-
1 of 10
-
2 of 10
-
3 of 10
-
4 of 10
-
5 of 10
-
6 of 10
-
7 of 10
-
8 of 10
-
9 of 10
-
10 of 10
Jack Johnson
Archive
Comments
Story
In 1999, laid-back rapper G. Love gave laid-back surfer-singer
Jack Johnson his first break—he included Johnson’s
track “Rodeo Clowns” on the G. Love & Special Sauce
album “Philadelphonic.”
Five years later, Johnson is returning the favor—releasing
Love’s latest disc, “The Hustle,” on his own
label, Brushfire Records, and taking Love on the road for a
tour.
But Johnson isn’t about keeping score. “Really,
it’s as much a favor to me,” he said during a phone
interview from Lake Tahoe, Nev., the first stop of the tour.
“It’s a chance for me to hang out with my friends.
It’s fun for everybody.”
Also on the tour is fellow Brushfire artist Donavon Frankenreiter,
another pal whose album boasts guest spots from, yes, Johnson and
Love.
Indeed, it’s one big, happy, hippie family for Johnson and
friends. And it’s that laid-back sense of community that
turned Johnson into a surprising, beneath-the-radar success.
The Hawaii native, who took to surfing as a toddler, eventually
decided to make films about his beloved sport rather than
attempting a career as a pro surfer. On the side, he wrote simple,
acoustic tunes based in the blues and reggae—songs to sing
around the campfire each night—to accompany the surfing
films.
Tapes of Johnson’s music began circulating among surfers
worldwide. After Love’s “Rodeo Clowns” became a
minor hit, Johnson found he had a career as a musical
performer.
In 2001, Johnson released his breezy debut, “Brushfire
Fairytales,” which went on to top a million in sales. By the
time of last year’s follow-up “On and On,”
Johnson had formed his own label, distributed by Universal, and
started signing his buddies.
“I never dreamed of being a record-label guy—it just
sort of worked out that way,” Johnson said.
“It’s all just run by a group of friends. We have total
control over the whole creative side of things and Universal just
distributes what we give them. And on the promotion side,
it’s really easy. It’s just us going out and touring,
getting our crew together and goofing off.”
After the current tour wraps up, Johnson plans to start recording
his third studio album, due for release in the spring.
Johnson will also continue work on music for the big-screen version
of “Curious George,” due in 2006. In a bid to stay true
to the spirit of the books, the film will be animated by hand—as
opposed to computer—and stars Will Ferrell as the voice of
the Man in the Yellow Hat. As Curious George doesn’t speak,
Johnson’s songs will act as the monkey’s de facto
voice.
“It’s a challenge, because I’ve never had success
sitting down and trying to write a song,” said Johnson.
“It’s always just been more of a natural thing for me.
But this is a fun challenge, and since it’s a kids’
film, that makes it easier.”
The film’s producers have provided Johnson with
stripped-down, sketch-like, black-and-white animated scenes to
which he matches his music.
“It’s jumpy and raw,” he said. “It’s
really neat. I wish the (final) movie could come out like
that.”
It helps, too, that Johnson has a 6-month-old son who provides
plenty of inspiration.
“Oh man, I love hanging out with him,” said Johnson.
“He loves music. I put drumsticks in his hands and he sits
there, pounding on drums. I love to sit around and play goofy
little kid songs for him.”
Ross Raihala
Knight Ridder Newspapers