Garth Brooks, heart and soul

By Sherri Sylvester
CNN Showbiz Today Reports

Garth Brooks' new album "Scarecrow" released November 13

HOLLYWOOD, California (CNN) -- A year ago, Garth Brooks announced his retirement with the caveat that he would produce one more album and promote it. "Scarecrow," which hit stores last week, could push his career sales past the 100-million album mark.

Brooks' retirement plan did not go as expected. His longtime marriage ended in divorce, and Brooks' mother died of cancer. The 39-year-old has spent much of the past year with his three daughters, Taylor, August and Allie.

The music of "Scarecrow" has been healing, he says, and marks the final chapter in his music career. He plans to spend his "retirement" writing screenplays, with hopes of making feature films in Hollywood.

Brooks is promoting the album's release with coast-to-coast-to-coast live concerts for CBS. For three consecutive Wednesdays, the network is airing a one-hour portion of each stage show. He kicks off this week with a concert for U.S. military troops.

As Brooks sat down to talk with CNN's Sherri Sylvester about his future, he admitted that he misses the face-to-face interaction of live music. Performing for the troops will be his golden parachute, he says.

Brooks is promoting his album's release with coast-to-coast-to-coast live concerts for CBS

Garth Brooks: To actually be singing from the flight deck of the USS Enterprise for our fighting men and women -- it's gonna be very poignant, and we're just gonna use a lot of what we know as "Garth" music, "Unanswered Prayers," "The Dance" and "Friends in Low Places." ... I'm just excited to be face-to-face with people again. It's been two and a half years since we've toured, and this is really exciting for me because this is when I fly, and this is when I feel wonderful.

CNN: Since September 11, a lot of entertainers have said, "What can I do, what can we do?" Did you go through that before setting up the USS Enterprise concert?

Brooks: I had the honor of being in New York September 11, to actually see us as Americans and see those people as New Yorkers rise above themselves and be able to take care of people very well. I realized how unimportant what I do is, and all of a sudden I felt helpless, I felt useless. Priorities got straight that day because the people that are important -- our policemen, our firefighters, were in the spotlight and showing how important they are. And I was feeling like I don't do anything that's worth anything.

Driving out of there, I heard the song "The Change" come on (the radio), and I'm going, "Wait a minute -- that's what I do." I don't save people, but the music might be a part of the healing process. That's when I became proud once again to do what I do.

CNN: "Scarecrow" was designed to be your last album. Did you feel that it had to be bigger and better than others -- a reinvention of the wheel?

Brooks: Most of the pressure in my career has been put on by one guy -- me. And naturally, when you're sitting down to make what you truly believe is the last album of your career, what you do is (say), "Oh God, I've got to make the end-all, be-all, 10 times better than "No Fences" and all this stuff. And Allen Reynolds, my longtime producer, mentor and friend said, "Dude, stop it -- please, just make an album that reflects you as an artist" -- thus the name "Scarecrow." It came from trying to throw the brain out -- trying to out-think the game and outsmart it, to simply following your heart and making the best record you can make at the time ... so "Scarecrow" came on the thought of just follow your gut and your heart -- enjoy yourself and have fun.

CNN: For many successful people retirement means a redefining of self. What has this past year meant to you -- not having such a rigorous schedule?

Brooks: For me it was exactly the opposite. It threw me into a very dark time -- dealing with the passing of my mother and dealing with the dissolving of a relationship that has been the majority of my adult life.

... And also becoming retired ... I became exactly the opposite of who I am, and I came to realize that just because you're retired doesn't mean you have to be retired from feeling passion. And so the passion went into being a father. The passion went into being a cook for my kids. The passion went into soccer for them. And for me, it turned to "Scarecrow."

CNN: The album "Scarecrow" includes a song about your mother's death, "Pushing Up Daisies." Most people might initially think it has to do with your loss, but it really is about your father losing your mother.

Brooks: When someone says, "I lost my father last summer," the first thing out of my mouth is, "Is your mom still living, and if she is, how's she doing?" Because one thing I have learned (is) I cannot put myself in the shoes of my father now. Being 39, turning 40 in February, there's a lot of things in my life where I can put myself in the shoes of my father finally, but this time I can't.

"Pushing Up Daisies" is a song that hopefully tells how much that other parent is going to need you for a change. Truth is, I haven't been that great a help to my dad. He is the first one to tell you he would rather be gone than here -- he doesn't look at it like there must be some reason why he's still here. He just cannot get over the loss of our mother.

CNN: Have you ever written a song that was too personal to put out there -- one that you just tucked away in a drawer somewhere?

Brooks: It's tough to write that kind of stuff, but ... "Pushing Up Daisies" (is) a song from another artist (co-writers John Hadley, Gary Scruggs and Kevin Welch). The artist let me in on the last verse, to tweak and pull lines that brought it to me. That's Nashville songwriters -- they put their ego aside ... and these guys did that -- they let me make their song mine. And it seemed to me after they heard it that they were just as pleased with it as they were when it was their song.

CNN: So many film directors and writers use music to inspire them visually. Does music inspire your screenplay writing?

Brooks: When I'm listening to music, my writing is ten times as much -- it's just popping. ... There is something about music that stirs the heart and soul. It's like something that says, "just add water" -- if you never add water, it never comes to life. With music, if you don't have the heart and soul in there it doesn't become anything. Same with writing -- music does inspire you to write more.

CNN: When you go after what you want, you nail it. Is it going to be hard to have any future career compared to the phenomenal success you've had in this field?

Brooks: What reality is only time knows, but what the goal is, is in your mind. And the goal is for someone to say, "Garth Brooks, wow, I dig his stuff, and you know what -- that guy used to sing!"