Larry Norman Says Good-Bye

Larry Norman, the “father of Christian rock,” is dead but not forgotten.

Known for his strong dislike of journalists, Larry nevertheless decided to trust me with an almost unheard of half-day interview before what was billed as his “final” U.S. concert. During that wide-ranging interview, I gained new insights into a passionate yet broken follower of Jesus Christ who had won the hearts of millions through his music ministry.
Credited with triggering the beginning of the Christian music genre with his groundbreaking 1967 album, Upon This Rock, Norman was the first artist to combine rock and roll music with Christian lyrics.

Norman was praised by Time as “the top solo artist in his field” and in 2001 was inducted, with Elvis Presley, into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. The Gospel Music Association said, “Larry Norman’s music - an unlikely mix of love songs, the Gospel message, and wry commentary on American culture - exemplified the goals, ideals, and standards of everything the original architects of contemporary Christian music intended for it to be.”

Because of his failing health - a result of an airplane accident at age 31, multiple heart attacks, and congestive heart failure - Norman retired in 2001. He said goodbye to fans during a scattering of U.S. and European concerts the past three years.

In an exclusive, in-depth interview before one of his last U.S. concerts, Norman reflected on his life, music, and ministry.

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David Sanford: What brought you back for this last show?

Larry Norman: I had not sung for three years after [my 2001 quadruple bypass] heart operation. Most people recuperate and some say they feel better than they’d felt in years. But I was in a retirement home for the elderly and sat in a wheelchair and couldn’t even operate the wheelchair. I had no energy to move the wheel.

Then one of my friends said, “Can you come to our church and sing?”

I said, “No, I really can’t.”

He said, “You could just sing one song. That’d be fun and then you could talk. You could say something if you want. We’re inviting the neighborhood to come and have food with us that afternoon. We’re making them a big meal and it’s free and we just would like to end it up with something special.”

I said, “I’ll tell you what - I’ll think about it and call you tomorrow.” I called him back and said, “I think I could do it if I had my brother and my sister with me. That way I wouldn’t have to put up so much energy. I could sing and other people could play.”

It was three weeks later we did the concert and people flew in from all over the world. I gave away my guitar because I thought I would never sing again after that concert.

This year I thought, maybe I should do a concert. At the time I was really sick but I just had this impression that I should plan it. I’m assuming it’s my last concert. I’m starting to feel blind in my right eye and my health - different things aren’t working for me; they’re getting worse.

How long have you had health problems?

It’s not just that I had a heart attack and then I had an operation. I had a heart attack in 1992. I went to the hospital screaming and clutching my chest and they put me in a little room and kept coming in and asking me to stop screaming.

They assumed I had indigestion for some reason. They made a diagnosis just from looking at me. “Well, the guy’s got long hair, probably takes drugs, probably it’s just indigestion. I mean, he won’t stop screaming; maybe he’s just neurotic.”

They never gave me an EKG. They never gave me an aspirin, anything. It was just a blood clot. I didn’t have high cholesterol. I just had a blood clot probably from all the stress of what I had been doing for 35, 40 years, but they left me there for five and a half hours screaming and never once took my temperature or anything. This was the emergency room. Then they found me unconscious and I lost half my heart.

Afterward?

They told me I’d never sing again and I thought, okay, that’s alright. I can just talk to people. If I can talk I can still do my ministry. My ministry has never just been on stage. It’s also been out in the street before the concert and talking to people after the concert.

I just looked at my life as being one big mess, one thing after another, something always going wrong and it doesn’t really matter. That’s what I think. When other people complain about something happening in their life, I just think, you’ve got it so good…
[Weeps.]

What kept you going?

I was in the hospital 13 times in different countries and people would say, “Well, you should stop doing concerts. Doesn’t that make sense? What are you trying to do?”

I said, “I can’t survive by staying at home. I don’t have a ministry in my bedroom. I have to go out to people.” I think that God will do everything for us, but in the meantime we’re supposed to carry out logically and according to the Spirit [what] seems biblical. We’re supposed to try and carry out some activity. It’s like a measure of good faith.

So my deal was, “Well, God, here’s what I’m going to do: [sarcastic] I’m going to go to the gymnasium. I’m going to baby my health.

“No, my part of the contract is: I’m going to witness to people. It’s up to you whether you want me to keep on witnessing or not. If you want me to come home to heaven, that’s way better than this. In the meantime, I’m going to take a few people with me because I don’t want to come empty-handed.”

Posted on March 3, 2008 12:00 AM