The tragic death of pastor Kyle Lake in 2005 rocked the thousands of people who knew Lake and the ministry of University Baptist Church in Waco, Texas (the home church of David Crowder Band). The following year, David Crowder and his bandmate Mike Hogan released Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die, a raw conversation about hope, grief, and bluegrass music. Three years later, the book has been re-released on the heels of David Crowder Band’s latest hit album, Church Music. I had the opportunity to ask Crowder a few questions about the book, and he was kind enough to provide a fews. (Plus, read through to the end of the article to find out how to win a signed copy of the new book!)
COLLIDE: How would you compare the creative process of writing a book with writing songs or recording an album?
DAVID CROWDER: Well, writing songs is sort of like listening to a muffled voice on the other side of a wall. That voice is saying something important, so you have to be really quiet and attentive if you want to make any sense of it. With a book, its more like falling down into a dark well and trying to figure out how to get back to that small circle of light up at the top. (This analogy is assuming, naturally, that the fire department has no idea that you have fallen down the well. Because that would involve a rescue crew sort of scenario [i.e. ghostwriters], something that we know nothing about.)
Or, put more simply, one involves writing lots of words and the other involves writing lots of notes. They both, however, involve the use of computers. And absurd, dangerous amounts of caffeine. No one ever said this profession was easy…
COLLIDE: Along those lines, for you as an artist, is releasing a book different from releasing an album?
CROWDER: Yes!
(Truthfully, they are both terrifying endeavors. Seeing as how we [the two authors] are fragile and desperate for approval and acceptance, one can only imagine the bouts of insomnia that accompany putting so much of oneself out into the court of public opinion. But, yet, we do it continually nonetheless. No doubt there are some mental health professionals out there who would have a thing or two to say on the matter.)
COLLIDE: Who is this book written for?
CROWDER: Anyone who has lost someone. Or who is going to lose someone. So, pretty much everybody. You know what they say about death and taxes! HA HA HA! (Groan…) Ok, that’s not all that funny. But you get the idea. The fact is that none of us is getting out of here alive, so we thought it would be a good idea to discuss some of these universal-type topics. Like death. And the soul. And instant messaging. And bluegrass music.
COLLIDE: What prompted you to use bluegrass music as a means of exploring tragedy and hope?
CROWDER: It’s a genre that is composed of equal parts tragedy and hope. It seems like one of the only types of music out there that fully acknowledges the pain of our current situation and the fact that death is always lurking just around the corner, but at the same time is full of hope and the promise that dying is not the ultimate calamity.
Plus, it makes extensive use of the banjo, which is tragedy personified.
COLLIDE: The book was originally published in 2006 — can you even begin to describe what has changed since then?
CROWDER: So much! We have a new president, the economy collapsed, Taylor Swift become super popular, and Waco, Texas (where we call home), got at least 12 new Mexican restaurants.
We are also, if not at ease, a lot more understanding and less fearful when it comes to the subject of death. Literally, thank God that we have hope on Earth.
Our book is also now in hardback. So, you know, there’s that.
To order Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven but Nobody Wants to Die, click here. To keep up with David Crowder Band’s latest adventures, visit www.davidcrowderband.com.
GIVEAWAY UPDATE: The book giveaway is now over. Thanks to everyone who entered!