Puremusic.
Jill Sobule

A CONVERSATION WITH JILL SOBULE   (continued)

PM: To finish up the cowriters, who are Philip Galdston and James Mastro?

JS: James I wrote a song with on the last record. He was actually Richard's partner in The Bongos. His recently disbanded group was called The Health and Happiness, plus he's got this great music store called the Guitar Bar in Hoboken [NJ] which sells a lot of the great funky vintage stuff.

PM: I gotta check that out, I visit that area.

JS: The guy who manages me also manages Phil Galdston. I always write with friends. And Phil is a friend. But he's also one of those Pros, he's a PRO writer. He wrote, like, "Save the Best For Last" for Vanessa Williams. He comes from a whole different world, but he tries not to do all that Pro stuff when he writes with me. I think it's his opportunity to relax, and be weird. And what can you say, he owns two apartments in NYC, so there you go. His cowrites with me aren't paying the note.

PM: You're on the short list of the most gifted and hard working songwriters I've known. Has your catalog been covered much by other artists, or seen much action in the movies?

JS: I've had some movies. Mystery Men and Cats and Dogs, Harriet the Spy. I've been covered by some unlikely people. Remember the Mekons? One of the greatest punk bands ever. Sally Timms is the singer, and she did "Rock Me to Sleep." It's always been oddball artists. And I cowrote songs with friends that got on their records, like Swan Dive, or Richard Barone, or The Go-Gos, but it's always been with friends.

PM: What did you write with the Go-Gos?

JS: A great tune called "Daisy Chain." I wrote the music, it's like an "All the Young Dudes" kind of anthem. They wrote the words about the demise of the Go-Gos, it's really kind of great.

PM: You're as mighty a solo act as I think I've ever seen, and you've been known to bust out a few classic rock covers from time to time, right? What are some of your faves besides "All the Young Dudes"?

JS: Well, I was doing a version of "I Will Survive" for a long time, but then Cake put it on their record, which was a bummer. They used to come see me do it. But now I'm doing "Survivor" [Destiny's Child] and "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Doggy Dog. Yesterday in the studio we were playing "That's the Way (God Planned It)" which is pretty much the same chord progression as "All the Young Dudes."

PM: And I seem to recall you playing "Sister Christian" one night.

JS: Oh yeah, yeah.

PM: You've done more to popularize the now legendary Vagabond Travel Guitar than anybody else, I think. How about a few words on that axe, or its creator?

JS: Kevin Smith. He quit making them for a while, 'cause how can you keep up with bigger companies like Martin that made these crappy imitations? I think he's back to making these great, handmade little guitars.

PM: What pickup do you put in it?

JS: I put a Fishman pickup in it, but I also use this Demeter D.I. that I always take on the road with me. That combination was a happy accident. Kevin made me an electric guitar, a solid body version of the Vagabond, but it got stolen. I was really upset, I'd put all these Gretsch parts on it, and a Bigsby. It looked like a kid with braces.

PM: And it got stolen in the city?

JS: In Jamaica. [laughs]

PM: Too weird. So some Rastafarian is playing reggae on it.

JS: I guess…

PM: I know just a little about your stint on NPR as a topical songwriter. Is there a story there?

JS: What was great for me was having assignments, knowing that this had to be sung on the radio that day. I'd get the Post or the New York Times, and see something that had to be done right away.

PM: That's so unusual. How did the gig come about?

JS: I'd be singing on the radio, and have these topical or political songs anyway, so it grew out of that. And I've been doing this thing called The Spitfire Tour, which will probably pick up in the Spring again. I'm the only one that's playing music, a lot of it is Spoken Word. I did it with Jello Biafra, Michael Franti of Spearhead, the female head of PETA [People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals], Krist Novoselic of Nirvana, The Sierra Club… It's an offbeat College oriented opportunity to do the political stuff I like.  continue

print (PDF)       listen to clips       puremusic home

 

next back home listen archives