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to Question of the Week For the week of August 10, 2008 Sometime ago you mentioned that you would love to do a duet with Emmylou Harris or Bonnie Raitt. Is this great idea any closer to fruition? Or how about a song or two with Sharleen Spiteri? Anyway I hope you can work something out soon. Looking forward to seeing you at the Robin in the mighty metropolis of Bilston on the UK tour. Peter Rolinson - Beverley, England I am not familiar with Ms. Spiteri. I will check her out. I have many ideas, and the duet thing is one of them. Right now I am somewhat consumed with the songs of Tom Waits:Big Band juggernaut. We are putting together a live show in NYC for September. It will be one of the few chances to see this behemoth live because of budget constraints. 18 musicians. Help! We are also going to do Conan in Sept. Then our tour of your lovely country with full English and hot and cold running ale...well, warm at least. So I am a little swamped right now. I'll get to the next project as soon as I get out of rehab, no, no no. For the week of August 3, 2008 Dear Sir, Dear Madame. For the week of July 27, 2008 I noticed that you have had shows in Amsterdam in October in the past. This Oh, perfidy, thy name is woman. Listen, Toots, if you have a boyfriend who is too cheap and unadventurous to take you to one of the great cites of the world on your birthday... Why not take the initiative and buy two tix to A'dam and tell him he has to buy the hotel room and dinner? Amsterdam is one of my favorite places. You can see the Vermeers in the Rijks Museum, tour the Old Church red light district (they are going to close it soon) visit Anne Frank's house for a very emotional experience...read the book first.... walk the canals till dinner time, then have a great meal at one of the NON-TOURIST restaurants, and, if so inclined, smoke some cannabis in one of the many legal coffee shops. There are side trips to little Dutch towns like Edam or train rides to the tulip fields down south. I even recommend the guided tour on a tourist boat along the canals; corny, but interesting. And there's always the sex paraphernalia shops... Hope to see you there. For the week of July 13, 2008 Hi Johnny, Oh man. Listen, Ludo, I'm sorry to tell you this, but I'm like every other songwriter/singer on the planet. We are all afraid of listening to unreleased songs for fear that we will inadvertently use a phrase or riff from them and get sued for plagiarism. Poor George Harrison got sued for "My Sweet Lord" and lost because he used the melody and form of the Chiffons hit "He's So Fine". It was right that he lost, but I know in my heart that he didn't mean to plagiarize; he just didn't realize that he had done it. Yes, there are people who will deliberately steal, but many times it is not on purpose. Anyway, the upshot is that us pitiful little songwriters are very hesitant to listen to another person's tune for fear that we will make the same mistake. Your best bet is to find a publisher who will handle your songs. Good luck to you and sorry for the bad news. For the week of July 6, 2008 Dear South, I am an aficionado of all pastas. The heartiness of Bolognese, the sting of Arrabiata and the over-the-top sensuousness of "Streetwalker's Spaghetti" all have great appeal. I make my own sauces and have even made my own pasta. Mario is my man... For the week of June 29, 2008 Great show in Cohassett last night! We left after you guys were done because I can't stomach little feet. It was amazing to hear you do "until the good is gone" - I think thats the first time I heard you do anything off of Little Steven's first album. Anyway - the question - the past 4 or 5 times I've seen you, you haven't done "Walk Away Renee" - which is one of my favorites. Is it just bad luck I keep missing it or have you dropped it from your set list? ALSO - I bought the box set last night - AMAZING STUFF!!!! Do you have any plans on doing an acoustic album? You, my old friend, have bad karma or something. I don't think we have missed doing 'Rene" more than 6 or 7 times in the last few years. I know it's a crowd favorite, and I love to sing it because it lets me stretch out a little in the end. Perhaps an old sin is coming back to haunt you? I know I have an entire country of old sins living in my house. They make so much noise they keep me awake at night. But I'm sure in your case it's just bad timing. You are as innocent as a new born babe, right? As for an acoustic CD, yes, I have one planned. It;'s just a question of getting all the right people in place at the same time. Musicians are such a worry. Not like lead singers. We are saints...oh wait, that contradicts what I wrote before. Never mind. For the week of June 22, 2008 When you do your private events do you change up your show depending on the event or do you just perform with your usual style? Is that Sunny Georgia, or Sunny from Georgia? We may cater to the private audience by playing less ballads and more dance tunes, but it's still the Jukes. The guy who hires us is made very aware of that. I will take some requests if I think they are appropriate, and we have a huge well of old RandB covers we can throw out, but I pick the songs, and that's that. Of course, I'll do anything for chocolate, so I can be bought. For the week of June 15, 2008 Brother South, $225 a night! If I put the Jukes in that nice a hotel, they'd think it was a trick. We'll be staying in some fine tents that a friend of the promoter is putting up for us. He works for some organization named for somebody called "Al" something. Guida or Kyder....like that. Anyway, it will be a true Bedouin experience and I'm sure the band is looking forward to it. It'll be like camping! The guys LOVE camping. We do that when we go out west. Nothing beats a meal under the stars after a show. It's cheap, too. Not that I care, but it does save energy, and we are a green bunch. Especially after Joey Stann's chili. I have been in Morocco on vacation with Ann. I enjoyed it but driving in the cities is challenging. Goats seem to have the right of way, and traffic lights just excite the people into a street-crossing frenzy. I didn't see any cobras, but that camel meat is really chewy, isn't it? Hood has been complaining of a toothache, so I'm gonna take him to that dentist dude in the medina. You know, the guy with 3000 teeth on his little fold up table who sits in the sun in the big square. He'll take that tooth out in two seconds, and he only charges $7.00. A true bargain. Not that I care. Nothing's too good for Hood. For the week of June 8, 2008 A Question for Hood: I have all the lyrics, but it's up to Fearless Leader to call the songs. Don't hold your breath, For the week of June 1, 2008 Hey Southside! Ah, the misconceptions of the young. Whilst Bruce and Garry and Steven were tooling around in their 57 Chevy's and Ponitiac Superfly Terraplanes, I was....walking. For the week of May 25, 2008 When I first saw the Jukes there were no keyboards or organ but
rather a piano. If my memory is correct keyboards never showed up until "The Jukes" album and organ until "At Least We Got Shoes" album.
Is that correct? If so why the change? Have you considered any additional
or different instruments in the future? Now, Ed, we've had this discussion before. Remember in our last session? You were going to try very hard to put away your obsession with Jukian minutiae and concentrate on getting better. We don't want another episode like last month's, do we? The police have made it quite clear that they will prosecute the next time they find you sitting naked on the court house roof howling at the moon and demanding to know who played rhythm guitar on "Better Way Home". I'm sorry you're unhappy with the confiscation of all your CDs and back issues of BackStreets, but we do these things to help you, not hurt you. Now take your pills and the guard will escort you back to your room and put on some nice Celine Dion for you to relax to. I'll see you tomorrow at the same time, and we'll try again, OK? OK. Good night, Ed. For the week of May 18, 2008 Senor Southside, Hola Isabel! Como esta? For the week of May 11, 2008 Whilst tooling about in the motorcar the other day, listening to the
sonorous strains of my favorite classical music station, I happened to
hear
a piece for orchestra and harp - no, not the Harpo harp but the
HARMONICA,
curiously at odds with the rest of the ensemble. It was the aural
equivalent
of a wreck on the highway, or a good cage fight, for I was horrified
and yet
could not turn away. Have you ever had any "longhair" aspirations with
said
instrumentation? Oh my poor uncultured brother, hast thou ne'er heard of Toots Thielmans? Or Larry Adler? John Sebastian Sr.? The Harmonica, dear sir, is an exquisitely apropos instrument for...ahem..."long-hair" music. It is a well-known musico-historical fact that Bach only wrote all those pieces for strings because the violinists had such a strong union, and cellists are a notoriously violent group. And the viola players! Don't even ask. For the week of May 4, 2008 I am a displanted New Jerseyan and current resident of Tampa, FL, but
was living and working in London, UK, for four months, and caught you
and the band at Shepherds Bush this past November in my first week there
(you brought some needed familiarity; thank you). I wonder if you have any
particular (favored but less common) songs that you think to play in
certain locations, what are they, and why? NEVER ASK WHY, JUST ACCEPT THINGS AS THEY ARE. For the week of April 27, 2008 Any plans for shows with the Big Band after the new cd is released? Funny you should ask that, my friend. The ineffable LaBamba and I are working out the details of a Big Band Extravagancy for...September? It seems likely that the Big Bad Band/Songs of Tom Waits CD will be officially released in August, and we will have many promotional activities around that event. TV, Radio, Print, Smoke Signals, Syncopated Jelly Fish Dancing...all the usual stuff, and amidst all the mayhem and hilarity will be a live show. It will be in New York City...not sure where yet; that's a detail, see?....but ample warning will be given, rest assured. We hope to attract many big-wig mucky-mucks so's there will be much "buzz" in the music stinkin' biz, but we'll keep them in the back and all you true fans can get up front and laugh and point, and throw things. Don't tell me I don't love ya! As for the, ahem, purchase of said CD, the web site will have it and it will be in selected fine stores in the area. I'd check the cut-out bins and Salvation Army stores first, were I you. For the week of April 20, 2008 Dearest Sothside. Well, Ferd, I can state for a fact that we rarely go over any new stuff before the show, unless it is a song form one of my past CDs or some special material that we all want to do. The songs I feel like singing on any given night that we've never done just pop into my head and I start off. Usually Bobby or Jeff knows of the tune, if not really knowing all the chords, and they call out chord changes, or I will signal with my hand or just let it happen. The trick is to really want to sing that song at that moment, and believe in your ability to get it across. Of course, with my band of absolute pros, it's a lot easier. They can play anything, and sometimes do... I've done that sort of "off the cuff stuff" from the first and it's one of the best things about the shows for me. It keeps me on my toes, and the band has to stay attuned, also. As to where the ideas come from, It might be a song I've recently heard on the radio or on my CD player, or it might just bubble up from the vast store of songs I've either heard so many times that I just know, or it may be a song I fell in love with and took the time to learn, a practice I still enjoy and use nearly every week. Just the other day, I heard a song on an Emmy Lou Harris CD, "Loving You, Again" that knocked me out, and I listened to it and sang along...this was while driving along the coast....until I had it in my memory bank. And, who's to say but it might just show up at a gig in the future. I don't plan these things, but I'm never afraid of them. For the week of April 13, 2008 A Question to Ed Manion: I became a member of Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes early in 1976. Labamba came a little bit after that with the recording of "This Time It's for Real". Richie and I have one major thing in common. We're both
very proud to be Jukes and very proud of the hundreds of songs we've recorded together over the past thirty-two years as Asbury Jukes, Miami Horns, Disciples of Soul etc. For the week of April 6, 2008 John, do you think music is infinite? It sure seems like it. For the week of March 30, 2008 In a past QOW you mentioned that you would be interested in singing
with Bonnie Raitt. Are there any plans to do one of those Crossroad shows
with her. I think (and that's not one of my strong points) that your two voices
would sound great together. And she is a classy lady. Yes, I am contemplating singing a version of Hearts Of Stone with ole Bon. I know her a little and she may be into it. For the week of March 23, 2008 I can't wait for "Grapefruit Moon" to come out. I heard that Scarlett Johansson's Tom Waits cover album is done, too. Any plans for the two of you to tour together? It got crowded enough when Jon Bon Jovi played with you - imagine what getting a ticket would be like if Scarlett Johansson were opening? Scarlett Johansson is my Granddaughter, and we have a strict rule in Jukedom against nepotism. Actually, it's a New Jersey law; Code 73, Rule 415, subset-b223SSJ: "No relative, either natal, marital, or common law of the aforementioned individual, Southside Johnny, Aka 'MeatHead Deluxe', shall occupy, enter, attempt to enter or occupy, occupy without entering or enter without occupying, or in any other way, shape or form be, like, on the same stage, platform, front porch or milk crate at the same time as the...uh... aforesaid individual. In res: No Way In Hell. Amen". So the chance she and I will ever perform together is slim. Not as slim as she, perhaps, but none the less...slim. What she and Jon get up to is none of my business. For the week of March 16, 2008 There's a restaurant called Southside Johnny's in
Colorado Springs, whose motto is "It's better to eat
at a great bar, than to drink at a restaurant." Do you think that motto is right, and do you plan to open more restaurants? I am not now, nor have I ever been a restaurateur. I have kept a few bars in business in my time, though. Is it better to eat in a great bar than to drink at a restaurant....hmmmm...let me cogitate on that. I have eaten in some swank joints, and I've eaten at a 76 truck stop in a blizzard at 3:30 in the morning, and it is my considered opinion that a meal without libation is an abomination worth neither consideration nor contemplation. I like a friendly bar that serves good, no-nonsense food, but I do enjoy an upscale feed with flagons of wine and a brandy digestif, d'accord? I guess it all depends on the atmosphere. If there's oxygen and booze, the place is alright by me. Napkins optional. For the week of March 9, 2008 I really got a kick out of the string section at the
Daytop NJ benefit in Morristown. How do you think that went, and do you think you'll ever do that again? Vilnius! Man, you came a long way to see that show. You ain't just fiddlin' around. Oh shut up, John...you moron. Hey, Jascha, are you a Strad man, or do you prefer Amati? For the week of March 2, 2008 I've certainly read enough about your past trials & tribulations with the record bizz. I'm concerned that with a couple of corporations overseeing 90% of the industry we are witnessing the suicide of music as an art form. Artists aren't allowed to shop their music around. I know artists like yourselves prefer to set up shop on-line which can be liberating ,but for an artist(s) who is trying to establish a career in today's market-is the battle far more futile? No, the battle is just beginning. The record companies are, finally, trying to find ways to market new acts with all the techno changes that they have fought for the last 15 years. Right now, the artists are more creative and successful at promoting themselves on the Internet, what with Youtube and all the downloading sites for music. You just have to figure out how to attract attention and hope your music resonates with whomever you get to listen. I see on Youtube that there are acts that get hundreds of thousands of hits on their home-made videos. Yes, it's a great help to have a record company getting you airplay, but it isn't the only way to reach a wide audience, as it was in my day (1500 B.C.). It looks like I'm going to have to put the Tom Waits/Big Band CD up on my web site, as no record company seems to know how to promote it. Now, granted, I am in a better position to get my music out there, as I have a number of contacts at radio and the press, and I also have an old friend who has a big Promotion company in New York who is willing to help. She and her people are not cheap, but I believe in the music, so I'm more than willing to take the chance and spend some money. God knows, I've spent enough this far! You and all the other struggling artists have a golden opportunity to show how savvy and creative you are via the Internet. Put some thought and work into it. Get your artist friends, graphics and art and writing, to help you. It's a great thrill when you have even a little success on your own, much better than having some jerk at a record company tell you, "I made you a star, you owe me". Yeah, bite me. See? Doesn't that feel good? For the week of February 24, 2008 I hear you went to Egypt recently. Did you ride any
camels? Are you glad you went, and what about the
trip would you recommend to your world-traveling fans? No, Captain, I did not enjoy Egypt. I love to travel and don't mind staying in the funkier places, but Cairo was just too dirty for me. The air is awful, you can't drink the water, and I got salmonella from some bad food. I did meet some interesting people, but most Egyptians seemed to see me, an American tourist, as either an unwelcome visitor or a walking ATM. There was a lot of hustling and everybody expected or demanded a tip. I mean everybody. I asked a guy in a shopping center where the toilets were, and he dropped his broom and grabbed my hand a led me the 200 feet to them. He wanted a tip. Then I had to tip the guy who had taken the toilet paper out of the stall and was handing it out at the door. After a few days it became tedious. The snorkeling in Sharm El Sheikh was great, but you had to come out of the water sometime, and then they were all over you, yelling and selling. I hate the touristy hotels, but there was nowhere else to stay. Give me the woods or rain forests anytime. If you want a recommendation, Costa Rica; Arenal Volcano; Hotel Linda Vista. Great views of an active volcano, wonderful hikes in the rainforests and dry forests, friendly people, good food, and peace and quiet. But there is so much to see in the U.S., that you could spend a lifetime exploring and never be bored. Take a drive, people, before they make it illegal. For the week of February 10, 2008
Ah yes, start up the WayBack machine, Sherman, whilst I get me some fresh ice for my drink... For the week of January 27, 2008 I am wondering...who do you enjoy collaborating with these days?? and if you could collaborate with anyone (dead or Canadian) who would it be or have been???
I, myself, would like to have had a cup of tea, or some snuff, with Ben Franklin, but that is a whole other story... I would like to write more with the elusive Bobby "Blob" Bandiera. We have written some good things, I think, and I feel we could do more. My most used and abused writing partner these days in Jeff " Hey, I got all my teefs!" Kazee. We write very easily together, then his beautiful wife cooks a great meal and I get to harrass the kids. What could be better? Do yer homework, Soph. There are many people I would like to get together with, both in writing and in singing. I'd love to sing a duet with Bonnie Raitt, and one with EmilyLou Harris. I had to settle for Tom Waits. Talk about dissonance. Of course, I would be overjoyed to work with Steve Van Zandt again. Maybe one of these days. Till then, you'll just have to take me as I am. Poor soul. For the week of January 20, 2008 In the wonderful, you never know what you're gonna get world of the iPod, Joe Jackson's "You Can't Get What You Want Til You Know What You Want" came on amidst a clutter of Joe Ely, Ella Fitzgerald and The Who. I snapped to and thought, "what a great song this would be for Southside and the Jukes to cover". Not like you're desperate for songs to fill your shows at this point. Just planting a seed. How 'bout it? Man, you never know what yer gonna get from the Jukes. I have vague plans to record 15 of the best songs from the mid to late 70s, when we first started. Some Costello, Clash, Bruce, and maybe that one from Joe Jackson. Any other ideas, sports fans? I mean the best cool songs from the start of punk/roots/indie. In the mean time, there will be another full Jukes CD of originals and covers. When? Soon, honey...soon. For the week of January 13, 2008 Dear S'Side. Can you recommend some new music? I really like the Robert Plant/Alison Krause CD produced by T-Bone Burnett. It kinda folky, kinda rock, kinda country. Lots of good songs and a great blend of voices. This is coming from a guy who never liked Robert Plant's singing with Led Zeppelin. For all you blues-harp lovers, try to find King Biscuit Boy's (Robert Newell) first two LPs on CD. He's Canadian (!) but man, can he blow a mean flute/... er.... harmonica. Oh...wait...that's old music. I guess you'll have to ask Kasey Kasem. For the week of January 6, 2008 Hi South! When your friends Bruce and Jon (a.k.a. Wayne) release new albums like they did last year, do you have to buy those in a record store or do they always give you a copy for free? ...Or don't you own their records at all? Do you have a favorite Bon Jovi album, what's your favorite one by Bruce? Thanx a lot. I suppose I could get a freebie, but I made a decision a long time ago not to ask anyone for any favors. I usually buy Bruce's CDs and Jon is nice enough to think of me and send me a demo copy. I know lots of music dudes from all the years of touring, but if I want something, I like to pay for it to show my support. Music is still one of the best bargains around. If it's really good, it fills your life with pleasure and emotional strength. If I had to pick one of each, I guess they would be "Slippery When Wet" and, still, "Born to Run", but It's more than the music on those records. I remember when those two break-through albums came out. It was an exciting time for us Jersey boys. For the week of December 30, 2007 Dear Southside, master-of-all-inquiries: First off, it ain't my frigging chicken, so how's I supposed ta know why it does the fool things it does do. Last pullet I saw try to cross the road ended up in my oven with a port wine and sage glaze, and stuffed with shallots and sausage. It was very good with a nice Chianti. As for the sky, I guess you don't live in New Jersey. The sky hasn't been blue here for decades. It's more of a soot-like grey, with petroleum- brown earth tones. Except for the times it catches on fire. Then we all stay up late and roast marshmallows in the air and tell ghost stories. Last time that happened, old Mrs. Haversham from down the street had one of her favorite dinyl wigs spontaneously combust, and we had to put her out with a six-pack of Schlitz. Broke Mark Pender's heart to see it. For the week of December 23, 2007 I am probably showing my ignorance but can you tell us how Mr. Rosenberg came to be called LaBamba and who bestowed this moniker on him? See you NYE. Richie was a member of the horn section from Philly that came to play on our first LP, "I Don't Want To Go Home". He was such a character and monster player that we decided to ask him to join the Jukes. Like the crazy fool he is, he said yes. At one of our first shows at the Pony with him, Bruce got a little likkered up and wild and ended up singing La Bamba, the Richie Valens classic, on the top of the bar. He then ordained that Richie would ever more be known as "La Bamba" I don't remember it all too well, for obvious reasons. They tell me it was a great night. If I don't have the story straight, you haveta ask La Bamba hisself for the true gen. See you New Years with the Mark Pender band opening....another crazy fool. There's gonna be trouble. For the week of December 16, 2007 If you had a real job, oh, excuse me..... I meant a "different" job, what would your perfect job be? I was interested in becoming an oceanographer in my youth...yes, I had one. But I wish these days for the discipline to sit and write. I like doing it, and have many stories to tell, but it is hard with all that goes on in my life to focus on writing. Maybe, if I ever slow down enough with the music thing, I will bend my efforts to ruining cast amounts of perfectly good blank paper. Although, I've always envied the homeless people in Santa Monica...... For the week of December 9, 2007 I've enjoyed the Mike & the Mad Dog shows each year, especially the interview segment with you. You seem totally at ease on the radio with always a lot to say. With your vast record collection and musical expertise, what about you doing a radio show, on satellite of course? Dylan, Tom Petty, Steven all have shows each week. Whaddya say? If offered, would you give it a whirl? I think it would be fun and you would be good at it. I have been offered radio shows on both satellite stations, but I just don't see me having enough time and energy to do justice to the show I would want to program. I don't want to play a bunch of 70s standards and I don't think the powers that be would like the mixture of genres that I feel would make an interesting show. Plus; they make you wear a suit and tie and salute a picture of Mel Karmazon, and I can't do that. Inside joke. For the week of December 2, 2007 What's happening with the Big Band Tom Waits Project? Will you be touring down the Fla way in 08? Thanks again for all the great shows and music. The CD is done, I am relieved to say. It only took 2 1/2 years. But I am very pleased with the way it turned out. LaBamba did a brilliant job on all the arrangements, and the musicians played their buttocks off. And a hoo-ray to our fearless producer/engineer/mixer Dan Graylick for living thru the whole mishegosh. (Spelling, my Yiddishe friends?) We had a deal with a record company, but that has fallen thru due to layoffs and money woes. All the big companies are hurting (their own fault) but we will persevere and get the best thing for this great hunk a music. I'm only the singer, so I can say it's great. And, oh yes, Waits and I sing harmony on this thing. I'm sure we will be forced to put a warning sticker on it. For the week of November 25, 2007 Uncle South, as long as you're asking requests, how about something I haven't heard in 20 years? "Murder"? I'll moidah you, ya little rat bastid! As I have said before MANY TIMES!!!, after so many albums, we have over 150 songs we've recorded. I can't do them all. Hell, I can't even remember most of 'em. BUT....I will take requests to learn new old songs if you all get to gether and pick a few. How's about some new old ones for New Years? Get yer votes in early and often, and DON"T ASK FOR TRASH IT UP! Ya little shits? For the week of November 11, 2007 Any plans on coming to the Bay Area in 2008? Which Bay? The Bay of Fundy? Or the Bay of Tuesday? The Great Bay of Cairo? Turin Bay. Baying at the moon...that I do regularly. Which one you mean, bay-be? I hear and o...... For the week of November 4, 2007 Last night I was watching Da Sopranos on TV, that show starring the guy who used to be in your band, the one with the amazing hair. Anyway they played out with a track by my all-time favourite blues man Chester Burnett, a.k.a. Howlin' Wolf, and I got to wondering whether you ever cover any of his songs? It would be great to hear "I Ain't Superstitious" live for example. Also did they ever play one of your numbers at the end of the Italian family show, and if not why not? Surely the little guy could have used his influence to get you played? Chester "Big Foot" Burnette, was and is one of my favorite artistes. He still kills me. What a voice/harp/presence! I was lucky to see him live with the aformentioned Steven Van Zandt at Max's Kansas City. Wowsville! I do some of his tunes when the spirit moves me. Maybe in Manchesterburnette, who knows? As for the Sopranos; like you don't ask, they tell. Know what I mean? Ralph Notari is on guitar this tour, and I'm sure you will find him to be a delightful fellow. Or else. See you in Blighty. For the week of October 28, 2007 What makes a good venue for you and the band? Do you look forward to certain places around the world, places you make sure you book each year because you like them so much? Is it the place or the city or the crowd that makes it different and better? Do you find the performance effected, positively or negatively, by your feelings about a certain place? What are some of your favorite places to play? Does this count as a single question of the week? Thanks. I like any place where people are ready to have a good time. Sure, stage sound and sightlines and all that are important, but I have learned that an enthusiastic crowd ameliorates a host of technical sins. The bars and clubs we have played over the years , all 123,763 of them, are never bad when a good audience is in them. My personal faves are the Birchmere in Alexandria, VA, because it is a kinda folk club; intimate and homey, and it brings out a different show from us. The Paradiso in Amsterdam, where we are headed in a week, is a real rock and roll joint. A converted church that sells hash and pot and beer and lets people dance. What's not to like? The Pony, BB King's, all the House of Blues, are like old-home-week for me. I've been in these places since I was 16. But the Bottom Line (pun) is that a good crowd and a great band keep it fun for me. That, and the mortgage. Oy! For the week of October 21, 2007 A friend of mine, who shall remain nameless, would love to see her fav band on the road, perhaps even in another country!! The problem is he/she has a deep Fear of Flying, big time. I am wondering what advice would you offer my friend? Enquiring minds need to know... Yeah. Get over it! You are safer in the air than you are on a date with Eddie Manion...I mean...on the ground. Plus, you don't have to park the plane...they do that for ya. Take a Valium, have a gin-and-tonic, and relax. Think of it this way; I don't have a pilot's license, but I DO have a driver's license. Nuff said. For the week of October 14, 2007 Little Steven said somewhere that you and he paid for your first album using winnings from a summer at Monmouth Park. Is this true and do you still play the ponies? Got any hot insider tips for Breeder's Cup day? It's all true. Steven and I had a great year at the track back in 1975, and we put the money into the first record. We hadn't gotten any money from the record company, and we couldn't wait, so we conned Jimmy Iovine, who is now a multi-millionaire owner of Interscope Records, but then was just a wise-guy rockandroller forom New York. He snuck us in to the Record Plant at odd hours and we paid for the tape "yes, youngsters; tape. I'm old) and for Fast-Fingers Dave, the engineer, and for the extra musicians and lunch. Don't laugh at lunch; even then Steven had expensive tastes. I remember we were eating at some fancy place he picked, and in came Richard Burton, the great, drunken English actor. I was thrilled, but the waiters were in a panic; his ex-wife, Elisabeth Taylor had a reservation for lunch at the same time. Oh Boy were we excited! Celebrity fireworks! But she walked in, saw him and....waved and went to sit in an other room. Phoooey. For the week of October 7, 2007 As someone who reads a lot, how do you decide what to read next? When I walk into a book store I usually end up judging books by their covers (literally), but I'm sure there's a better way. Do you go by reviews, buzz, recommendations, runes? I'm the only ruin around here, girly, and don't you forget it! I read many newspapers, both home and on the road, and I always check out the book reviews. Anything that looks intriguing I make a note of, then promptly lose the note and end up in Borders thinking "What the hell was the title of that book???" I get the London Times on Sunday, as they review a lot of books and the reviewers are funny. The New York Times book review on Sunday is a tradition in my family. I also check the bibliographies in the books I enjoy. I get recommendations from friends like Jeff Kazee and Chris Anderson and others whose taste I trust. If I'm out of books on the road, I go to a Salvation Army or Goodwill for cheap paperbacks. When the King Pin and I are out hitting yard sales for old records, I'll stop to look thru the books, which bugs "The Pin", which adds to the pleasure of the day. I'd rather read than... For the week of September 30, 2007 Ok, here I go, this is my question. Why the hell you never have spanish dates in your European legs? It´s a shame because here you have a big crowd of fans, I am big fan of you and the Jukes since I heard you guys for the first time about five years ago. I assure you that you would enjoy a lot playing here cause we are as crazy as you. Please come someday,cause it´s always hard to leave the country to have catch a show, I was at the London Astoria last year and the audience was nothing but tame cats. My friend, I would LOVE to play in Spain. I want to see Andalusia, and Madrid, and drink Spanish wine and eat tapas and watch the people in the squares, and feel that Catalonian sun on my face. Unfortunately, it is, as always, a question of economics. If we can get a promoter in Spain to take a chance on us and put us in a couple of clubs in the big cities, we would be there in a shot. Maybe next year. We can get crazy together. As for Elvis, I love his early stuff, and have a warm spot in my heart for some of the later things. The first record I ever owned was a 45 of Jailhouse Rock...my mother got it for me for Christmas because SHE wanted it. We both played it to death. Good Old Ma. For the week of September 23, 2007 Have you seen the Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora action figures? Will the Jukes figures be ready for Martell's? Well, Bobby is already a bobblehead, and Joey Stann has made voodoo figures of all of us, but I think they are for his personal use. I think our marketing people are leaning more towards life-size mug-shot posters on plastic that kids can stick on their bedroom walls. I expect Eddie Manion's poster to be a real hit with parents of children who misbehave. I think it's called "Scared Straight". For the week of September 16, 2007 As a lover of Victorian architecture, Ocean Grove is one of my favorite
places to visit. Do you have a favorite style of architecture and are you handy
around the house? Contrary to popular belief, I was not around in the Age of Queen Victoria. I'm more of an Edwardian myownself, as you can see from my dress. I am a fan of the Prairie School of Architecture, and I like some of the gung-ho early modernism in skyscrapers, but the Mies Van Der Rowe stuff leaves me a little cold. I of course live in a Early Jersey-style hovel, with primitive amenities and the promise of running water always on the horizon. I am handy around the house, as long as I don't touch anything. I picked up a screw driver once by mistake, and had to be sedated and confined to a dark room with soft music for a month. Never again! For the week of September 9, 2007 Two of my favorite songs from Into the Harbour are You're my Girl and All in My Mind, neither of which seems to show up in your concerts. When you are choosing songs to record, is the intention from the start that some will not become regulars in the set list or do some songs just not work as well live? Do you have a favorite song that you have recorded that you don't often perform? I usually look (or listen) for songs that I think we can do justice to and are great songs to begin with. I hope every tune will work live, but not all do. Plus, if we had every song we ever recorded ready for shows, it would be over 200 songs added to the fun stuff not on CD, which would make it WAY too complicated for Uncle Southside to make a set list. My brain has been enfeebled by years of Jack Daniels and horn section abuse. A song I find very hard to do both emotionally and thoratwise is "Somethings Just Don't Change". We do it occasionally, but I have to pick my spots. "You're My Girl" is another voice shredder. I love it, but it takes a lot outta me. I ill be revisiting some new old stuff for this fall. Requests? For the week of September 2, 2007
Hi Southside! Wayne Newton? You nasty boy! I can't wait to tell JonBon you called him that. Yes, Bobby will be with "Wayne" but Jeff will be with me, (Paul Anka) for the Eu/England dates. We will also have a sub bassist, John Conte for that tour. Muddy has something he can't get out of. As for guitarist, it's the irrepressible Ralph Notari. He's great and a lot of fun, so all will be well. Who are the other guitarians! Who knows? I never look behind me when I'm on stage because I'm afraid of what I might see! I'll pack a box set just for you.
For the week of August 26, 2007 So has the Question of the Week mailbox been getting any interesting spam lately? Which do you prefer - cheap Canadian drugs or hot stock tips? I don't know about the question of the week mailbox, but I do get some bizarre and confusing spam in my Yahoo thingy. There are always a number of Biblical quotes, (some fractured in frightening ways) that call on me me to repent. From what? I'm a babe in the woods! Innocent as the day I was born...which, granted.... Then there are the "Hott Russien girls what love to be shctupping wit de Mericaners." Or words to that effect. And, of course, some kindhearted soul is going to show me how to make $1,000,000,00 ****FREE!!!!**** I don't know how he does it. All in all, it's an interesting experience, this here email. Oh.... you Jukes people are no slouches at the strange and scary, either. What have I wrought?! For the week of August 19, 2007 Just wondering if you do any type of "warm up" exercises for your voice pre-show? No. I have seen and heard other singers do exercises before shows, but I have never found it to be helpful. I just go out the and blast away and hope for the best. With a voice like mine, it's hard to tell when it's right or wrong. Besides, all exercise is bad for you. It's much healthier to give your body an alcohol bath twice a day. Interiorly, of course. And Yes, I will write a new jive one of these days. Get off my back! For the week of August 12, 2007 After hearing When Rita Leaves on Into the Harbour, and Somebody to Love You on Jukesville, I started to listen to some Delbert McClinton.....there are a couple of songs that he does, Your Memory, Me & the Blues and I've got Dreams to Remember. I immediately thought... Wow, would I love to hear Southside do these two songs!? Any chance you could think about doing these?? P-L-E-A-S-E!!!!!!? There is always a chance, but I will have to check out these songs first. "I've Got Dreams To Remember" is an old Otis Redding song that was also covered by the Allman Bros and a host of other acts.? Unless Delbert stole the title and wrote a different song, which, knowing him, is not hard to imagine. But I love his songwriting and singing. His "Nothing Personal" CD is one of my all time favorite albums. God Bless the boy, AND he tours with a horn section. It's called sharing the pain. Thanks, Delbert. For the week of August 5, 2007 Johnny, As for the CD's; yes we sell as many as we can get our hands on at the shows. We don't always have the early stuff because we have to buy them from the old record companies, and they are, at times, reluctant to print them up for us peons.We even bootlegged one of our old CDs that we got a lot of requests for but couldn't get the rights to, or any "product" as the record moguls say. If you need something that we don't have, ask one of the fine folks on the message board, and they will either find you a copy, or make you one. As for me making money from that, screw it. Just knowing that you want to hear my music is and has always been pay enough for me. I'll just go back to bank robbery and serial old-lady marriage. Oh Esme?....I'm back..... For the week of July 29, 2007 You seem to have an affinity for Dusty Springfield. I am wondering what attracted you to her music? Oh, Ms. Pif. It's her voice. She was a great, great soul singer, and chose some very interesting material to do. She was produced well, too. The English stuff is a perfect example of the sensibilities and orchestration that made the 60s so much fun. And "Dusty In Memphis"; c'mon. All us white soul sin-guhs have been trying to approach that mark for decades. Maybe if I wore my hair like her..... For the week of July 22, 2007 We're all getting older and some of us are still set in our ways. However, time does have a strange way of changing us. The times spent doing things before and after a show I'm sure have changed as well. Can you enlighten us as to what a typical "day of show" consisted of as well as what the "after show festivities" were like back in the early days of Jukedom as compared to today? Ah yes....the riotous old days. It used to be that the band...myownself included....would head down to the local bar and jam after a show. Or we had a habit of going back to the hotel with some fans and taking over the lounge. LaBamba would play piano, Boom Carter would do some percussion things and I would sing old standards or blues or whatever came to mind. There was a night in Tempe, Arizona when about 15 people ended up in the outdoor hot tub at 3AM with many bottles of champagne. It was still nearly 90 degrees. I have no idea where the bubbly came from, but it was warm, too. Got drunked up, though. Needles to say, the hotel management was not pleased. Then there was that incident at the Iwo Jima Inn in D.C when the bass player got into some Colombian AllNite Asshole powder, and talked the rest of the guys AND the night manager into raiding the cafeteria. Hey...LaBamba was hungry! Ben, our roadie at the time, passed out on a foldaway cot in someone else' s room, and they rolled him into the parking lot where he woke up the next morning to a couple of police officers marching us all out to the bus and giving us strict orders to be on our way. At 7AM. Many heads hung low on that ride out of town. And the saddest thing was that I as not invited to the party. I had spent an hour reading the Gideon Bible, then went to sleep. No Joke! That's what really happened. Nowadays, I try to leave right after the show. I have learned that if I don't get enough sleep, my voice suffers. Ah, but those memories..... For the week of July 15, 2007 Johnny, settle a bet. I was showing a friend my old Jukes records and she said that you must have had a nose job. I say no. What's the story? There are so many things that have come up over the years about me that I have found hilarious. In one of my first European interviews, a French journalist asked " 'ow long 'ave you beeeen a junky?" For the record; never. To your question; I have never had any cosmetic surgery, I don't dye my hair...Hell, I barely remember to get it cut!, I have no tattoos, wear no jewelry, don't wear colored contact lenses, and haven't had anything enlarged or implanted. I am so old-fashioned, I don't even paint my toenails. I am a boring, straight, non bling-bling old man. I have thought about getting my ears rotated.... you know, to even out the wear pattern?; but I find the cost prohibitive. Sorry, folks; what you see is what I is. Oh...I do have a gold tooth, but it's not mine. For the week of July 8, 2007 Do you find yourself breaking into song around the house, at the grocery store or in your car? If so, what kind of musical stylings are you prone to? Enquiring minds need to know… Yes Virginia, I do sing all the time....much to my neighbors chagrin. I most often sing in the car, but not along with CDs. I will find a Cole Porter, Johnny Mercer or modern songwriter whose song has intrigued me, and I will learn it, then practice it in traffic. I also hum, whistle and generally make myself an all-around pest for the entire planet. I do find that if a song I don't want to hear comes on over the in-house speakers at the Gap or in the supermarket, I have to put down what I am carrying and leave the store. Music is too potent a part of my being to let me just endure bad music....unless it's made by the Jukes, of course! Then I'm right at home. For the week of June 24, 2007 With candidates coming out of the woodwork vying for the Presidency in 2008, it got me thinking -- didn't you play at one of President Clinton's inaugural parties in 1992? And didn't Mr. Clinton come on stage with you at some point? Am I remembering correctly? If this did happen, how did it come about and was it really cool to be a part of something like that? Yes, my dear, old Uncle Southside has hob-nobbed with the great and near-great... and a lotta lowlifes, too. The deal was that Max "Mr. Lucky" Wineburg got the gig thru a mutual friend of ours, a guy named Ken Sunshine, who was politically inclined and connected. He (Max) put together a group, and asked me to sing. No pay, of course, but an interesting experience on offer, so I said "Sure...will there be free drinks?" It was a very Alice-In-Wonderland event. We all had to be screened by the secret Service, and unbelievably, we all passed. Yikes! Your tax dollars at work! Then we were put in a swank hotel with room service; always a mistake with musos. The night of the Ball, we got there early and rehearsed with Johnny Rivers and tried to sort out who was on when. Finally I just said Let’s all go on together and trade songs. And that’s what we did. Everyone had a god time, and then Bill and Hill showed up, and Bill played Eddie Manion’s sax in a duet (sort of) with Clarence. I met Nelson Mandela ( a thrill forme) and then we all drank like fish and swam back to the hotel. I got a nice leather coat out of it with the Presidential Seal on the lining. But, like all things form the Government, it fell apart after a year. But it was a fun and interesting experience, and I”m glad I did it. For some strange reason, I wasn’t invited to either of W’s Inauguration Balls. Hmmmmmm. For the week of June 17, 2007 Dear Uncle Southside, For the week of June 10, 2007 Hi John, For the week of June 3, 2007 Southside, As to how the Sopranos ends, like, they have a hard-core code of Omerta on that show. Nobody says nothin' ta nobody, Capiche? I didn't argue with them.
For the week of May 13, 2007
Well, I got him drunk, loaded the CD player
with Jukebox and made him promise to take me to Jersey, a
pilgrimage of sorts. I wanna see my Jukes "Having a good time."
Where do you suggest?
For the week of May 6, 2007
You have played many places throughout the
world and have had many surprise guests as well warming up for
bands. Can you tell us your favorite Top 5 performer-band you
have played with?
For the week of April 29, 2007
Listening to Jukebox in order, clearly shows
how the Jukes sound changed over the years based on musicians,
writers, producers, guitarists. During your shows, you represent
almost every era (The Trash It Up/On the Beach era usually gets
short shrift, and I am one of the few diehards who actually
heard a lot of good and interesting things out of that era). Do
you have a period or sound that is your personal favorite. Why?
For the week of April 22, 2007
Hey Southside,
For the week of April 15, 2007
On YouTube, there is some cool footage of you
and Bruce playing in Cleveland. Is there any chance you guys
could dig up some videos and put together a DVD?
For the week of April 8, 2007
Every year I get upset when they announce the
rock and roll hall of fame entrants, but nothing as bad as this
year. Grandmaster Flash, REM, Patti Smith. Are you kidding me?
Who are these 600 industry experts who ignore you every year and
how can we kill them?
For the week of April 1, 2007
I'll be moving to Vegas before long and was
wondering if you ever considered a stop over for two or three
nights of more fun on your way back from a West Coast trip?
Let's face it, Vegas is really a family destination with
something for everybody. Don't you think you could have some fun
riding the roller coaster at New York, New York after the show?
For the week of March 25, 2007
Johnny, with all due respect to the recently
departed Mr. James Brown, aren't you really the "Hardest Working
Man in Show business?"
For the week of March 18, 2007
I've loved your music since the release of
your first album and have always caught you whenever you played
around Washington, D.C. I'd like to know how it came to pass
that two music greats, Ronnie Spector and Lee Dorsey, came to
appear on your first album? What was it like to work with them?
For the week of March 11, 2007
I love your music and especially your
concerts. I have seen you sing when you are happy and sad, but
thru all the shows I have never heard you sing "Light Don't
Shine." I know its kind of a sad song, but it makes me reflect
when I hear it. 1) Why don't you ever sing it? 2) What mood were
you in when you wrote it? I will see you along the way, your pal
Max
For the week of March 4, 2007
Hey South, any chance the Jukes will record on
Steve Van Zandt's Wicked Cool label? Maybe contribute material
for one of "The Coolest Songs in the World" compilations??
For the week of February 25, 2007
Dear Southside,
For the week of February 18, 2007
Hey Johnny,
* We do put up every question that Johnny answers in the order that they are received from the man himself. So no one is left out and there is no particular order/preference as to which questions are posted from week to week.
For the week of February 11, 2007
Do you or have you ever suffered from stage
fright? If so how do you work around it? | |
This picture is from a softball game that
the Jukes played against Boz Scaggs and his band in
Cleveland in 1976. Who won? And what position did
you play?
got along with him and his band extremely well. I remember Steve Lukather and the Porcaro brothers who went on to form the band Asia, and a bunch of the other musicians, and Boz hissself, who was a smart open guy, but much too good looking. As it happened some of my guys and some of his were baseball fanatics, and would get out the gloves and a ball at every gig and have a toss around. When we got to L.A., it was decided to have a game. I think we had some ringers and I'm sure they did. Boz was a very good batsman, and I believe he pitched, also. I, due to an old shrapnel wound from Korea, was unable to display my baseballistic prowess, which wrung a moan of deep disappointment from the crowd, but nonetheless, a good time was had by all. As for winners and losers; true gentlemen of the road are not so crass as to keep score. We merely enjoy the moment and hope to leave a sweet memory behind. Oh, that's right; we were talking about baseball. Nevermind.