HELL
TOM MAXWELL 1.12.09 – by Ron Solomon
PV: Tom, thanks so much for becoming a member of the =POPVIEWS= family! We are honored to have you!
TM: My pleasure!
PV: Firstly let me say how much I love "Samsara", I know you're working on a follow-up record, tell us a bit about it.
TM: Thank you. The working title is “ass over teacup.” Most of the songs were written in the last couple of years, when my life got turned upside down. My wife moved out and my son got diagnosed with leukemia, among other things. (Esten’s fine; in remission and ongoing treatment, so don’t worry!)
PV: Is it going to be a bit more rock n roll, or gonna have that stellar jazz Tom Maxwell touch on it?
TM: Well, both! It’s turning out to be (almost) a country record. There’s quite a bit of pedal steel. All of the songs have a strong Americana feel. There’s a lot of rockin’ on there too, in my own kind of idiosyncratic way. The engineer said one song sounds like “acoustic Replacements,” which is high praise. I think it’s shaping up to be the best thing I’ve ever done, but then again, I’m supposed to feel that way. It’s not a Zipper’s record.
PV: What was your first concert that you attended?
TM: I’d like to say someone cool, but in fact it was probably Elton John or Eric Clapton.
PV: Here's a question I know I shouldn't ask, as a journalist, but why are you so awesome???
TM: That’s a question best asked of yourself.
PV: What do you think is lacking in the world of singer/songwriting?
TM: I couldn’t answer that, without being thoroughly familiar with the world of singer/songwriting, which I’m not. I would guess that the world in general could use more love, forbearance and honesty.
PV: How does it feel to know that you were a HUGE part of one of the best, most influential, and innovative bands to ever grace god's green earth (of course I'm referring to Squirrel Nut Zippers)?
TM: Pride. I’m proud of that run—not puffed up about it. Lots of bands sold more records, or had more hits. But we made some good albums, played some good shows, and actually got some recognition. I was able to achieve a goal I set when I was fourteen. I mean, apart from getting laid. I feel good about that too.
PV: What do you miss about being in that band?
TM: The gravy. We had a very smooth touring machine—no schlepping—and it’s nice to do interviews and stuff. But on the whole, it was a mind-fuck, and I’m glad it’s in the rearview.
PV: What do you LEAST miss about being in that band?
TM: The mind-fuckery; the grind.
PV: Why do you think Katherine Whalen toured w/ Jimbo Mathus as Squirrel Nut Zippers, after writing such songs about him, which show him in a less than flattering light?
TM: Please ask Katharine. At the end of the day, we worked hard to build up a brand, and real life can suck. So I think it’s accurate to say that she was prepared to make whatever compromises were necessary to exploit the brand.
PV: Would you ever consider a sit-down with them, to try and sort out your differences (I have to ask this as all the fans would want me to do my part in trying to get you guys to reconcile in some way)
TM: Nope. It’s not a question of sorting out differences. It’s more a question of whether I’m the kind of person who attends his high school reunions, and I’m not. It’s hard for people on the outside to understand that bands usually don’t last, and it’s not a bad thing. I wished the Beatles had stuck it out, until experience showed me that they did, and I should just be grateful they managed to squeak out “Abbey Road.” You can have the most beautiful lamp in the world, but when the flame goes out it won’t be anything but ornament.
PV: So, I know you're in the studio right now, what is the atmosphere like in a "Tom Maxwell" studio session? I imagine lots of iced tea and a big front porch somewhere.
TM: No iced tea—Coffee. Doughnuts. Deep conversations, big laughs, inappropriate humor. Wine, beer, home cooking, cigarettes. A lot of “live” takes and fortuitous mistakes.
PV: This is more of a statement than question, but please send your son our love. How is he feeling as of late?
TM: I appreciate that. Honestly, he’s in great spirits and has lots of energy. But his blood cell counts are off, and we don’t know why. We do know that the leukemia has not returned. I’m taking him to clinic in the morning and we’ll see what happens. Things might be normal, or we could get some bad news. On the one hand, the chemo can cause other kinds of cancers. On the other, the longer these kids are in treatment, the slower their counts are to recover. So, I’m scared, and reminded that I walk a knife’s edge. Hopefully, this will be another bump in the road to full recovery. The odds of that are over 90%--it was 5% survivable when I was his age—and I cling to that, and his track record of bouncing back like a champ.
PV: Now I know that your music taste knows no bounds, but what have you been listening to LATELY?
TM: The album that’s caught my attention is called “Jazz På Svenska” (Jazz in Swedish) by Jan Johansson, released in 1964. He was a Swedish jazz pianist, and arranged traditional Swedish folk songs for piano and string bass on that record. It’s simple, spare, exceedingly well-played, and embodies the Swedish word “vermod,” which means, I think, a kind of longing tinged with melancholy. He was killed in a car crash on the way to a gig in 1968. The album is revered in Sweden and Norway, and unknown in the States.
PV: What are the top 5 things you are truly passionate about?
TM: My kids, the fellowship of close friends, self-knowledge, whether the toilet paper is put on the “right”way—over and not under, and the teachings of the Buddha.
PV: What bands/artists would you be happy to see sent into space and never returned?
TM: None. It dawned on me long ago that, even if I don’t like someone’s music, I have a lot in common with them as a writer and player, and we could probably get on well having a beer together. I’m glad that there’s stuff that is not to my taste; it means there’s a nice broad spectrum of expression. I recently heard an interview with Enya—an artist whose stuff I’ll never buy—and she sounds like a lovely person. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, artists can do what they like, as it neither breaks my leg nor empties my bank account.
PV: Are you as psyched about our president elect as I am?
TM: Big time. He’s got a hell of a mess to clean up, and things will get worse before they get better. But there’s been a fundamental change: we’ve walked the walk. When kids were told that they could grow up to be anything, even president, it wasn’t really true. Now it is, and future generations will take for granted what so many worked (and died) to achieve. It’s a huge deal, and hard to fully grasp.
PV: What is something that is most commonly MISUNDERSTOOD about you?
TM: I don’t know, or particularly care, how I’m perceived. Well, I do care, but not enough to conduct polls. Honestly, I don’t think I’m on many people’s radar anymore, and that’s as it should be. A very few will remember me as the dude who wrote “Hell,” and that ain’t bad.
PV: Can we listen to "Tenderness" and smoke a joint together some time? I have a feeling it'd be a spiritual experience, as I love that song!
TM: Yes, and no. I don’t smoke pot. I’m glad you love the song, though, and appreciate the sentiment!
PV: When was the last time you laughed until you cried?
TM: I think when I was on the phone with my former fiancée. We were looking at the Christmas cards on engrish.com, crying from laughing so hard.
PV: If you met Nina Simone before she passed, what would you guys have talk about?
TM: North Carolina, mostly. Getting out. Jazz and blues and breaking down musical barriers. I would want to tell her how much ass she kicked on her version of “I’ve Got It Bad, and That Ain’t Good.”
PV: It's 3am and your on tour in 1997, where is Ken Mosher?
TM: Back of the bus, holding court!
PV: What advice, if any, would you give to young fans who want to be a professional musician?
TM: Make sure the sharks are in the water, and not in your little lifeboat with your band mates. Persevere, don’t despair, and accept a life of meager income and great artistic reward. Read, and understand, every contract you sign, and don’t trade your magic beans for a cow.
PV: When Tom Maxwell is no more, what would you have liked your legacy to be?
TM: That I had the sense to better myself, and tried to treat everyone as equals. That I was a good dad.
PV: Thanks so much for hanging out with us, Tom. You're a gentleman and incredibly gracious!
TM: Thanks, Ron. Stay cool.
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