Jesus Jones
can be found at
www.jesusjones.com
and
www.MI5recordings.com
Jesus Jones is the band
responsible for the huge hit "Right Here, Right Now" back in 1991. The video
for this song was in heavy rotation on MTV, and it seemed whenever I watched
the tube I saw Jesus Jones. This was not a bad thing. I loved their song! It
was catchy, and made it to #2 on the American charts. One memory I have
involving "Right Here, Right Now" is a radio playing and a number of my friends
enjoying it along side me. One was a sixteen year old boy who usually blasted
Slayer and not much else. I remember thinking it was funny that even he liked
it! I only mention "Right Here, Right Now" because it's the song most people
knowthis band for; and yet Jesus Jones and Mike Edwards have a decade's worth
of history. If you'd like to catch up on what has (and is) happening with
JesusJones and Mike's new band,Yoshi, I suggest you visit
www.jesusjones.com whereyou can find their biography and also a free
book available for download.
The following is an interview I did with frontman, Mike Edwards. I hope you
enjoy it.
SHAUNA: Mike, aside from music, what have you been up to lately?
MIKE: If I'm honest, a very large amount of cycling: mountain bike racing, road
racing, amateur stages of the Tour de France, a couple of bike legs of the
Malibu triathlon - all that kind of thing and more. This year I'll be running
the London marathon in April, walking / running the Grand Canyon rim to rim in
a day (send a search party after two, please), the usual summer of
cycling and then the full triathlon in Malibi in September. Preparing for all
that kind of stuff takes a lot of non-music time.
SHAUNA: I just downloaded your book, "Death Threats From an Eight Year Old in
the Seychelles." I read the title was inspired from a letter you received after
you made a negative comment about the New Kids on the Block. Could you give
more details on that; and what's it like to receive a death threat from an
eight year old?
MIKE: It was such an offhand aside that I really can't remember what I said,
although I'm sure it was something I wouldn't feel proud of now. It was
definitely something more by way of conversation than a sermon from the mount,
and that's largely why it seemed so strange to get such a strong response. I
think for me it was evidence that we'd achieved a status whereby even trivial
small talk could be blown out of proportion. By 8 year olds.
SHAUNA: In your book you say you enjoy interviews, with the exception of the
top40 stations who constantly asked how you got your name. I can see how that
would get annoying. What are some of the more interesting experiences you've
had with the press, be it positive or negative?
MIKE: Undoubtedly our stock rose with a Texas Top 40 station when an
underwear-free woman got backstage and repeatedly gave me (and the station
manager beside me) a very close inspection of the full extent of her nudity.
I'd count that as a positive. On the other side, our agent told us in '93 that
the most important Alternative music paper here had made their sponsorship of
the UKs biggest festival (Glastonbury) dependent on Jesus Jones not performing.
There was the time when an English journalist and I were given a
not-quite-as-safe-as-planned tour of a very anti-British part of Belfast,
Northern Ireland by a woman currently serving jail time for terrorist offenses.
SHAUNA: A large percentage of the people who read this interview are musicians.
Based on the experiences you've had with success as well as struggling, what
advice would you give us?
MIKE: When I try and analyze
where it went right for us, I believe it was a combination of perseverance,
learning from our mistakes (the musical ones) and making sure we believed in
what we were playing totally.
SHAUNA: Which one of you is Jesus? (Just kidding.) Seriously, why don't you
tell us about the new album you'll be coming out with on Mi5 Records.
MIKE: This is a question I've always had difficulty with, in the same way that
whenever people say some other band "sound like Jesus Jones" and I just can't
hear it. I don't really know how to describe it but I know that this time out
there are no big principles involved, I'm just trying to add a twist to my
record collection, adding in the things that excite me currently, like UK
Garage, Drum 'n' Bass and Nu Metal. That said, writing is like your signature,
however you approach it, it's still pretty typically yours. Iain, the JJ
keyboard player says: "It's the sound of us not tryingtoo hard."
SHAUNA: Please tell us about your band Yoshi. How would you describe themusic
to someone who has never heard you?
MIKE: Ah, check the first sentence of the last paragraph! Yoshi is a lot more
mellow than JJ stuff, partly due to having a female singer, Arianne. There'sa
lot more of an R'n'B influence there, or at least there was starting to beuntil
we took a break while I concentrated on the new JJ stuff.
SHAUNA: Do you think you'll ever stop playing music?
MIKE: No, I really doubt it, I enjoy it and it costs me nothing so there's
every incentive to keep playing, none to stop. Besides, I've always had a plan
to be a 70 year old blues player, although if I get terminally ill or just
impatient I may reduce the age by 20 years.
SHAUNA: What are some of your interests and hobbies?
MIKE: I think the life I lead counts as both! I'd like to travel a lot more
despite the fact that I've done a fair amount of that already. South America
appeals, I have a strong interest in the Incan empire but as long as it's a
fairly arduous and remote trip I'm into it.
SHAUNA: Who is your favorite Beatle? ;)
MIKE: It was definitely Lennon (my all time favourite song is Dear Prudence)
but the more I discover about and listen to the both of them the more it swings
in Macca's favour.
SHAUNA: Out of all the musicians you've worked with, who are some of your
favorites?
MIKE: I really liked working with Traci Lords: it was good music to work on and
Traci herself was fun, self-effacing, strong minded and very talented, a
pleasure to work with. I've also worked with a friend of mine, a very famous
Japanese star called Hotei and it's always a pleasure to be with him, working
or not. Tony James, of Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik I think of as a
friend, a very interesting man.
SHAUNA: How do the American fans differ from those in other parts of the world?
MIKE: Not much, people tend to be the same pretty much all over, or at least
the ones into your music are. And there you were expecting me to say they're
the best in the world!
SHAUNA: What is your favorite Jesus Jones song?
MIKE: Hmmmm, that's tricky for me. Even before it was a single I felt very good
about "Right here...." "Idiot Stare" from Perverse I love and "Wishing it away"
from Already surprises me, pleasantly, that I wrote it. Most of Doubt and
Liquidiser I find hard to listen to now but I enjoy the later albums a lot
more.
SHAUNA: Do you have any favorite bands that are currently on the radio?
MIKE: Having just turned 16 again I can't help liking Slipknot and Limp Bizkit,
also Methods of Mayhem. Albums I've bought in the last couple of
weeks include True Steppers, Stephen Malkmus, Wu Tang Clan and Daft Punk. Sigur
Ros made a big impact on me last year as did The Junket, Grandaddy and 6 X 7.
I'm always buying compilations of Drum 'n' Bass (usually the Ram
Records ones) and UK Garage - I doubt the latter is on the radio over there
yet.
SHAUNA: If you had to choose an all-time favorite band, who would it be?
MIKE: AC/DC but only between 1976 and 1979. Close behind would be Sonic Youth,
the Beatles and the Aphex Twin.
SHAUNA: Do you know what happened to Satan Smith? :)
MIKE: Ha! I think the rumour of that tribute band died out before the band
could form.
SHAUNA: What is the one question you'd like an interviewer to ask you, butthey
never do?
MIKE: In the last 12 years I don't think any avenue has been unexplored.
Although in a few cases "Would you beat me to death ?" would have gone down
well.
SHAUNA: OK, here is your chance to plug anything you like. Where can we get
hold of your next releases, find news about you, etc.?
MIKE: Between www.jesusjones.com and
www.MI5recordings.com you'll find all the
Jesus Jones news you can handle!
SHAUNA: Any parting words?
MIKE: Something about the Red Sea ?...Nah, based on that it's definitely timeI
went.
SHAUNA: Thank you very much for the interview, Mike. It will appear at
IndependentArtistsCompany.com. We have several cool radio shows going there. I
will be hosting my own show soon, and I would like to contact you again in the
near future if that is all right.
MIKE: Most definitely, thank you.
-SHAUNA SKYE
http://www.mp3.com/shaunaskye