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Who would you describe as eclectic in Christian music today?

PeacockI'm not sure if there's anyone today who's truly eclectic [in Christian music]. I think they'd have to redefine the word to qualify. Switchfoot is in some ways giving a nod to the past with their eclecticism, but they're doing so within the context of a modern rock band.

The only really eclectic music in America today is hip-hop, because it's the only one that's drawing from a number of influences to create it. Historically, African-American music has always done that, and it's been beautiful in the way that it keeps opening up all of these new ways of expression. Yet guess which genre of music the Christian industry has yet to fully embrace?

That's unfortunate, since Top 40 radio used to be so eclectic—rock and rap mixed in with pop ballads and dance. But now it's all so compartmentalized. You'd think Christian music radio would be eclectic because it's capable of being so diverse.

PeacockRight, which begs the question of what is it that they're really marketing or promoting. Is it a celebration of the diversity and complexity of music under the gaze of God, or are they marketing and selling something else?

Was Christian radio once more diverse?

PeacockI hate to say this, but Christian radio has never been diverse or very experimental in trying to promote music. It can't because by its very nature it's a copycat system of the world—even more so today.

Most Christian stations have gone to the same sort of testing formulas that mainstream pop stations use. Like 7-second call-outs. That's when they have a list of people that they regularly call upon and play them short portions from a list of five songs. If we really value wholeness and the creation of art and music, then what does that say about us now that we're willing to test a song after just seven seconds to determine whether it should play on the radio or not? To me, that's utter foolishness.

You've had a rather eclectic career. Is there a particular album or period of your career that you're especially proud of?

PeacockI really love listening to Everything That's on My Mind (1994) because of its consistency. But I also love the diversity and soulfulness of Love Life (1991), and I like a lot of the experimental things on Strangelanguage (1996). So I guess I like different parts of each one for different reasons—probably because I have eclectic tastes.

You've been producing albums for a long time too. How have you grown as a producer?

PeacockI've learned that I have a strong musical personality and that I need to be intentional about when I use it (or don't use it) and to what degree I use it in the process. Early on, I think you would have heard me in other people's recordings in a dominant way, and it wasn't necessarily something I intended or could control. Now I've learned to control that with more of a valve.

Who was the last artist you heard that you knew you wanted to produce?

Peacock Sara Groves, for sure. When I heard "The Word" on the radio, I went to her Web page and sent her an e-mail. I told her that it was fantastic and that I'd be willing to serve her and her art anytime. It's one of the few times I've ever done that, but a couple years later she called me and we worked on The Other Side of Something together. "The Boxer" on that album is a good example of the collaborative process I'm talking about. It's clearly me in some of that song, but it was intentional in wanting to mix our styles.

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