My Written Interview with Five For Fighting aka John Ondrasik

 

Vladimir John Ondrasik III^[ (born January 7, 1965), known by his stage name Five for Fighting, is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, record producer, and philanthropist. He is best known for his piano-based soft rock ballads,^[2] such as the top 40 hits "Superman (It's Not Easy)" (2001), "100 Years" (2003) and "The Riddle" (2006). He also had a string of moderate hits on the adult contemporary charts in the late 2000s and into the 2010s, including "World" (2006), "Chances" (2009), "What If" (2013) and "Christmas Where You Are" (2017).

Ondrasik has recorded six full-length studio albums, one EP, and several live albums as Five for Fighting. Ondrasik's song "Superman" was nominated for a Grammy in 2002.

                      INTERVIEW: Answers in Bold

1) I know that you’re a massive hockey fan and that is, in fact, where the name

“Five For Fighting” comes from? To start somewhat randomly, what was it like

drinking out of the Stanley Cup?

It was a dream come true. As a L.A. Kings fan, I never thought I would live to see us win the cup. To celebrate with family and some of the Kings organization who are longtime friends was a sports memory for a lifetime. FYI, The Keeper of the cup is one cool dude.

2) You said that you have worked “45,000 hours before [you] made a penny in the

music business”. Likewise, you have noted that you are “a twenty-year overnight

success”. What was it like coming up as a young, struggling artist? What inspired

you to keep at it?

To succeed in the arts you need a thick skin as well as a few suits of armor. Most of us are rather insecure as artists and the rejection that comes along with the pursuit of a career can be exhausting and debilitating. I guess my plan was to keep at it until the car went flaming over the cliff…One lesson to be learned from my experience  is that at times perseverance and work ethic can be as or more important than talent.

3) Richard Marx in one of his vlogs has said that when he is “stuck” lyrically in the

course of song-writing, he will turn to some of the great romantic poets, Pablo

Naruda, primarily for inspiration. Do you have such a resource that you turn to for

inspiration when you’re “stuck”?

At times I will read some Dylan, L. Cohen, or Sondheim lyrics, but typically I get away from the song for a while and try to come back with a fresh look. Lyrics can be excruciating and fickle as some lyrics come in an hour, and others take a year and a dozen rewrites. IMO though, when it comes to songwriting, melody may get you on the radio, but lyrics keep you there 20 years.

4) You’ve performed before huge crowds. Tens of thousands of people. What is

that rush like when you get up on stage? Do you ever get nervous?

Sometimes I get nervous, especially when it’s a live television as you never know what can happen. The more you do it, the easier it is like anything. Having 10,000 people sing your song back to you is exhilarating and I wish every singer/songwriter could experience that wonder.

5) Let’s talk about your 2001 song, “Superman”, written, as you’ve said in previous

interviews, in about 45 minutes and after 9/11. The song, by my view, deals with

Archetypal themes of self-worth and trying to reconcile how you see yourself with

how you are perceived. The lyric “Even heroes have the right to bleed”, in

particular stands out to me. It may be a hopelessly broad question, but I would

love to know what inspired the themes of that song?

Who knows, but I guess you could look at the fact I was a struggling songwriter looking to be heard and in my mind I thought it was not easy to be me. I’ve learned since that there are those who truly struggle with immense challenges in life, and perhaps that is where the song was most embraced. It’s not a song I could write now, but I’m blessed it was my first child that led to a career. 

6) My personal favorite song of yours would have to be “100 Years”. Released in

2003, the single reached number one on the US Billboard Adult Contemporary

chart and number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 2007 the song earned a

Platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America for

more than 1,000,000 copies sold. When I interviewed Tal Bachman last year, he

told me an amazing story about how he found out “She’s So High” became a hit

song. How did you find out that the song became #1 on the US Billboard Adult

Contemporary chart, for instance? Do you remember where you were when you

got that news?

Thank You. I don’t remember but having a popular song, hearing it on the radio then and now, is incredibly rewarding. Actually, ,I think over the decades 100 years may have had more of an impact on the culture than Superman, which is pretty amazing to contemplate.

7) “100 Years” deals with, I think, wonderful themes that we could all bear in mind.

Chief among them would be, I would say, recognizing the moment. “Enjoying

every sandwich”, as Warren Zevon put it towards the end of his life. It reads

rather like a poem to me, dealing with intervals of time. How did you decide how

you were going to structure the song?

It went through many permutations but you are right, the song is a life and speaks to the easy to say, but sometimes hard to execute, appreciate the moment, good, bad or ugly…something I personally struggle with.

8) If you have one, do you have a big career regret that comes to mind?

Not that it’s a huge one, but I wish I would have embraced the opportunity to work with more of my fellow songwriters…

9) I admire very much your commitment to the men and women who serve in our

Armed forces. I have two brothers, one in the Army and one in the Marines and

they wanted to pass along their gratitude as well. I know you have done some

work with actor Gary Sinise and his wonderful foundation. What has that

experience been like?

The most humbling experience of my life. To be able to say Thank You to our troops and their families (like yours), through music, and have an impact on some of their lives has been wonderful and illuminating. Without our troops, their courage and sacrifice, all the good things we have in America go away. 

11) This question comes from my friend David DiMuzio, who is a very talented professional musician with a YouTube channel: What's the one song of yours that's been released but that wasn't a single that you most wish the whole world knew the way they know your songs like Superman and A Hundred Years

I was told “World” was going to be as big as those songs but it never happened. I do think the question “What kind of World do you want” applies more than ever now and would be a healthy conversation for the culture that seems to be so divided and angry. 

12) What upcoming projects do you have in the works that people can look forward

to?

Getting the family biz through Covid, and hope to write a new record. 

13) Has there ever been a question that hasn’t been asked of you that you wished

someone would ask?

What was it liked playing left wing with Gretzky?

14) If you weren’t a singer/song-writer, what do you think you would be in life?

Sadder. 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_for_Fighting

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