William Prince: House of Wisdom

Jann Arden  
This is

Jann Arden  
indeed a very great day for the Jann Arden podcast. We are being joined right this minute. You can see him on your screen if you're watching us on YouTube. William Prince, and I want to say, if I was going to pick one artist to represent Canada in, like, a big singing songwriter artistry creative representation of this country. It would not be Celine Dion. It sure as hell wouldn't be me. It wouldn't be Neil Young. It wouldn't be Jody Mitchell. It wouldn't be Leonard Cohen. It would be William Prince, because he is an award-winning artist and incredible storyteller, and if you know his music, you know how special he is, and if you don't, you're about to. I've been listening to you all morning. William, welcome to the Jann Arden Pod.

William Prince  
Oh, absolutely delighted to be here. Thank you, Jan. This is a huge honor. I'm so excited. What

Jann Arden  
are you talking about?

William Prince  
Oh, my gosh, I saw I saw your producer Sarah at the Junos, and I said I gotta get on Jan's podcast, I gotta talk to her, I gotta hang out with her. So, thank you, thank you, thank you for having me. I'm so pumped, and thank you for selecting me as representative in the vocal Mortal Kombat you just spoke of. That's a huge, huge honor,

Jann Arden  
you know. How they have the Eurovision song thing every year, and it's huge, and they have representations of each country. I would send you William Prince, but let's talk about your career and the trajectory of this career, and especially for an indigenous artist, and I think they have been gravely overlooked and underappreciated, and I feel like you have really smashed down a lot of walls for indigenous creators of all kinds in the music business, in particular. Can you speak to that?

William Prince  
Oh, thanks. Yeah, you know, I guess technically I'm now the first winner of that contemporary Roots album, Juno, and I owe so much to that. We're quick to kind of slag these things for big productions, but you know what? Without the Junos pointing a nice big spotlight to what it is my songwriting is, and you know the hard work of people that made my first record, you know, I don't know if the opportunity to say that those walls have been knocked down would have happened, you know. So I'm thankful to them, of course, giving me a fair shake and just seeing me the way I've always wanted to be seen, and that's just as a songwriter, no asterisk beside it, you know. An indigenous songwriter, the I don't write indigenous country songs, I write folk and country songs for the human condition. Yes, and I think that's, I think that's the thing that most works in my favor, because still get the old Charlie Pride, you know, you don't look anything like you sound, I didn't picture you this way, and that's good. The more that happens, the more that it's gonna expand people's minds as to what it is to even be a songwriter, and first and foremost, a human being. You know, that's that's what I'm working for,

Jann Arden  
exactly. I mean, it defies generations. I mean, you have one of those voices, and it is this beautiful baritone voice that is reminiscent for me of country music, folk music from the 40s and 50s. Like, my parents listened to so much stuff. Were you influenced by, like, while you bring up Charlie Pride? I'm, I'm just gonna say, were you, it was your family playing that kind of stuff when you were growing up?

William Prince  
Definitely. My dad was a singer as well, and he made a bunch of gospel records that I would have played on as a teenager, but he also opened the door to all things, you know, Johnny Cash and Christopherson, John Prine, Willie Nelson, Linda Ronstadt, you know,

Jann Arden  
Linda,

William Prince  
Emmy Lou Harris, and then on my mom's side, you know, she was listening to the Beach Boys and one Celine Dion, Jann Arden, and a number of other incredible singers. So, both sides of the spectrum, my parents did a good job, you know, they had a, they had a good collection of music, because I don't know if you're familiar with the Manitoba wedding social, but my dad was a DJ for these, you know, get-togethers before the weddings. They need people to play music, so he's essentially collecting all this music to play at dances and stuff. So I was hyper exposed to a lot of great things like that. I'm so lucky.

Caitlin Green  
Caitlin Greene, over to you. Well, I want to know when you first kind of thought, hey, I can sing a bit, and sort of like what that trajectory was for you.

William Prince  
Well, I had rock star dreams in high school, and I really, I sang against the grain of my natural voice. I think you know, I, I really only had. A mainstream radio to demonstrate what a successful voice could sound like, and not a lot of them sounded like me on popular radio, and then when I kind of, you know, embraced the more Johnny Cash kind of country storytelling side of my own voice, number one, it was easier, became more natural, and then it, it got its own response. So, yeah, it took a while, you know. I was a lot of doubt, a lot of not understanding what my voice was, and and then eventually, you know, it became something that I'm comfortable with.

Caitlin Green  
Were there ever sort of like times, or you know, specific walls you can remember hitting professionally, where you thought, you know, maybe this isn't meant for me, and like, what kind of pushed you to keep going through that?

William Prince  
You know, I think all the walls were pre-professional days, honestly. It was, it was a lot of personal challenges, it was a lot of, you know, growing up with the effects of living on a reserve, and you know, trying to just get up to par to start at zero. You know, I grew up in a house that didn't have running water, you know, and you know, like, you think of these things, studio time isn't in your mind, you know. So I just kept playing guitar with my dad and learning how to sing and working on the craft, and then when I got some help, honestly, that's when it felt like all the doors began to open, and it said, hey, this is what you're supposed to be doing, you know, rather than shutting me down, it said, okay, I just needed the right people and audience to make this happen, and it all came from eventually moving away from the reserve and surrounding myself with people that were driven and like-minded to do the same thing, and you hang with those people and it eventually becomes what you're doing as well, and then you end up on the Jann Arden podcast, and it's awesome, everything works out, it was too easy. It was almost too easy. Everybody, you buy the right people a drink at a hotel, and exactly

Jann Arden  
you and I ran into each other, albeit very briefly, at the Salmon Arm Blues Festival, and I probably didn't really know what to say to you, because I had, like, two days before, been listening to you with a bunch of friends in a car, and my friend Teresa - shout out, Teresa is such a huge fan of yours, and actually she was talking about you, like, long before that, I really like was aware of you, she's like, "Oh my god, this artist, my husband and I are gonna go see him. He's coming to Calgary, blah blah blah. And I'm like, "Who is it? William Prince Jan, I cannot believe you're not listening to William. This is years ago, and I met your wife briefly that day, but I hope I wasn't too much of a.. like, I don't know if I said much. I was like, "Oh, hi. I was an idiot.

William Prince  
Not at all. Those were during the unprecedented times. Do you remember? So we had to be a little further from each other. So you were in your dressing room tent and I was over in mine, and I, we waved from afar, and I remember watching your beautiful show, and just being like, this, this is what it is. I grew up on this excellence in a time now where everybody's famous, and every day there's 1000 more famous people born eating our lunches, and it's like this is what true talent is. This is what I aspire to be, to hold an audience in this way, where it's like a backdrop of talented musicians, and it's the heart and soul, and the storytelling, and the voice, and the way you respect and love your crowd. I learned so much that night. I remember that night so vividly, and it was great. You could never, never be a jerk.

Jann Arden  
Yeah, it was a weird time, but you were so friendly, and I just.. I was just like, "Keep going, this is awesome. Like, I love what you're doing, and I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about.. I mean, this is your latest single. It feels like you put a single out, and the next day they're going, "So, William, what's next? And you're like, "Jesus fucking Christ. I just. anyway, the song "Light Hearted.

William Prince  
Oh, yeah.

Jann Arden  
Tell me about that. I've been listening. I've been listening to it the last few days. I was just walking down Queen Street, just prior to this interview, and I'm like, "I'm gonna put on Little William Prince" as I walk down the street. Tell me about Lighthearted.

William Prince  
Sure, yeah. You know, I think it's my blood pressure medication song, you know. It's just one of those, like, if we want to live long, we can't be getting mad and flustered every time we forget our keys in the house, which I do every day, I think, and like those little things that, you know, my dad had a temper, and that temper really. He imprinted on me, and I think of those things now that he's gone. I try to think of, you know, I remember him being humorous and funny, but the thing that does kind of resonate the loudest was the times that he would get upset, or the times that the whole house would have to shut down because he was annoyed at something and I'm trying really hard not to leave that impression for my family and I battle with it all the time and then you know it's coming to terms with a lot of things I just turned 40 years old last month and I'm happy for

Jann Arden  
it I'm

Jann Arden  
on the dark side now William

William Prince  
I've been 40 my whole life, I say, and I'm finally catching up, yeah, my spirit, I guess. And I think the key to living longer now is to, yeah, to not fight things that aren't meant for me, you know? Yeah, let's, let's take it easy here, in the sense of coming to terms with things you know, like I probably not going to make the NHL at this point, but I can

Jann Arden  
know William, don't think like that,

William Prince  
it

Jann Arden  
don't think like that, man, anything can happen,

William Prince  
and I think of I think of all the love in my life or relationships from the past that caused me so much grief, those moments I never thought I would live through, and you know, the set, that's what the second chorus is like. Hey, if any advice I can pass along, if these things aren't for you, they shouldn't take away your character or shut you down, and finally my ongoing fear, I guess, or just acknowledgement and respect for death, the idea that one day it's all gonna go, and not letting that control or lead me, because it was all meant to be, you know, in its own beautiful special way, and I think that when that time comes, you know, 5060 years from now, like anything in my life, the time that I've put into the journey will make me ready for it, you know. So, don't stress, don't worry, let's live light hearted, let's,

Jann Arden  
yeah, that's big. It's big on how we bring all these seemingly insignificant things into our, into our lives, into our hearts that just make us mad. I want to, I want to ask you this, because I also had a dad that was a tempest in a teapot, and he was an alcoholic, and he was like a wrecking ball through our house really affected my older brother. My older brother didn't, didn't escape it. He spent most of his formative years in prison, but I was wondering, why, William, do we, why do we remember those horrible sort of things? Like, is there anything good? Like, I'm just now, because my dad's been gone 11 years, I'm just starting to see the good things.

William Prince  
Yeah, living through that can be its own challenge. Maybe it's.. it's something biological, you know. It's the same way the news works. It's the same way that I can remember, you know, the 12 or so negative comments I've received online about my performances, like that's an incredible record, you know, for the amount of people that have made comments on what I do. Why is it the one that says, 'Ah, I don't see anything, I don't see anything special here. This is just this, this is just a fat, sweaty guy, I don't get this. What is this, or like, why is this guy trying to be a white country singer, you know? And like, we can't wear headdresses, like, ignorant comments like that, you know. We're prone to hanging on to those barbs because they do cut, and a cut leaves a bit of a scar, and that memory is there to remind us of those extremes. I think every time the house was blown down, it was a little cut on the soul, on the heart, and that heals with an apology, that heals with, well, let's go for an ice cream now. I guess I'm sorry I was that mad, you know, but I understand that that effect is lingering, and we're programmed as humans to hang on to that, that pain, that injury, almost as a warning sign for the next time. It's a survival instinct. It's the way that we keep going. Well, not going to eat that berry again, not going to use that leaf again. It starts from the primal days of man, you know, and it works its way up to now, and so you can have 1000s of people saying, I was so moved by your performance, I was so, your song saved me, you know, dozens, countless times, but why is it that the person that says my songs are boring and all. Sound the same. Why does that concern me? Every time I wake up and touch the guitar again, it's so I can survive the next round of it, I guess, and work harder. But thankful for those things, thankful for perspective and those moments that form our metal, our armor, and make us stronger in the long run, you know, they don't have to define us, and you know we're it's not our fault that those things encompassed us, our life, we're around us, but it is our responsibility to deal with how we go forward now we treat others because of it, you know, I just, because I'm having a rough day doesn't mean my wife and son got to have a rough day. I should grow up a little bit. I should look at myself and remind myself how lucky I am that I'm not struggling to find my place working in the oil shop right now or setting up kids' birthday party tents on a hot summer day with a, an asshole boss just breathing down my neck, making me feel terrible, you know, I get to work on the thing I love and be on the Jann Arden podcast,

Jann Arden  
I would wish everyone was as excited by you. I wish everyone was as excited.

Jann Arden  
I don't know about you guys, but I feel like I was just at church just now, like that. What you just said gave me goosebumps on my arms, William, because it resonated so much, and it's almost like just because this happens, just because that happened to you, just because this, you don't, you don't need to pass that along to other people, you don't need to give that to your son, like my dad handed me things like $20 bills, I've said, use that analogy before, it's like I'm fucking having a shit day, and then, and you take it from them, because it looks like, oh, I guess this is meant for me. I need to take this on, and you know, by the time you're 16, you're just buried in it, and you don't know why, you don't know why you are. But anyway, thank you for that, William. I just,

Sarah Burke  
I would go to that church.

Jann Arden  
I would go to that church too. I'll tell

William Prince  
you what. Yeah, I'm trying to disassociate from the church

Jann Arden  
phrasing.

William Prince  
Let's use something less damaging, like cult,

Jann Arden  
the house of the house of the house of wisdom. I would go to that house of wisdom.

William Prince  
Right on. Okay, okay.

Sarah Burke  
You just named the episode House of Wisdom with William Prince. The

Jann Arden  
House of Wisdom. Sarah, questions..

Sarah Burke  
I've had the privilege of, you know, watching your career pretty close and working on several projects with you over the years. So, if we go like all the way back to earthly days, stand in the joy. Now you're further from the country. What is this chapter about,

William Prince  
well, this chapter is very intentional, you know. It's about I recognize how the place where I was 2030 years ago working on music, this point of origin to where I am now, you know, the quick facts, you know, being at the Opry a couple times and making you know make making records of my dreams, touring, touring in busses to these beautiful sold-out theaters, you know, being on the Jann Arden podcast and working on things all the time that, like, make me feel so purposeful. That was its own journey, and it's like, wow, again, like all of that stuff, and it's like, well, where to now? And I recognize, you know, where it is, how far it is to go to be amongst my contemporaries, like a Billy Strings, the Margo Price, Sierra Farrell, Nathaniel Ray, lift, and I'm not blowing smoke. I think of having iconic songs in the world, like you, Jan. That's the, that's the itch I'm trying to

Sarah Burke  
scrap. Bring, they bring your name up in rooms you're not in, that has to say something.

William Prince  
Yeah, and that's, that's wonderful, you know, working with the people I've had the opportunity to work with, like Dave Cobb, and you know, being one degree of separation from Chris Stapleton, my hero, you know, who I just think has it all figured out so well, like his operation and the way he does things, and you know, he's not trying to make a viral TikTok, he has the privilege of that, that power, and it's from just staying dedicated to the thing. I think there will always be a market and a need for those of us that pursue this and treat this thing as the art that it is, you know. Know, give it its respect, and that's not to knock the changing in the industry. I don't, I don't know how much in the industry I am. I'm thankful for my inclusion, but I don't do many industry things by the standard of success, you know. I just keep making great records, people trust me to make them, and I find myself in these places, so if I want to be playing the same size theaters in America, and eventually bigger rooms from here to there is a whole nother galaxy of travel. So I thought with this further from the country record, the people I made it with, the style in which I made it, leaning into every influence rather than shuttering anything, just because I'm the quiet kind of TED Talk folk singer Gordon Lightfoot thing doesn't mean that I can't lean in to the rocket fuel that will take me to the next part of this this journey, you know, and I wouldn't mind getting there a little quicker with a big song that you know, I feel like I've made every fan with a handshake in person, but if suddenly there were an influx of a million people who wanted to see me, I would, I would welcome it. I think I would welcome it with open arms. You never know what you're manifesting or inviting, but I think if I found more, another million like-minded people like us in this circle today, who like my music, like my style, and any kind of message. I think that would do a lot for me in terms of the great exhale. I'm okay, I'm going

Sarah Burke  
to be only Jans. The only Jans will take care of that,

Jann Arden  
we call our fans Only Jans. Caitlyn, name them. That is that not funny.

William Prince  
That's so funny.

Caitlin Green  
So, yeah. Well, because it started like our Patreon subscribers are super fans, obviously, of Jan, so we call them the Only Jans. And the funny thing is, like, happened organically in advance, William, of your time with us today, two only Jans were talking about future, like upcoming guests that they would like, and one of them said that the artist, that the only artist that they have seen more in person than Jann Arden, is you, and and so I think there is like, there is definitely a crossover between the songwriting and the music that that Jann creates, and sort of the storytelling, but the like, how forthcoming she is with her emotions and her life, and you like, you guys both share really what's going on in your heart.

Jann Arden  
Duet, duet, honestly, I'd love to do a duet. We need to write something. I just, my

William Prince  
gosh,

Jann Arden  
yeah,

William Prince  
I would love,

Caitlin Green  
there's a crossover, like, there's a crossover between fans, like, we even just see it in our little corner of the podcasting world, so it's just so fortuitous that you happen to be here, because I promise you, the people who listen to the show and love Jan, if they aren't already a fan of yours, they are going to go to Spotify, listen to, like, oh, what's this, the spark here, and they're gonna listen, and I think, like, be turned on to this, because I also think there's a huge craving for, like, your type of songwriting right now in the world, because so much stuff feels like empty and sort of unsatisfying, like I feel like you know that those million fans could become

Sarah Burke  
here, William's voice on vinyl, please. If it's the last thing you do, buy the vinyl, you have to, your ears will thank you.

Jann Arden  
Yeah,

William Prince  
Sarah knows, Sarah knows. Thank you, Sarah.

Jann Arden  
When you hear songs like Breathless, William. How do you feel? Do you have a sentimental warm spot, or do you think, oh God, I could do so much better? I'm not that guy anymore. Like, I just.. I want to know, because it's hard for me to listen to old things sometimes.

William Prince  
Yeah, I.. I can barely listen to yesterday's recording, let it. let alone.

Jann Arden  
Okay,

William Prince  
going on 10 years now, you know, and I just, yeah, I listen back to those moments, and I think of shows when I was so in the pocket, like I couldn't, didn't have a bad tone or note, and I'm like, I, you know, I think of great recording sessions, and yeah, I think I'm always looking back, but it's with a gentler lens too. It's like, holy moly, man, you were, you were just starting out, and you had to go sing in front of Dave Cobb that day, and, and you held your own with this Nashville studio band and a record label, you know, saying that we want this thing to be the next big thing, and, and I did it, and

Jann Arden  
yeah,

William Prince  
I wasn't as cozy and comfortable as I was today. I was trying to find an apartment, and I just signed a record deal, and it paid off all my old taxes, and it paid off my debt.

Jann Arden  
That's so funny. It's like you get this chunk of money, and you fucking have to go, Jesus Christ. You hang on to it for two seconds, and you're like, oh, here, thank you, it's gone,

William Prince  
and now I'm back up to even, and a little bit extra, where I can get down to. Nashville, and this song, and yeah, and so, while I always think, oh gosh, last night's show could have been better if I was just more this, I think of that time, and I'm so grateful for it, you know, I, Chris Stapleton brought me his wife's tambourine to use on that song that day, and we had a Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye made in Gimli, just an hour down the road from Winnipeg. Here, I brought them a bottle, and we sat around talking about music, and yeah, that day, that day was incredible. And then I remember, I remember going to the hotel and listening to the first mix, and be like, this is the greatest thing on the planet. I could never sing better than this. I will never be better than this moment, right now. And then now, with perspective, I was like, oh geez, I, I would have held that note just a little longer. The beginnings and ends of things, Jan, you know, you do that so well. Your voice is so crisp and perfect, and I think of that, and the singers I try to emulate and draw from and learn from. Yeah, I think your

Jann Arden  
voice is exceptional. You're a fantastic songwriter, but you're an excellent interpreter of music, and I'm wondering, when you were growing up and sitting with your dad and strumming the guitar, you obviously did some covers, were there were there people you wanted to sound like? And then, of course, when you start writing your own material, you can't do that, you have to sound like Prince, you have to sound like William Prince, like it's so..

William Prince  
it was.. I was painfully myself, you know. I,

Jann Arden  
okay,

William Prince  
when I came up.. well, I was singing church music back then with him, you know. He taught me gospel music, and so I was the one setting up his guitars and getting us ready, and he would, you know, preach to the people, and we would sing at funerals and wake services, and my dad could sing a whole hymn book, you know, and so I learned from that. Those are my first covers, and

Speaker 1  
then,

William Prince  
and

Jann Arden  
then I think, learn from gospel, a lot of us. Oh,

William Prince  
yeah. Well, I always wondered why that found its way to me. And it was when Willie Nelson invited me up to sing, and I knew both gospel songs that he was singing that night. I was like, this is why, this is why, this is why, at 14, you were learning all these tunes, yeah, that you could, you could, you know, will the circle be unbroken? You know, you know that moment, then. And then it's like, wow, I was prepared so long ago for this moment with Willie, some, you know, 25 years later, kind of thing. And I'm thankful, I'm thankful for it. I understand it. I look back at it with an interesting nostalgia for the music and melody, and what it represented between my dad and I, while he was still alive. It's complicated. I made a whole record about it. Gospel First Nation is my nod to that upbringing, while saying, hey, I was raised in this, I don't necessarily believe or subscribe to these things anymore, but I am a spiritualist in the sense of the creator, and you know the universe, how expansive it is, and how energy is neither created nor destroyed. We keep going in some way, and I have a respect for that, and I believe in manifesting what we speak about and putting it out in the world, and generosity, generosity has gotten me so much in this life, you know. People don't be afraid, don't be afraid to be generous and pick up a tab for a stranger and challenge yourself to hand over that 20 bucks to that person on the street that's that's in need, they're just gonna spend it on booze and alcohol and drugs, and like that gives me less money to spend on alcohol and drugs, you know, like, like, who cares, man. Let's just be kind and take care of people that are in need and hurt, and such a small thing that we can do to help somebody out, and gosh, does that ever come back 100 fold? You know, it just blows my mind sometimes. Like, oh yeah, I see why I got this gig. I think it worked out, and I'm proud of the way I'm showing my son how to live, you know. And it's, it's enjoyable. Truthfully, it gives me the most joy to live like that. But yeah, Gospel First Nation,

Jann Arden  
you're squishing my heart, you're squishing my heart, and you're making it, you're just holding it in your hand, and you're squishing it. And I didn't expect this today. You're making me feel incredibly. Emotional, and no one is good, but it's, you know, sometimes we need to be reminded of what's important. I've long really understood the importance of a moment, and I think when my mom and my dad both got memory diseases, I realized there is no past, there is no future. There is just exactly where I stand, and it changed the way I looked at my friendships, changed the way I looked at music, changed the way I looked at the world, because I knew that my whole life was within a day, my, the entirety of my life, the birth, the middle, the failed relationships, the successes, the losing things, finding things, it was all it's in a day, and I'm so grateful that you're part of our day. I'm going to let Caitlin ask you what we ask all our guests on the show, because it's a great way to close it out, and I'll put it over to you, Caitlin.

Caitlin Green  
What is one thing you do for yourself to feel better and sort of take care of you,

William Prince  
geez. Well, there's the deep answer, which I kind of just gave, honestly.

Jann Arden  
No, thank you.

William Prince  
You know, if I can go out and do a little something like that, like I follow, I follow all the women's shelters in Winnipeg, and they often do a call for, like, hey, we need toilet paper, we need toiletries, we need gloves today, we need it's hot out, can you bring by more waters and stuff? I love when those alarms go off, and that I can put my family in the car, and we can go to, we can go to a store and load up a couple boxes of diapers and some popsicles, or you know, pick up some Tim Hortons donuts and coffees, and I'll tell you, nothing, nothing can really brighten you in an instant than showing up to a place of extreme need like that, and just watching the kind of relief take over for a moment, and this is not even like a thing, like I'm posting about it, you know, it's just it's just showing Wyatt, so that one day when he's a success and he has enough to be generous and things, he'll think of those things. Oh, my, my dad, you know, he, why was one of the things he put in us one day my dad read about a family that lost a whole bunch of stuff to a burglary at Christmas time, and he packed us up, and we went and donated toys from our own collection, and picked up a couple bundles of meat, and you know, some stuff, and we found these people and dropped it off, and I'll always remember that, like, what are we doing here? Why are we doing this, and then, and they just kind of lived, lived with me, so that's kind of the, I guess, the, the big answer about it, but on a more dad level, I truly love, I truly love golfing. Yes,

Jann Arden  
William.

William Prince  
Oh man,

Jann Arden  
tournament every year. I would love to have you out to my golf tournament.

William Prince  
Sarah, put it in the book. Sarah,

Jann Arden  
golf

Caitlin Green  
tournament appearance is

William Prince  
all I take lessons, and I take Wyatt golfing, and my guitar player and I golf when I'm successful enough to tour in the summer, I'm gonna bring the clubs along, and I love being a dad. It keeps me lighthearted, keeps me happy with all the things, and my son and my wife make me so happy. But yeah, for me it's it's golfing and trying to take care of others, take care of them. I'm happiest when I'm taking care, I think, and out there. Yeah,

Jann Arden  
William, you have been an amazing guest. I can't wait to cross paths with you. I'm going to pester you about my golf tournament, if not this year, next year, but we raise money for marginalized young men who are addicted, and I've been doing it for this, my 11th year this year, and viral amount. Yeah, but further from the country is your most recent album. It is fantastic, I believe. And please correct me if I'm wrong, you have five albums out now, William. Yes,

William Prince  
yeah. Which

Jann Arden  
is, I'm sure that blows your mind. You're like, Jesus, I feel like I just was doing the first one, like it's crazy. But I wish you such continued success, and the million, 2 million, 3 million people that you are leaving a legacy behind you that I think is much bigger than it feels in your body right now. I think the, you know, the foothold, like I've been doing this for 40 years, I cannot fathom where you will be in 30 years. I think it will be a beautiful tapestry of things that heal people, and you should be incredibly proud of not only the music that you're leaving behind, but the footprint in your. Humanity, your character, your ethics, your true north, your ability to inspire people. Honest to God, I will listen to this podcast and really listen again to what you've said, and then the way you've said it to me, it made me feel like crying at 10 different points. I mean that. And thank you, Sarah and Caitlin, for making sure that William was on the show, and, and I hope we cross paths. Let's write something, let's write something, let's do something. It would be my honor, it would be my honor. I'll do oohs and fucking ahhs for you, William, and I can't wait to see what you're doing next, and, and we will cross paths, and definitely, yeah, William Prince has been our guest today. Five albums, please go listen to them all, and, like Sarah said, go get some vinyl, put your headset on, or, you know, or lay between the speakers, like I did when I was a kid, literally take them off the shelf, lay on the floor, because my dad wouldn't let us get headphones.

Jann Arden  
You're gonna blow your goddamn hearing out,

Jann Arden  
so not only did we blow our hearing out, but we did it between two giant woofers laying on carpeting,

William Prince  
good old days. Thank you all for having me. Appreciate it, Caitlin. Thank you, Sarah Jan. What an honor. What an honor to be with you for some time. See you soon. Yeah,

Jann Arden  
see you soon. Yeah, yeah. That's our show for today. I'm gonna say farewell from Caitlyn Green, Sarah Burke, and myself. We'll see you next time. Too de doo, you.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai