It happened when Norwood was 4 years old, and it’s a tragic part of his story that he wishes people in general — but especially those troubled with suicidal thoughts — would discuss more openly.
“I think suicide in general is such a taboo topic, [but] I think people should talk about it more often,” he says. “That’s the first step for a lot of people to get help — acknowledging it’s a serious thing.”
That philosophy is the premise behind Norwood’s latest single, “Good Guy With A Gun," the fourth single released in anticipation of his sophomore record, I Am Not Cool, that’s due to arrive Aug. 20 via State Fair Records.
The title to the song is a clever turn of phrase based on NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre’s infamous press conference after the 2012 Sandy Hook school shooting massacre, where he told reporters: “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
It’s a ridiculous assertion to Norwood, who knows a thing or two about it. His experience is backed up by the latest suicide statistics from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, which indicate that firearms account for over half of all suicides in the U.S., occurring at a rate of roughly 130 suicides per day.
Norwood remembers his troubled father on the track. On the first verse he sings, “Locked up tight and only used for sport/ or only as a very last resort/ He always kept it hid from the little ones/ Daddy was a good guy with a gun.”
On the chorus, he poses a hard question to those who echoed the much-lobbied slogan: “How do you stop a good guy with a gun?”
Through his songwriting, Norwood addresses his own traumatic experiences and finds strength in vulnerability.
“My father was an alcoholic, which spurred on his depression and eventual suicide," he says. "Alcoholism runs in my family, so I’ve always known that I’ve had that in me. Songwriting helps me process that so I can step back and say, ‘Oh this makes sense now!’ I understand this side of myself a little more clearly.”
For Norwood that sentiment echoes the Charles Bukowski poem "Bluebird" about the poet's inner demons, which he famously dulled with alcohol.
“It’s the idea that there is something beautiful inside of you but sometimes addiction can squash that down, mute it or make sure it doesn’t come out,” Norwood says.
Now 37, the musician describes himself as a "pretty happy guy" and credits that good fortune to his learning how to deal with his emotions through songwriting.
“Songwriting is [just] how I process,” he says. “I’ve got a lot to be grateful for, and thankful for — so I’ve got a lot to be happy about.”
Six years ago, Norwood became a father while working out the details of his last album. He has two children, aged 3 and 6, with his wife, Carrie, who duets with him on many songs. The two met while attending a small Baptist college in Abilene and have performed together for 10 years since marrying and returning to Dallas.
Carrie Norwood is the subject of at least a few of those songs, but Norwood says that despite the personal nature of his lyricism, things have never gotten too awkward between them.
“Even my wife has always wondered what [certain] songs are about,’” he says. “We had a song on my last album and I mentioned ‘Hey did you know that song is about you?’ She had no idea, [but] I try not to write anything disparaging.”
The two sang together on the forthcoming album’s June 24 released single “I Need You (To Quit Breaking My Heart),” which for any other couple would've led to at least one or two interesting bedroom conversations. Carrie also sings on the album’s title track, “I Am Not Cool.”
“Calling your album/song 'I Am Not Cool' is probably not a great career move, but I’m OK with that,” Norwood says. “I want to write songs that are reflective of who I am and hopefully they resonate with people.
“Maybe you’re not the guy out there living a rock-and-roll lifestyle. Maybe you’re a suburban dad who mows his own lawn and calls his mom on Sundays. I’m just kind of an average dude.”“Calling your album/song 'I Am Not Cool' is probably not a great career move, but I’m OK with that ... I want to write songs that are reflective of who I am and hopefully they resonate with people.” –Chris J Norwood
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Those interested can catch Norwood definitely not being cool at his album release show with Billy Law Aug. 20 at The Kessler, 1230 W. Davis St.
Following Norwood’s custom, the chorus of “I Am Not Cool” is a tongue-in-cheek amalgamation of another couple of turned phrases. “There’s two kinds of music — what’s true, and what ain't/ It only takes three chords to set the record straight,” he sings on the song.
The first line is an embellished old joke that was popularized in the classic 1980 film The Blues Brothers. The two kinds of music being, of course, country and Western. The second is a Harlan Howard quote in which he famously described country music as “three chords and the truth.”
“It’s just a funny nod to that,” Norwood says. “The point of that is, I just need the music. I’m telling my truth here. I’m telling who I am. I’m just trying to be real and honest with my music.”
