1 00:00:00,560 --> 00:00:03,880 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you're listening to Here's the Thing 2 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:10,719 Speaker 1: from My Heart. Radio must have some thought it's gonna 3 00:00:10,760 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: pull them through somehow. Why the Hotter than Hotter but 4 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:36,159 Speaker 1: the sisters of the Sister Fever. Jackson Brown released his 5 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,199 Speaker 1: self titled debut album, and This Song Rocked Me on 6 00:00:40,280 --> 00:00:44,479 Speaker 1: the Water in early two when he was just twenty 7 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:49,479 Speaker 1: three years old. At that point, he'd already been writing 8 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:53,680 Speaker 1: songs professionally for seven years. Part of that time he 9 00:00:53,760 --> 00:00:57,000 Speaker 1: spent in the heyday of New York City's folk scene. 10 00:00:57,400 --> 00:01:01,680 Speaker 1: He'd written songs for the likes of Joan Bayez, Linda Ronstadt, 11 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:07,720 Speaker 1: The Birds, Greg Allman, and Nico. In nine, Brown moved 12 00:01:07,760 --> 00:01:11,120 Speaker 1: back to Los Angeles and set his course to become 13 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:18,280 Speaker 1: one of the greatest singer songwriters of his generation, known 14 00:01:18,360 --> 00:01:23,000 Speaker 1: for his political activism and his honest, self reflective lyrics. 15 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:28,720 Speaker 1: Jackson Brown's fourteen studio albums have sold over eighteen million copies. 16 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:32,680 Speaker 1: Bruce Springsteen inducted him into the Rock and Roll Hall 17 00:01:32,720 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 1: of Fame in two thousand four. Jackson Brown comes from 18 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:41,839 Speaker 1: a family of musicians, journalists, and dreamers. His grandfather spent 19 00:01:41,920 --> 00:01:46,040 Speaker 1: a decade building a stone house in Highland Park, Los Angeles, 20 00:01:46,400 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 1: complete with a huge pipe organ in the basement. My 21 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:53,680 Speaker 1: father played organ in silent movies. Actually no, yeah, And 22 00:01:53,760 --> 00:01:55,760 Speaker 1: there was a pipe organ in the house that I 23 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,120 Speaker 1: grew up in. It was in the chapel and it 24 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 1: was built by the Angels Organ Company. I mean I 25 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:05,000 Speaker 1: personally broke the organ when I was a kid, because 26 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:08,160 Speaker 1: you could go behind the pipes and play around. It 27 00:02:08,200 --> 00:02:10,840 Speaker 1: was like a secret passageway. But I must have put 28 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:14,120 Speaker 1: my foot through something, a bellows or something. Your grandfather 29 00:02:14,240 --> 00:02:17,839 Speaker 1: and your father playing the organ, you broke the organ. YEA, 30 00:02:18,760 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: be very clear about now. You know I was reading 31 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,400 Speaker 1: about you. I mean, obviously I knew something about you, 32 00:02:24,440 --> 00:02:26,480 Speaker 1: and I knew a lot about the songs you've written, 33 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 1: but I didn't know about your earliest life where when 34 00:02:28,440 --> 00:02:30,960 Speaker 1: you were very young you left to go to New 35 00:02:31,040 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 1: York where you were right out of high school. Is 36 00:02:32,480 --> 00:02:35,600 Speaker 1: that correct? Yeah? Pretty much? Yeah, now we know why? 37 00:02:35,720 --> 00:02:37,799 Speaker 1: What was what was the calling to go to New York? 38 00:02:38,240 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: You know the music I was listening to was all 39 00:02:40,680 --> 00:02:44,440 Speaker 1: coming from Cambridge and Greenwich Village, you know, the folk 40 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: meccas where those two places on the East Coast, and 41 00:02:47,080 --> 00:02:51,359 Speaker 1: even though folk music was from all over the country, 42 00:02:51,480 --> 00:02:55,480 Speaker 1: the people who were doing it, we're coming out of 43 00:02:55,520 --> 00:02:58,080 Speaker 1: New York. And I would meet players that were playing 44 00:02:58,080 --> 00:03:00,000 Speaker 1: in say, Huntington's Beach, you know, and they were from 45 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:02,440 Speaker 1: New York. And I just wanted to go, but my 46 00:03:02,520 --> 00:03:04,760 Speaker 1: friends invited me to go to drive with him to 47 00:03:05,040 --> 00:03:07,360 Speaker 1: New York. It took us three and a quarter days. 48 00:03:07,480 --> 00:03:10,119 Speaker 1: We just drove straight from l A to New York 49 00:03:10,200 --> 00:03:13,000 Speaker 1: with three guys sharing the gas. And there I was 50 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:16,280 Speaker 1: in New York in the snow with my Penny loafers 51 00:03:16,280 --> 00:03:18,680 Speaker 1: and my T shirt. You know. It's like you're a 52 00:03:18,720 --> 00:03:22,280 Speaker 1: California by birth. Not really, I was born in Germany, 53 00:03:22,320 --> 00:03:26,800 Speaker 1: but my but yeah, my my grandfather came to California 54 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:28,959 Speaker 1: and when he was young, and so my family is 55 00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:32,000 Speaker 1: from California. You went from Germany to California when you 56 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,000 Speaker 1: were how old three. Who were some of the people 57 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: that were influences you in terms of folk music, Well, 58 00:03:38,080 --> 00:03:41,840 Speaker 1: Joan Bayez and then Bob Dylan, of course he played 59 00:03:41,840 --> 00:03:43,720 Speaker 1: a lot of folk music as well as you know, 60 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:46,720 Speaker 1: writing songs. And Kurnel Ray and Glover and they made 61 00:03:46,720 --> 00:03:49,440 Speaker 1: a record called Blues reckon Hollers and I like the blues. 62 00:03:49,480 --> 00:03:51,440 Speaker 1: I listened to a lot of blues records, and that's 63 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:53,640 Speaker 1: what I mean. Also, when I say folk music, I 64 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: mean folk, you know, country blues and Mississippi John Hurt, 65 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:59,920 Speaker 1: you know Doc Watson and all these, you know, both 66 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:04,400 Speaker 1: white and black country musicians. And when you went to 67 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:06,880 Speaker 1: New York, what was that like? Where did it start 68 00:04:06,920 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: for you? There? You we're writing music with who? And where? 69 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,680 Speaker 1: I was writing my own songs. But I wasn't really 70 00:04:13,720 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: writing with anybody there. I was there for I wasn't 71 00:04:16,320 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: there for very long. Three or four months, Tim Buckley 72 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:22,159 Speaker 1: was playing at this club in the village and he 73 00:04:22,240 --> 00:04:25,839 Speaker 1: was sort of sharing the bill with artists named Nko 74 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:28,719 Speaker 1: was and it was Andy Warhol's sort of barring that 75 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:32,039 Speaker 1: he's set up to, you know, do installations. And anyway, 76 00:04:32,080 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: Tim Tommy Niko was looking for a new company. So 77 00:04:34,120 --> 00:04:37,480 Speaker 1: I got the job doing that, except Andy didn't want 78 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,440 Speaker 1: it to seem like folk music, and they wanted her 79 00:04:40,520 --> 00:04:44,480 Speaker 1: to sing from inside of a plexiglass box. She didn't 80 00:04:44,520 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 1: want to do that. She was not really trying to 81 00:04:45,960 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 1: be a spectacle. She was trying to be a musician. 82 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: So anyway, that's really all that happened. I lived on 83 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:53,760 Speaker 1: the Lower East Side with a friend of mine that 84 00:04:53,920 --> 00:04:58,480 Speaker 1: was doing his conscious objector or alternate service by working 85 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:01,320 Speaker 1: in a head start. And uh we lived down like 86 00:05:01,400 --> 00:05:04,640 Speaker 1: Clinton and de Lancey and but uh, you know, I 87 00:05:04,720 --> 00:05:08,440 Speaker 1: was only there for a few months. Why it was 88 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:11,400 Speaker 1: New York. Note for you, I got kind of homesick. Yeah, 89 00:05:11,680 --> 00:05:14,080 Speaker 1: I've thought many times about what I might have done 90 00:05:14,080 --> 00:05:17,080 Speaker 1: had I stayed there. You know. One of the things 91 00:05:17,120 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: that happened was I got robbed buying clothes. I had 92 00:05:21,320 --> 00:05:22,920 Speaker 1: like been paid and I had a bunch of money 93 00:05:22,920 --> 00:05:25,159 Speaker 1: and I wanted to Actually it was a close store 94 00:05:25,200 --> 00:05:27,920 Speaker 1: that famously Bob Dylan had bought a lot of clothes 95 00:05:27,960 --> 00:05:30,400 Speaker 1: there and stuff. I went in this place, I left 96 00:05:30,400 --> 00:05:33,680 Speaker 1: my jacket hanging on a hook and the dressing room, 97 00:05:33,680 --> 00:05:35,120 Speaker 1: and I went to go pay for the clothes. I 98 00:05:35,160 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: bought him that my wallet was gone, and so I 99 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:40,760 Speaker 1: didn't buy the clothes, and I sort of went home penniless. 100 00:05:40,920 --> 00:05:43,479 Speaker 1: But about New York, it was interesting to me because 101 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:46,600 Speaker 1: people were friendly. I've been living in Orange County, where 102 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:48,960 Speaker 1: people were more less hostile to people that looked like me. 103 00:05:49,160 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: And if you were a freaking Orange County you had. 104 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:55,440 Speaker 1: It was hardcore. You had to be you know, committed, Yeah, 105 00:05:55,480 --> 00:05:59,880 Speaker 1: committed exactly. We're we're in Orange County. What town were you? Fuller? 106 00:06:00,400 --> 00:06:02,200 Speaker 1: But I lived all over Orange County because friends of 107 00:06:02,240 --> 00:06:03,920 Speaker 1: mine would get a house at the beach and they'd 108 00:06:03,960 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: be living in Huntington's or they'd be living in Newport. 109 00:06:07,040 --> 00:06:09,840 Speaker 1: There were a lot of freaks. Now, when you leave 110 00:06:09,920 --> 00:06:16,800 Speaker 1: New York, you go back to l a driven by work, music, opportunity, songwriting, 111 00:06:16,880 --> 00:06:18,839 Speaker 1: or you just want to go home. Well, I always 112 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:21,040 Speaker 1: wanted to record my songs. As a matter of fact, 113 00:06:21,720 --> 00:06:23,480 Speaker 1: one of the first things that happened when I got 114 00:06:23,480 --> 00:06:25,280 Speaker 1: back was I was asked by a friend of mine 115 00:06:25,279 --> 00:06:26,680 Speaker 1: who was in a band. There was a band that 116 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:29,520 Speaker 1: I hung around with a lot called the Gentle Soul, 117 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,440 Speaker 1: and I hung around on their house and everything was 118 00:06:32,480 --> 00:06:35,279 Speaker 1: so communal in those days. People just lived together a lot. 119 00:06:35,360 --> 00:06:38,760 Speaker 1: So anyway, I was invited to audition for that band, 120 00:06:38,760 --> 00:06:41,960 Speaker 1: and that's where I met Jesse Ed Davis, the great 121 00:06:41,960 --> 00:06:46,040 Speaker 1: guitar player who played on my first single, Doctor My Eyes. 122 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:48,840 Speaker 1: The audition didn't come to anything, and I didn't see 123 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: how it could because I didn't really know how to 124 00:06:51,240 --> 00:06:53,719 Speaker 1: be in a band. I wasn't in bands in high school. 125 00:06:53,720 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 1: I just you know, I was just a songwriter. The 126 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 1: other guy I met in that audition was Leroy Marinell, 127 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: who co wrote Where ofs of London Good and Want 128 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:05,839 Speaker 1: to Tell Later? So it is an interesting group of people, 129 00:07:05,880 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: but in the end none of us joined that band. 130 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:12,640 Speaker 1: Dctor my Eyes as your first single you record, and 131 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:17,600 Speaker 1: what's the path to writing songs? Because I'm assuming that 132 00:07:17,640 --> 00:07:21,000 Speaker 1: this a period of your young life before you become 133 00:07:21,040 --> 00:07:24,960 Speaker 1: the Jackson Brown. We all know you weren't performing and 134 00:07:24,960 --> 00:07:27,280 Speaker 1: you were only writing songs or you were doing both. 135 00:07:27,360 --> 00:07:31,520 Speaker 1: Oh No, I sang in clubs. Yeah, I sang my songs, 136 00:07:31,520 --> 00:07:34,800 Speaker 1: and I really I didn't sing so well. Even though 137 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:36,520 Speaker 1: I knew a lot of folks songs, I'm out of 138 00:07:36,520 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: sang them all the time. I sang blues and folks 139 00:07:39,520 --> 00:07:42,720 Speaker 1: songs and traditional songs, and especially learning guitar things like 140 00:07:42,800 --> 00:07:45,720 Speaker 1: Mississippi John Heard or Dave Van Rock guitar pieces or 141 00:07:45,760 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 1: Doc Watson. I mean, it was part a group of 142 00:07:47,880 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 1: people who were crazy about music, and that was the 143 00:07:50,240 --> 00:07:54,920 Speaker 1: thing that drove everything for me. But as far as playing, 144 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:57,160 Speaker 1: I guess I felt that I had the right to 145 00:07:57,160 --> 00:08:00,480 Speaker 1: sing these songs since I wrote them. Otherwise, who would 146 00:08:00,520 --> 00:08:02,440 Speaker 1: listen to me singing? As a man of fact, I 147 00:08:02,480 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 1: remember sitting up singing songs at a party and this 148 00:08:06,000 --> 00:08:08,240 Speaker 1: friend of mine, a good friend of mine, sort of 149 00:08:08,280 --> 00:08:11,400 Speaker 1: gently tried to tell me, Look, you know you play 150 00:08:11,480 --> 00:08:14,000 Speaker 1: really well, but you know you shouldn't. You shouldn't try 151 00:08:14,000 --> 00:08:20,360 Speaker 1: to sing. The record of the woman who told Jackson 152 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:23,080 Speaker 1: Brown I'd cool it on the singing front of the atwork. 153 00:08:23,400 --> 00:08:26,040 Speaker 1: Who wasn't that said that to Jackson Brown? Well, her 154 00:08:26,120 --> 00:08:28,480 Speaker 1: name was Ruth and Kendall ruth An. If you're out there, 155 00:08:28,600 --> 00:08:31,880 Speaker 1: we wanted to introduce you to Jackson Brown, who sold 156 00:08:31,920 --> 00:08:36,040 Speaker 1: eighteen million records singing. But anyway, Um, when you get 157 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:40,320 Speaker 1: back from New York, what's the gap between arriving back 158 00:08:40,360 --> 00:08:45,360 Speaker 1: in California wherever you are and dr my eyes gets pressed? 159 00:08:45,480 --> 00:08:48,880 Speaker 1: You go? You you make a record? Years? It was years? Yeah? 160 00:08:49,320 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 1: Was it really four or five years? Yeah? At the 161 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:55,000 Speaker 1: time it was, I was eighteen. So I made my 162 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:57,640 Speaker 1: first record when I was about twenty two, I guess. 163 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,640 Speaker 1: So it was about four years before I got anything going. 164 00:09:00,720 --> 00:09:02,400 Speaker 1: But I I'd go to the true Buddoor and I'd 165 00:09:02,400 --> 00:09:04,599 Speaker 1: sing on Monday nights in the open mic there, and 166 00:09:04,640 --> 00:09:07,400 Speaker 1: I would play in little clubs and the beach towns 167 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:09,559 Speaker 1: and I had so much time. It was fantastic. And 168 00:09:09,600 --> 00:09:11,280 Speaker 1: also I didn't even have a car for most of that. 169 00:09:11,320 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: I finally got a car when I was about twenty 170 00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:16,880 Speaker 1: or something, I don't know. I was living in Echo 171 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:21,080 Speaker 1: Park for a long time without a car, and my 172 00:09:21,120 --> 00:09:23,120 Speaker 1: best friend just finally got sick of driving there to 173 00:09:23,200 --> 00:09:25,280 Speaker 1: get me and bring me back to Hollywood. All I 174 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: did was play, and I kind of longed for that. 175 00:09:28,400 --> 00:09:31,760 Speaker 1: And how did Doctor my Eyes get made into a record? Well, 176 00:09:32,040 --> 00:09:34,800 Speaker 1: that was the one song I had written that was 177 00:09:34,840 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 1: probably up tempo enough and short enough and simple enough 178 00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:42,959 Speaker 1: to make it on the radio. And it was understood. 179 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:47,040 Speaker 1: I mean, at least I understood that it might not 180 00:09:47,200 --> 00:09:49,120 Speaker 1: be your best song that guts on the radio, but 181 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: if it was your shortest, fastest song, it might. Actually 182 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: they're really serious about that. Records had to be not 183 00:09:55,559 --> 00:09:58,280 Speaker 1: more than three minutes long better fact to fifty two 184 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:01,040 Speaker 1: was ideal, and how you say anything in two minutes? 185 00:10:01,080 --> 00:10:04,439 Speaker 1: But most of my songs were really long, five or 186 00:10:04,480 --> 00:10:06,840 Speaker 1: six minutes, and dr minus could be made into that 187 00:10:06,920 --> 00:10:09,600 Speaker 1: kind of a song, and it was you know, you 188 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:11,600 Speaker 1: were kind of obligated to try, but it never occurred 189 00:10:11,640 --> 00:10:13,400 Speaker 1: to me that it would actually work, that we'd get 190 00:10:13,400 --> 00:10:16,000 Speaker 1: on I'd get on the radio. So you took that 191 00:10:16,040 --> 00:10:18,439 Speaker 1: song to someone or someone heard you playing in the club. 192 00:10:18,640 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 1: Oh no, no, no, no, it was one of my 193 00:10:20,679 --> 00:10:23,080 Speaker 1: songs like early on, like for instance, like in New York, 194 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:25,360 Speaker 1: I was making demo. I had been signed to a 195 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:29,079 Speaker 1: publishing company in high school, so I was given five 196 00:10:29,440 --> 00:10:33,040 Speaker 1: advanced I was signed, well, I signed away half of 197 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:35,840 Speaker 1: the songs to a record company, Elector of Records had 198 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:38,800 Speaker 1: a publishing company called Nina Music. And my best friend 199 00:10:39,160 --> 00:10:41,240 Speaker 1: not only got signed to that publishing company but made 200 00:10:41,280 --> 00:10:43,439 Speaker 1: a record for Electra. So it was I was sort 201 00:10:43,480 --> 00:10:46,040 Speaker 1: of in line to maybe get recorded eventually, you know, 202 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:49,160 Speaker 1: if I things shaped up. So it's a long and 203 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:51,240 Speaker 1: winding road. But there was a record that got made 204 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:53,920 Speaker 1: at the Elector, but it it didn't wasn't any good 205 00:10:53,960 --> 00:10:57,720 Speaker 1: and didn't get released. So okay, so back to singing 206 00:10:57,720 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: out the Monday Night hoots at the True Boodoor. And uh, 207 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:05,719 Speaker 1: eventually I did start being managed by David Geffin, And 208 00:11:05,760 --> 00:11:07,559 Speaker 1: you want to know how that happened? And simply sent 209 00:11:07,679 --> 00:11:11,880 Speaker 1: him a recording and a photograph, and the recording was 210 00:11:11,920 --> 00:11:15,320 Speaker 1: of my song Jamaica Say you Will, and it was 211 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:18,479 Speaker 1: it was recording made in a kind of a publisher's 212 00:11:18,480 --> 00:11:21,800 Speaker 1: demo with Glenn Fry singing and playing guitar and me 213 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:25,120 Speaker 1: playing piano and John David South there playing the drums 214 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:27,679 Speaker 1: and singing, and those guys sang really great and that 215 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:30,720 Speaker 1: it sounded pretty good. And then eventually I called in 216 00:11:31,720 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 1: to see what was going on and I was invited 217 00:11:33,840 --> 00:11:36,520 Speaker 1: to come in and talk with David geffin And for 218 00:11:36,559 --> 00:11:39,880 Speaker 1: those who don't know, David Geffen managed Laura Niro, he 219 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:45,280 Speaker 1: managed christ By Sills and Nash, and his partner in 220 00:11:45,320 --> 00:11:48,600 Speaker 1: his management company managed Neil Young and Joni Mitchell. He's 221 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 1: really responsible for making songwriters sort of the focus of 222 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:56,079 Speaker 1: music and those at that time it was already happening, 223 00:11:56,120 --> 00:11:58,400 Speaker 1: but he was the one in the music business that said, look, 224 00:11:58,440 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 1: I think you know this is what really matters. So anyway, 225 00:12:02,400 --> 00:12:04,720 Speaker 1: so yeah, I met with him and he said, okay, 226 00:12:04,760 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: I'll manage you, and I was like, you will, so good. 227 00:12:08,160 --> 00:12:10,079 Speaker 1: Then he then really the next thing he said was 228 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:12,520 Speaker 1: you don't We're not in her, you know, well, you're 229 00:12:12,520 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 1: gonna work on your singing, and which I was, you know, 230 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:18,599 Speaker 1: I mean, it was pretty much. It was obvious that 231 00:12:18,720 --> 00:12:21,320 Speaker 1: I needed to get better, so I spent time doing that. 232 00:12:21,440 --> 00:12:24,240 Speaker 1: And also he he took me around to a lot 233 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:26,959 Speaker 1: of record companies. He took me to Elector, where I 234 00:12:26,960 --> 00:12:30,520 Speaker 1: had already been. It's hilarious because then I am sitting 235 00:12:30,559 --> 00:12:33,480 Speaker 1: in the office of Jack Holsman, whom I know, who 236 00:12:33,480 --> 00:12:36,520 Speaker 1: had already signed me to his label then and I had, 237 00:12:36,559 --> 00:12:39,040 Speaker 1: like you know, asked to be released after they didn't 238 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:42,200 Speaker 1: release the album. But I mean Jack Holsman, he owned 239 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:47,920 Speaker 1: the publishing company that owned my music Mina Nina Nina music. Well, 240 00:12:48,720 --> 00:12:51,560 Speaker 1: Geffen asked him too, and he did give me back 241 00:12:51,640 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 1: my publishing. Have you ever heard of such a thing? 242 00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: It was wild And to this day, I mean, I'm 243 00:12:57,320 --> 00:12:59,720 Speaker 1: indebted to him. And he he was a kind of 244 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:04,000 Speaker 1: as exceptional record man. Well, while he built that record 245 00:13:04,040 --> 00:13:07,679 Speaker 1: company on the back of a vespa, he literally recorded 246 00:13:07,720 --> 00:13:10,480 Speaker 1: the artist, he mastered the records, he pressed them, he 247 00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:11,920 Speaker 1: put him in a box on the back of his 248 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: vesp and he took him to the record stores all 249 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,240 Speaker 1: over Manhattan and he built elected records that way, and 250 00:13:17,240 --> 00:13:21,000 Speaker 1: he was very opinionated about everything music and especially but 251 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:23,800 Speaker 1: he was kind of a hero to me. And there 252 00:13:23,800 --> 00:13:25,679 Speaker 1: I was in his office and he didn't sign me. 253 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:29,880 Speaker 1: Then he Geffen walks in with me and he didn't 254 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: he didn't think I was there yet. But he also 255 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:33,920 Speaker 1: took me to see Clive Davis. He took me to 256 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 1: you know, he asked Ahmed Ard again to sign me, 257 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:38,600 Speaker 1: and none of these people couldn't. He decided to open 258 00:13:38,640 --> 00:13:42,800 Speaker 1: his own record company. And when you throughout your career, 259 00:13:43,760 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 1: when you're writing music, is there a kind of a 260 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:53,600 Speaker 1: a sense that there's a Jackson Brown sound now? If anything, 261 00:13:53,640 --> 00:13:55,760 Speaker 1: I thought I had some good songs and I was 262 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:58,520 Speaker 1: really just trying to learn to sing. And also I 263 00:13:58,600 --> 00:14:02,400 Speaker 1: had the great, great good fortune to make friends with 264 00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:05,880 Speaker 1: a drummer named Russell Kunkle. Russ was really cool and 265 00:14:05,920 --> 00:14:07,720 Speaker 1: he was people were nice to me. I mean, I 266 00:14:07,880 --> 00:14:10,600 Speaker 1: one time I ran into Jim Kelton, who was also 267 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:12,480 Speaker 1: very cool, and he was a drummer on a session 268 00:14:12,520 --> 00:14:14,680 Speaker 1: that they were doing, Johnny Rivers was recording one of 269 00:14:14,679 --> 00:14:17,520 Speaker 1: my songs, and they befriended me. They were very very kind. 270 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: So Russ said, just so you know, if when you 271 00:14:20,280 --> 00:14:22,400 Speaker 1: get ready to make your record whenever that is, I 272 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:23,920 Speaker 1: want to I want you to call me. I want 273 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:27,240 Speaker 1: to play on your record. So I did. I called 274 00:14:27,240 --> 00:14:29,400 Speaker 1: the people that I knew and who had been friendly 275 00:14:29,400 --> 00:14:31,720 Speaker 1: to me. And that's that's the amount. That's the degree 276 00:14:31,720 --> 00:14:34,360 Speaker 1: at which I strategized about anything. It's just like, call 277 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:36,960 Speaker 1: up some of you knows a good drummer, and you know, 278 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:38,720 Speaker 1: call a friend. I don't. I still don't know how 279 00:14:38,760 --> 00:14:41,120 Speaker 1: to call up somebody I don't know and asked if 280 00:14:41,160 --> 00:14:44,000 Speaker 1: we can make music together. I still don't. I don't 281 00:14:44,040 --> 00:14:46,320 Speaker 1: know how to do that. Who's Who's someone you wanted 282 00:14:46,360 --> 00:14:48,280 Speaker 1: to call? I'm happy to call them for you. By 283 00:14:48,280 --> 00:14:53,680 Speaker 1: the way, Hello, it's Alec Jackson's feeling a little uptight, 284 00:14:55,600 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 1: you said. Russ Kunkle. Russ Kunkle and lees Clara played 285 00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 1: on that record and they made sound really. I mean, 286 00:15:01,440 --> 00:15:04,640 Speaker 1: I listened to it the other day, and you know, 287 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:06,480 Speaker 1: I said, I spent years think it was kind of 288 00:15:06,560 --> 00:15:09,520 Speaker 1: rudimentary and that I was not much of a singer yet, 289 00:15:09,600 --> 00:15:12,400 Speaker 1: and I was. But really they really imbuted it with 290 00:15:12,440 --> 00:15:15,040 Speaker 1: a kind of confidence and a kind of they brought 291 00:15:15,080 --> 00:15:17,840 Speaker 1: the best out of the songs and when I hear 292 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:19,880 Speaker 1: it now, I think this is okay, this is pretty good. 293 00:15:19,920 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 1: A matter of fact, Dr Myers comes down, I think, well, 294 00:15:22,640 --> 00:15:25,800 Speaker 1: this is really good, and by standards that I didn't 295 00:15:25,800 --> 00:15:28,680 Speaker 1: even have at the time. I mean, there's this piano 296 00:15:28,800 --> 00:15:30,920 Speaker 1: part that starts the song that goes did und and 297 00:15:31,240 --> 00:15:33,720 Speaker 1: and and well when I wrote it, I just did 298 00:15:33,800 --> 00:15:38,000 Speaker 1: that through the whole song, and you it's like something 299 00:15:38,040 --> 00:15:41,080 Speaker 1: give me a bouncy seat. It was like that, kind 300 00:15:41,120 --> 00:15:42,800 Speaker 1: of just trying to give you the impression that they 301 00:15:42,800 --> 00:15:44,760 Speaker 1: were drums, you know. So when we got in the 302 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:46,760 Speaker 1: studio with the drummer and we said, well, we can't 303 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 1: do that, and which shall I do? And I just said, well, 304 00:15:48,520 --> 00:15:51,360 Speaker 1: I'll do like the Beatles, you know, bump bump, bump, 305 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:56,320 Speaker 1: bump bump, and you know, magically, the great musicians I had, 306 00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:59,800 Speaker 1: Russ and Lee just made it sound incredible. So did 307 00:15:59,800 --> 00:16:01,880 Speaker 1: the interesting and thinking about that song as it was 308 00:16:01,960 --> 00:16:06,080 Speaker 1: recorded with based in conga's not drums, and that the 309 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:08,040 Speaker 1: drums were over dubbed. And I don't know if anybody 310 00:16:08,160 --> 00:16:11,880 Speaker 1: listening knows what the difference would be, because mostly congas 311 00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:14,800 Speaker 1: get added to something in American music, sort of an 312 00:16:14,840 --> 00:16:19,200 Speaker 1: added element. Of percussion. But in fact, when there's a 313 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:21,760 Speaker 1: conga player in the band and things are based on 314 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:24,720 Speaker 1: that groove, when it's like taking it to the streets 315 00:16:24,880 --> 00:16:28,040 Speaker 1: or little feats, incredible songs, you know, like it makes 316 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:30,720 Speaker 1: a huge difference. It's built into the DNA of the 317 00:16:30,760 --> 00:16:32,960 Speaker 1: song that there's a swing. You know, Russell was playing 318 00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:37,040 Speaker 1: this gang to get them to take it to doom boom, 319 00:16:37,480 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 1: and it gives it this balance and this swing that 320 00:16:41,480 --> 00:16:44,400 Speaker 1: I think now is like I really value it. At 321 00:16:44,400 --> 00:16:46,080 Speaker 1: the time, I thought, well, we're doing the best we 322 00:16:46,120 --> 00:16:50,120 Speaker 1: can making this song. This a little bit, it's short. 323 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:52,320 Speaker 1: I mean, I didn't I didn't think it was my 324 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:54,440 Speaker 1: best song. Where do you think is your best song? 325 00:16:54,840 --> 00:16:57,520 Speaker 1: I'm sure it's impossible to pick one. Oh, well, what's 326 00:16:57,520 --> 00:16:59,160 Speaker 1: one that comes to mind? What's the song when you 327 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:01,080 Speaker 1: wrote the song? Well, we're gonna get back to I'm 328 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:02,880 Speaker 1: gonna I'm gonna go to another place, which is that 329 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,720 Speaker 1: because you do downplay you were singing early on, and 330 00:17:07,800 --> 00:17:09,600 Speaker 1: was there a period where I mean, and you're a 331 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:13,120 Speaker 1: famous singer, so if you're if you're insecure about your 332 00:17:13,200 --> 00:17:16,240 Speaker 1: singing in the early days, were there songs you wrote 333 00:17:16,240 --> 00:17:18,000 Speaker 1: where you said to yourself. I'm not gonna sing this, 334 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:19,760 Speaker 1: I'm gonna hand it to somebody else. Did you pass 335 00:17:19,800 --> 00:17:22,360 Speaker 1: it on to somebody else? Well, lots of people still 336 00:17:22,400 --> 00:17:24,320 Speaker 1: recorded my song before I did. But it wasn't that 337 00:17:24,400 --> 00:17:26,480 Speaker 1: I had passed them to him that they did me 338 00:17:26,520 --> 00:17:29,120 Speaker 1: a favorite by recording my songs. I mean, like Tom 339 00:17:29,200 --> 00:17:32,720 Speaker 1: Rush recorded a song of mine that I still haven't played. 340 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:34,920 Speaker 1: I I was a songwriter, and I wouldn't say I 341 00:17:34,960 --> 00:17:38,040 Speaker 1: was insecure. I just knew very well that I didn't 342 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:40,119 Speaker 1: sing well. Where there were some there were their songs 343 00:17:40,160 --> 00:17:44,520 Speaker 1: you wrote that you thought were better sung by someone else. Yeah, 344 00:17:44,560 --> 00:17:46,960 Speaker 1: that's always been the case, actually, you know, like Greg 345 00:17:46,960 --> 00:17:49,920 Speaker 1: Allman's version of These Days. I mean I recorded that 346 00:17:50,600 --> 00:17:52,520 Speaker 1: I didn't put on my first album, and I've almost 347 00:17:52,560 --> 00:17:55,800 Speaker 1: forgotten about the song, and he recorded it. But also 348 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:58,480 Speaker 1: I gotta say, like that song was recorded by Nico 349 00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,439 Speaker 1: before anybody else recorded it. And I played the guitar 350 00:18:01,480 --> 00:18:04,400 Speaker 1: part on her record, and she it was so unique, 351 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:07,439 Speaker 1: the sound of her voice and her accent, and the 352 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:10,240 Speaker 1: fact that in order her to sing the song and 353 00:18:10,280 --> 00:18:12,880 Speaker 1: for me to play how I played, I mean when 354 00:18:12,920 --> 00:18:14,639 Speaker 1: I wrote it, I had to play it way up 355 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: the neck and put a cape book on the guitar 356 00:18:16,600 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 1: so that it sounded very shiny, and the combination of 357 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:23,240 Speaker 1: that chiny guitar part and her wonderful deep voice and 358 00:18:23,480 --> 00:18:26,440 Speaker 1: her German accent, you know, it's a very iconic performance. 359 00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 1: And I think it's more famous, you know, for her, 360 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:31,920 Speaker 1: because of her than it is for me. And I've 361 00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,160 Speaker 1: a lot of people recorded, though, I mean Tom rushed, 362 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:37,800 Speaker 1: lots of people recorded these days, Glenn Campbell. And funny, 363 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:42,280 Speaker 1: when Glenn Campbell recorded, he basically recorded her version of it. 364 00:18:42,400 --> 00:18:46,160 Speaker 1: So you wanted other people to record your songs until 365 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:49,520 Speaker 1: you were similar to Carol King in that way. Yeah, 366 00:18:49,560 --> 00:18:52,399 Speaker 1: if I hear myself saying that I was similar to 367 00:18:52,400 --> 00:18:54,840 Speaker 1: Carol Kake, Carol King some of the greatest songs of 368 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:58,240 Speaker 1: all time when she was a housewife, you know. Yeah, 369 00:18:58,320 --> 00:19:01,239 Speaker 1: the songwriters wrote at home, you know. And when when 370 00:19:01,280 --> 00:19:03,800 Speaker 1: I met Carol, she told me, I get the kids 371 00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:05,639 Speaker 1: after school by nine o'clock and then I've got a 372 00:19:05,640 --> 00:19:08,040 Speaker 1: few hours to work because we're talking about work habits, 373 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:09,479 Speaker 1: you know, because I didn't have any, you know, at 374 00:19:09,480 --> 00:19:12,440 Speaker 1: that time. Her daughter was about sixteen, and she came 375 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:14,400 Speaker 1: in the room and you know, she's just dealing with 376 00:19:14,440 --> 00:19:16,720 Speaker 1: life the way everybody I mean, but that's that's what's 377 00:19:16,720 --> 00:19:19,879 Speaker 1: great about her music. It's about the fundamentals of life. 378 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:23,480 Speaker 1: You know. She was really a big deal to me. 379 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:27,200 Speaker 1: But then when she wanted to become a singer songwriter, 380 00:19:27,280 --> 00:19:30,439 Speaker 1: I think it's because James Taylor had really kind of 381 00:19:30,480 --> 00:19:34,119 Speaker 1: shown everyone and they were friends, you know, just she 382 00:19:34,160 --> 00:19:37,320 Speaker 1: really saw that you could you could actually be the 383 00:19:37,359 --> 00:19:39,600 Speaker 1: person who wrote the song singing this song, and that 384 00:19:39,680 --> 00:19:42,160 Speaker 1: was there was an added interest there. And I really 385 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,040 Speaker 1: believe that people should sing their own songs. I used 386 00:19:45,040 --> 00:19:48,040 Speaker 1: to sing Warren Zevon's songs before I got him recorded, 387 00:19:48,520 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 1: because I wanted people to hear the song. So I 388 00:19:50,400 --> 00:19:52,720 Speaker 1: would sing a Mohammed's radio. I would sing Warolves of 389 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,400 Speaker 1: London and my record come and saying well, Warolvers Londen, 390 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:57,399 Speaker 1: you're gonna record that right, like no, no, no no, I 391 00:19:57,440 --> 00:20:00,119 Speaker 1: want Warren to record that. You know the real do 392 00:20:02,840 --> 00:20:07,480 Speaker 1: Jackson Brown this song my Cleveland Heart is on his 393 00:20:07,560 --> 00:20:12,680 Speaker 1: new album Downhill from Everywhere. I'm gonna make a future 394 00:20:12,760 --> 00:20:21,800 Speaker 1: change we really were. I need somebody else who says 395 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:36,560 Speaker 1: to see me, we need I expect changes. Star well 396 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:44,680 Speaker 1: fun to get clean if you love conversations with pioneering 397 00:20:44,720 --> 00:20:47,919 Speaker 1: singer songwriters, be sure to check out my interview with 398 00:20:48,000 --> 00:20:51,560 Speaker 1: Carly Simon. A little over fifty years ago, a show 399 00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:55,680 Speaker 1: at the Troubadour changed her life. Three of us rehearsed 400 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:57,200 Speaker 1: in New York for three days, and then we went 401 00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,560 Speaker 1: out to l a And by that time, I'm hoped 402 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:05,720 Speaker 1: for Cats open for Cat six April six, and that 403 00:21:05,840 --> 00:21:08,359 Speaker 1: changed things for you. That was that. That was a 404 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:13,840 Speaker 1: convincing night. We played two shows every night and four 405 00:21:13,840 --> 00:21:17,359 Speaker 1: shows on the weekend. I met all all kinds of people. 406 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:22,320 Speaker 1: It was like the lights you were shining. I couldn't 407 00:21:22,440 --> 00:21:24,960 Speaker 1: say no at that point. And I and even though 408 00:21:25,119 --> 00:21:28,240 Speaker 1: I was suffering tremendous stage fright, I had various things 409 00:21:28,320 --> 00:21:32,800 Speaker 1: that tricked me out of being afraid. Here the rest 410 00:21:32,800 --> 00:21:36,000 Speaker 1: of my talk with Carly Simon at Here's the Thing 411 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:41,119 Speaker 1: dot Org. After the break, Jackson Brown talks about collaborating 412 00:21:41,440 --> 00:21:45,720 Speaker 1: with a new generation of singer songwriters like Phoebe Bridgers. 413 00:21:54,960 --> 00:21:57,840 Speaker 1: I'm Alec Baldwin and you were listening to Here's the 414 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:05,080 Speaker 1: Thing The singer steps from the beginning and to the 415 00:22:05,520 --> 00:22:15,320 Speaker 1: vanished into the air, trying to understand how our lives head, 416 00:22:15,640 --> 00:22:30,399 Speaker 1: let us look at hard. There was nobody at every 417 00:22:32,240 --> 00:22:46,200 Speaker 1: such an empty surprise long. This song, Late for the Sky, 418 00:22:46,880 --> 00:22:50,840 Speaker 1: is from Jackson Brown's third studio album of the same name, 419 00:22:50,960 --> 00:22:55,399 Speaker 1: released in nineteen seventy four. Jackson Brown is on tour 420 00:22:55,480 --> 00:22:59,480 Speaker 1: with James Taylor this summer. The pandemic delayed the release 421 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,800 Speaker 1: of his eightist album and tour. Jackson Brown contracted COVID 422 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:07,639 Speaker 1: in March of I got it at a show that 423 00:23:07,720 --> 00:23:11,720 Speaker 1: was being done. We're being very careful, trying to distance 424 00:23:11,760 --> 00:23:15,199 Speaker 1: and elbow bump and sanitized. And you got it and 425 00:23:15,280 --> 00:23:17,280 Speaker 1: I got it. How did you feel? What was it like? 426 00:23:17,880 --> 00:23:20,639 Speaker 1: It wasn't a very bad case. You know, I didn't 427 00:23:20,640 --> 00:23:22,920 Speaker 1: have any problem breathing and I was I felt well 428 00:23:22,960 --> 00:23:25,080 Speaker 1: again in a couple of weeks, so, and I could 429 00:23:25,080 --> 00:23:26,680 Speaker 1: tell I was going to get better. I just didn't 430 00:23:26,680 --> 00:23:29,680 Speaker 1: get that sick. And your son got it too, correct. Yeah. 431 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:31,959 Speaker 1: I came back from New York and we got together, 432 00:23:32,080 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 1: and of course my son and I hugged, and you know, 433 00:23:36,880 --> 00:23:40,360 Speaker 1: I can't be helped. But that's when everything everything shut down, 434 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:42,119 Speaker 1: and here we are still trying to get get it 435 00:23:42,160 --> 00:23:44,840 Speaker 1: back up and running it. It It looks it looks good now. 436 00:23:45,480 --> 00:23:49,200 Speaker 1: One of the songs on your new album, it's called 437 00:23:49,200 --> 00:23:51,840 Speaker 1: My Cleveland Heart, and I wanted you to talk about that, 438 00:23:51,880 --> 00:23:55,080 Speaker 1: about what what was the genesis of that song. Well, 439 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 1: I happened to be in Cleveland and driving by a 440 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:01,520 Speaker 1: Billings and what's that and they said that's Cleveland Heart 441 00:24:02,359 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 1: And I said, what's Cleveland Heart? And he said, well, 442 00:24:04,119 --> 00:24:06,960 Speaker 1: that's where they make the artificial hearts. And I thought, oh, 443 00:24:07,119 --> 00:24:10,639 Speaker 1: I could use one of those. Why do you feel 444 00:24:11,400 --> 00:24:16,040 Speaker 1: this this one heart? Yeah, just like one that doesn't break, 445 00:24:16,240 --> 00:24:20,320 Speaker 1: They don't ache, you know, they don't make mistakes, and um, 446 00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:22,800 Speaker 1: it's not they're not that much to the song. But 447 00:24:22,840 --> 00:24:25,480 Speaker 1: it was really fun to make a video of me 448 00:24:25,600 --> 00:24:28,680 Speaker 1: getting this artificial heart. And it's enormous too. It looks 449 00:24:28,920 --> 00:24:31,199 Speaker 1: made out of motorcycle parts and sort of put this 450 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:36,360 Speaker 1: thing in my chest. It's like, oh I but it's 451 00:24:36,359 --> 00:24:39,159 Speaker 1: satirical and surreal to and it was. It sort of 452 00:24:39,200 --> 00:24:43,280 Speaker 1: made a fun video because the doctors that are operating 453 00:24:43,280 --> 00:24:45,560 Speaker 1: on me, the actual players in my band I mean, 454 00:24:45,600 --> 00:24:48,800 Speaker 1: and then begin to play. The metaphors are are really 455 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:51,119 Speaker 1: abundant there, you know, I mean, they saved my life 456 00:24:51,119 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 1: every night. They saved my life on stage and in 457 00:24:54,000 --> 00:24:57,640 Speaker 1: a way they do like do a sort of heart transplant. 458 00:24:57,920 --> 00:25:00,560 Speaker 1: How did Phoebe Bridgers get to become person that's going 459 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:04,159 Speaker 1: to eat your heart? Well, that was just that was 460 00:25:04,240 --> 00:25:07,320 Speaker 1: very spontaneous. We didn't we didn't plan the video for 461 00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:09,320 Speaker 1: her eat my heart. It's just the way that happened 462 00:25:09,320 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: with I know Phoebe and I'm a huge fan of hers, 463 00:25:12,480 --> 00:25:14,560 Speaker 1: And as a matter of fact, one of the reasons 464 00:25:14,640 --> 00:25:16,399 Speaker 1: I picked that director was that she had worked with 465 00:25:16,400 --> 00:25:18,720 Speaker 1: Phoebe and I liked the video that they made. And 466 00:25:19,119 --> 00:25:21,000 Speaker 1: I had just been working with her because she invited 467 00:25:21,040 --> 00:25:23,879 Speaker 1: me to sing on her song Kyoto, an acoustic version 468 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: of that, and she invited me to sing on it. 469 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:28,840 Speaker 1: So I think somebody said, oh, you know, Phoebe could 470 00:25:28,840 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: be one of the nurses in this video and your surgery. 471 00:25:31,640 --> 00:25:33,560 Speaker 1: And I said, oh, yeah, great, let let's asked her 472 00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,040 Speaker 1: and she's that she was game. So once I knew 473 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:39,080 Speaker 1: that she was going to be a nurse, I thought, 474 00:25:39,160 --> 00:25:41,400 Speaker 1: you know, maybe, yeah, when they take my heart out, 475 00:25:42,040 --> 00:25:44,719 Speaker 1: maybe they can glory this, you know, maybe they can 476 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:46,840 Speaker 1: hand it to her and she could receive my heart. 477 00:25:48,160 --> 00:25:50,480 Speaker 1: And then it was somebody else who knows her quite well, 478 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:54,399 Speaker 1: who said yeah, and she eats it. It was her 479 00:25:54,480 --> 00:25:57,800 Speaker 1: producer Tony Bergh said, they're gonna handle the heart and 480 00:25:57,880 --> 00:25:59,760 Speaker 1: then she's off screen, but then they're gonna go back 481 00:25:59,800 --> 00:26:01,760 Speaker 1: to showing or just standing off to one side with 482 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:04,080 Speaker 1: my heart. And I thought, that's not real. That's what 483 00:26:04,320 --> 00:26:07,399 Speaker 1: they wouldn't do that, right. I was discussing with Tony 484 00:26:07,520 --> 00:26:12,240 Speaker 1: and he said, yeah, she eats it or she takes 485 00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:14,399 Speaker 1: a bite, you know. And apparently it's like, you know, 486 00:26:14,440 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 1: everybody thinks it's really kind of apropos of who Phoebe is. 487 00:26:18,080 --> 00:26:20,919 Speaker 1: She Phoebe is very Her songs are so dark. One 488 00:26:20,920 --> 00:26:23,920 Speaker 1: of the things I love about it about her music, 489 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,159 Speaker 1: you know. And so that's how that happened. And of 490 00:26:27,240 --> 00:26:30,240 Speaker 1: course that director is so great, her her use of 491 00:26:30,960 --> 00:26:34,200 Speaker 1: light and location. What is that director's name. Her name 492 00:26:34,320 --> 00:26:39,200 Speaker 1: is Alyssa torvin In. She also did a great video 493 00:26:39,280 --> 00:26:42,679 Speaker 1: with Pink But the album, the song is called Cleveland. 494 00:26:42,720 --> 00:26:45,399 Speaker 1: Heart of the album itself is called Downhill from Everywhere? 495 00:26:46,080 --> 00:26:48,640 Speaker 1: And what was the genesis of that? Are we downhill 496 00:26:48,720 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 1: now from everywhere? Well, the ocean is downhill from everywhere? 497 00:26:53,040 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 1: And everything in the song is something that winds up 498 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:59,000 Speaker 1: in the ocean. Plastic. It's actually about plastic that song. 499 00:26:59,600 --> 00:27:01,399 Speaker 1: I remember when I lived in l A. And of 500 00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:03,440 Speaker 1: course you'd see all the storm drains that said, you know, 501 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:07,399 Speaker 1: drains to the ocean, And I remember, forget the l 502 00:27:07,480 --> 00:27:10,720 Speaker 1: A Weekly talked about how twenty year veteran lifeguards in 503 00:27:10,800 --> 00:27:14,000 Speaker 1: the beach department there in Venice were contracting kidney cancer 504 00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:17,359 Speaker 1: from all of the pollutants in the bay. I worked 505 00:27:17,400 --> 00:27:20,239 Speaker 1: with heel the bay, the Bologna wet lands. They were 506 00:27:20,320 --> 00:27:23,600 Speaker 1: constantly breaching and having these blowouts and during storms and 507 00:27:24,040 --> 00:27:27,160 Speaker 1: all kinds of untreated sewage going into the bay. And yeah, 508 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:28,800 Speaker 1: and when it rains in l A, you gotta stay 509 00:27:28,800 --> 00:27:31,679 Speaker 1: out of the water because the runoff into the harbor 510 00:27:31,760 --> 00:27:35,120 Speaker 1: water marks it absolutely toxic. What I wanted to get 511 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:39,280 Speaker 1: to is your activism. I just recently they closed the 512 00:27:39,359 --> 00:27:43,760 Speaker 1: Indian Point reactor here, and I've worked to shut down 513 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:47,240 Speaker 1: utility reactors for probably run around twenty five years now 514 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:51,160 Speaker 1: with disparate groups. And you, of course had a very 515 00:27:51,320 --> 00:27:54,160 Speaker 1: very serious relationship with the anti nuclear movement. I believe 516 00:27:54,240 --> 00:27:57,240 Speaker 1: that three Mile Island happened in March of seventy nine. 517 00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:01,600 Speaker 1: You helped form Muse that same are, correct, Yeah, and 518 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:03,880 Speaker 1: then you perform at the No Nukes concert in September 519 00:28:03,960 --> 00:28:07,000 Speaker 1: of that same year. Correct, Yeah, we we had formed 520 00:28:07,080 --> 00:28:10,000 Speaker 1: Muse and we're planning the concert before Three Miles melted 521 00:28:10,080 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 1: down and before the release of that pivotal movie China Syndrome, right, 522 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,000 Speaker 1: really sort of went into the problems and in a 523 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:20,440 Speaker 1: feature film. So all that happened all at once, and 524 00:28:20,560 --> 00:28:23,320 Speaker 1: that gave a lot of currency and a lot of emphasis. 525 00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:25,359 Speaker 1: At what point in your life did you decide to 526 00:28:25,400 --> 00:28:28,400 Speaker 1: take that on. You're writing songs, things start to go well, 527 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:31,320 Speaker 1: David Geffen's representing it. When do you decide you wanted 528 00:28:31,320 --> 00:28:33,960 Speaker 1: to get active publicly? You know, I was raised in 529 00:28:34,040 --> 00:28:36,359 Speaker 1: the sixties, and so I was a member of Cores 530 00:28:36,359 --> 00:28:39,360 Speaker 1: of the Congress of Racial Equality, and I would i'd 531 00:28:39,800 --> 00:28:42,840 Speaker 1: take part in, you know, demonstrations. I didn't really have 532 00:28:42,960 --> 00:28:46,120 Speaker 1: songs about these things. You know, there was plenty of 533 00:28:46,200 --> 00:28:48,920 Speaker 1: movement songs. Actually, a lot of the songs that I 534 00:28:49,080 --> 00:28:51,520 Speaker 1: knew in the civil rights era were actually from the 535 00:28:51,760 --> 00:28:55,240 Speaker 1: labor movement in the thirties. So there's a lot in 536 00:28:55,320 --> 00:28:59,000 Speaker 1: the folk music that has a kind of activism component, 537 00:28:59,120 --> 00:29:02,680 Speaker 1: or it has a social consciousness component, and particularly the 538 00:29:02,800 --> 00:29:04,640 Speaker 1: early songs of Bob Dylan did so there was a 539 00:29:04,840 --> 00:29:08,520 Speaker 1: strong call to be involved, to do things that would 540 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:11,360 Speaker 1: move society in the right direction. And I think that we, 541 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:15,120 Speaker 1: like so many people, we assume that that was always happening, 542 00:29:15,200 --> 00:29:17,000 Speaker 1: and it was always going to happen, and that the 543 00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:19,360 Speaker 1: arc of justice and so on and all that was. 544 00:29:19,520 --> 00:29:22,080 Speaker 1: It was just an assured thing that we were moving forward. 545 00:29:22,520 --> 00:29:26,640 Speaker 1: Until you know, about five years ago, you didn't worry 546 00:29:26,680 --> 00:29:29,000 Speaker 1: it was going to hurt your career. No, no, And 547 00:29:29,040 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 1: I didn't really believe that it did. Although I think 548 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:33,920 Speaker 1: when you start writing songs about it, that's the question 549 00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:36,400 Speaker 1: whether or not people want to hear anti war songs 550 00:29:36,440 --> 00:29:39,840 Speaker 1: or they want to hear songs about nuclear power. It's like, 551 00:29:40,440 --> 00:29:45,960 Speaker 1: if people are averse to hearing, you know, about society's problems, 552 00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:47,280 Speaker 1: that they're not going to want to hear it in 553 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:49,800 Speaker 1: a song. I'm a songwriter, I talk about life. You know, 554 00:29:49,800 --> 00:29:51,960 Speaker 1: you want to talk about what's happening in the real world. 555 00:29:52,360 --> 00:29:55,280 Speaker 1: You can't just barricade yourself off in this entertainment land. 556 00:29:55,360 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 1: Like what's going on was like a huge surprise to everybody. 557 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,960 Speaker 1: The height of the Vietnam War, that like a singer 558 00:30:02,040 --> 00:30:03,800 Speaker 1: like Marvin Gay would come out with a song that 559 00:30:04,000 --> 00:30:06,280 Speaker 1: was considered a protest song. Berry Goorey didn't want to 560 00:30:06,320 --> 00:30:09,160 Speaker 1: release it, but it was it was too good, it 561 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,760 Speaker 1: was too true to be denied. And I think that 562 00:30:13,600 --> 00:30:17,080 Speaker 1: for that matter. John Lennon also, you know the height 563 00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:18,960 Speaker 1: of the Beatles, you know, as they broke up, he 564 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:23,920 Speaker 1: ban singing songs about his personal development. I mean, you know, 565 00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:26,800 Speaker 1: he famously went through the primal screen therapy and stuff, 566 00:30:26,800 --> 00:30:30,760 Speaker 1: but he began writing songs like mother, you had me, 567 00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:34,760 Speaker 1: but I didn't have you. You know, Father, you left me, 568 00:30:35,520 --> 00:30:38,920 Speaker 1: but I never left you. That was so powerful. That's 569 00:30:38,960 --> 00:30:42,280 Speaker 1: what songwriting was about from me. And I mean Bob 570 00:30:42,360 --> 00:30:46,080 Speaker 1: Dylan was you know, right at that sort of crux. 571 00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:49,040 Speaker 1: If every one of these moments when things doubled down 572 00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:51,080 Speaker 1: and people were singing about what was really going on 573 00:30:51,360 --> 00:30:53,560 Speaker 1: in the life and what was really going on in 574 00:30:53,640 --> 00:30:55,400 Speaker 1: the world, and all these people remind you is that 575 00:30:56,320 --> 00:30:58,280 Speaker 1: this music has been made all along. I mean there's 576 00:30:58,320 --> 00:31:01,000 Speaker 1: songs Woody got three songs, and Bob Dylan songs and 577 00:31:01,160 --> 00:31:04,560 Speaker 1: Pete Seegers songs, Joan Bias. This is a big part 578 00:31:04,640 --> 00:31:06,600 Speaker 1: of what music has always been. And it was only 579 00:31:06,680 --> 00:31:09,760 Speaker 1: in Hollywood that you were sort of told, don't try 580 00:31:09,880 --> 00:31:13,040 Speaker 1: to make any political points here. Maybe it's New York 581 00:31:13,080 --> 00:31:16,400 Speaker 1: to maybe simply the hierarchy, the financial hierarchy of the country, 582 00:31:17,000 --> 00:31:22,320 Speaker 1: you know, doesn't want anybody waking up. Singer, songwriter and 583 00:31:22,520 --> 00:31:27,520 Speaker 1: activist Jackson Brown. When we Return, Jackson Brown talks about 584 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:41,240 Speaker 1: the songs that still move him to tears. Follow here's 585 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:44,960 Speaker 1: the thing on the I Heart radio app, Apple Podcasts 586 00:31:45,200 --> 00:31:48,840 Speaker 1: or wherever you get your podcasts. While you're there, leave 587 00:31:48,960 --> 00:31:57,320 Speaker 1: us a review. I'm Alec Baldwin and you were listening 588 00:31:57,360 --> 00:32:26,200 Speaker 1: to hear the things. Running on Empty is the title 589 00:32:26,320 --> 00:32:31,400 Speaker 1: track to Jackson Brown's seven live album, recorded at the 590 00:32:31,480 --> 00:32:36,320 Speaker 1: Merryweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. Brown was part of 591 00:32:36,520 --> 00:32:40,040 Speaker 1: l A's Laurel Canyon music scene in the nineteen seventies. 592 00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:45,080 Speaker 1: Musicians like Joni Mitchell, Bonnie Rait, Crosby Stills, Nash and Young, 593 00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:48,760 Speaker 1: and the Eagles often dropped by each other's houses to 594 00:32:48,880 --> 00:32:53,040 Speaker 1: play music together. Brown still marvels at how he was 595 00:32:53,120 --> 00:32:57,360 Speaker 1: able to meet some of his heroes from the beginning. 596 00:32:57,560 --> 00:33:00,640 Speaker 1: I met people that I really had a huge admiration 597 00:33:01,240 --> 00:33:05,560 Speaker 1: for like David Crosby, you know, sang on my first album. 598 00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:07,880 Speaker 1: I mean he's sort of it's almost like being knighted 599 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:09,960 Speaker 1: or something, you know, Like he like he gave me 600 00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:13,040 Speaker 1: the accolade of being of singing Army down four or 601 00:33:13,040 --> 00:33:15,040 Speaker 1: five of my songs. And I really learned so much 602 00:33:15,080 --> 00:33:17,200 Speaker 1: of how to work, how to get what I get 603 00:33:17,280 --> 00:33:19,840 Speaker 1: in the studio from him. And there was a concert 604 00:33:19,880 --> 00:33:22,479 Speaker 1: I did one time where Crosby, Sils and Nash wear there, 605 00:33:22,520 --> 00:33:24,520 Speaker 1: but Neil wasn't there, and I was on stage that 606 00:33:24,560 --> 00:33:27,200 Speaker 1: there's a picture of me with Crossil, Nash and Brown. 607 00:33:27,280 --> 00:33:30,360 Speaker 1: It's like like I thought, well, that's wild, you know. 608 00:33:30,800 --> 00:33:32,680 Speaker 1: And it was a long time ago. But I gotta 609 00:33:32,720 --> 00:33:36,160 Speaker 1: say the people that I admire the most are people 610 00:33:36,240 --> 00:33:38,880 Speaker 1: I'm still very shy about and don't even know how 611 00:33:38,920 --> 00:33:43,680 Speaker 1: to overcome that my admiration enough to be really really 612 00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:46,440 Speaker 1: good friends with. I mean, I can't quite get over it, 613 00:33:46,680 --> 00:33:48,280 Speaker 1: you know, what they mean to me and what the 614 00:33:48,400 --> 00:33:51,800 Speaker 1: music meant to me. Springsteen inducted you into the Rock 615 00:33:51,840 --> 00:33:54,760 Speaker 1: and Roll Hall of Fame. M Is he a friend 616 00:33:54,800 --> 00:33:58,080 Speaker 1: of yours? And when you admire yeah yeah, yeah, And 617 00:33:58,160 --> 00:34:02,520 Speaker 1: he and we met We met at a gig that 618 00:34:02,640 --> 00:34:07,200 Speaker 1: we were both doing at Villanova, and he actually he 619 00:34:07,360 --> 00:34:11,239 Speaker 1: was opening from me, and I've never seen him. I 620 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:13,200 Speaker 1: had met him. We already knew each other because he 621 00:34:13,320 --> 00:34:16,239 Speaker 1: came into a guest set when I was playing acoustically 622 00:34:16,920 --> 00:34:19,080 Speaker 1: at this club called the Main Point in Philadelphia, and 623 00:34:19,160 --> 00:34:21,000 Speaker 1: so we knew each other, and I knew his music 624 00:34:21,120 --> 00:34:23,120 Speaker 1: and saw me that I was doing this gig with 625 00:34:23,320 --> 00:34:26,000 Speaker 1: Bruce and that he was you know that, I he said, 626 00:34:26,239 --> 00:34:29,160 Speaker 1: you're what you were, you were gonna follow Bruce. I 627 00:34:29,239 --> 00:34:30,800 Speaker 1: don't know, I don't think you should do that. It 628 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:32,840 Speaker 1: it really bothered me, pissed me off of it. What 629 00:34:32,880 --> 00:34:35,680 Speaker 1: do you mean, I'm like, But then I saw this 630 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:38,600 Speaker 1: show and it was really I mean, I saw what 631 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:41,960 Speaker 1: he was doing and it was just astounding. He's a 632 00:34:42,800 --> 00:34:45,880 Speaker 1: thing unto himself, and he amplified so much of what 633 00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:48,120 Speaker 1: he saw in rock and roll to a degree to 634 00:34:48,160 --> 00:34:50,919 Speaker 1: almost make it into another art form. But I gotta 635 00:34:50,920 --> 00:34:53,400 Speaker 1: say I feel quite apart from all of that. I mean, 636 00:34:53,440 --> 00:34:56,680 Speaker 1: I try to learn from everything that I that I love. 637 00:34:56,760 --> 00:34:58,680 Speaker 1: I try to take it in and learn part of 638 00:34:58,719 --> 00:35:00,600 Speaker 1: it or something how how to applies to what I 639 00:35:00,680 --> 00:35:02,800 Speaker 1: want to do. But I feel like what I do 640 00:35:02,960 --> 00:35:05,000 Speaker 1: is quite different. I mean, I'm always put together with 641 00:35:05,080 --> 00:35:06,919 Speaker 1: the Eagles, but when I think about it, we really 642 00:35:06,920 --> 00:35:10,080 Speaker 1: wrote about very different things. And for that matter, like 643 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:12,520 Speaker 1: take it easy as a very you know, it's a 644 00:35:12,560 --> 00:35:14,600 Speaker 1: song that I wrote with Glenn Fry, and so I'm 645 00:35:14,719 --> 00:35:17,840 Speaker 1: linked in that way forever and I'm very happy about it. 646 00:35:17,920 --> 00:35:20,560 Speaker 1: But it wouldn't have been that song if Glenn Fry 647 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:22,200 Speaker 1: had not done what he did. He wrote about what 648 00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:24,360 Speaker 1: he writes about. I write about what I write about, 649 00:35:24,440 --> 00:35:26,759 Speaker 1: and like standing on the corner in Windsory, Arizona, I 650 00:35:26,840 --> 00:35:30,080 Speaker 1: see an Indian guy. I see it, A tall Indian 651 00:35:30,120 --> 00:35:33,920 Speaker 1: guy with a white cowboy hat, you know, took hoise shirt, 652 00:35:34,440 --> 00:35:36,280 Speaker 1: standing on the corner, and I probably would have written 653 00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:39,520 Speaker 1: about him. Of course, Glenn said, you wrote about this 654 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:43,360 Speaker 1: a girl, my lord in a flatbed forward. Yeah, slowing 655 00:35:43,360 --> 00:35:46,040 Speaker 1: down to look at men, take a look at me. 656 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:50,560 Speaker 1: That's pure Glenn Fry. That's like, well, I've always said, 657 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:55,319 Speaker 1: you musicians have this beautiful reality. Music is so much 658 00:35:55,360 --> 00:35:58,160 Speaker 1: more powerful than film and television because you can consume 659 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:01,359 Speaker 1: it anywhere in the shower, while you're having sex, while 660 00:36:01,400 --> 00:36:03,320 Speaker 1: you're jogging, while you're in the car. Music is in 661 00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:05,239 Speaker 1: our lives in a way that you don't have to 662 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:07,600 Speaker 1: make that kind of appointment visually with movies and TV. 663 00:36:08,360 --> 00:36:10,400 Speaker 1: And how beautiful for you. You can just sit down 664 00:36:10,480 --> 00:36:12,759 Speaker 1: and write, and you can just sit down and play, 665 00:36:12,800 --> 00:36:15,480 Speaker 1: and it's all self generated. It's you. It comes from you, 666 00:36:16,440 --> 00:36:18,359 Speaker 1: and the and and and and the film business that's 667 00:36:18,440 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 1: so collaborative. But who's one example or more of someone 668 00:36:22,719 --> 00:36:24,560 Speaker 1: you always dreamed of working with and you wish you've 669 00:36:24,560 --> 00:36:25,960 Speaker 1: been able to work with them, that you just love 670 00:36:26,040 --> 00:36:29,839 Speaker 1: their music for many generations, Oh god, there are so many. 671 00:36:30,440 --> 00:36:33,080 Speaker 1: Singing with Phoebe Bridges was was a big deal for 672 00:36:33,160 --> 00:36:35,920 Speaker 1: me because I love somebody's I mean, maybe I'd like 673 00:36:36,040 --> 00:36:38,960 Speaker 1: to do something with Lucinda Williams. You know, she's one 674 00:36:39,000 --> 00:36:41,239 Speaker 1: of my favorites, and I don't know how she does 675 00:36:41,320 --> 00:36:44,080 Speaker 1: what she does. It's just so mysterious to me that 676 00:36:44,200 --> 00:36:47,000 Speaker 1: I can't figure out how I bring that to. You know, 677 00:36:47,200 --> 00:36:49,600 Speaker 1: bring that about, I guess you'd have to write a 678 00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:53,080 Speaker 1: song together or something. So being invited, you know, it's 679 00:36:53,080 --> 00:36:56,279 Speaker 1: almost the necessary component for me. So who do I 680 00:36:56,360 --> 00:36:59,719 Speaker 1: want to call me up and invite to sing with them? 681 00:36:59,760 --> 00:37:02,799 Speaker 1: Where write a song with Lucinda would be great. Uh. 682 00:37:03,920 --> 00:37:09,400 Speaker 1: You know, I love women writers, songwriters. I Sean Colvin, 683 00:37:09,640 --> 00:37:11,480 Speaker 1: but I don't think of it like that. I got 684 00:37:11,560 --> 00:37:14,640 Speaker 1: to play with some wonderful musicians this last weekend we 685 00:37:14,760 --> 00:37:20,320 Speaker 1: did a live stream event for organization called Plastic Pollution Coalition, 686 00:37:20,400 --> 00:37:23,759 Speaker 1: and the lineup it was everybody's sang one song by 687 00:37:23,840 --> 00:37:25,719 Speaker 1: themselves in one song with somebody else, but it was 688 00:37:26,520 --> 00:37:31,040 Speaker 1: Ben Harper, keV mo Mandy Moore, Taylor Goldsmith and and 689 00:37:31,200 --> 00:37:33,959 Speaker 1: are A George who's my god daughter, but it's also 690 00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:36,640 Speaker 1: who is like the singer and the great group The 691 00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:38,399 Speaker 1: Bird and the Bee, and she's been in a bunch 692 00:37:38,440 --> 00:37:39,960 Speaker 1: of bands and as an artist in her own right. 693 00:37:40,040 --> 00:37:44,919 Speaker 1: But also a group called the Watkins Family Hour, which 694 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:47,719 Speaker 1: are Sarah and Shawn Watkins, who I've played with before. 695 00:37:47,760 --> 00:37:49,560 Speaker 1: So I can't write name them, but I just to 696 00:37:49,680 --> 00:37:53,520 Speaker 1: show you, I mean, when stuff happens, it happens by accident. 697 00:37:53,560 --> 00:37:55,400 Speaker 1: It's almost got to be an accident. Like I told you, 698 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:57,680 Speaker 1: I can't call people to say I want to write 699 00:37:57,719 --> 00:37:59,480 Speaker 1: a song with you. A matter of fact, some of 700 00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:02,080 Speaker 1: those people have invited me to write a song with him, 701 00:38:02,080 --> 00:38:04,920 Speaker 1: and I don't know how to even I don't even 702 00:38:04,960 --> 00:38:07,400 Speaker 1: know why that I can accept that offer, you know, 703 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,160 Speaker 1: like I guess I want to give that phone call. 704 00:38:09,520 --> 00:38:11,200 Speaker 1: I want to see you at your house and someone 705 00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:13,239 Speaker 1: you love it in my own calls because you know something, man, 706 00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:16,120 Speaker 1: it's just time has come. The time has come for 707 00:38:16,200 --> 00:38:19,120 Speaker 1: you went. How to just do this? Man? We gotta 708 00:38:19,239 --> 00:38:21,520 Speaker 1: do this song. We you know, we talked about it 709 00:38:21,680 --> 00:38:25,080 Speaker 1: in London, we talked about it in Rio. I saw 710 00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:27,879 Speaker 1: you get at the airport in Miami and we talked 711 00:38:27,920 --> 00:38:30,080 Speaker 1: about it. And now the time has come for us 712 00:38:30,120 --> 00:38:32,680 Speaker 1: to do that song. And you're like, yeah, I'm gonna 713 00:38:32,680 --> 00:38:35,040 Speaker 1: call you back. I'll call you back tomorrow. I have 714 00:38:35,239 --> 00:38:40,840 Speaker 1: tremendous performance anxiety. You still do. Look Carol King and 715 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:42,920 Speaker 1: asked me to let's write, get together, write a song. 716 00:38:42,960 --> 00:38:46,200 Speaker 1: And she came over my house and we spent afternoon. 717 00:38:46,200 --> 00:38:47,920 Speaker 1: I made a tape of the thing, you know, and 718 00:38:48,040 --> 00:38:50,800 Speaker 1: we we started hitting an idea there and I'm that 719 00:38:51,040 --> 00:38:53,520 Speaker 1: was like thirty years ago. I'm still working on that song. 720 00:38:54,040 --> 00:38:57,520 Speaker 1: I always tell them, Look, I'm the slowest writer you ever. 721 00:38:57,760 --> 00:38:59,799 Speaker 1: You know, we're gonna say that. Thank you for listening 722 00:38:59,840 --> 00:39:04,480 Speaker 1: to interview with Jackson Brown The slowest writer in rock 723 00:39:04,560 --> 00:39:07,200 Speaker 1: and roll history. Is there a song because your songs 724 00:39:07,200 --> 00:39:09,840 Speaker 1: are so emotional, some of them, they're very powerful emotionally, 725 00:39:10,360 --> 00:39:12,239 Speaker 1: And is there a song where when you play it 726 00:39:12,760 --> 00:39:18,360 Speaker 1: it still moves you. Well, honestly, this sound like bragging, 727 00:39:18,440 --> 00:39:20,839 Speaker 1: but they that's what they do to me. Not every 728 00:39:20,920 --> 00:39:22,680 Speaker 1: song is that kind of a song, but I mean, 729 00:39:22,680 --> 00:39:24,360 Speaker 1: there are a number of songs that do that to me. 730 00:39:24,480 --> 00:39:28,200 Speaker 1: And that's what I learned going out solo acoustic, was 731 00:39:28,280 --> 00:39:31,279 Speaker 1: that that's the only business I have being there is 732 00:39:31,320 --> 00:39:33,359 Speaker 1: that those This song still moved me. And it's real 733 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:36,480 Speaker 1: because you're pretty much naked when you're up there, just 734 00:39:36,640 --> 00:39:38,719 Speaker 1: by yourself. But I would say that there was a 735 00:39:38,800 --> 00:39:41,160 Speaker 1: song on my recent record that I was faving trouble 736 00:39:41,200 --> 00:39:43,800 Speaker 1: finishing because I kept crying as I was trying to. 737 00:39:44,760 --> 00:39:47,600 Speaker 1: I mean, there weren't even my lines. I was collaborating 738 00:39:47,640 --> 00:39:50,040 Speaker 1: with a guy on this song called Love is Love. 739 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:53,279 Speaker 1: It's a song that I wrote in Haiti, and we 740 00:39:53,400 --> 00:39:55,680 Speaker 1: were talking about this guy who is a priest that 741 00:39:55,840 --> 00:39:59,480 Speaker 1: has built schools and hospitals in Haiti and he rides 742 00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:01,680 Speaker 1: around on recycle and he's in this song and I 743 00:40:02,040 --> 00:40:04,400 Speaker 1: said that, I say, Rick writes a motorbike through the 744 00:40:04,520 --> 00:40:07,600 Speaker 1: worst slums of the city, and I and my friend 745 00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:10,040 Speaker 1: I said, well, how what would you say about Father Rick? 746 00:40:10,080 --> 00:40:13,080 Speaker 1: And he says, well, the father and the doctor to 747 00:40:13,239 --> 00:40:17,279 Speaker 1: the poorest of the poor. And for some reason that 748 00:40:17,440 --> 00:40:19,800 Speaker 1: just messed me up, because I've seen the work that 749 00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:21,480 Speaker 1: he's done, and I've seen the people that he helps 750 00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:24,800 Speaker 1: and ministers too, and it does now it gives me 751 00:40:24,920 --> 00:40:27,160 Speaker 1: chills to say those words, and I why wouldn't I 752 00:40:27,239 --> 00:40:30,200 Speaker 1: didn't write them that My my collaborator, David Bell, wrote 753 00:40:30,239 --> 00:40:32,680 Speaker 1: those words. But every time I'd sing that, I mean, 754 00:40:32,760 --> 00:40:35,400 Speaker 1: it had and I began laughing about it. But I'm 755 00:40:35,440 --> 00:40:36,880 Speaker 1: trying to finish the song. But this song has like 756 00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:39,759 Speaker 1: a very big SOB factor in it. I mean, he's 757 00:40:39,800 --> 00:40:42,520 Speaker 1: like messing me up to say these lines. There was 758 00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:44,440 Speaker 1: a line and Late for the Sky that did that 759 00:40:44,520 --> 00:40:46,520 Speaker 1: same thing when I wrote it. But by the time 760 00:40:46,560 --> 00:40:49,360 Speaker 1: it's a song, it doesn't make me cry. But you 761 00:40:49,440 --> 00:40:53,200 Speaker 1: know who does that? Like Bonnie Rate sings Love has 762 00:40:53,280 --> 00:40:57,040 Speaker 1: No Pride, and she would cry real tears all through 763 00:40:57,080 --> 00:40:59,160 Speaker 1: the song she liked. Just everybody cried. I mean it's 764 00:40:59,200 --> 00:41:01,000 Speaker 1: like that she was ding through. It was kind of 765 00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:03,640 Speaker 1: a miracle. But that just happens to her when she 766 00:41:03,680 --> 00:41:05,200 Speaker 1: sings that song. And I don't know how she can 767 00:41:05,280 --> 00:41:07,960 Speaker 1: sing a cry, but but she did. Also when we 768 00:41:08,040 --> 00:41:12,120 Speaker 1: were at the Hall of Fame Anniversary show and the 769 00:41:12,120 --> 00:41:14,440 Speaker 1: Cross Bustles and Nash hosted Bonnie and hosted me and 770 00:41:14,520 --> 00:41:17,160 Speaker 1: hosted James Taylor, She's sang Love has No Pride with 771 00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:20,400 Speaker 1: David and Graham and she she did it again. She 772 00:41:20,440 --> 00:41:23,280 Speaker 1: just brings it to that place where that song she inhabits. 773 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:25,680 Speaker 1: That song. It's so it's so real that, I mean, 774 00:41:25,760 --> 00:41:27,920 Speaker 1: she just comes to tears and brings so many of 775 00:41:27,960 --> 00:41:30,160 Speaker 1: the people to tears too. Are you know what song 776 00:41:30,280 --> 00:41:33,040 Speaker 1: you sing is so moving to me? I mean the 777 00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:34,560 Speaker 1: most I'm not gonna see it the most beautiful song. 778 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:36,360 Speaker 1: And you have a lot of beautiful songs, but I 779 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:39,759 Speaker 1: love Linda Paloma. That's a beautiful song. Wonderful, thank you. 780 00:41:40,239 --> 00:41:43,440 Speaker 1: What was the inspiration for that song? Well, I wrote 781 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:47,239 Speaker 1: that from my wife and my first wife, and we 782 00:41:47,600 --> 00:41:49,839 Speaker 1: we spent the whole first month we knew each other 783 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:53,759 Speaker 1: in Mexican restaurants, listening to mariachi music and drinking. They 784 00:41:53,800 --> 00:41:58,759 Speaker 1: would always play her this song Kuokoko La Paloma. So 785 00:41:58,880 --> 00:42:01,120 Speaker 1: I wanted to write her a Paloma song, you know, 786 00:42:01,440 --> 00:42:03,960 Speaker 1: and they would really sing to her. She was really 787 00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:06,560 Speaker 1: beautiful and she knew that song. But when I when 788 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:09,800 Speaker 1: I wrote it, of course it was some time after that, 789 00:42:09,920 --> 00:42:11,799 Speaker 1: but it was a tribute to her. Really, that's how 790 00:42:11,880 --> 00:42:14,840 Speaker 1: the song came about. Well listen, I'm glad you're healthy. 791 00:42:15,440 --> 00:42:17,439 Speaker 1: Best of luck on the tour with James Taylor. Although 792 00:42:17,480 --> 00:42:18,880 Speaker 1: you don't need luck when it's the two of you, 793 00:42:19,040 --> 00:42:20,919 Speaker 1: it sounds like a lock to me. It would be great. 794 00:42:21,440 --> 00:42:23,480 Speaker 1: And thank you so much for doing this with us. 795 00:42:23,640 --> 00:42:26,040 Speaker 1: Thanks for having me on. I really enjoyed talking with you. 796 00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:32,240 Speaker 1: Jackson Brown. This is Linda Paloma from his fourth album 797 00:42:32,360 --> 00:42:36,080 Speaker 1: The Pretender. I'm Alec Baldwin. Here's the thing has brought 798 00:42:36,120 --> 00:42:43,040 Speaker 1: to you by my Heart Radio. At the moment you 799 00:42:43,960 --> 00:43:06,919 Speaker 1: think you're darklas started, you were filled with man being love. 800 00:43:08,200 --> 00:43:16,080 Speaker 1: Scenes from the songs of Love. I was the Less 801 00:43:16,200 --> 00:43:28,080 Speaker 1: Sky and you were my Man down. And the music 802 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:33,040 Speaker 1: that played in your years goes a little bit fair 803 00:43:34,080 --> 00:43:45,759 Speaker 1: to each day. Can you find yourself looking se