Het Nieuwsblad 9 juli 1997

Joseph Arthur

Met Peter Gabriel en Lou Reed op de eerste rij

door Hans-Maarten POST

ZjoZEF arTUUR. Lees het op z'n Frans. De klemtoon op de hoofdletters. En u leest het zoals wij dachten dat het moest zijn, na de vele verhalen in de Franstalige pers: dat Joseph Arthur een nieuwe Franse rockster was. Toen we de cd kregen, bleek niets minder waar. DZJOsef ARthur is een beloftevolle Amerikaan die zijn debuut Big city secrets zag verschijnen op het Real World-platenlabel van Peter Gabriel. Arthur maakt in tegenstelling tot de meeste Real World-artiesten echter geen wereldmuziek, maar zoekt als een eigentijds klinkende singer/songwriter zijn eigen weg, net zoals Jeff Buckley dat deed, of zoals een Karl Wallinger van World Party dat doet.

Hij kan erom lachen, wanneer we hem het verhaal over zijn vermeende Franse roots vertellen. "Het is wel leuk, een beetje bekend zijn in Frankrijk'', vertelt de Amerikaan. "Want het geeft me het gevoel dat wat ik doe toch niet helemaal voor niets is: er zijn mensen in mijn muziek geïnteresseerd. Het houdt me gemotiveerd. Aan de andere kant is het goed dat ik in andere landen, zoals de Verenigde Staten, nog nergens sta. Dat zorgt ervoor dat ik niet lui word, verwend door het succes.''

Joseph Arthur filosofeert graag over zichzelf, als songschrijver. Over inspiratie. Over muziek in het algemeen en zijn songs in het bijzonder. Vraag hem of hij zich nog herinnert wanneer hij voor het eerst op een podium stond - Arthur speelt al zo'n tien jaar in groepjes - en hij zegt: ,,Ik heb het gevoel dat ik al m'n hele leven op een podium sta. Heel de tijd.'' Vraag hem of hij zijn leven al zo gemanipuleerd heeft dat hij de resultaten kon gebruiken als stof voor liedjes en hij knikt. Lacht dan: "Maar ik zou mezelf ook zonder de liedjes wel in een paar hachelijke situaties hebben gestort.''

Vraag hem welke plaat hem het licht heeft doen zien, en hij wordt al iets concreter. "Bleach van Nirvana. Toen ik die voor het eerst hoorde, wist ik wat ik wilde. Dat was het.'' Hij vertelt voorts dat hij momenteel Greetings from Asbury Park van Bruce Springsteen aan het herontdekken is. Dat hij zo al periodes heeft gehad waarin hij alleen maar Bob Dylan draaide of Lou Reed. Maar voegt er meteen aan toe dat er uiteindelijk toch niets zo speciaal is als het ontdekken van nieuwe muziek. Van nu. "Het is veel opwindender om de nieuwe cd van Radiohead met rode oortjes te ontdekken, dan kennis te maken met oude klassiekers. Het kan best dat veel muziek al eens gemaakt is. En die muziek van toen blijft goed. Maar muziek van nu, gemaakt in het nu, ontdekt in het nu, dat is het. Daar gaat het om. Da's oneindig veel pakkender.''

Lou Reed
Wij willen ondertussen nog even terug naar Lou Reed. Klopt het verhaal dat Reed op de eerste rij stond bij Arthurs allereerste concert in New York? "Ja, maar hij stond helemaal achteraan, niet vooraan'', lacht Arthur. "Peter Gabriel had hem uitgenodigd. Ik was bloednerveus. Mijn vingers wilden niet meer spelen, toen ik vernam dat hij er zou zijn.'' Fijne labelbaas, die Gabriel, als hij voor beroemde fans zorgt. "Ik heb niet te klagen. Welke andere platenbaas vertelt er zijn artiesten dat ze vooral de tijd moeten nemen, zich niet moeten overhaasten? Dat ze langzaam een carrière moeten opbouwen en niet mikken op geld en instant-succes? Hij heeft zoveel ervaring, zoveel goede raad... Ik heb er nog niet half zoveel gebruik van gemaakt dan ik eigenlijk had moeten doen.''
Hoe komt het eigenlijk dat Joseph Arthur daar terecht is gekomen, op Real World, een label wat in de eerste plaats wereldmuziek in zijn catalogus heeft? "Ik had tapes opgestuurd naar heel wat platenlabels. En Real World was het eerste om te reageren. Ik heb er even over gedacht om dat uit te spelen, het feit dat Peter Gabriel in mij geïnteresseerd was, in de hoop zo een oorlogje onder platenfirma's te kunnen opzetten. Ze tegen elkaar te laten opbieden. Maar toen dacht ik: Gabriels interesse is tenminste echt. En ik heb meteen getekend. Dat ze bij Real World een singer/songwriter als ik in hun stal wilden, heeft alles te maken met het feit dat ze hun catalogus willen uitbreiden. Het ook op andere terreinen willen proberen dan de pure wereldmuziek.'' En dan is er natuurlijk de uitgebreide vriendenkring van Gabriel waar je van kan profiteren. Zoals Lou Reed, zoals ook Brian Eno, die aan één song op Big city secrets meewerkte. "Ik zou graag vertellen dat Eno een goede vriend van mij is geworden. Maar de eerlijkheid gebiedt mij om te vertellen dat hij gewoon even bij Peter Gabriel op bezoek was en dat ze samen langskwamen toen ik aan het opnemen was. Mijn producer kent hem ook. En toen die hem vroeg of hij niet wat wilde meezingen, heeft hij dat gedaan. Meer niet. Geen grootse verhalen, noch pittige anekdotes.''

From the music trade publication HITS:

Joseph Arthur came out of nowhere -- well, Akron, Ohio, where he went to high school with supermodel Angie Everheart -- to be the first mainstream, rock and roller signed to Peter Gabriel's Real World label. Arthur is truly an original, an artist with a dark and darkly funny vision, a storyteller with stories worth listening to. His haunting songs are set to rich, evocative music, and his voice, while unique, brings to mind influences from Leonard Cohen to Jeff Buckley, often within the same tune. Arthur is embarking on a solo tour, traveling with just a sound engineer and a guitar. Nosy Chris Rubin tries to pry secrets big and small from him.

You seem to have come out of nowhere. What were you doing before you were discovered and signed?

I was working at a music store in Atlanta, selling guitars and picks, and generally going mad. I had graduated high school in Akron and moved to Atlanta. There was a band I was in at the time, Ten Zen Men. We chose Atlanta just because we felt like, let's get out of Akron. I had a friend down there who gave us a place to stay, booked us a month of shows. I made it my home for four or five years. I quit that band soon after moving there, and then started my own group, Bellybutton, that was more hard rock. That's when I started singing -- before I had just played bass. I started thinking along the lines of lyrics, and felt like maybe I had a bit of a knack for writing. In high school, I wrote essays, I felt like it came natural to me. But then you doubt yourself, at least you do if you're me. I assume that if it comes easy to me, it must come easy to anybody.

What happened to Bellybutton?

That band was where I put all my dreams and ambitions, instead of college. I invested all my energies in Bellybutton, but it disintegrated because I filled it with all my ambition. I was living with a woman and we broke up around the same time. Suddenly my life was very empty. I started writing on acoustic guitar. I realized if I played simple chord structures, and just let the music and the ego get out of the way, there would be more room for lyrical and emotional content.

What were you like in high school? Were you an outsider?

I went to same school, Firestone High, as Chrissie Hynde, Mark Mothersbaugh and Angie Everheart -- she looked then just like she looks now. I struggled, I still struggle. I wasn't rejected in high school because I'm kind of outgoing, so I can make myself into characters, be very upbeat and obnoxious, the class clown.

How did the Peter Gabriel connection come about? You're not exactly typical Real World material.

Total grace. I was sending out my tape. There was ambition in my heart for sure. I was getting rejected, lots of "return to sender" kinds of things. I also got my number of full-on, "We listened to your tape and decided you suck" letters. I was kind of reaching the point -- there was a lot of hope when I started -- I was starting to lose fire. I was also giving tapes out to friends to get feedback. One friend gave it to a friend of his at a label, and he passed it on to another friend, who then gave it to Harvey Schwartz at Capricorn, who knew Peter Gabriel and gave it to him when he came to New York. [Arthur laughs.] The person I originally gave it to had no real connections.

And how did you initially connect with Peter Gabriel?

I came home to a phone message from him -- I have saved the tape from my answering machine. Now I'm a huge fan of his music. I was not a big fan then, I didn't really know his music. Shock the Monkey was one of the first singles I ever bought. I always liked him, but I hadn't found my way to him yet. I had heard through Harvey that Peter liked the tape before coming home to find the message. Knowing him and Real World, it's amazing. He's so full of ambitions and things to do, projects. He's constantly busy. I would never have thought to send my stuff to Gabriel or Real World.

Is it odd to be the first non-world artist on what is perceived as a world music label?

I'm really glad to be on the label for a number of reasons. The people who are on that label, their music is filled with integrity. The influence and guidance of Peter has been indispensable to me. It's amazing to have somebody like him to guide me through a lot of the hardships one has to go through in this business. It's also nice to be able to know him.

Your debut CD, Big City Secrets, was finished about a year ago. What's it been like waiting for it to be released?

Waiting has been very difficult. I went through all kinds of crazy thoughts and emotions. But I sort of believe there's some kind of cosmic intelligence about things. I learned a lot in that year. I sort of found myself. It took me that long to get used to the idea of putting an album out, and all the other things that go along with that. Deciding what my character is.

What have you been doing in the meantime?

The album's been out in France for a few months, and I toured there. They're very concerned with lyrics, more than American and English audiences, I've heard. But there's not much of a language barrier. At least, I never felt it. I always felt like I was communicating. It's going really well over there. "Daddy's On Prozac" and "Mercedes" have been getting airplay.

What do you expect from Big City Secrets?

I really hope the album does well. It was doing really well in France. I was thinking, this is great, but none of my family and friends could see it. [Arthur laughs.] Girls that didn't go out with me, I want them to regret every minute that they rejected me.

Do you think your material is commercial?

I thought all my songs were pop. I think it could surprise people, take off. What I hope it does is make a bit of a noise, set up the next record. Peter said it's best to have a slow start, not come out huge, to build up over time. I have no need to have a huge album, just an album that's big enough to justify enthusiasm for Joe Arthur, number two.

JOSEPH ARTHUR Big City Secrets (Real World/Caroline)

What's a nice boy from Akron doing on a world music label? When Peter Gabriel founded Real World, it was with the intention of offering a home to obscure but worthy musics from around the globe. While it's a place where you're more likely to encounter traditional musicians from Africa and the Middle East, Real World seems an equally suitable home for Joseph Arthur's Big City Secrets. The first rock singer on the label, Arthur has a truly original sound and vision.

Big City Secrets features a talented group of musicians who create a unique universe filled with unusual rhythms, tones and sounds. Arthur lays down the guitar tracks, while Simon Edwards and Martyn Barker supply consistently superb bass and drums, topped off with unexpected instrumentation, including hurdy gurdy and vibes in ornate yet spare arrangements. It's highly evocative music, from the strangled trombone and single hi-hat rhythm track on "Crying Like a Man" to the sound of a harmonica, more plaintive than any ever blown by Bob Dylan, on "Mercedes."
A highly insular recording, Big City Secrets overflows with recurring images -- death, dreams, blood and dancing -- and internal references that ricochet and collide. It's a dark, menacing world Arthur inhabits, yet not without quirky, if black, humor. In `Marina,' the title character, who is "coming off of methadone," is "sleeping and screaming watching 90210" -- an inspired rhyme. More harrowing still is "Daddy's on Prozac," a nasty pop ditty worthy of Robyn Hitchcock that kicks off with the line "I'm in recovery/My daddy beat his love into me." One can only hope this song isn't truly autobiographical.
Arthur sings mostly in a raspy, feral growl; on the title track and "Crying Like a Man," he leaps dramatically from a low, Leonard Cohen-like rumble to a Jeff Buckley-ish falsetto. He writes harrowing tales of desperate - and desperately lost and confused -- characters, focusing on connections, all ultimately unsuccessful, between the people in his stories. While a few of the songs are fairly straight-ahead narratives, many are highly impressionistic.
But if it's not always clear just what Arthur is talking about, the power of his emotions comes through loud and clear in these vaguely apocalyptic songs filled with dazzling images. Rich and haunting, moody and introspective, Big City Secrets is raw and direct, with a sincerity that transcends its sometimes opaque lyrics.

--Chris Rubin