music, you said your mother was your “biggest fan.” Can you describe your mother?
My mom, Barbara Gaus, started as a singer, and she worked with some great musicians, most notably Oscar Moore, who was Nat “King” Cole’s guitar player, and his brother Johnny Moore, who wrote “Merry Christmas, Baby.” She eventually quit showbiz and became a legal secretary.
Do you play other instruments besides a guitar and piano?
I play bass and ukulele and arrange and compose for orchestra and vocals.
Your wife Danelle is a preschool teacher, so you honored teachers during the pandemic by creating “Superheroes.” Can you explain what that is?
It’s a song I wrote dedicated to my wife and the teachers she employs, and also a tribute to teachers everywhere. Here it is - https://youtu.be/7xoJ54BN0rw?si=1FG2gyo4WktlV24d.
Since the pandemic, you and Danelle have been streaming the Safe@Home shows to keep everyone safe. With no physical crowd, what is that like for you?
Oh, it’s a lot of fun.
Since my wife is not per se a performer, this was the first time we had done a show together. But because, during the pandemic, no one could perform live shows for a while, many of us learned how to broadcast from our studios. It’s a little like doing a podcast or an internet radio show.
Safe@Home is a free concert, but you do take donations. How can people reach you for donations?
People can donate to my PayPal (@garystockdale@gmail.com) or Venmo (@gary-stockdale-9) accounts.
I enjoyed your Halloween show, where you dressed as the devil in red. Why the devil?
I just thought it would be funny.
My eye makeup smeared so much at the home concert because of all the laughing. Were you always comical?
Sorry about your eye makeup. I’m glad you had a good time. I don’t know if I was always comical, but I’ve worked with many comedians, many of whom are my good friends, and I always enjoy a good laugh.
Were you that kid in the classroom who made everyone laugh?
Yes, there were times when I was the class clown, not always, but now and then.
Were your parents funny?
Hmmm, I never thought about that. I guess my Dad and my stepfather could tell a good joke and loved to party and laugh, and I inherited my smile from my Mom.
How does being funny help you in life?
It’s always good not to take oneself too seriously.
Does your ability to be comical set you apart?
Apart from whom? I don’t know; it’s difficult to answer that question. Perhaps that’s a question for someone in my audience.
Everyone is unique. Can you share something hilarious right now?
I don’t know if this is hilarious, but I got to back up Eric Idle from Monty Python singing “Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life” when I was the composer and Music Director for Penn & Teller’s Sin City Spectacular in 1999.
How did you develop the hysterical song about a teenage daughter?
Haha, by actually having a crazy teenage daughter. I started to write it when she started going off the rails but stopped when she began to get into some dangerous behavior. Then, I picked the song back up after she had gotten a little less out of control.
Your daughter is doing some impactful work. Can you elaborate on this?
My daughter Savannah has been an Electronic Dance Music (EDM) composer and performer for years. Her artist name is HVDES (pronounced like the Greek god of the underworld, Hades). She has played at some of the biggest festivals and venues around the country and is preparing for a European tour later this year. Her music can be found on Spotify or anywhere you find popular music.
Can people go to a website or link for more information?
On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3koHmmPvpgZWHcVmK8AKDq?si=UBZjJi2nRTaZ7tFtvbkwrw
On Google: https://g.co/kgs/ehBdZZ1
Why did your father say you needed a backup plan in music? And why did you not listen to that advice?
Because my father was a lawyer and had very little use for or understanding of being an artist or a musician. He grew up poor in Chicago, with an alcoholic mother and a father who died from being gored by a bull in the Chicago stockyards when my Dad was a young boy. He went into the service during WW2 and went to college on the GI Bill.
On the other hand, I grew up with art and music all around me, and I also loved acting and the theater.
Do you regret not listening to your father?
Not at all.
Although now that I’m teaching at a college, I wish I’d gotten an academic degree that would allow me to teach at a public university. Since I don’t have one, I can only teach at private colleges. But I went to junior college and started working in the industry.
What advice would you share with others who want to sing and write songs?
Write and perform as much as you can. Eventually, you’ll get better. You need to put in your “10,000 hours,” as Malcolm Gladwell says.
How did Oscar-winning composer Henry Mancini shape your music?
Watching him conduct orchestras, singing on the scores of his films, and getting musical advice and mentoring from him was an excellent opportunity. Through him, I could write and arrange for many seasoned composers, and just being in the presence of such a giant of music was like a dream come true.
What do you like about house concerts?
The intimacy, the fact that it’s so personal and so sweet. No bartenders are running loud blenders or espresso machines, no drunks, and people who are just there for the music.
You ended with a spectacular BB King song alongside our lovely hostess, who played the cello. Was that your first time singing the song?
No, I’ve been singing that blues song for decades. I was turned on to BB’s music when I was a teenager.
Could you speak about the diversity you later found after living on a street in Southern California and the connection to a song you wrote?
Are you talking about my song about Glendale, “My Old Hometown?”
Yes, that song.
When I grew up there, it was the west coast headquarters of the American Nazi Party and the John Birch Society. It was a “sundown town,” totally right-wing, conservative, and racist. I couldn’t stand it. I was a burgeoning hippie, and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
My mom taught me right, so I couldn’t wait to leave Glendale and experience the rest of the world.
Because of the pandemic, you’re returning to sing the originals. What are your plans?
With my co-writers, I’m finishing a one-person musical, which I will soon be performing in the LA area, and I’m also performing with some local music collectives, like The Tribe, and looking to do more concerts later this year.
You mentioned a music writing workshop and coming up with an elephant song. What’s the significance of the song?
The assignment was to write a song that included an animal, and I thought the concept of the “elephant in the room” was a fun idea: all the stuff we are afraid of or refuse to talk about and how it’s always there in our mind.
How often do you write songs?
Not enough, but I’ve mostly been writing songs for the musical for the past few months.
“Three True Things” is the song you want to give people. For our readers, the lyrics go like this.
“Live, laugh, and love. Do these things every day in your life. Live like there’s no tomorrow. Love even when there’s sorrow and help someone make it through.”
Beautiful words… What inspired you to write “Three True Things”?
My brother-in-law, Mark, married a woman with three children from a previous marriage. He raised them as if they were his own, but they already had problems when Mark came into the picture, and the daughter became a drug addict and eventually died in a car accident. The “Live, laugh, and love” meme was on a poster at their house. My daughter also wound up having problems with drugs. She’s doing well now, but the
story of what happened to Mark’s stepdaughter and the toll it took on their lives was a story I wanted to tell.
Is “Three True Things” your favorite song? If not, what’s your favorite?
I don’t think I have a favorite. It depends on the day.
Some people claim you have a storytelling quality to your singing. How did that come about?
It’s something I always try to do: tell a story that rings true to me and, hopefully, to others.
You sing it all….rock, folk, R ‘n’ B, and a little country. Is there one you lean on more?
I love R ‘n’ B and enjoy musical theater songs. But I also love country, folk, and jazz.
How sweet it was to have renewed your wedding vows at your 70th birthday celebration, in which you surprised so many people. After 30 years, do you have any marriage tips?
My only marriage tip is to communicate and talk about stuff. And when things get tough, see someone and get help. Marriage can be hard work, but it’s worth it.
Why did you choose “You Don’t Know” as the month’s video?
Is that on my website? I haven’t kept the site up to date. I should change that every month, shouldn’t I? My bad.
You are so funny, Gary. Thanks for your time. Please thank Danelle for passing out big candy bars to the kids who came by your house on the hill at Halloween.
I shall, and I hope to see you again, Elvira. If you come to the Safe@Home show, please write something in the comments so I know you’re there. Again, sorry for taking so long to get back to you. All the best to you.