A Conversation with Jonatha Brooke (continued)

JB: And [Bob] Clearmountain, of course, made us sound way better than we deserved to. [Legendary American engineer, producer, and mixer. www.bobclearmountain.com]

PM: Yeah, well, that's him, right.

JB: What a master. And that was so fun.

PM: And you guys go back, right?

JB: We go back to 10 Cent Wings, which was the first thing he mixed for me.

PM: What kind of a guy is he?

JB: He's a doll. He's just the most unassuming, humble, lovely sweetheart hero, and fan.

PM: Really? With all he's done.

JB: I know. He's just a wicked normal lovely guy, and he's a genius.

PM: That's always so nice to hear about people that have done everything.

JB: When we made Steady Pull, I mean, the real crowning moment of making that record with him was the "I suck" episode, when we all came in and we were just feeling like crap. I thought I had a new song, but I wasn't sure of it. And I was in tears because I was so scared to sing it for anybody. And I'm crying, saying, "I really suck." And Bob says, "You suck? Jeez. I suck every day. I just totally suck." And then the guitar player, Val McCallum, who was there was like, "Are you kidding? What? Shut up, you guys. I suck. I totally suck. You want to talk about sucking? I can't even figure out these chords on this frickin song, Jonatha. That's how bad I suck." So it was just one of those crowning moments of like, "Oh, my God, Clearmountain has the 'I suck' factor also."

PM: Isn't that something?

JB: That made me feel so much better.

PM: That's a cool story.

JB: And I think that of all the people that I've met over the years who I most admire as musicians or really top people in their field, they're the ones who still have that doubt, they're still trying to get it right, and still are thinking, "Mmm, I suck."

PM: Yeah, if you don't have that, you--

JB: You're an idiot.

PM: --you've lost it. Yeah, you really have lost it.

[laughter]

PM: Oh, that's unbelievable. I spoke with my brother Billy in Germany this morning. [He toured with his friends The Hooters in Germany, sometimes as a roadie, sometimes opening the show, sometimes both. On many of those shows, Jonatha was the opening act.]

JB: What a doll. How is he?

PM: He's good. He's playing and writing, living outside Heidelberg. He sent fond regards your way. [www.billygoodman.com]

JB: Oh, that's sweet. Well, likewise, send them right back. That was a really fun summer.

PM: Yeah, he told me six different ways what an awesome chick you are.

JB: Ahh! I love that.

PM: I'm also friends with Dierk--

JB: The guitar tech!

PM: --the uber-roadie, yeah, right.

JB: He was great.

PM: Billy said he used to skip dinner every night so he could roadie your show instead.

JB: He was a doll. He was so nice to me.

PM: He's an awesome individual.

JB: Yep. So he's still doing it.

PM: Oh, yeah, and playing, too--well, I think currently he's shacking up with some supermodel in Tel Aviv, actually.

JB: Oh! [laughs] He definitely had that vibe.

PM: Oh, are you kidding me? He's the guy that goes to the Goth club, and just stands there with his arms folded while the girls fight over him. One of them eventually walks over and says, "So what's your story?" and after a pause he gives them the gutteral "Why do you want to know?"

[laughter]

PM: That's him.

JB: That's great.

PM: So what are you up to at the moment, career-wise, what's next?

JB: Well, it's the weirdest thing, but I have another new record that's finished.

PM: Wow.

JB: It's a studio record that I produced also with Clearmountain. And it rocks.

PM: Oh, let's hear about that.

JB: And coincidentally Eric Bazilian co-wrote four songs with me [Eric's one of the two songwriting icons of The Hooters, though all of them write very well. Eric and Rob Hyman have written many hits for themselves and other luminary artists, and both are respected producers as well.]

PM: Nice.

JB: And sang on two, which rocks.

PM: What an incredible talent he is.

JB: His craggy voice with my more pure voice is my favorite combination in the whole world right now.

PM: Right. Oh, I dig Eric's touch with music. He's special.

JB: Ah! He's really fun for me. I'm not really a co-writer, I'm just not good at it.

PM: Really?

JB: I'm kind of bossy and weird.

PM: It is a certain thing, co-writing.

JB: But he's the only guy I can actually co-write with because he's like in my brain, and I'm in his brain. And we can finish each other's sentences. And he dumbs me down, and I smart him up, it's a great symbiosis. You know what I mean?

PM: Yes, I do.

JB: Because he'll have a thousand ideas an hour.

PM: Oh, he's one of those guys...

JB: That's the beauty of Eric. But only a few are really keepers.

PM: Right.

JB: So I'll just be there like, "Nope, nope, nope, nope--oh, there you got something." And then he'll make me less precious and uptight.

PM: That's so interesting. I do love writing with those people who you just can't stop the ideas from flowing out of their mouth.

JB: Exactly.

PM: And you can say "No, no, no--yes, stop."

JB: Yeah, and they never get hurt feelings.

PM: And you have to say "stop talking, please."

[laughter]

PM: Otherwise they'll just keep going.

JB: Exactly.

PM: Wow. That's amazing.

JB: So that's really fun.

PM: And did he play on the record as well?

JB: He played on the record. I think he's on two songs playing. Oh, my God, the first song he's on, the one that is just the most off-the-hook out of this world--which is of course going to be a worldwide smash--

PM: Of course.

JB: --it's called "Careful What You Wish For."

PM: Mmm, great title.

JB: I mean, he's all over it. You'll hear it. It's got these gnarly super hero guitars and--

PM: Yeah, he's good at that.

JB: And that's the title of the record.

PM: So what's your timing on that? When do you want to come out with that?

JB: Well, that's coming out in January in Switzerland and Denmark and probably Germany, and then in March in the States through Ryko.

PM: So please think of us when you come out with that--

JB: Are you kidding?

PM: --because we want to review that and get all over it.

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