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100 Musicians Answer the Same 10 Questions

Part Fifty-Nine: Eric Johnson of Fruit Bats

instigated by dave heaton

I feel like the Fruit Bats are hugely popular, but are they? I'm not always up on what the kids are listening to these days. But they should be huge, as Eric Johnson's songs are not just catchy (though they are that), but also gently evocative, through well-crafted atmosphere and also lyrics that are never simple and always intriguing. There's two excellent Fruit Bats albums out on Sub Pop -- Mouthfuls (2003) and Spelled Out in Bones (2005) -- and an earlier one on Perishable called Echolocation (2001). Their music has more mystery to it than first meets the ear, yet is instantly pleasurable to listen to as well. Check out their website.

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What aspect of making music excites you the most right now?

I think I'm just sort of figuring out how to do it, so that's exciting. Although it was pretty fun when I was flying blind, too. What about making music isn't exciting? It's fun. If you'd told me this is what I'd be doing when I was a sullen teen, I wouldn't have believed it.

What aspect of making music gets you the most discouraged?

It gets discouraging when you realize you can't just sit down and do it any time. At least I can't. It's unpredictable for me. It could be three in the morning or during a sit down meal or while operating a back hoe. It's discouraging that I can't plan it out.

What are you up to right now, music-wise? (Current or upcoming recordings, tours, extravaganzas, experiments, top-secret projects, etc).

Writing new songs for the next Fruit Bats record, a real starts and stops sort've experience. But I'm rolling along at a good clip. I have a hundred year old piano now, and a WWII era Japanese ukulele, which are inspiring and informing me. No big tours planned, although I'm doing a mini-solo tour on the west coast with Vetiver.

What's the most unusual place you've ever played a show or made a recording? How did the qualities of that place affect the show/recording?

Fruit Bats once played a show at this old converted VFW hall type place in upstate New York. It had tile floors and drop ceilings and smelled like moldy plaster and canned foods. It doesn't sound that unusual, except the crowd was this mixed bag of people that ranged from five year old kids up to a few elderly people, mixed in with the usual Fruit Bats crowd of twenty and thirtysomethings. The whole experience was really cool and weird. It felt like we were doing a junior high musical program. There were cookies and other baked goods there, too.

In what ways does the place where you live (or places where you have lived), affect the music you create, or your taste in music?

When I lived in Chicago, I wrote longingly about escaping the big dirty confounding city and going to live in a green leafy place. Now that I live in Seattle, the greenest leafiest most outdoors-like city there is, I've been writing longingly about smokestacks and rust. It's all about the grass being greener on the other side for me.

When was the last time you wrote a song? What can you tell us about it?

Just a few days ago. But it's a secret.

As you create more music, do you find yourself getting more or less interested in seeking out and listening to new music made by other people...and why do you think that is?

Good question. Yes, my interest in new music has waned, although it was never very big to begin with. I'd much rather read Sports Illustrated or National Geographic (both of which I subscribe to) than Magnet or SPIN (both fine publications nonetheless). I don't want to know what's going on in the music world of today. There's a myriad of reasons why. My answer to why would be novel sized.

Lately what musical periods or styles do you find yourself most drawn to as a listener? (Old or new music? Music like yours or different from yours?)

Bands/artists I unflinchingly love who I actively try to emulate: Incredible String Band, The Kinks, Love, The Band, Neil Young lots of other pastoral sixties and seventies shit that I adore...

Bands/artists I also love but sound nothing like (although nonetheless try to pick up sonic cues from occasionally): Fela Kuti, Jay-Z, Miles Davis, Candy Staton, Captain Beefheart, Animal Collective, Black Sabbath, the list goes on...

Name a band or musician, past or present, who you flat-out LOVE and think more people should be listening to. What's one of your all-time favorite recordings by this band/musician?

That's a toughie. I've been listening to the Incredible String Band a lot lately. They're one of those bands where every song on every record is great. 'The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion' is a great starting point, although I'm really digging into 'Wee Tam' right now. It's totally uncompromising yet beautiful music. Uncompromising even for Britain in the 60's.

What's the saddest song you've ever heard?

Hmmm. 'Here Comes a Regular' by the Replacements would probably be right up there.

To check out the rest of the Q&As, click here.


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