America's CCM superstar MICHAEL W SMITH talks to Mike Rimmer

There are some female fans (my wife included) who wonder how, with his busy lifestyle, five children, etc, Michael W Smith manages to stay so youthful and gorgeous. He laughs long and loud, "Oh! Man, I don't know about that. I don't know if I necessarily feel that way. I feel young. I think a lot of it is my personality. I feel great. I feel very youthful. I spend a lot of time not only with my kids but also kids at sports camps. I'm very athletic. I don't know. I think it all depends on what your outlook on life is. I think I've got a fairly good healthy look on life." So are there some mornings when he wakes up and looks in the mirror and doesn't think he's looking too hot? I am relieved by his answer "Some mornings I do wake up and look in the mirror and think, 'I'm getting heavier, I'm getting fat, I look horrible.'" He laughs, "Yeah! It happens quite often."

Over the years his image has changed quite a bit. Looking back over 13 albums and a variety of haircuts, which haircut is the most embarrassing now? Without hesitation he responds, "Probably in 'The Big Picture' days when I had curly hair. I would perm my hair you know. Now I wonder, what was I doing? My kids all get a big laugh out of the pictures."

What about being the image of being Mr Perfect? Michael laughs, "I'm definitely not that, I can say that. There is a tendency within the Christian music industry to paint artists like that and it's unfortunate. I battle it all the time. There's a lot that I disagree with in terms of the way people handle things, especially when it comes to that. When it comes to sensationalising everything. It's like we do everything the world does but it looks like we're picture perfect. It's just so weird. I thought it was about the music you know." He sighs, "It's just one of the little frustrating things I have to put up with."

I suggest that in the Christian music scene, artists aren't allowed to make a mistake. Where there are problems and difficulties and where people have fallen the industry deliberately glosses over that. Michael concurs, "Right! I agree that kids don't really see the reality of failure and the grace of God working. Hopefully we'll get that fixed."

Michael W Smith

I wonder if, when he looks at some of the things that are happening in the American Christian music industry, whether he gets frustrated when he sees what's going on? He's honest when he says, "Yeah! I do. All I can do is take action and try to do something on my own. I'm not after trying to compete with everybody, I'm just saying, 'Hey, this is what I think we need to do. Let's get back to the basics.' This is the way that Reunion Records used to be back in the early days. There was lots of camaraderie, synergy and the creative buzz was just amazing because it was small. You didn't get lost in the shuffle."

One of the ways that Michael can work towards bringing in changes is as the proprietor of his own record label, Rocketown. He explains about the company, "We're trying to do something a little different. We're trying to get back to what I used to do in the first place. It was a family, and it was small, and there was a lot of really great things going on in terms of it wasn't too big and you weren't owned by conglomerates and corporations. It was small town, small independent label. Man, we love it."

I wonder whether he's turned into a record company mogul with a fat cigar. He counters, "I'm more involved on the creative side over there than sitting behind a desk with a cigar in my hand." He laughs at the thought and continues, "I make a lot of decisions, obviously, in terms of who's signed and in song selection. I've ended up producing a whole record called 'Exodus' that had multiple artists on it. I'm probably playing a more vital role over there, more than I ever have and I love it. I think what people perceive is that I'm doing so many great things to help younger artists, and I'm finding out that I'm getting just as much out of it as they are. I think anytime you're around young talent and people who are passionate about what they're doing, you can't help but let that rub off on you a little bit."

One of Rocketown's recent signings, Ginny Owens, tells a funny story about how she first came to Rocketown, and came for an interview and was shocked to find that Michael was there to talk to her. Smith remembers, "I think she was a bit taken aback. I will never, ever forget that first meeting with her. It was so memorable. Here's a girl who I think is 23 years old, and she's blind, and she's just a little tiny thing. She comes in, sits at the piano and starts singing, and literally takes my breath away. I had never seen anything like it in my life. When she left that day I looked at Don Donohue who is the President of the label and said, 'You gotta sign her, she's amazing.' I'm sure glad we did."

Amidst all his work for Rocketown, Michael W Smith remains a songwriter and recording artist. Making his 13th album has been as much fun, and as exciting, as recording his first. He reflects, "I recorded it in Franklin, Tennessee, most of it in my own studio. I guess my biggest memory is that we had too much fun." Just the thought of it makes him laugh. "It was a joy. I'm working with a guy named Brian Lennox who did the 'Go West Young Man' record and wow! They pay us to do this. This is incredible. I think just the joy to be able to get in there and make this music. Everyday it was just a blast. That's really my greatest memory of making this album, it was so much fun."

One of the highlights in Michael's highlight-strewn career is when "Place In This World" became a crossover hit.' "When you first hear your song on the radio you just can't believe it. It's like a dream come true. I was driving down the freeway outside Nashville and 'Place In This World' came on. I literally pulled off on the side of the road because I was just so overcome with emotion. Basically I felt like maybe the whole world was hearing this song. I couldn't believe it. I almost started crying actually, it was that emotional."

The song became a top five American hit single and was significant for many Americans involved in the Gulf War. "Absolutely." Michael remembers, "I mean that's the wild thing. It really did go international. It was weird for me, very much so."

The songwriting on the new album also went international. After the success of their collaboration on the 'Live The Life' album, Michael once again teamed up with British popster Nik Kershaw. They wrote "Hey You! It's Me" together. Michael explains, "I grew up on Nik Kershaw. I actually think I'm a little older than he is. In the '80s he had 'Radio Musicola1 and all those records that he did. I just thought he was brilliant but then I still do, I think the guy's amazing. It was a i long shot when I was making 'Live The Life1. I wanted to work with Steven ' Lipson and thought, 'If I'm going to England then I wanna write with one of my heroes.' I thought it would' be a long shot."

He continues, "Before you knew it the whole thing had worked out. Me and Steven and Nik were all cooped up in one room, none of us having worked together. What were we going to do next? We wrote a song called 'Let Me Show You The Way' which is from the 'Live The Life' record, and then I called to see if Nik would like to come over to the States to help me work on a new song, 'Hey You! It's Me'. So, he found some time, came and spent four days here in Nashville. We gave him a little southern hospitality and made him feel real good and he wrote a great lyric. That's the way to do it, bribe the Brit." He breaks into laughter.

Michael W Smith

The title cut from his new album has the potential to have a huge impact, particularly in America because it was inspired by the martyrdom of Cassie Bernall in the Colorado High School shootings, which has been turned into a very positive thing. Michael agrees, "It's pretty amazing how it's been life changing for so many people. The whole analogy I guess is that what was intended for harm has been turned into so much good. I think the incredible part of the story is that people are beginning to find out this dark side of her. She had a very dark lifestyle. She wanted to kill her parents and was consumed by anger and all this stuff that was inside of her for so long. She didn't really have a change until about two and a half years ago, with total restoration and transformation as she gave her heart to the Lord, and totally changed, and she never looked back."