Patty Griffin Tells How Peter Gabriel’s ‘Secret World’ Helped Her Get Past A Breakup

“We compartmentalize ourselves because we think the whole self’s not gonna work. And the whole record sort of helped me to face where I was at. There’s so much courage that he has to come up with to make his departure.”

By Elizabeth McQueenApril 24, 2019 7:13 am, , ,

This story was originally produced as an episode of the KUTX podcast, “This Song”:

Patty Griffin’s latest record “Patty Griffin” is a gorgeous acoustic exercise in vulnerability.  The album was borne out of a period in her life where she stepped back from music to undergo treatment for breast cancer.

Listen as she explores all the ways that Peter Gabriel’s “Secret World,” from his epic breakup record up US,” impacted her life and her songwriting. Griffin also explores how her friendship with George Reif inspired the song “Luminous Places,” and how important it is for her to allow herself to be vulnerable in her work.

“That’s what I would always like to try to arrive at. Something that’s deeply true and that I learn from. Then I’ve really got something to give.”