One of The best Interviews ever with John Waite !!!( may 2012)
Hey, Its 1980! Im cruising down the road and as usual have the radio blasting. The DJ says something about a new Babys song coming up next, cool a new Babys tune! The song comes on and Im thoroughly enjoying it, great guitar work and a smoking grove. The song starts to fade out and John Waite is just singing his heart out and Huh wait did I just hear what I think I heard? No couldnt be! Ok, I am on a mission, off to Tower Records to see if the album is actually out yet. Ahhh it is! Back at the house, on the turn table, volume up, track 3, playing Well Ill be damned, yep thats what I heard (Ill just keep you wondering if you dont know) hehehe!
John Waites music has been a staple on radio now for over 30 years. He has penned huge hits as a member of the Babys and Bad English and continues to have a remarkable career as a solo artist. His finely crafted music has always been a favorite of mine and I always look forward to his new releases. His current release Rough and Tumble is now available and is a real treat for fans and will certainly capture a whole new listening audience for Mr. Waite. The new album packs a punch with a somewhat different direction from previous releases with a more "in your face kind of production. The new tracks are sure to please and Johns vocals are superb as always.
I was having some technical issues with my brand new "Made in China telephone recorder and after a quick exchange on the phone and an explanation as to my difficulties; John offered to call me back in five minutes. Still struggling and "sweating my balls off trying to get this damn thing to work he calls me back and seconds before I answer it starts to work! Kind of reminded me of a movie where there is this huge Ocean Liner bearing down on the poor little fishing boat with the guy in the boat desperately trying to restart his stalled-out motor before being smashed to pieces whew!
GM: (struggling with recorder) Hey, John.
JW: Hey, how you doing?
GM: Hey, thanks I got it going here, so
JW: Oh, there you go.
GM: Those bastards!
JW: Those f*****g bastards! Piece of crap piece of crap!
GM: Yeah, right from China.
JW: Yeah, well there you go. They send all the bad shit over to us.
GM: (Laughing)
GM: Thank you so much for taking this time; I appreciate it wholeheartedly. You know Ive been a big fan of yours ever since Im not trying to date anything here, but when I was in high school you guys came out with the Babys albums and so forth. So turning 50 this year and
JW: Yeah.
GM: Im about what, nine, ten years
JW: Im only 32.
GM: Yes, sir, yeah. Well, Ill tell you what, your voice sounds like it, so
JW: Oooooouch!
GM: Seriously though .It never seems to age!
JW: Somebody asked me the other day in an interview, they said how do you keep your voice like and I said I dont even warm up, and I have kind of contempt for singers, people that say "Im going to sing that song. Oh, you know its like all that shit gets on my nerves. I dont even warm up and I smoke cigarettes and I generally drink a Pepsi. You know, I mean theres just nothing the real honesty of singing comes in the performance.
GM: Yeah, I mean it amazes me because I was cruising around listening to your new album in my car and then I was reviewing some of the older stuff and its like, God, his voice sounds exactly like it did 20 years ago.
JW: Well I would think I was a better singer then you know I dont pay a lot of attention to it, its the song that matters to me.
GM: Yeah.
JW: Im just a sort of a sidecar event. Its the song thats the star of the show.
GM: Well, you know what? There are not a lot of people out there that can that actually have that gift. And one of them that comes to mind right away is James Taylor.
JW: Oh, hes very good!
GM: I was listening to one of his live DVDs and I think it was put out about three or four years ago. And his voice sounds exactly like it does on the recordings and it just amazes me.
JW: Hes a great musician. I mean his guitar playing has been an inspiration to generations of songwriters and hes a very talented guy.
GM: Yeah Yeah, I know. But its amazing. Some of these guys, you know you just wonder how they even keep going with the I mean the voice is just shot and its like oh no!
JW: Money!
GM: Man, you know just stop and smell the roses for a while!
JW: Yeah, I would say get off the bus at that point.
GM: Yeah.
JW: I promised myself that Im going to keep writing songs and singing them but the day I have to drop any keys, Im out the door. Theyre all in the original key and theyre going to stay that way because thats how they were written and if that doesnt cut it, then Im theres no point in, you know doing it in half measures.
GM: Your voice is clear as a bell, its right in there, its dialed in. Just really nice and its good to hear. So Ive got some questions here
JW: Yeah.
GM: The new album Rough and Tumble. You made mention to the fact that its kind of a step to the left for you or kind of a new direction. You know personally I think its gritty, its full of punch, tight, its not over produced and its really a wonderful album.
JW: Oh, thanks.
GM: A wonderful album and I really enjoy it, youve done a wonderful job.
JW: Well, it was a complete accident. I mean me and Kyle got together, wrote some songs and then recorded them and it was going to be an EP, five songs. And then I went off to Europe to tour, came back and the management wanted more songs. And I just kept putting it off and putting off because I had no more ideas. I had written it to be an EP; I mean to me it was perfect. And it got to August and Id promised my mother I was going to go back to England to say hello in September and it got to the beginning of August and I thought well, if I dont do it now I might as well just shelve the whole thing.
So Id run into a studio in Thousand Oaks, the Dog House Studio, its Roger Carter. Hes an old friend of mine, he plays drums and stuff and he has a great little studio. I took the band in, my touring band and recorded like seven songs in four days. Just kept cutting tracks and re-arranging and got the rest of the album, it was like default. I mean I dont know how it happened, it could have all gone to hell.
GM: Well, it must
JW: I was enjoying the risk of it, you know!
GM: Yeah, well, theres got to be some special chemistry there.
JW: No its just been absolutely theres no plan B. With anything thats successful there is no plan B. And I could go in the studio with half-formed ideas. I wrote "Rough and Tumble the day before I went in to record on day one. But its just that if Im going to win something; you better step out of the way. I mean Im very determined and I just took on the energy of being producer, singer, songwriter and making the sandwiches. You know I just did it there was nowhere else to go but up.
GM: Yeah.
JW: So thats why it has the energy its got.
GM: Well, its definitely got the energy. Were there any specific roles when writing the material? I mean as far as between you and Kyle?
JW: No, it was a shared thing. It was like playing ping-pong.
GM: Like lyrics, or you know .
JW: No. It was like with "If You Ever Get Lonely, it was like, you know thanks for calling, Its so good to hear your voice. And then he said you keep breaking up, you know the static and the noise. And then I said, then Ill keep listening because I never had a choice when it came to you, it was like that.
GM: Oh, thats cool.
JW: Yeah, me and him are about the same. We didnt take it as far out as we could have done because we were just getting to know each other. But hes, you know hes a very, very gifted guitar player and when our guitar player left the band before we were supposed to go on the road, he stepped in and played an American tour with us, and then toured England and Holland and Germany with us. Hes a standup guy, you know. But its those kind of people that can really play.
He can throw down the guitar solo in "Piece of Mind and is one that he just threw in as we were recording the track live, you know. And thats the kind of player he is and thats what Im looking for really in people. I dont like the ordinariness of
GM: The spontaneity?
JW: Yeah I get lumped in with a lot of bands I think are crap, you know. And its because of my age probably or the history of coming from the 70s. But I look around me at most people that people kind of put me in a box with and I just think I cant believe they can use a knife and fork.
GM: Yeah, I know .
JW: Its just its bad beyond belief to me.
GM: Thats a good point because artists from the 70s and the 80s have been lumped into this group and its kind of like Bob Denver gets stuck in the Gilligans Island role, its like they get
JW: Wow!
GM: You know what Im saying?
JW: Well, theres always Ginger!
GM: (Laughing)
JW: You know!
GM: Thats what people were alluding to when I was reading some reviews. there were always the compliments, but it said unfortunately some people that were so successful in the 70s and 80s have been put in this box have been put in this cage by the media and just cant
JW: Yeah, but this is the whole industrys based now on just going out and performing the hits of yesterday and most of those bands are playing along to tapes, most of those bands have replacement members in them. Theyre going out on package tours and theyre doing it for the money.
GM: Right!
JW: You know it I know it. They did crap and it was insipid crap back then really and theres no fierceness in it, theres no delivery, theres no real intelligence, its just Muzak.
GM: Well, if you dont have anything new that youre passionate about
JW: Exactly .Yeah.
GM: Whats it going to be? Thats exactly what its going to be, boilerplate, right?
JW: Yeah, Boilerplate. Its something that works for a certain audience. So you bring them into these amphitheaters, charge them a lot of money to park the car. Then you charge them twice the price to buy a beer, then you sell them a tee shirt and a CD and you leave town.
GM: Yep.
JW: And people people fall for it. But, you know....its the real world, its business. Its just the way the world is.
GM: Yeah, I know
and Im sure that the whole the music industrys a big pain in the ass
you know as far as trying to get anything done and heard and out there.
JW: It certainly is, but this was done completely away from that. It was recorded and conceived of and written away from any kind of record company and then it was licensed to a record company. I wouldnt let an A&R guy in the studio, I never have.
GM: I guess its kind of a double edged sword now. You may not have the big label money behind you like in the 70s and 80s spending the money on marketing and promotion and everything else. But on the other side of the coin youve got the freedom. You know you can go into you can go into your 10 x 12 office and with recording equipment and Pro Tools and, you know pretty much do an entire album yourself basically.
JW: Well, there is that, but you might miss out on the humanity of the performance.
GM: Yes I agree with that!
JW: I mean you can get in an eight by ten room with three other guys and a tiny drum kit and you can create something like Bob Dylan. There are professional songwriters that sit around because theyre trying to sound like whatevers current and usually thats done on Pro Tools, yeah.
GM: So were you guys all together then when you were cutting this album?
JW: Yeah, that was part of the deal. It just had to be like that. I mean Ive worked with producers, who actually, you know who get the song, they cut the drums, they dont even record you and they get the drums perfectly in time. Then they cut the base and thats kind of like this poor thing going direct. Then they start layering in guitars, 12 strings, f*****g everything in the song. And by the time you get to sing the song, its dead!
And the thing Ive learned and I always loved about music is the thing thats kept me coming back was the imperfection of it. Its what makes a woman beautiful, if she has some slight imperfection, or if youre making a statement, its how you use the words to make jar people and bring people around. Its the adventure of throwing things into it that are sort of odd, in the live performance you get that.
GM: Yeah which you didnt really have the creative license I guess youd call it, I dont know. But prior to that when
JW: Yeah, we came to America and we were recording albums and stuff.
GM: When everybody else was telling you what to do. You know everybody else was producing and pushing you youve got to do this and youve got to do that in order to sell this and sell that. And its got to sound
JW: Yeah yeah yeah, but theres a language to winning. Theres a language to doing it with integrity but its got to have heart. I mean integrity in itself. Theres very little of that in the music business. When people do have it and they do record that and it goes to tape or virtual tape, hey man, you set up the mic and its there. Its either there or its not and everybody knows whos got it and who hasnt got it, they just do.
GM: The newer solo stuff is organic. I mean it seemed to me to be organic and you know a little rough around the edges.
JW: Yeah, yeah.
GM: It wasnt like over produced.
JW: No. I tried to get as much as I could in. You know when youre making a vocal, you go to the mic and the first time you sing it, you dont know how loud the mic is. You dont know how to approach the song with the instruments playing. But you go to the mic and you put a scat vocal on the song and its always the best one because you dont know whats coming next. Its like using a flashlight in a dark room, youre just throwing down, youre just looking and whatever that is, is the stuff that counts. Once you have that information in your head and you try to do a second time, its never as good.
GM: Yeah, its like taking a test, you know you always go with your first instinct.
JW: Yeah, and its certainly a test yeah.
GM: Question, the track "Evil
JW: Yeah.
GM: Very sexy, very cool groove. I love it. And if you ever make a video for it I can tell you exactly what needs to be in there. But it would never make it on MTV or VH1 or You Tube.
JW: Well, you and me both.
GM: You know what I just picture in my mind is this, you know ..
JW: Steady!
GM: Yeah, I know Thats the kind of tune it is for me personally. Its just a really great groove and I
JW: You know that 90 percent of that track is a track that was cut in Kyles spare room. It was all the guitars and all the vocals, but the base and the drums were then put on later. But the track that was supposed to go on the album was the original demo with keyboard base and sample drums. But I would sing a line into the mic and then he would take the same mic and put it on the amps and then play a guitar line and then Id take the mic back and sing it to and thats what youve got. That vocal is the vocal thats on the record. And all the backing vocals, its just me and Kyle messing about. But its yeah, that was an interesting interesting interesting song to write.
GM: I liked it. I just I really liked that. Its one of my favorites among many others on the album. But that just that just comes to mind as a very good video, but not for You Tube.
JW: Wow Let me tell you!
GM: I notice that If You Ever Get Lonely was kind of a group effort in the songwriting department.
JW: Well, there was a song. My manager at the time found this song and he kept saying you got to listen to this song. The song had this beautiful, beautiful chorus and the rest of the song was just not happening. Every time I hit the chorus I looked at him and he looked at me and I thought well, this is just beautiful but the lyrics and the chord progression were just middle of the road Nashville pop, you know. Me and Kyle sat down, took the chorus and rewrote everything else. All the verses, B section, bridge, breakdown, guitar like in the front, everything but I thought it was only right to give the original writers of the song top billing. I thought it was only fair to do that but we basically rewrote 90 percent of the song.
GM: Well, its a classic!
JW: Yeah, but only because somebody of me and Kyles caliber can look at that. Its like Im a producer really. You know a producer I cant be bothered to produce other peoples work, but when I look at the song I know how to arrange that in five minutes to make it better and rewrite aspects of it or move the key around, its what Ive done all my life.
GM: Yeah.
JW: If Ive done a cover, Ive just about rewritten it. But I knew I knew what was inside the song. Its like peeling an orange, you know its in there.
GM: Thats kind of like what you did with the "Sweet Rhode Island Red
JW: Yeah, we did like a Sex Pistols version of that, but thats how it came out. It was just like I had this guitar in my head and I thought if we just floored it all the way through it would sound like my roots, you know, but the originals red hot Tina is Tina.
GM: Yeah, she did one of your tunes too!
JW: She certainly did!
GM: "Better Off Gone, thats one of my new favorite road songs. I was down in the valley coming home yesterday, about an hours drive and I had your CD in there. I was blowing it out that song speaks to me in a way like its one of those I dont know one of those classic road songs, you got to have it really tweaked up when youre cruising down the road, I really enjoy that tune!
JW: Well, there was actually a Lincoln Continental, there was a street and its all kind of true. Its the first song we wrote, me and Kyle. We just like met in a room and started messing around with chords and the song just happened, that was the most unvarnished of our ambitions, it just happened that way.
GM: I like it, its a great tune. I was surprised with the remake of "Mr. Wonderful on the album. I mean youve got so much material why did you focus in on that one particular tune?
JW: Well, the Germans, weve been touring weve been touring Europe a lot and the Germans have mastered "Mr. Wonderful, they think its the greatest song. Its the biggest song in Germany after Missing You. And I thought
GM: Really?
JW: Yeah, and I thought I thought I would re-cut a version, just for Europe bonus tracks because I was under a lot of pressure to overcut on the record to give the Europeans more tracks, theyre all like that theyre all like horse thieves you know.
GM: Why do the Europeans get more tracks?
JW: Well, we Yeah (laughing).
GM: How come we hey, come on now (laughing)
JW: Hey really, no, no, no. but (laughing).
GM: Hey, I could use 15 tracks on my CD too!
JW: I know, I know, its just one of those things. The album that we released in America was the original record in my head and then the album that came out in Europe had a couple of concessions towards the record company. The record company always wants something for nothing you know! And so it was, "John, we need bonus tracks to get the fans excited they don't they just want something for nothing. I thought since we were playing that live in the set and nobody had heard it for such a long time,
I thought it would be such an easy song for us to do live between takes. Every time we were between takes I just count it in and we just played it until we got a version that we liked.
GM: Yeah, it was interesting to me, you know out of all your material that you kind of focused in on that one.
JW: Well, I mean going to Europe over the last few years and touring there, I get the impression that theyre all watching like hawks, you know. You walk out on stage there and theyre really paying attention. They know what kind of guitar youre playing, they know if you when you go into a different song theyve probably got the bootleg off it. Theyre looking at lyrics, theyre just big huge fans and they buy magazines on music and read in detail whats going on with albums and classic records. I just felt like I had to up my game. I came off stage after playing the Underworld in Camden Town about two years ago and thought thats it. If I dont play any of these songs again, thats just the way its going to be.
I mean its okay being on stage singing "Isnt It Time, but at some point isnt it time I was singing something else, you know really? And I I dont want to be one of those guys I dont want to be in an arena rock band that comes out and plays some big ripping guitar solo and plays some song from 30 years ago and says goodnight and gets back on the bus.
GM: Yeah.
JW: Theres far too much more going on in life. I mean Im starting to read like its going out of fashion, but Im suddenly hungry for new ideas and Im pretty defiant. I dont particularly want to be anybodys mule. I dont want to be that kind of I just dont see myself as doing that.
GM: Yeah I know, and thats kind of why I think youre happier as a solo artist, you know you dont want to be bogged down, you know or have that label as a "band member.
JW: I dont want to compromise at this point.
GM: You appreciate having more artistic control over your music than not.
JW: Oh, absolutely! The responsibilitys mine, absolutely, and this isnt like Ive sit at home and worked out what Im going to do next. I have revulsion for that kind of sterile, Mickey Mouse classic rock. I mean if you go onto the websites of some of these record companies, all the bands sound the same. Theyre playing songs in the same key and theyre all like 50 and change, and theyre all playing the same atonal or super melodic bullshit music. You know and theres some people that actually like it. Its like being declawed, just signing up to sell product.
But all those people, when you meet them in person theyre kind of immature and they havent got a lot of depth. Theyre basically f*****g idiots actually.
GM: Theyre probably beholden to whos putting up the money. I mean, you know
JW: Yeah.
GM: Its just business.
JW: And theyll take directions, you know what size do you want that, sir? You know its like if they had a spinal tap, you know I could sell shoes I can do that!
GM: So is that what happened with the Babys? I mean was that kind of the demise of the group?
JW: No, we just ran out of steam. On the first three albums I was writing just about everything.
GM: Yeah, that was quick though. It just seemed like boom, youre on top of the world and youve got these massive hits out there and then all of a sudden 1980 comes along and gone!
JW: Yeah, but the record company wasnt putting the records in the stores. I mean its okay having yourself all over the radio. At one point we had "Every Time I Think of You on AM radio and Head First simultaneously on FM. They were both like in the top five or number one or whatever it was, It was insane, but if you go into a record store in Cleveland looking for the Head First record you couldnt find it.
GM: Well, thats bizarre. I mean
JW: Isnt it though?
GM: When I was in high school, those were the staples in radio.
JW: You know everybody has to pay some sort of price to get to the next level, so Im just not interested in any kind of I mean, I wouldnt go and put it back together. Ive no interest in recycling that kind of stuff. We finished it on a high note and let it be that, you know? Theres more to life than the Babys and theres more to life than Bad English. You know Ive sold more records as a solo than either the Babys or Bad English. So it doesnt really I mean they were great things to be in because they were kind of like nobody expected that.
I think nobody expected the Babys to be what they were. I always had a lot of fun with that. I always thought Rolling Stone is going to get this like you wont believe, and they didnt, it was funny you know because we were kind of loved by the audience. We werent a critics band. Theres a lot of depth in the songs and a lot of references and sort of homages I thought to the blues and soul music, it was validated.
But then again, I think I believed it more than the other guys. Its very possible that I was the guy that believed it more than anybody because we were doing my songs and I was singing them.
GM: You have to explain "Peace of Mind to me.
JW: Well, what its based on, its based on Herman Hess Steppenwolf.
GM: It kind of sounds like theres a little Aerosmith in there, a little Alice Cooper, some Queen and Beatles its like a little rock opera!
JW: No, but it is based on Herman Hess Steppenwolf where the guy comes in off the street and finds a small theater, walks in and has an epiphany and a psychedelic kind of experience. He has a complete awakening.
GM: Did you write the lyrics on that one?
JW: Yeah, Me and Mark Spiro wrote that. I was determined to use to get Baudelaire into it because I was reading a lot of Baudelaire. I thought well, got to get this guy into the song.
GM: Oh, the Queen the Queen of England bit was kind of
JW: Oh yeah and Johnny Cash. Napoleon and Johnny Cash were drinking in the wings. Its a madhouse really. You know .man .. if I could push and come up with something that unusual every time Id be doing my job.
GM: Well, my kids were listening to it in the car and my daughters going wow, this is cool, and then she just kind of pops off, and says "how old is he? and I said, well, I think hes about nine or ten years older than I am.
JW: Oooooooh (laughs)!
GM: A lot of the music I play for my kids is mostly the 70s and the 80s artists that Ive grown up with that are still going and, you know making good music or trying to make good music and, you know thats what I get, I try to keep them on the right track and steer them away from the crap thats out there now.
JW: Yeah. Sure, I get it. I get it.
GM: Most of the new the stuff you hear today is
JW: Oh, dont get me started, I it just I despair sometimes, you know.
GM: Well, you know Charlie Morgan, he used to be the drummer for Elton John, he and I had a chat one time and he sent me this video clip of, or excuse me, this audio clip of Britney Spears vocal that was recorded at a live show and everything, all of the effects had disappeared, I mean everything was gone except her voice. And it was the most horrible, embarrassing vocal or recording I have ever heard and Im saying to my kids this is what the reality is here. You listen to this stuff that Im playing to you, you listen to John Waites tune this is real this is real music.
JW: But you know what though Im not doing a dance routine in high heels!
GM: Well, I know yeah, I know, and I dont and I dont want to see that actually, so dont dont come out with anything like that.
JW: I dont want to see that either so dont make me go there dont make go there No! (laughing) you know I mean like Lady Gaga comes out and shes
GM: Holy crap!
JW: Yeah, but Ive seen her sing on TV live and shes good at it...she can really sing, but you know, why dont you just get up there and do Madonna, its like...oh God! what are they thinking, you know?
GM: Did you enjoy doing the MTV stuff? The music videos back in the day, was that fun for you?
JW: Yeah yeah!
GM: Wasnt a pain in the ass?
JW: No no, The Babys got a record deal by making a video. We were the first band ever in the world to actually do that and make it happen. Other people have taken the credit for it, but it was us and I always had an affinity for film. I always love it, you know. Im a big fan of movies so its a natural extension to filming.
GM: Well some of the people dont want to have anything to do with it, they just want to do the music and its like "Oh God, Ive got to go do this.
JW: Well, yeah but I mean its a visual world, you know. When I first came to America Id meet all these middle-aged musicians. They came to rehearsals for the Babys and they were either working next door or theyd be in the studio across the way when we were making a recording. They were all kind of bitter and kind of angry and they always start making a criticism, or they wouldnt do things, or theyd drawn a line in the sand and Im determined never to wind up like that.
GM: Well, why was that? Was it because of people telling them how they had to do things?
JW: No, theyre just burnt out and angry that they havent had a lot more success than they had. But they decided they werent going to go any further or go into new areas or develop, and it was the weirdest thing. Id meet quite a few of those people in LA. It was very, very strange, yeah.
GM: So whats with Nashville? I mean everybody seems to be heading to Nashville. I mean whats with Nashville? LA used to be the place to be.
JW: I dont know. Well, theres CMT down there and GAC and Dolly Parton lives in Nashville. You know Nashville when you go there is quiet. Theres isnt really a main street off of Broadway where the tourists go. The Ryman Auditoriums down there, but theres like a row of bars and sort of down the hill tourist shops. But there is no center in Nashville, its a very suburban town. The saving grace in Nashville its got the universities you know, so youve got a lot of young intelligent people there.
GM: Yeah, but whats the big draw for the artists, the music artists?
JW: The money Its just money. Its centralized. Theres no music business in LA. And theres no
GM: Really?
JW: No, Not really! Theres nothing going on here other than gigs. All the big companies arent here really. Theres only a couple of big companies left. The internet has changed everything completely. You don't have to be anywhere. People are giving country music a go what I consider country, or what I love about bluegrass, its the same with everything, you know everythings changing and its not doing as well as I would have hoped.
GM: Hey on "Midnight Rendezvous .
JW: Yeah, I did say that! I did say that at the end. Yeah.
GM: You knew what I was going to ask you (laughing)?
JW: I can read you like a book!
GM: No!
JW: Well, yeah ..I didnt even know Id sung that line until I heard the record.
GM: But I heard it on the radio!
JW: I know, but I didnt do it on purpose!
GM: But how did that get that past the censors?
JW: I dont know, I honestly don't know. I cant even remember singing it. I must have been so caught up in the song that I put it in there and it escaped the censor, and you know it surprised me just as much. People said have you heard that song? I go like yeah I wrote it! and then it was kind of have you heard at the end? and I go well I sang it! Then I go and listen to it and .oh, Jesus Christ, you know. But I didnt do it on purpose, you know I didnt! I must have been caught up in the moment, you know, doing my thing.
GM: Well, I can remember listening to that on the radio and hearing it on the radio and I was going oh well, thats interesting, because normally that stuff gets bleeped out or you know they cut if off before that time.
JW: Yeah, amazing! Yeah, a quick save, but a lot of times they dont because nobody really knows about it unless theyre paying attention.
GM: Youre not actually out on the road right now, does that start soon?
JW: We leave a week from Friday. Were going to Canada and then were doing a whole Texas run, then we go down to Louisiana. Then we come back for a week and then we go out again and were looking at doing an overseas tour in October or September, were playing all the gigs we get. I mean half of them no, no, not half maybe 20 percent are unplugged, but we basically go out as a full band no matter what. I mean if were going to, you know play unplugged, we just do it
GM: Japan Youve got a big following in Japan, right?
JW: Well, yeah, were trying to get there as well at the end of this year. Were going but I cant say where were going, but it would be a natural extension to go to Japan. So Im hoping thats going to be something that happens, we do want to go there again.
GM: Its different its interesting these different markets and some of the people that I talk to like the Orleans. I had a discussion with them and theyve got a huge following in Japan. Im supposed to be talking to Don Wilson of the Ventures and theyre huge in Japan theyre huge! You know the surf songs! Apparently theyre cutting like four brand new tracks just for the Japanese market. And Im going well, thats interesting.
JW: I can see that happening, yeah.
GM: Thats a real interesting thing because you dont really think about the different dynamics in these markets, or you know, youll have one song that is blasting away on the U.S. charts but then it fails elsewhere, or just the opposite.
JW: Well, you know, thats also down to the internet. So I think its a much more level playing field, and if you have some obscure talent or you have something that isnt so mainstream, there is somebody out there that wants to hear it. So I mean its a bit of a lifesaver really.
GM: So youre going to be up in my neck of the woods in September. I think its just going to be an acoustic gig for you.
JW: Im not sure, so its kind of like itll be what it is, so well probably bring the drummer, hell be with us, a big percussion and lead guitar and all that kind of stuff anyway.
GM: Yeah. Its a pretty small venue. And I think you just did an acoustic show there last time. I didnt catch it, but Im going to catch it this time. Hopefully in September when I see you I can have a chance to say hello.
JW: Great! Come by and say hello, yeah bring the kids!
GM: Well, were probably not going to bring the kids, but you know I would like to meet you and Ive got some friends of mine that would love to say hello too.
JW: Absolutely, Tim Hogan is the tour manager. Just ask for Tim and hell bring you back. Well have a glass of wine!
GM: Hey listen, Ill let you go. I love the album and I most certainly appreciate your time and I know you dont have to do these things, so I really do appreciate it!
JW: Oh, youre welcome! thanks for the interest
I appreciate it!