I heard Don White on the radio long before I met him. He would tell these wonderful stories about his family, often followed by a heartfelt song. I interviewed him for my then-weekly column for the Boston Globe a couple of times, talking about humor and songwriting, and where the two intersected. About a decade ago now, I moved into Don’s old neighborhood in Lynn, and have since gotten to see him work in his own community, trying to help his fellow aspiring artists figure out how to balance their creativity with the rest of their lives and encouraging them to keep at it. I’ve worked with him on his PR and had many a conversation about music, especially Frank Zappa, and stand-up comedy. In this conversation, held in Don’s living room in Lynn, we covered a lot of practical stuff about staying creative and Don’s own curiosity – how he spent a few months studying silent comedy to help his stage presence and what he learned about passion from watching Judy Garland.Don’s latest album is called More Alive, and you can find out more about him and where you can catch him live on his Web site.

After the conversation, stay tuned for one of my favorite songs from John Craigie‘s new album, No Rain, No Rose, which I reviewed for the New Release Roundup. You can listen to and download the podcast from the embedded player below, or click on the iTunes link to subscribe!