[Topic:]Music
Interview: "This Robbie Williams tour is like summer camp"
Just like Red Hot Chili Peppers and Guns n' Roses, the Orson band has also formed in Hollywood, Jason Pebworth and the others however failed to make a career in America. In Great Britain on the other hand they debuted with an immediate No.1 hit (No Tomorrow) and an album at the head of the poll (Bright Idea), and Robin Williams invited them to perform at "Intensive Care"'s full-house european stadium tour as supporting act. Before the Budapest concert, the soft rock/power pop quintett's two founders, song writer/singer Jason and bassist Johnny Lonely have to est.hu in Puskás Stadium.
-Your band was formed in Hollywood and got its name after the legendary filmmaker, Orson Welles. Which is your favourite movie from him and why?
Johnny: -"Touch of Evil".
Jason (nods): -Definitely "Touch of Evil". Why? Quite likely because it's the best film ever made. (they laugh) Charlton Heston plays a mexican in it-how's that? And that first scene! And how Orson Welles looks so fat in it. Even though he wasn't that gigantic character that he later became. Back then he only made himself fatter with lots of make-up and pillows under his clothes. You can hardly recognize him. It's one of his greatest roles. Fascinating.
-How is it possible for such a hitty band like Orson to not get a contract and be a success in America during its five-year existence?
Jason: -The situation is, in America are hiphop and other urban music are dominant, and country. During the past years forward-looking musics have come form here, Europe, not America.
-Where did the idea come from, to come to Europe and make an attempt on the British stage?
Johnny: -The British stage found us! We published our album independently in Los Angeles last year, and you could download it from myspace and our homepage, and through different channels it reached some influental people in London who invited us to play at the In The City festival, we flew over there, performed, and things got under way after that.
- Was it easy to adapt to the british stage?
Johnny: - "To adapt to the tour bus", I'd rather put it that way. We've already spent at least as much time outside England as there. Besides Great Britain we also tour in Europe and we've been to Japan a few times as well.
Jason: -We didn't have time to get comfortable in England, because a short time after that we've come over our hit imploded, then the album came out and we've been touring ever since.
-I've read that you got your stage and singing routine from earlier theater performances. What kind of plays were these?
Jason: -I've actually studied opera singing in high school, that's where I got musical skill from. I was in the tour version of "The Phantom of the Opera", and I toured with them for a few years. But then I realized that I'd rather succeed as an author so I moved to Los Angeles where I met the boys and we made the band.
-I hear that you compose your songs on the piano. How does it become guitar-based power pop?
Jason (grinning): -That's the music of songwriting. You can play accords on piano just as well as on guitar. I'm no good with a guitar. I've tried but I simply can't do it, I'm terrible on it, I don't understand how to use it. So I have to turn to the oiano if I hear something in my head. If I don't know which accord I sit to the piano, I find out and after that I'm able to play it with the others on a guitar too.
-In your compositions it's easy to notice the influence of the soft-rock of the '70s and the '80s.
Jason: -I've grown up with that. We've all grown up with that. I think everything that was once said to be sloppy and over-emotional gets back its justification over time. For a long time you couldn't say the name "Hall&Oates", or...(he groans painfully as if tortured) ELO! (another painful groan) REO Speedwagon! (laughs) I've loved these bands as a kid. And now: "yeah, I remember them". Let me say something: those guys wrote REAL songs! Alright, maybe they didn't have the best sense of style, but they wrote incredibly good pop songs.
-Do you think you give justice to this type of melodic AOR music by playing it with a dancy, guitar-centric power pop approach and making it consumable for today's audience, actual?
Jason: _Yes, that's exactly what we wanted to do from the beginning. And we wanted it to be fun again. I Hollywood people since long take everything seriously. They go to concerts and cross their arms (crosses his arms and contracts his eyebrows) and say things like "yes, that's important" "that's the critics' favourite" "all the cool person are here tonight" That's the fashion to behave there now instead of enjoying what you see. (he thrusts his arms in the air and shouts enthuisastically) "Jeeee!!!" Well that's what we want to bring back.
-Another significant influence in your songs and singing style: Jeff Buckley. It's the most recognizable in the song "Already Over". With the difference of course that Buckley didn't sing lines like "you're a psychotic cunt straight form Hell!"
Jason (laughs) -Well. We love Jeff Buckley. He brought huge changes in modern music both as singer and songwriter. But to me were for example Freddie Mercury or Queen at least such a big influence. Or Steely Dan.
-Talking about Jeff Buckley, I assume Rufus Wainwright is also among your favourites.
Jason: -Absolutely. He's a fantastic character. What beautiful singing voice! What a songwriter!
-As a writer, who was your biggest influence?
Jason: -Elvis Costello. In my eyes he's without a rival. He's smart, witty, funny, that's why I love him more that anyone else.
-You're touring with your album's material with Robbie Williams at the moment. Jsut like you, his case also portrays well the cultural difference between the United States and Europe: the biggest European superstar, who keeps failing to succeed in America.
Jason: -Yes, but I think he gets along fine like this. In Europe and Asia he's the biggest star and that's more than enough.
-He can have a little peace in America, eh?
Jason: -Yes. Durin the latest U2 concert in Los Angeles for example. on the Vertigo tour not so long ago, he also showed up at the backstage, he was standing all by himself. I've told the others "I can't believe this, here's Robbie Williams, all alone, and noone rushes him!"
-And how easy is he to approach on this present European tour? Do you hang out together sometimes or does he lock himself in his ivory tower?
Jason: -No, he walks down here among us, we often run into each other. Of course, he and we are both very much occupied. When we're not on stage, even then we hane a lot of promotional responsibilities, just like him. But sometimes we meet and then we talk, albeit briefly.
-Is he a good sport? Does he treat his supporting band well?
-Yes, it's a real dream job for us, we feel really good, they're friendly with us, we can work together very well, everything goes very professionally. And it's all a big party. Robbie and his man are neat dudes.
-A bigger party than the one with Duran Duran last year?
Jason: -That also was a good one.
Johnny: -But this is a much bigger performance now, and you'd expect it's much more serious as well, and you'll have to walk on eggs. We were already awed on the Duran Duran tour by how friendly the whole thing was, but this present tour is at least four times as big and we were prepared that it will be dead serious andstrict. But no: this Robbie Williams tour is like summer camp. Like a travelling circus.
-We've already talked about the old great ones, but who are your favourites now?
Jason: -The band Delays for example, I'm a big fan of theirs. I also like Phoenix very much.
- The french band? They're big fans of old-school soft-rock.
Jason (to Johnny): -See? He knows them!
-Their new album has just been The Album Of The Week in our column! It came out only just now in Hungary.
Jason: - I love that album. But I noticed that not many people know about it albeit I thought that it will be a huge success. I think it's damn good.
Johnny: - "We Are Scientists" is also a great new band.
Jason: -I liked the latest Cardigans album very much for example.
Johnny: -And of course there is the Flaming Lips! They never disappoint us.
Jason: -One of our greatest experiences was appearing together with them in a TV show...
Johnny: -We appeared before them and we quickly got into costumes so that we can caper along with them during their performance...
Jason: -Johnny dressed up as an alien, and we others were Santas. (they laugh)
Johnny and Jason (together): -It was a huge party.
-Who did you make friends with from among the english performers since you've been there?
Jason: -With the members of "Feeling" for example, we keep running into them. (Editor's note: ...which is no coincidence since they are at the same music management firm, they both go back to soft-rock and their debuting album "Feeling Twelve Steps and Home" came out only a week after "Bright Idea") And Corinne Bailey Rae. And Gnarls Barkley.
-There, another american band that got a contract and set off in England.
Jason: -Yes, but they've set off in America as well since then.
-And when will you?
Jason: -We've already received a lot of offers so if everything goes well, next year.
(Interview and photos by Déry Zsolt)