Nov. 04, 2009 - Issue #733: Broke
Andy Kim
Steely determination: Andy Kim steps back into the spotlight
After a career that spans five decades, the Montréal-born singer-songwriter responsible for such hits as "How'd We Ever Get This Way," the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar," and "Rock Me Gently," is about to release a new album, I Forgot to Mention, which will be his first in years. Though he'd been out of the game a number of years, a chance encounter with the Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson led to the two of them writing a well-received song together which became the title track of the upcoming album.
"I go through periods of time where I'm riding high and then a detour happens. It's just the way my life has unfolded—I don't know why. It's never stopped me from writing, it's never stopped me from challenging people when they say I'm insignificant," he says. "It was a surprise and cool to be able to write a song with Ed Robertson. His invitation kind of brought me to the party again."
Kim's career is defined by steely determination and maybe a little bit of luck. When no one wanted to buy "Rock Me Gently,"—which eventually became one of Kim's biggest hits—he was forced to start his own record label called Ice Records, long before setting up your own record label was as easy as getting a Hotmail account and a website. And though he jokes about it now, starting Ice Records was a huge risk for him, though one that paid off handsomely.
"When I started my record label called Ice—long before it was hijacked by beer companies and rap artists—I just thought deep down inside that I could do this," he remembers. "The challenges are always there for anybody doing anything that is a dream of theirs, and I've always felt that you have to have the courage before you can discover the talent. The talent may be there but if you don't discover that courage it just stays dormant. Then you're on a rocking chair in your 80s saying shoulda, woulda, coulda."
The desire to avoid regrets is part of what led Kim back into the studio and back into life as a touring musician, but, as he explains, he wouldn't be back out knocking on doors and making music if he didn't have something new to say.
"You strike magic once in a lifetime maybe, but I would not be bothering anybody or going into the studio unless I had magic and I really think that this CD is exactly who I am," he says. "I never think, 'OK, well I gotta rewrite 'Sugar, Sugar' sideways, or 'Rock Me Gently,' backwards.' I can't explain it, it's just what I'm doing now." V
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