Jack Johnson
CATCH A WAVE
Surfer-Turned-Rocker Jack Johnson's Lucky Streak Goes On and On
Although he hasn't been officially crowned as the mellowest man in rock, it's hard to think of anyone more worthy of the throne than Jack Johnson. Bred in Hawaii, where he grew up surfing, Johnson assumed his laid-back aesthetic at an early age. But unlike most guitar-plunking Spicolis, Johnson has not only replicated that vibe in music, he's taken it to the bank. On his left-field chart-topper, Brushfire Fairytales, Johnson managed to bottle Hawaii's sun-dappled vibe -- adding a hint of good-natured stoner-dom and a healthy appreciation for a catchy acoustic melody. He's furthered all those aspects with On and On, produced by Beastie Boys associate Mario Caldato Jr., a surprisingly stripped-down follow-up that retains the guy-next-door feel of that debut, albeit with a noticeable upswing in musical sophistication. Jack took five from hanging ten to give Barnes & Noble.com's David Sprague a breeze through On and On.
Barnes & Noble.com: Did you approach this album any differently, given that you were following up a platinum record?
Jack Johnson: I try to act like it's all the same, but that would be a lie. When we went in and did the first record, we didn't know if it would sell 50 copies, and it kept rolling. This time, I know that there's at least some people who'll want to hear it, and it's not just something thrown out there in the wind. There's a little nervousness 'cause I hope people like it, but I know what happened last time was really exciting and amazing, and if it all goes downhill tomorrow, that's okay.
B&N.com: Do you think the audience will respond the same way this time around?
JJ: What I feel pretty confident about is that the people who liked the first record before we got any radio play or anything are going to like this one some. We didn't do any fancy production or change anything, so people who latched on to it because they wanted something real are probably going to feel the same way. It's kind of a mellow record, a lot of just acoustic guitar or just acoustic guitar and acoustic bass -- even mellower than the first one -- but I think that's pretty cool.
B&N.com: Rather than go into a big-name studio, you did most of On and On at home, right?
JJ: Yeah, I couldn't imagine doing it any other way at this point. It was great to be able to do it at home, to be able to jump in anytime you want. It's pretty stripped down, so we didn't need a lot of high-tech computers or anything. It's pretty much a garage record, like the last one was. We pretty much sit around with acoustic guitars and our drummer on congas, just on the front porch here in Hawaii.
B&N.com: The sound of "The Horizon Has Been Defeated" is really interesting, with the reggae tone and all.
JJ: We were pretty much finished with the album, and we came up with this little idea right at the very end. The scratch track was kind of reggae-ish, and it went from there. I really love reggae and listen to it a lot, so I was happy that it turned out okay. Mario had been recording us while we were working it out, and we literally used like, the first time we tried to play the song. I only had a few of the lyrics done, and we went back and put those on afterward. My friend and I were driving down the street in Santa Barbara, and we saw these oil rigs over on the horizon, and I said I thought they looked like alien casinos. He said they looked like the pirates of the new age, so sitting with a guitar, I used that as the first line.
B&N.com: How about "Taylor," which is one of the poppier songs on the album?
JJ: That one we've been playing for a while, and people really seem to like it. Even before we went in to record this album, people would yell for it from the audience. It's just a simple little song…about a girl named Taylor.
B&N.com: Having come from the world of surfing, competitive and otherwise, was it a difficult transition into the music business lifestyle?
JJ: I don't know if I'd call it difficult, but they are really different. Surfing is really a solitary kind of thing, and doing this, like being on tour and all, you really feel a reduction in personal space. We've been lucky that we've been successful enough to get comfortable, like having my wife come out with us is great. I'd hate to have to be away from her for an extended time.
B&N.com: So it sounds like you're still having fun at this?
JJ: Oh yeah, it's a blast. I mean, sometimes if you've been out for a while and it's like the fourth night in a row of doing a show, you might not feel like going out there. But most of the time, we've had a real run of luck. The guys in the band all get along really well, and the guys who go out on the road with us doing sound and stuff are all just friends of ours. As long as we can keep it that way, it'll be amazing.
May 9, 2003
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