FINAL APPROACH, FAR FROM FINISHED: Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife While Celebrating the Life He’s Still Living
Eight decades into a career that has never cared much for convention, Swamp Dogg is still doing what Swamp Dogg does best: telling the truth, cracking a joke and making damn good music while everybody else tries to figure out what box to put him in.
Born Jerry Williams Jr., the singer, songwriter and producer has traveled from first-generation soul man to cult icon without ever surrendering his individuality. Now, having recently celebrated his 84th birthday and his 31st non-compilation album, he remains as unpredictable—and unmistakably Swamp—as ever.
Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife arrived digitally Juneteenth, finding him staring mortality square in the face without losing the humor, gratitude or irreverence that have defined his work. Across 10 tracks—including “Searching for Heaven,” “Please Don’t Bury Me,” “Acid Tongue” and the Gary U.S. Bonds-assisted “Waka Waka Waka”—Swamp Dogg considers where he’s been without sounding ready to leave anytime soon.
At the heart of it all is “Final Approach.” Produced by Swamp Dogg alongside Steve Greenberg, Mike Mangini and Sam Hollander, the song uses an airliner’s descent as metaphor for homecoming and reflection. Invoking Sam Cooke, Otis Redding and Chuck Willis, artists who departed far too soon, he recognizes the blessing of still being here to create, perform and tell his story.
And he is very much still here. From the National Museum of African American Music and Grammy Museum to a sold-out Mercury Lounge performance, the acclaimed Swamp Dogg Gets His Pool Painted documentary and last month’s 84th birthday concert, his wonderfully unconventional journey continues finding new audiences.
Swamp Dogg Contemplates The Afterlife may acknowledge the inevitable, but this isn’t a farewell.
Swamp Dogg still has songs to sing, stages to command and bullshit to call out—and “Final Approach” makes it clear he’s enjoying the ride all the way home.
Q. Swamp Dogg, what does Final Approach represent to you at this stage of your life and career?
Swamp Dogg: Life is all a stage, and we are all just players… I finally got a chance to use that again, before my near-perfect landing. If it was left up to me, I’d never depart. I’d just get some new friends. The others are mostly worn out anyway. I no longer fear the afterlife because it was a waste of precious time. You can’t escape the inevitable. I’ve stopped looking for answers from quacks and educated fools. More time wasted.
Q. Looking at a career that spans decades, what still surprises you most about your own journey in music?
Swamp Dogg: The fact that determination, ego, and being willing to give up the publishing allowed me to reach this plateau. Seriously, folks. When you get off the bus at the Port Authority, have a sign around your neck that says, “I’ve arrived… fuck me!”
Q. When you reflect on artists like Sam Cooke, Otis Redding, and Chuck Willis, how do their stories sit inside the emotional core of this album?
Swamp Dogg: I’ve tried to circumvent recording songs that were smashes by artists who met their demise tragically. I thought by doing so, I could keep the Grim Reaper at bay. Another waste of fuckin’ time. The emotional core? The theme of the songs on this album is a collaboration of great songwriters who apparently are in tune with the way I feel about moving to the next rung of the “see you later” ladder.
Q. With Swamp Dogg Contemplates the Afterlife marking your 31st full-length album, what continues to drive you creatively after all these years?
Swamp Dogg: Three mortgages and a lawsuit.
Q. How do you balance themes of reflection, mortality, gratitude, and humor within a single body of work like this?
Swamp Dogg: It’s easy if you are trying to lead a normal(?) life. This isn’t the life of just music industry people, but teachers, lawyers, doctors, trash people… you get my drift?
Q. In what ways does this project feel different from earlier chapters in your catalog, both musically and emotionally?
Swamp Dogg: I’m still being told what I feel. Nevertheless, I’ve learned how to approach life as a genuine adult. I’m happy, and people around me are happy, which tells me that I have eliminated the bulk of the bullshit. Remember, you got to keep a little bit in order to keep your balance. After everyone leaves the chapel, slide your hand under the pillow and you’ll see that someone placed a little bullshit under it for you to travel with.
Q. How do you keep your sound and perspective from being locked into any one era while still honoring your history?
Swamp Dogg: Over the years, I’ve discovered that just about everything I love and damn near everything I write comes out country. I really don’t care for nor subscribe to any particular genre of music. Most of the time, I’ll hear myself and conclude that’s the way to perform or present it. I LOVE IT ALL. Polka, classical, blues, soul, country, etc. Right now, I’m hooked on Margo Price and Ella Langley.
Q. What role did collaborators like Steve Greenberg, Mike Mangini, and Sam Hollander play in shaping the final direction of the album?
Swamp Dogg: It was a collaborative effort. We had meetings discussing the musical temperature, the audience we were going to try to recruit without losing my fifteen fans, and how deep I wanted to go in the New Orleans funeral groove. I wanted to collaborate with my ol’ friend Gary U.S. Bonds, who helped make New Orleans the place to dream of in the sixties with his plethora of hits. “Waka Waka Waka,” check it out!
Q. How does it feel to still be actively embraced across generations, from museum spaces to live festival stages?
Swamp Dogg: It feels like I thought it would feel when I saw some of the greatest artists in the world on stage, like Big Joe Turner, Amos Milburn, Wynonie Harris, Jackie Wilson, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Gary U.S. Bonds, Al Green, Smokey Robinson, and many more. I’ve seen damn near all of them.
Q. What importance does visual storytelling and album artwork play in expanding the message of Contemplates the Afterlife?
Swamp Dogg: David Gorman asked me to turn him loose on this cover. My only input was a meeting with Steve Greenberg concerning the title, which we were both on board with. David did a hell of a job, and as you know, I do my own album cover layouts, and I’m jealous of them. David can’t do any wrong.
Q. At this point in your career, are you more focused on reflection, continuation, or reinvention moving forward?
Swamp Dogg: I have to say continuation. When you take my age into consideration, I feel like I’m nineteen on stage and in the studio. I manufacture energy on stage that turns into a two-and-one-half-hour performance. My lowest is ninety minutes. My doctors keep giving me great bills of health. I’m no longer a hypochondriac, but I keep my doctors close to me. As far as reinvention, I’m happy with the way I’m connecting with my fans, and I haven’t had any negative press or talk about my shows and music.
Q. What do you want listeners to truly understand about this chapter of your life when they hear “Final Approach”?
Swamp Dogg: I want the listeners to know that I’m not dejected, depressed, or looking for sympathy. I want them to know that my examinations, devoid of dying, were done to get peace of mind. I also wanted to share my findings with them because I love them, and I hope that my experiences will be of some inspiration to them. Thus, freeing up more time for living—and fuck the bullshit.
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