Van Dyke Parks, “the epic opportunity”

The question: whether he plans more live performances. The answer, or part of it:

I have lived through McCarthyism, through riots with race at the core. I have seen dark times, but nothing to match the complacency, materialism, triviality, and Stone Age beliefs that dominate our current state of affairs. So I turn to the epic opportunity — the song form. Songs interest me that much.

The 405 Interview (The 405)

In Chicago last year, Parks also spoke of the work of the songwriter as “epic.”

A related post
A new Van Dyke Parks project