Warning: this interview contains jokes which don’t look so funny in print as they were live in the studio! - Joe, we’re so glad that you finally made it to Australia… you had a few dramas getting here last time, didn’t you? Yeah, it was just one big drama, haha. It’s good to be here, actually. I just flew in a few hours ago. - You look remarkably well for someone who’s just been in a plane for 24 hours. So I don’t look half-dead? I think I’m two-thirds dead, haha. - Now I understand you’re doing a solo show tomorrow night, and then play Saturday night with local band Golden Rough backing you up. Yeah, Golden Rough are only doing a handful of songs with me, like six or so. That should be a lotta fun. - And I hear you’re gonna play a few old Scud Mountain Boys songs too on this tour, you haven’t done that in the states for a while have you? No, not since the summer of 97. I’ve played a handful of solo shows in America where I pull out a lot of those songs, but for the most part when I do that, I’ll play songs that we didn’t play much as a band. So I haven’t visited a lot of the material from my first three records in a couple of years, it should be interesting. - Well, I begged you before to play a Scud Mountain Boys song for me… will you oblige? Of course. How about “In A Ditch”, from the record “Massachussetts”? (heavy sense of sarcasm in his voice since I had hassled him mercilessly to play this song) … (laughter)… Hmm, that doesn’t sound rehearsed! (slowly) How about “IN A DITCH” off the record …. “MASSACHUSSETTS”? (laughter) - live performance – - Joe, thank you so much… that’s a song that I’ve often wondered about… do you mind telling me about the context of the song? Ah… no, I don’t mind, but… hahaha… um, how about a more specific question? - Well… tell me what it’s about! Well, most of the songs I write are based pretty much around real experiences, loosely… sometimes less loosely… and, uh, 95, as you’ll find out when you do your big trek across America is a major interstate. Uh, it’s just, you know, someone I knew was found on the other side of that road. That was their last journey. So it’s pretty much, you know, that’s the story. - It’s a pretty raw song… a lot of your songs evoke a sense of loss… Why, thank you. Thanks! Hahaha. - And I think there’s quite a few angry songs on the new album, too… Really? Oh no, I’m not capable of anger. - C’mon, “Monkey Suit” is a pretty angry song… There’s not an angry bone in my body. “Monkey Suit”… well, yeah, that’s a little angry… It’s more fearful, probably… at least where I come from… it’s probably the same everywhere… but you live your life, you go down a track, and you end up working in a bank or something, and to me, that track would be… I mean, I don’t wanna offend any of your listeners who might be bankers, but it would do me in for sure. I hate bankers. Insurance, that’s another thing… if you underwrite insurance policies, god bless you. - Is music what you always wanted to do, or did you dream of being an insurance broker one day? I did! Hahaha. No, I’ve always played music, but I never thought I would do it as full-time as I am. It just came as a fluke. I was in graduate school, and the opportunity came up… it had always been a dream, I just had to do it. - How about writing? Last time we talked, we spoke about your studies in poetry and your interest in creative writing… have you been writing lately? Mostly songs… lyrics… I’m working on a book of poetry right now. I have a Masters in Fine Arts, but I haven’t had a lot of time, y’know. I’ve just been focussing on playing music and writing songs and recording. It seems like I’ve been really busy since, I don’t know, the last year things have been pretty busy for me. - I heard a rumor that you’re also working on a side project? Just finished an album two weeks ago, it’s pretty mellow – like the other records aren’t, hahaha. We made it at home with a few of the members of the band, and my friend John from Jolene, he sings on the record, and Geoffrey Underhill from the Velvet Crush plays on it. It was a lot of fun, we weren’t really sure where it was going to go, and that was half the fun of it. We just jumped into it. I had a bunch of songs that didn’t seem to fit the project we were doing, and the opportunity to make a record came up, so we got off the road – we’d been on tour for months – and just jumped right into recording. It’s gonna be released on Sub-Pop. Would you like to hear a song from that record? - I’d love to. I’ll try not to mangle this… I reserve the right to stop in the middle of it… When I left home two days ago it was 20 degrees fahrenheit and the street was covered in ice and it’s something else just trying to get your key in the lock of your car door, it can be an ordeal… A writer who’s influenced me a lot is a Swedish poet called Thomas Traumstromer (sp?) and I wrote a song that’s a sort of homage to him called “Solitary Swedish Houses” which is a poem of his. I’m just tying everything together here, that was a nice long-winded segue wasn’t it? This song is called “Solitary Swedish Houses”, off my yet-to-be-titled, mastered, sequenced, or released album. - live performance - Uh, I think I just backed up through puberty on that last song (referring to his voice breaking). Eeeeeeeuuuuuuuuuuwwwww! - Revisiting your puberty? Yes! Don’t do it! Hahaha. It was enough the first time. - You’re in your early 30s now? Has your life changed since…? Since… ever? Hahaha. - Since the first Scud Mountain Boys record? Ah, it’s a blur, but I would probably say yes. I would probably say yes… oh, are you asking me how? - Yes. Oh, jesus. You know, that’s a tough one to say right now. I spend more time writing songs… I’m relating this question to music, haha. I get more time to play, which is a real privilege, y’know, I feel grateful for it. - Are the dynamics with the Pernice Brothers and your new band different to what it was like with the Scud Mountain Boys in the way you work together? Um… creatively it’s pretty similar, if that’s what you mean. Otherwise, I won’t comment, but it’s a lot better, hahaha. Plus my brother plays with me, so I get to boss him around, tell him what to do. He’s my older brother, too. - Ah, the little brother syndrome? Yeah… What is that exactly? - I think it’s a revenge thing. Right. He’ll get his! - So what are you listening to at the moment? I like Elliott Smith a lot, as far as popular music goes. To me, I can’t say enough good things about his songwriting, he’s just “it” for me. His songs are incredible... I got a Bacharach box set for Christmas, I listen to that a lot. I always listen to Big Star, I always listen to the Beatles. Actually on the plane, I listened to my own records, in the hope that I might relearn a few of my older songs. Which was interesting because I never listen to them. It’s not the same… playing the songs and writing and recording is where the pleasure really is for me, not going back and listening. There’s so many other, better things to listen to, actually! - Who have you been touring with in the states? The Pernice Brothers toured about 12 weeks over the summer, which was pretty intensive. It was interesting, because we started with Jolene, which kind of put us in that americana corral, if you would, and after that we toured with Hayden, which was a little bit different too. Then we went on the road for a month with Morcheeba, of all people. We had a great time with them, we had a blast. At first I was worried about how it would be received, but their audience was really nice, and the band – the people in the band were just great, y’know. - It’s interesting to team you up with an electronic band. On record they’re electronic, but live they were more organic than their albums. They were really spectacular live. - Would you like to play one more song for us? I’m at a loss, what should I do? What would you like to hear? Give me an album! Pick a song! C’mon! - Well, I really would love to hear “One Hand”… (groans) Oh, I don’t know, I don’t know if I can remember the words. As always, I reserve the right… (plays several chords)… okay, I’ll try it… but I’ll let you know, it’s been about three years since I did this… - live performance (yes, he remembered all the words!) – - Thank you so much, Joe, for coming in despite your jetlag. We’re really looking forward to your shows. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the local bands who are supporting you, too. Hey, did you say a local band covers one of my songs? - Yes, the Rectifiers do a cover of “Silo”. Are they gonna play it? - Only if you heckle them, they’ll be too embarrassed to play it with you there. We should get up by the side of the stage and heckle them together! A challenge! It will be a death match, we’ll fight to the death! Last band standing! Topless! - Pernice versus the Rectifiers on the main stage, alright. (plug for gigs & ticket giveaway) Oh, my god, the phones are going beserk. I’m getting sunburn from the lights off that phone. Thanks for having me, it was a pleasure. == To do is to be - Descartes To be is to do - Voltaire Do be do be do - Sinatra _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
