|
Tom: Morning. Welcome to Indianapolis. Sorry about the
weather.
Julian: That's OK. (laughs) That's OK. I brought a
friend along. This is Justin Clayton.
Bob: Justin...good to see ya.
Justin: How are you?
Julian: He's my main guitarist for 16 years now and has
played on the last four albums.
Tom: Last time you were here I saw you down at the ah
Bob: It was the Sports Center.
Tom: Yeah it was the Sports Center. They no longer do
concerts there, they now do them out at Deer Creek, but it was a great show.
Julian: Thank you!
Tom: Was that five years ago?
Bob: It might have been.
Tom: I had hair then (everyone laughs) so it was back
in the good old days, but those were different times. I want to ask...open
with a really stupid question. I read in the paper a couple weeks ago...
Julian: Yes...(laughs)
Tom: A friend of ours, Tim Allen has a new TV show on
called Home Improvement...
Julian: Oh no, I know where you're going...
Tom: He's like this handyman, he's a comedian and did
all this stuff. There's an article in the paper about real Hollywood and
rock 'n' roll handymen, carpenters and stuff and it said...one of the things
was "Julian Lennon lives in a fixer upper in Hollywood." Is that
true?
Julian: Yeah...
Tom: See, I am too.
Bob: I heard you bought - didn't you buy some unusual
home in the Hollywood Hills?
Julian: Well, yeah, that was a couple of years ago.
That was about three years ago. I bought what was a 2nd World War bunker.
It was actually - it had actually been converted into a house by the time I
bought it, but it still had sort of foot...sorry...12-inch thick concrete
walls which still had the mustard gas tubes.
Tom: Really?
Julian: Yeah it was pretty interesting.
Bob: Pretty good if you want to break up a party, huh?
Julian: (laughs) Oh yeah, no kidding, no kidding!
Tom: (laughs) Everybody out! So, but, you are, in
fact, a carpenter and stuff?
Julian: Well, I mean, I like to do the odd bits around
the house, you know. The painting, the fixing up one or two things...yeah,
sure.
Tom: I just wanted to stretch the credibility of USA
Today. He's got a new record out. Make up something about carpentry, we'll
put him in this week...you know, these publicity people.
Julian: Yeah, it surprised me.
Tom: So, it was a surprise for you, too.
Julian: Yeah, it was.
Tom: Julian Lennon is our guest, along with Justin and
you guys have your guitars. Do you want to start with something from the
record or do you want to play a tune live? What do you feel? Do you want to
rest for awhile and get your voice or...?
Julian: Let's talk for awhile... warm our throats up
just a little bit.
Bob: Let me ask you a question about the song
"Saltwater".
Julian: Yeah okay.
Bob: Is that Harrison playing lead guitar in there?
Julian: No...no...no. It was...
Bob: It sounds like Harrison's guitar it really does.
Julian: I know. I know! I originally wrote the guitar
solo and played it on the demo and Bob Ezrin, the producer, and I thought,
'Well, Why don't we get the real guy in to do it?' and we called George
and, unfortunately - I mean, we sent him the tapes over but at the time
that he was going to try and do it for us was the time that Eric Clapton's
kid died and so George was consoling Eric and it was a bit of a bad time
but he, nevertheless, did do a couple of - threw a couple of rifts in and
what we did was we got someone who was also a great guitar player, Steve
Hunter to...
Tom: One of the best.
Julian: ...to throw a mixture of George's solo and mine
together and that's the final thing that you hear.
Tom: While we're talking about that... why don't we
play that to them?
Bob: Do you guys want to sing that live?
Julian: Well, yeah, we'd like to do that live.
Tom: Let's play something from the album so people get
a taste of it. We're talking with Julian Lennon, along with Julian today,
Justin, one of his guitar players is here.
Bob: Can I play the title track Help Yourself?
Julian: Sure, absolutely.
Tom: The album, clearly called Help Yourself.
It's brand new. We just got it and we're just going to play something and
come back. These guys will do some stuff live.
Bob: This is Julian Lennon Help Yourself Q95.
Help Yourself
Bob: Q95 That's Julian Lennon, our guest this morning,
and Help Yourself title track to his album.
Tom: Ah - Julian Lennon is sitting next to us and
Justin
Bob: Clayton
Tom: Clayton, Justin Clayton
Bob: Not Justin and Clayton.
Tom: Not Justin and Clayton is also here with their
guitars. They're going to do something live for us in just a minute. So,
you're living in Los Angeles these days?
Julian: Yeah, for the time being.
Bob: A little crowded out there for me.
Julian: Well, it's not only crowded but, I mean, just
the air is quite - it's quite a sad situation to say the least.
Tom: You guys planning on going out on a tour?
Julian: Yeah, I mean, we're sort of tentatively talking
about spring time because we've been on this promotional tour for about two
and a half months already and we figure we'll go through Christmas and
probably through the New Year and possibly take a little time off and put a
band together and then hopefully get out there and play as many places for
as long as we can as long as the demand is there.
Tom: This is your third album?
Julian: Fourth...slap you!
Tom: OK... Go ahead... I'm your piano teacher, give me
a whack. (laughs) We're going to play some live stuff here and we'll play
some other stuff from the new album. You guys want to do one now?
Julian: Yeah, sure. Yeah we'll give you a...
Bob: By the way, who's Mr. Jordan?
Julian: Mr. Jordan? God, that's...I have to think about
four years ago now. He was a character in a film called Here Comes Mr.
Jordan which was an old black and white movie which Heaven Can Wait
was based on. Which was the guy....
Bob: That's right...wasn't it James Mason?
Julian: That's right..that's right....who helped this
guy who died before his time get back to earth in someone else's body to
continue and finish what he had to do.
Bob: I didn't know it came from a movie... just
wondering who Mr. Jordan was.
Julian: (laughs) That's OK.
Tom: What are we going to do here fellas?
Julian: We're going to do an edited version of Saltwater
Tom: Okay.
Julian: slightly edited... we don't have Steve Hunter
doing a solo in here right now! I always like to dedicate this to all the
people out there that are trying make this world a little better place for
themselves and everybody else to live in. Are you ready Justin? Are we in
tune as ever?
Julian and Justin play Saltwater
Bob: Great stuff. Beautiful song.
Tom: Beautiful. That was Julian Lennon live in the
studio along with Justin Clayton. Great guitar playing and background vocals
from Justin over in the corner. I know it's hard for you to sing before the
ten o'clock hour.
Julian: We get (laughs) very self-critical and a little
nervous at this time in the morning.
Bob: I would imagine.
Julian: But it's good to do it. It feels good to do it.
Tom: That was great. Great song. Just beautiful. I
guess, well, back home in England it's like what - just after 3:00, just
before 3:00 - so it's in the afternoon.
Bob: Yeah, but it's LA time it's 6:35.
Julian: Yeah LA time.
Tom: But you guys are doing a great job for this early
hour. It's fabulous. Julian Lennon is our guest so stick around.
Bob: It's 9:39.
Commercial Break
Bob: 9:43 at Q95. You're with Bob and Tom in the
morning.
Tom: Joining us in the studio Julian Lennon...
Julian: Hey hey hey!
Tom: ...along with Justin Clayton, a guitar player.
Justin, one of the many guitar players on Julian's new album, along with the
likes of who else? Steve Hunter, he counts for one, and can we play one of
the tunes that he's featured on or do you guys want to play another song
live? What's next? What should we do?
Julian: You want to hear one of yours Just, or one of
ours, should I say? Either Maybe I Was Wrong or Imaginary Lines?
Justin: Um...
Julian: Speak or forever hold your peace!
Tom: What's your favorite song on the album, Justin?
You were there when it was recorded.
Julian: Yeah, what's your favorite song, Just, for a
change?
Tom: Tell the boss man.
Justin: It's not one that...
Julian: Well, it doesn't matter. What's your
favorite...
Justin: Maybe, go on.
Julian: Maybe I Was Wrong.
Tom: Let's get back to square one here. We are
speaking with Julian Lennon, his fourth album?
Julian: Correct! Thank you very much!
Bob: I noticed you guys have a writing credit on the
Smithereens album...
Julian: That's right. That's right. Actually, Pat
DiNizio is an old friend, acquaintance, that I bumped into many a time on
the road and when I was writing in a little grey room he was in town and I
asked him whether he wanted to pop by and so the song we wrote originally
was for this album but it just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the
stuff, so a couple of weeks later when I was in London he called me up and
said 'Jules, Do you mind if we use the song we wrote?', and I said 'No,
of course not' and I thought 'Well, they're either going to use it
or they won't, you know, it's nice of them to ask' and then a week or
two later I was in the car fumbling through the radio stations in London
and there it was. I'm like, 'Yeah, that's great'. (Justin says
something in background) What? Get A Life. You want Get A Life
instead? Alright! (laughs)
Tom: I think he probably got the idea looking at our
board back there. It says to Chris Elliott from Get a Life, the actor
who's going to be in our show tomorrow.
Julian: We might as well dedicate to him! (laughs)
Bob: And also it's one of Tom's favorite phrases.
Tom: And Chris Elliott and I are losing our hair so
this all ties in this whole show makes sense.
Bob: Well, this is Get A Life. Julian Lennon
and Justin Clayton. Q95.
Get A Life
Bob: Q95 Julian Lennon Get A Life
Tom: I like that one.
Bob: I know you do.
Tom: It's one of my favorite themes, actually,
selected by Justin Clayton, a guitar player who's also here with us,
apparently his favorite on the album is that correct?
Justin: Yeah. One of them...
Tom: (to Justin) Are you freezing? Do you want a
jacket? You're over there...
Justin: No.
Julian: He always looks like that! (laughs)
Tom: Julian Lennon is also in the studio with us and
we've got his new album. They've already played a live tune. You guys want
to do one more?
Julian: Sure we'll do another one.
Bob: I listened to the album yesterday and the song Listen.
Julian: Yeah..
Bob: Who pissed you off? Pretty strong lyrics in
there, Bud.
Julian: (laughs) Well, That was actually the first song
written on the album. That's when I was still very miserable...
Bob: Yeah I guess.
Julian: ...and that was directed mainly at critics and
press and then secondly, at relationships.
Tom: And then mostly at morning disc jockeys Bob..
Bob: ..who ask stupid questions.
Tom: Julian Lennon's new album has just received a
stellar review in Rolling Stone magazine. So you're off to a good start in
terms of the reviewers anyway.
Julian: Yeah, I was finally glad to see that someone
was actually taking the time to sit down and listen to the album instead of
just a quick listen and a quick report, you know, so someone really sat
down and listened quite a few times.
Bob: Why all the sound effects? Just playing around?
Julian: Yeah, a bit of playing around. I've always
enjoyed atmospheric stuff, you know, and, obviously, Bob Ezrin's been into
that for years. It's something I've played around with at home many times
but never really done it on an album and the idea for the album was that -
what we were trying to establish was an album that reminded both of us of
the past before videos came into play where you could actually sit down and
turn off the phone, turn off the TV, and just go on your own little trip
through the album, you know, relating to it however which way you wanted.
Bob: Will you do a video?
Julian: Well yeah. I've already done three in fact. I
started - after the first video, I started to write the scripts myself
because ah the videos - the scripts that were coming in from other
directors just had no idea what the songs were about and their
interpretation was just completely left field and so I finally decided to
say well if anybody's going to do it on a visual level, a visual
interpretation, then mine would probably be the clearest and if anybody's
going to see a visual interpretation then at least it should be mine.
Tom: It was your idea after all.
Julian: Yeah, yeah, absolutely, because, I mean, so
many videos you see, I mean, there's absolutely no connection to the song
whatsoever.
Tom: In some cases that's good because some of the
songs are so bad.
Julian: (laughs) Very true. Very true.
Tom: Who really wants to see what Stevie Nicks had in
mind when she wrote the song...? No thanks Stevie. I'll just imagine it in
my headphones, thanks.
Bob: Let's do another live song here, guys.
Julian: OK - alright.
Bob: Your choice.
Tom: Julian Lennon and Justin Clayton on the guitars.
Julian: We're actually going to do something different
for a change. This is...
Justin: A country tune.
Julian: (laughs)...Yeah...Ready? (Julian and Justin
play a few chords) Well never mind!
Tom: Some Johnny Cash?...hey we're game. This is a
comedy show. You guys go for it.
Julian: We can do a Mark Cohen medley, the best of?
(laughs) Sorry... private joke.
Tom: Did you say Mark Cohen?
Julian: Mark Cohen medley... yes, right... greatest
hits... never mind!
Tom: I won't even ask.
Julian: No, no, don't. Ah this next one was actually
written before I went into my little grey room to demo for the album and it
was actually going to be on this album, only it didn't quite feel right for
this album. It was even, in a sense, a little more personal than some of
the stuff that's on the album and it will probably be on the next one with
a couple of others that didn't make it for the same reason and it's kind of
one off and this is a song about someone who I cared about and it's called Loving
Is Easy (When You Don't Count the Costs). Ready Just?
Julian and Justin perform Loving
Is Easy When You Don't Count The Costs
This song was NEVER released anywhere
Bob: Great song.
Tom: Julian Lennon and Justin Clayton, right here in
the studios of Q95 radio, here with Bob and Tom and can you guys stick
around for a few more minutes play a few more tunes?
Julian: Yeah.
Bob: Alright, we'll come back. It's 9:57.
Commercial Break
Tom: Joining us in the studio Julian Lennon is here
along with his guitarist Justin Clayton. Julian has a brand new album we've
heard a couple of cuts from it already. The guys have played a couple of
live cuts. They're just going to stick around a few more minutes, then they
have to run off to Cincinnati for a radio interview this afternoon and
you're eventually going back over to Europe. Do you find in your career,
have you been a larger star, if you will, or a bigger draw, what have you,
in certain countries?
Bob: Like more so Europe than America?
Julian: No, in fact, it's been more so America than
Europe, I mean, mainly because things have taken off for me a little sooner
over here, a little quicker, and therefore I've spent a lot more time
promoting it over here, so I really haven't sort of given Europe the
attention that I should have. But, with this album, as I've said, we've
been over there for two months and the results - pretty much doing the same
thing, whether it be TV and radio as well - and the results have been
fantastic. We've ended up being pretty much top ten in most countries
throughout Europe, so it works. It works getting out and saying 'Hello' to
people and playing for them, which is fantastic, you know, and we enjoy it,
too. It's better than just coming in and being that sort of 'celeb star'
that just sits there and interviews all day because that can get boring
after awhile, whereas this is a little more lighthearted, a little more fun
as well.
Tom: Sure. It's like when you watch the Johnny Carson
show and the big stars come on, the stand-up comedy guys, and they don't do
any stand-up comedy. They just say 'Hi, Johnny', sit on the couch and talk
to him instead of getting out there and actually working, so it's great that
you guys have your guitars and stuff with you.
Julian: Well, thank you.
Tom: Do you tour the whole world you know Australia...
?
Julian: We haven't been over there yet. It's trying to
find time to fit all this in. There's a lot of places to go, you know.
Australia is definitely on the map, yes. I mean we've toured there in the
past.
Tom: Have your earlier albums done well there?
Julian: Yeah, we got number one with the last one in
Australia. So ah they're good fans over there, so we'll be back over there
when we finish doing what we have to over here.
Tom: Do you have a favorite on this record that we
haven't played yet?
Julian: My favorite is a slow ballad. I'm not sure
whether you're up for that this early.
Bob: We're always up for anything. A ballad...would
that be "Maybe I was wrong"?
Julian: No...
Tom: Do you want to play Listen, the angry
song...
Julian: We can play Listen, the angry song...
Tom: ...that Bob was talking about earlier?
Julian: Especially people sitting in their cars with
the snow and the traffic.
Bob: Yeah, there's traffic. They can probably relate
to this song.
Tom: It's not exactly 'Damn, this traffic jam' by
James Taylor. It's not sort of specifically oriented to traffic but we'll
kind of make that connection. Once again, you said earlier, this is a song
about anger and critics.
Julian: Yeah. This was directed at the press or people
that are just ignorant in life that they assume things about people before
they even know them, you know. It's a shame that people do that.
Bob: (to Tom) Yeah, like people would assume that
you're a dork.
Tom: Thanks.
Bob: Well, it's the shirt that gives it away.
Tom: They would assume I'm Hawaiian or blind!
Bob: Julian Lennon Q95.
Listen
Bob: Listen. 10:10 you're with Bob and Tom and
Julian Lennon and ah...
Tom: Anger... Julian Lennon is our guest and he's got
a brand new album out, just came out, and he's kind of hanging out, going
around the radio stations, saying hello, playing some tunes. Also joining us
in the studio Justin Clayton. From Julian Lennon's band. I noticed, looking
at your record, that almost all your songs you have co-writers.
Bob: Except for this last one Listen was all
you wrote.
Julian: Yeah it was all me yeah. Umm the reason being
for that is that some was out of desire and some was out of need because
this is the first album that I've started writing about other issues
besides from just relationships, you know, either being in love and happy
or lonely and depressed, so it was good to write with other people just to
get different perspectives on writing about other issues and it sort of
opened my mind to a different way of writing and thinking, in that respect.
Tom: Do you tend to write the lyrics?
Julian: Everything.
Tom: Do you have the last word on the lyrics?
Julian: I have the last word on everything, yeah, I
won't let anything go by without me being happy with it, that's for sure,
these days. These days.
Tom: Do you when you sit with someone do you tend to
find you are more involved in the music or the lyrics or does it all meld
into one?
Julian: Everything. Everything. 100% everything.
Tom: Okay. What albums do you listen to in your car or
driving to Cincinnati for another radio interview? Anything spark your fancy
recently?
Bob: Mark Cohen obviously!
Tom: Wasn't that a bit of a joke.
Julian: Umm... stuff that's out there lately... what I
listen to at home is pretty diverse. It ranges from classical to jazz,
stuff like Thelonious Monk, Keith Jarrett.
Bob: No favorite pop artists out right now or rock and
roll artists?
Julian: I like some of Seal's stuff, I like the Blue
Nile. I don't know if you're familiar with those guys.
Bob: That's a new one on me... Blue Nile.
Julian: They're a fantastic group. I heard them two
years ago and I finally got to do some co-writing with the singer of that
band. I thought they were the most emotional and sincere band I'd heard in
years, very sincere, a lot of ballads, but very incredible stuff so if
you're into that kind of thing the Blue Nile is a serious band to hear.
But, besides from that stuff, like the Police, The Pretenders, Steely Dan,
The Doobie Brothers, Led Zep... A whole mix in there.
Tom: You obviously listen to everything.
Julian: Yes, basically! (laughs)
Bob: Are you guys travelling in a bus or just...
Julian: Just a little van.
Tom: So you can't watch videos. I'm thinking of a
video review...
Julian: No, no... unfortunately not, no.
Tom: ...because the guys that are in the buses always
have four or five videos they watch endlessly. They've watched Spinal Tap
for the 8000th time.
Julian: No. That's the real touring mode of travel.
We're just in the vans at the moment with the gear stuffed in the back.
Tom: Julian Lennon has been our guest. Thanks a lot
for coming by.
Julian: It's been a pleasure.
Tom: Thanks for playing the tunes and we'll be playing
the record. We heard just a few tunes from it this morning. It's out there
in the stores now so you can go check it out and has MTV - I never get a
chance to see MTV - has MTV picked up the video yet?
Julian: Yeah, they're well on top of it. They've been
very very supportive with us especially with this particular first single Saltwater.
We're in the Buzz Bin category. We were in stress rotation (laughs),
"stress rotation", but now we're in the Buzz Bin, so we're -
they're being very very good and helpful with us.
Tom: Ok, so you can look for it then. Is this the one
that you had some control over - this video?
Julian: Yeah, of course I had a lot of control over it.
This is not one that I scripted though, but nevertheless, it didn't go
without my approval, that's for sure.
Tom: Ok Julian Lennon has been our guest. We'll take a
short break and will come right back with chick magee for free.
Bob: Alright it is 10:14. Thanks again guys
Julian: Thank you. It's been a pleasure. Cheers.
Transcription by CJ Burianek
|
Help Yourself Info