Tangled Up In Jakob Dylan
By Allan Orski
Blackbook Interview


C'mon. Who is this bloke really fooling with that high-end bedhead, doe-like stare, and face as hard as Damascus steel? Lighten up, mate. If pulling top birds like Wynona Ryder ain't putting a smile on your mug, then maybe it's time to think about changing the name of your band to something more suitable. Perhaps Morose Bastard or, say, Melancholy Modelman.

The 28-year-old journeyman sings, "It's cold, [and] feels like Independence Day," but Jakob's probably not referring to sparklers on the Fourth of July. More likely, he's carrying on about the phenomenal success that the Wallflowers and a certain summer '96 blockbuster film have both enjoyed in the past year. Each of them has become larger than life, entrenched in a part of contemporary Americana. And in regards to petit Dylan's self-proclaimed hypothermia, maybe papa Bob should have cautioned his kid to wear a sweater before venturing out into the less than hospitable musical arena. Because not only can it be lonely at the top, it gets a wee bit cold when you're scaling the Mount Everest of billboard charts.

But enough bullocks deciphering song lyrics from "One Headlight." After all, it's really about the music, isn't it? Although the band's sophomore effort Bringing Down The Horse spawned two Grammy nominations, a duo of hit singles, and now sees a third, "The Difference," pushing its way into heavy rotation on MTV; these gravy days have not always been so forthcoming for the Wallflower lads. In fact, their self-titled 1992 debut album was considered a commercial flop selling a measly 40,000 copies for their first record label, Virgin. The quartet's current success on Interscope is probably best chalked up to their rock 'n' roll work ethic, hardcore touring, and some top-notch production assistance courtesy of Mr. T-Bone Burnett. T-Bone, who'd previously plugged in with Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue in '75, hadn't heard the kid's voice since Jakob was knee-high to a geezer, but reponded to the Wallflowers' musical honesty. Their subsequent collaboration helped tighten up material which eventually became Bringing Down The Horse.

Although the colloquialism for wallflower is defined as a person who looks out on a dance due to shyness or lack of a partner, I'd have serious doubts over any reports that Jakob is crying himself to sleep alone every night whilst hugging his pillow. But no more fawning over the youngster's dashing packaging. I admit it's not likely Jakob phoned in a request to the stork's office so he'd be born as a rock god's heir apparent. I must also concede his husky vocals are probably more of a DNA display than a bite on Daddy-o's distinct sound, but did he have to be such a god-damn looker? I guess his mum Sara's gene pool is to blame for that bit of beautiful people engineering. Could one man be so lucky? Somebody ought to call his mother and ask if there was a magic latern on her sonogram. For my money, I got a fiver that says he cut a prenatal deal. No worries, Jakob. Just make sure to have your genie connection give a call down the Black Book way, I'm ready for my three wishes.


You know, I bought your first album.
"You were the guy! (laughs) The main thing I'm proud of is that we literally just set up the microphones and pressed record. We didn't let anyone step in and tell us how we should do it. That's what happens to a lot of people when thye make their first record. They get so infiltrated by other people that they look back and say, "That wasn't what we sounded like." I'm proud of the way we did it more than I am of the material."

"Sugarfoot" is wild, best song on that album, I think.
"Yeah, I'm glad to hear that. I loved playing it live, but I'd look out [at the crowd] and there'd be this sleepy kind of thing going on."

I've never been too sure what it was all about.
"It's a thing were I look back and I'm like, "I don't even know what the hell's going on here. That doesn't make any sense. That doesn't even rhyme!" (laughs) I'm terrible at doing cover songs, too. I can hardly even remember my own words. I don't have a good enough memory. I'm kind of embarrassed about it, but it's true."

What exactly happened with Virgin [their first record label]?
"It sounds like I'm lying but we wanted to leave the company after the album. Unfortunately, word got around that we were dropped, which looks really bad. We spent nearly a year playing every week in LA trying to put together another record. most bands break up during that time. I lost some of the guys in the group then."

What held the core together during that time?
"Those guys are really good players and kept busy around town playing on other people's records. I just write songs and sing, so all I could do was obsess over this group. When you find people you like to play with you stick with them. I'm certaintly grateful, considering these guys could've played with other people and split like the others did."

The second album took a lot longer to record, didn't it?
"The first one was done in four to six weeks. This one, oh man, it took nearly eight months."

How did T-Bone Burnett help?
"I've always thought that his best attribute is that he's a musician. He's made his own records. A lot of producers, when you boil right down to it, are just music fans. In which case, I should be producing records. I'm a fan! Some producers just go "I like that. Oh, no. I don't like that. And that part in the middle where it gets all soft? Don't do that." (laughs). It's confusing when you're talking to someone who is just opinionated."

Do you feel you've got a secret weapon in Rami [Jaffee's] Hammond organ?
"There's just not a lot of players like Rami anymore. They've either got a rack of synthesizers or else they play Grateful Dead and bop around with their heads everywhere. He's kind of like Benmont Tench of the Heartbreakers. He loves Rami. He gives out Rami's number all the time if he can't do stuff."

Bringing Down The Horse more focused, more economical in terms of song length.
"Absolutely. We had a song on the first record that was over nine minutes long. You do a song nine minutes, you're saying "This is the best song you're ever going to hear." This record took a lot more time and there's a lot more precision to it. We won't have any excuses on this one. On the first, it was so easy to say "Well, it was live." (pause) I'm sure I'll still find some great excuses this time." (laughs)

"6th Avenue Heartache" was the first single. Your call?
"No, the companies have people for that. I got into that place on the last record, "No, no, this is the single. No, I know. I know!" (laughs) I was just glad they found something they could get on the radio. I wasn't about to step in like "Well, I don't know." (laughs) I kinda learned on the last record that there is something in little world that I'm on top of, that I've worked hard at doing it, and that's where I want to keep the focus at."

"One Headlight" is a beautiful song.
"That's probably my favorite on the album. It's built around that Al Green kind of groove, with a lot of space to it as well. It doesn't just bang you over the head with guitars like the rest of the record."

You are all very much a band. you're not Jakob Dylan and The Wallflowers.
"I always thought that groups were the coolest thing. When I was fourteen I couldn't imagine anything cooler than being one of those guys. It was just like they were a gang. It was like The Warriors."

Were you into music growing up?
"I loved the Clash. That was the first group, really. I thought the Jam was a great group, and the early Replacements stuff. I had bands in high school, but they weren't serious. We just couldn't wait to get in the garage after school. We'll probably end up right back there." (laughs)

How was school when you were growing up?
"I wasn't in school that much anyhow. I didn't have a great time in school. I tried, I just didn't do very well. I could study for a test, no matter how hard, and there'd still be an F."

A lot of people comment on your lyrics. Where do they come from?
"Books!"

Are you gunning for stardom?
"I just want to have a job. Anybody who's gotta make a living wants to make money doing what they like to do, and that's why I do it. I guess it's a funny type of person who aspires to be a big star. My world's pretty small."

First-class album. Not a bad looking geezer. Old Jakob's doing alright for a kid for a punk kid from MacDougal Street. Good work, fella.

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