Jeff interview - Staf Magazine (Spain)

MrsOakley

henchman wrote:

I just translated the questions about his new solo album. Sorry for my english, I know it sucks.

---

Q: What are you working on now?

A: I just finished recording some songs with my old hardcore band Deragned Diction. These are songs we wrote in the early 80’s but they were never recorded. Some of them are really good. Also to to be in the same room again with Rod, Bruce and Sergio was great. We are doing an album with these songs and some old ones we recorded in 1982 in Montana. I also just finished a solo album that should be out this summer.

(…)

Q: You used to have a side band called Three Fish but you have not released anything in 10 years. Do you still play together?

A: I still play with Richard, the drummer. He lives in Philly so he comes here twice a year and we play together my songs and his songs. In fact, I just finished 10 of those songs and I’m going to release an album though our fan club, probably in July. It’s going to be called aTONEment and it’s my first solo album, the one I talked to you before. We also recorded an album with Dug Pinnick from King’s X that we want to be out sometime next year.

Q: So the solo album ¿is it just something unique or do you want to have a solo career?

A: I have a few more songs more waiting to be finished, so this should be the beginning of something. I would love to do some more solo albums in the future.

Your English is GREAT, thanks for taking the time. Now come on, how many people must there be on this board who speak Spanish and English, come on people, we don't even have to bug the folks who live in Latino countries, THIS IS AMERICA, everyone take a a few questions until the whole thing is done, 'kay?? This is painful, why didn't he talk to an Italian magazine???

henchman

Thank you.

Yeah I thought that someone could translate it since a lot of people speaks spanish there in the US.

Maybe not many people has read the post. I should have called it "jeff's solo album !!!".

LukinFan

thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

I really hope that they come out soon and maybe even a tour!!!!!!!!

MrsOakley

henchman wrote:

Thank you.

Yeah I thought that someone could translate it since a lot of people speaks spanish there in the US.

Maybe not many people has read the post. I should have called it "jeff's solo album !!!".

Maybe you should have called it "Jeff Naked," that would have worked on me even faster!!

justam

henchman wrote:

Ignore if it has been posted before (I didn't find it). Very nice interview done before the US tour. It's in spanish only, sorry. Read it here:

http://www.stafmagazine.com/

Go to page number 74.

The most interesting info is that Jeff will release two albums soon, his first solo album and another one with his old hardcore band.

Wow. That's really interesting.

Not Paved

First off, and on behalf of all of us at this magazine, I must say that this is probably the most emotional interview we've ever done. So, first of all, thank you very much for making it possible Jeff. It means a lot to us. Having said that, how is everything?

It could not be better. Hanging out a lot with my friends, skating almost every day, planning a trip this summer to surf and relaxing a bit with my wife and my dogs.

Then there's a question about what keeps Jeff busy these days, which he responds to by talking about his Deranged Diction album (as nicely translated by [highlight]henchman[/highlight] above).

Because things have been more or less calm with Pearl Jam lately, yes?

Over the past two months we have been writing and rehearsing intermittently.

Well, within one month you are going to begin a tour of eleven American dates. Are you prepared to give it to those east coast skateparks?

There are a few that I look forward to trying out for the first time. One in Sarasota, Florida, another in Stamford, Connecticut, one in Nashville...

Because the truth is I don't know if everybody knows that besides playing bass, you've been skating and surfing, in fact even longer than you've been playing. How long exactly?

I started to skate for real in 1976. There was a deck that I cut myself into the shape of a Logan Earth Ski, with Road Rider Bennett 4 axles and wheels. Surfing did not begin until 1982, and since then I always escape a few days a year to catch waves. Obviously, I'm a much better skater that surfer, especially because I have always been, and remain, surrounded by land most of the time.

Basically, what's cool is the ramp, yes? On a skateboard, I mean.

Definitely, I prefer the round walls (?). Here in the northeastern United States, and particularly in Montana, there are many good skateparks. I'm lucky enough to remain healthy enough to skate all these new parks that are being built now.

And street skating? Because you have a few sidewalks there...

I used to skate as a means of transportation from about eighteen to twenty-six more or less, until 1989. I can't say I learned many street tricks. Slappys, some boneless (?) from a water fountain or a car, things like that. And today my ollie isn't worth shit. But I take my hat off to people who really know street skating, especially those with flow and style.

In one of the emails prior to this interview you told us that Algorta is one of your favorite spots in the world. Why?

Come on man, you know why. The site is incredible, and is built among the ruins of an ancient castle on the beach. The soil is brutal, the bowl is madness and there are a lot of small transitions. And best of all, the sea is right there nearby.

When did you discover it and what did you do there?

We played at a festival near there in 2006 and had a few days off in Bilbao. I skated and swam in the sea for three days, and every morning drank coffee in the museum and walked between Serra's sheet metal sculptures. Three basically perfect days that finished with a big concert.

In fact, your exact words in that email were "one of my dreams is to spend a summer in the Basque Country and surf, skate and drink the Spanish grape." The truth is that this isn't a difficult dream to accomplish. Why haven't you done it already?

Because in summer we are always too busy touring. Someday.

Still using tailor-made decks?

Sometimes I use decks that come straight from the factory (?) that I buy from my friends at Skaterbuilt or Deckcrafters, but usually I look for a form that I like and I ask Dave or Chuck if I can cut a few (?). Then I paint it myself and I sandpaper it to whatever design (?).

Does that reflect a lack of decks in stores that you like?

I have always painted my own decks. I suppose that it's my way of trying to separate myself a little and indulge in the artist and punk rocker side. I'm always looking for the perfect deck: aesthetically attractive, functional and lightweight. But now there are some good brands that make wide (?) decks, such as Skaterbuilt, Deckcrafters, Black Label and a handful of small companies.

That takes care of the first two columns. There is plenty more to go, but I'm not that interested in skating or comfortable with the lingo so my focus is waning. Oh, and I don't actually know Spanish very well. Maybe someone else can take over?...

MrsOakley

I wish my high school French was as sketchy as your high school Spanish...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!

And just for the record, I'll bet Jeff's ollie is absolutely PRICELESS!!

Not Paved

No no no, I didn't mean to take credit for translating this by hand -- online translation services do much of the work. I relied on my memory of Spanish only when trying to massage the output from broken English and occasional nonsense back to something comprehensible.

There's a lot more to the article. It's mostly just a pain retyping it into the translation forms, since you can't copy-paste from the original website's image-based format.

MrsOakley wrote:

I wish my high school French was as sketchy as your high school Spanish...THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS!

And just for the record, I'll bet Jeff's ollie is absolutely PRICELESS!!

MrsOakley

NotPaved wrote:

No no no, I didn't mean to take credit for translating this by hand -- online translation services do much of the work. I relied on my memory of Spanish only when trying to massage the output from broken English and occasional nonsense back to something comprehensible.

There's a lot more to the article. It's mostly just a pain retyping it into the translation forms, since you can't copy-paste from the original website's image-based format.

Then you get 10 times as much credit for going through all that trouble -- thanks again. I tried typing into Babelfish because of that damn copy paste thing, even tried saving the text as a Word document so I could cut and paste, and I'm telling you, I understand having to finesse, but the English translation came out sounding like the way I speak Spanish -- completely incomprehensible! What translation service did you use, I touch type, it may be easier for me...

Allie

I speak Spanish better than I can read it and I don't know every single word,
after the last persons' translation he talks about growing up in Big Sandy, MT,
and "now lives in between Seattle and Missoula, " and something about his internal rhythym" and preferring the tranquility of a small city"

and then there's a question about what is it like to live in Seattle now

and he says Seattle is incredible it's a great American city

and then it talks about losing Andy in Mother Love Bone, and then

they say it goes into talking about the Seattle bands,

and they ask about the Sonics....

Not Paved

Allie - Nice, thanks much for the summary!

Mrs Oakley - For what it's worth, I was using http://translate.google.com

Allie wrote:

I speak Spanish better than I can read it and I don't know every single word,
after the last persons' translation he talks about growing up in Big Sandy, MT,
and "now lives in between Seattle and Missoula, " and something about his internal rhythym" and preferring the tranquility of a small city"

and then there's a question about what is it like to live in Seattle now

and he says Seattle is incredible it's a great American city

and then it talks about losing Andy in Mother Love Bone, and then

they say it goes into talking about the Seattle bands,

and they ask about the Sonics....

MrsOakley

My turn, picking up verbatim from where NotPaved left off -- the summary is a big help, but I'm like Mikey, obsessive, yet tats are not my thing!

Q: If I’m not mistaken, it was your father who taught you to cut your first decks when you were a kid in Big Sandy, Montana. Endure much? (last two words, bad translation, but I like it!)

A: We made our first decks in 1976, before the laminates. We went down to the storeroom and took a big piece of oak or ash, and my father taught me how to use a band saw to cut a kicktail and paste it to the deck. I did all my favorite forms, copying the Logan Earth Ski and those of Sims. They were bullet-proof.

Q: Incidentally, I have taken a look at your hometown on Google Earth, it is really small and damn, less than a thousand inhabitants, right? Was it that small when you were growing up?

Big Sandy, Montana, was a great place to grow up. As soon as I learned how to ride a bike, I was running around all day with my friends to go to play ball or listen to music. It was a safe place and we had total freedom. Today things are different. Although the truth is that at fourteen I already started to wish I could move to California. My cousins lived there and I couldn't stop thinking about the lives they led, the beach, the skatepark and so many beautiful girls.

Q: Now you live between Seattle and Missoula, the city where you went to University a few years ago. That keeps you there yet…

A: When I spend too much time in the big city, I become a little crazy. My internal rhythm is that of a small town so I prefer the tranquility. I watchl ess TV, spend more time outdoors and usually I'm more happy.

Q: What’s it like to live now in Seattle? Is it still the vibrant city it was during the time of grunge?

A: Seattle is incredible. Now it is really a great American city, not the small town to which I moved in the early eighties. In a sense it's like any other big city, the same stores and the same problems. But most of my friends live here because I love being surrounded by my friends, and the mountains and the oceans.

Q: What do you think of when you think of the time of Mother Love Bone?

A: That Andy was incredible. That he and Stone helped me shape the little sense of humor I have, and among it all, we made a great record. (Cannot make sense of this next line to save my life…)

Q:At the time seemed that you people Soundgarden and Alice in chains, erais all as one big group, as if any of you could have ended up playing perfectly in any of these bands. Was it really the case?

A: When Green River separated, our little scene was divided into two, and Alice in Chains and Soundgarden were left on our side. We gave a lot of concerts together, we went out together at night, we went camping and we supported each other.

Q: A good example of this was Temple of the dog. Have you ever thought what your life would have been like if that group had become your band and Pearl Jam had never existed

A: At that point, I had already played a bit with Ed and I clearly knew that was our man. We both felt a great connection with the music and with each other. Temple was a great record, but largely it was Chris’ show. prefer being in a group like Pearl Jam.

Q: And isn’t it strange that Matt is in Pearl Jam after knowing you for so many years?

A: It was strange, but we knew that it was the right thing. Matt is one of the biggest human beings on this planet, and also one of the best drummers in the history of Seattle. I could not be more happy and more fortunate to be in his rhythm section.

Q: What was up with Nirvana?

I met Krist in the beginning when he worked as a roadie for the Melvins, but I never really knew Kurt before that time.

Speaking of Seattle, what's happening with the Supersonics?

A: (This part I have to paraphrase, I think Jeff says he saw it coming, gave up his season ticket and built the bowl that he has at home in Montana and started spending more time there,) "and is arguably one of the best decisions taken in my life. Especially now that they're moving to Oklahoma City next year.
In fact, I played a lot of basketball and continue to do so.

If I continue playing three days a week, more or less. I keet fit, and in contact with the group of friends with whom I have been playing over the last twenty years Shit, I am forty-five years old and still skating, surfing. I snowboard, wakeboard, do yoga and play basketball. (And I can't make head nor tails out of the translation of this last line, damn it, wish Jeff would learn to speak English!)
more tk as the day goes by...

MrsOakley

I thought people loved Jeff more than this -- not one bilingual sweetheart out there willing to pick up some of this slack? The translation thing is a gift, but I think NotPaved will agree with me that it's like tweezing a beard, tedious as hell and it hurts!!

Not Paved

But basketball isn't a typical rocker sport, wouldn't you say? (laughter)

I don't care. I've long since learned that being an artist means not having rules. We can ignore the stereotypes and do whatever we want.

Is it easy to find good surf spots in the Seattle area?

The truth is, not really. There are some good cold water spots about two hours away, but I'm partial to warm water so I don't go there much, especially since it's far. I could surf behind our boat on the lake in the summer. It's a fairly clever left half a meter more or less (?).

Earlier we were talking about Basque Country, have you tested some of its waves?

A few years ago I went splashing around a bit by Biarritz, and before that in San Sebastian and in a spot a little more north of Algorta, although I cannot say that I spent enough time at any of these sites to catch many waves. It seemed nice -- good people and precious spots. One day I'll return for a proper visit.

And, if Algorta is one of your favorite skateparks, where are your favorite waves in the world?

My best days in the water have been spent in Southern California, in Troncones, Mexico and Costa Rica. I also had a pretty good day in Tofino, on Vancouver Island.

Switching themes, are you designing or painting much lately?

Right now I'm working on the design of the discs we talked about earlier - the Deranged Diction disc and my solo record - and I'm always sketching ideas in my little notebook.

Throughout the years you've always contributed to the artwork for Pearl Jam albums. How does that work exactly?

Roughly half of Pearl Jam discs are based on my graphical ideas, and I also have a lot of photos, have designed logos, ideas for stickers, drawings for fan club singles, T-shirts and all that sort of thing that have come about along the way.

For awhile you've had a design studio called Ames Bros. with your brother Barry. Do you have the time to help out with that, or are you simply supporting the company financially?

At first the plan was that Barry and I were going to design and make art together. In due course we did some things, but the real engines of Ames Bros. have always been Barry and Cody. Have you seen the book of posters they've made? It's incredible.

Westernsky

MrsOakley wrote:

Q: What do you think of when you think of the time of Mother Love Bone?

A: That Andy was incredible. That he and Stone helped me shape the little sense of humor I have, and among it all, we made a great record. (Cannot make sense of this next line to save my life…)

Le sigo echando de menos, cuando murio me quede hecho polvo.

I still miss him, when he died I was crushed.

Not Paved

Besides art and design, are there other cultural things that you're interesting in talking about?

Above all art, music and anything having to do with skating culture. I also have a couple of architect friends, so now I look at buildings with a new interest.

At this point how is Pearl Jam as a band? I mean, do you have other plans in mind other than sporadically touring?

Pearl Jam is a full-time job. Usually, between touring, composing and recording we do not take more than a few months off. And in between, the intent is usually to try to compose songs.

Do you have an idea when you all will return to the studio?

Probably in autumn or winter of this year. We've been composing the last two months, so we already have a list of a few songs.

Do you practice every week or is that a thing of the past?

Right now we are rehearsing for one week more or less, to prepare for the tour we have coming up on the east coast. But if we are not composing or about to go out on tour, we have virtually no practices.

The other day I was reading an interview you did that said about ten years ago there were serious thoughts about quitting. Why?

At the beginning and at the time more or less of No Code, we were communicating very poorly. I was getting interested in the process of songwriting and was wanting to get my own voice into the songs being written at that time. Besides, I was a little burned out with the pace of work, as we were non-stop as a group. I was very close to quitting, but that would not have been a good decision.

Would you say there is a "before" and "after" musically speaking since your path crossed with that of Neil Young?

I would say that, yes. Neil taught us much with just his way of doing things. I still can hardly believe our luck. It is one of the greatest things of all time.

What did you learn from him?

He taught us what it is to be in a band that has truth and power. We were taught how success and creativity flows, and that everything good comes from perseverance. He is very wise.

Someone told me once that in Pearl Jam you are the one that always chooses the opening bands each tour. Is this true?

I don't choose them all, but I'm always looking for interesting new bands. For example, last year I saw Ted Leo And The Pharmacists a couple times, and this year they will play with us at some of the shows on the east coast tour.

And who is opening at the other shows?

Kings of Leon.

As a group, Pearl Jam has always been involved with politics. In fact, you were part of the Vote For Change Tour that toured the United States before the last presidential election. Did you personally feel defeated when Bush won?

At that time I almost completely lost hope in this country. How were fifty-one percent of people voting for a known criminal like Bush? Only time will tell whether we learned something as a country. This next election is a few months out and Obama is our only hope.

To be honest, from Europe all of this seems a bit strange. Here it's as if the artists and alternative culture people tend to go against whatever policy is in place... In your opinion, are there some politicians in which you can trust?

Almost none. The power is addictive, and I think this is a truth that holds true anywhere in the world. However, I grew up in Montana with one of the new senators, Jon Tester, and I know first-hand that this is a great human being. He is not part of the old guard, and he's doing a great job in Washington. That makes me continue to believe in the future.

By the way, before you had a side project that was called Three Fish, but it's been almost ten years since you put out your last disc. Do you continue to play together?

I continue to play with Richard, the drummer. He lives in Philadelphia, but he comes out here two or three times a year and we play each other's songs. In fact, I have just finished ten of these songs and will release them as a record through our fan club, probably in July. It will be called aTONEment and is my first solo album. I've also worked on an album with Dug Pinnick of King's X that we hope to put out sometime next year.

So with the solo album, is it something of the moment or could it become a full-fledged career?

I have a handful of more songs waiting to be finished, so if all goes well, this could be the beginning of something. I would love to make my own albums.

By the way, what goes through your head now when you see that movie, Singles?

I was working in the art department for Singles a few months before the shooting started, and it was great. I assisted with designing the sets, designing fictitious posters and album covers and even made it into the credits of the film. That was much more gratifying than the "role" I did. In fact, it's a little embarrassing. But I am very grateful to Cameron Crowe for the opportunity given to all of us. We connect very well with a mutual love we feel for music.

Well, unfortunately, that's the end. Thank you again Jeff, it's been a pleasure. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future.

I hope maybe sometime next year, either on tour or on vacation. Four ropes and four wheels (?). Take care.

That's the end. Again, the big disclaimer is that this has been translated by way of Google Translate and some high school Spanish. Don't go putting Jeff quotes in your signatures based on something you read here...

Jeanwah

Thanks so much for translating this, NotPaved. You're the best!

Not Paved

Kudos to henchman for finding and sharing the link and gist to begin with, and to everyone that pushed this along with translations, teasers, summaries, or even just requests indicating that it'd be worth it to have it translated. A nice find indeed.

LukinFan

NotPaved wrote:

Besides art and design, are there other cultural things that you're interesting in talking about?

Above all art, music and anything having to do with skating culture. I also have a couple of architect friends, so now I look at buildings with a new interest.

At this point how is Pearl Jam as a band? I mean, do you have other plans in mind other than sporadically touring?

Pearl Jam is a full-time job. Usually, between touring, composing and recording we do not take more than a few months off. And in between, the intent is usually to try to compose songs.

Do you have an idea when you all will return to the studio?

Probably in autumn or winter of this year. We've been composing the last two months, so we already have a list of a few songs.

Do you practice every week or is that a thing of the past?

Right now we are rehearsing for one week more or less, to prepare for the tour we have coming up on the east coast. But if we are not composing or about to go out on tour, we have virtually no practices.

The other day I was reading an interview you did that said about ten years ago there were serious thoughts about quitting. Why?

At the beginning and at the time more or less of No Code, we were communicating very poorly. I was getting interested in the process of songwriting and was wanting to get my own voice into the songs being written at that time. Besides, I was a little burned out with the pace of work, as we were non-stop as a group. I was very close to quitting, but that would not have been a good decision.

Would you say there is a "before" and "after" musically speaking since your path crossed with that of Neil Young?

I would say that, yes. Neil taught us much with just his way of doing things. I still can hardly believe our luck. It is one of the greatest things of all time.

What did you learn from him?

He taught us what it is to be in a band that has truth and power. We were taught how success and creativity flows, and that everything good comes from perseverance. He is very wise.

Someone told me once that in Pearl Jam you are the one that always chooses the opening bands each tour. Is this true?

I don't choose them all, but I'm always looking for interesting new bands. For example, last year I saw Ted Leo And The Pharmacists a couple times, and this year they will play with us at some of the shows on the east coast tour.

And who is opening at the other shows?

Kings of Leon.

As a group, Pearl Jam has always been involved with politics. In fact, you were part of the Vote For Change Tour that toured the United States before the last presidential election. Did you personally feel defeated when Bush won?

At that time I almost completely lost hope in this country. How were fifty-one percent of people voting for a known criminal like Bush? Only time will tell whether we learned something as a country. This next election is a few months out and Obama is our only hope.

To be honest, from Europe all of this seems a bit strange. Here it's as if the artists and alternative culture people tend to go against whatever policy is in place... In your opinion, are there some politicians in which you can trust?

Almost none. The power is addictive, and I think this is a truth that holds true anywhere in the world. However, I grew up in Montana with one of the new senators, Jon Tester, and I know first-hand that this is a great human being. He is not part of the old guard, and he's doing a great job in Washington. That makes me continue to believe in the future.

By the way, before you had a side project that was called Three Fish, but it's been almost ten years since you put out your last disc. Do you continue to play together?

I continue to play with Richard, the drummer. He lives in Philadelphia, but he comes out here two or three times a year and we play each other's songs. In fact, I have just finished ten of these songs and will release them as a record through our fan club, probably in July. It will be called aTONEment and is my first solo album. I've also worked on an album with Dug Pinnick of King's X that we hope to put out sometime next year.

So with the solo album, is it something of the moment or could it become a full-fledged career?

I have a handful of more songs waiting to be finished, so if all goes well, this could be the beginning of something. I would love to make my own albums.

By the way, what goes through your head now when you see that movie, Singles?

I was working in the art department for Singles a few months before the shooting started, and it was great. I assisted with designing the sets, designing fictitious posters and album covers and even made it into the credits of the film. That was much more gratifying than the "role" I did. In fact, it's a little embarrassing. But I am very grateful to Cameron Crowe for the opportunity given to all of us. We connect very well with a mutual love we feel for music.

Well, unfortunately, that's the end. Thank you again Jeff, it's been a pleasure. Hopefully our paths will cross again in the future.

I hope maybe sometime next year, either on tour or on vacation. Four ropes and four wheels (?). Take care.

That's the end. Again, the big disclaimer is that this has been translated by way of Google Translate and some high school Spanish. Don't go putting Jeff quotes in your signatures based on something you read here...

thank you!!!!

F5

It sure pays to speak spanish. Glad I do.