Just Jack's Just Back Blog

We asked the lovely Jack of Just Jack fame to write us a blog, but he told us he had 'Writer's Block'. Gah! So much for that.

But hang on, what's that? Oh, we see, 'Writer's Block' is the name of his new single! (out October 9, fans). Geddit? So he can do us a blog after all. Thank gawd for that...

Part V: Elton, wasps and technical gremlins...

For the final part of Jack's blog we thought we'd chat to him in person. Well, actually, we had a very good reason to speak to him...

Hello Jack. Recently we spent a long time making a brilliant film about you and your band. Only, when we came to edit it, there was no sound, so we can't show it now. Could you tell our readers what they missed?

Me arsing around in a soundcheck. But not arsing around for the camera, oh no. And they would've heard us playing 'Life Stories' off the album. And... we did a few silly things. They would've heard our keyboard player doing his amazing Vocoder act which would probably pull a crowd on its own.

We've got some pictures look...



It was quite brilliant. Oh well...

Anyway, your new single 'Writer's Block' doesn't sound anything like The Streets like what "other reviewers" think. So what does it sound like?

I think those "other reviewers" are stuck in a timewarp of about three years ago. It sounds like a very lazy man on too much Ketamine, rapping over a disco track while he trips over his little brother's sampler. Will that do?

Perfect. Who's the most famous person on your mobile phone, Jack?

Elton John. He's quite famous. I went to his wedding reception. We had beef Wellington, or some sort of meat thing. We had a lot of vintage pink champagne which was very, very nice.

Blimey Jack. What do famous people smell like?

Sweat and... the same things everyone else smells like. What does Elton smell like? I haven't ever got close enough to actually smell him. Sorry.

That's OK. We bet it's nice. Which animal should Noah have left to drown?

Wasps. I actually looked on the internet to find out if wasps had lungs. Apparently they breathe through little holes in their thorax. They absorb oxygen rather than sucking it into little insect lungs. But that's beside the point. I was also trying to find out if they had any purpose. And apparently they break down wood! But not very much of it. So I'm still not sure they're of any use.

Yeah, fuck 'em. Thanks Jack. Sorry about the video.

These things happen. Cheerio!

But wait! That's not all! click here to enter a competition to meet Jack in person and see him perform! Quote code 'JJ4' to enter!

Part IV: Salt-beef bagels and a Vietnamese...

Hello readers!

First up, this week I stumbled upon an amazing new singer/songwriter called Alice Smith. Her album’s just come out on BBE records and judging from what I’ve heard, it’s absolutely blinding. She’s got a beautiful voice, and effortlessly blends soul, rock, hip hop and jazz. It’s enough to make a grown man weep. Definitely one to watch and err, listen to… So there.

But anyway, it’s been a relatively busy week. I did a show at 93 Feet East on Tuesday night, and it seems that everything is finally starting to pay off - it was rammed! The response we got was wicked. People were pogoing all over the place - a properly sweaty hoedown. We did a brand new song called ‘Goth In The Disco’, which seemed to go down well, and my bass player finally had a chance to get his synth out. After that very special night I managed to drag myself down to the end of Brick Lane, stuff my face with salt-beef bagels and enjoy the ‘mustard rush’ all the way home.

Had to get up early the next day and get back down to Brick Lane for a lunchtime 'thing' at the Vibe Bar. It’s a bit strange doing gigs this early in the day. People always seem to give you that ‘do you mind keeping the noise down, I’m trying to enjoy my coffee in peace’ look. Anyway, managed to get through it, drink beer, eat more bagels and have a chuckle at the usual fashion victims... Lovely!

After a detoxing walk on Hampstead Heath on Saturday (where I escaped being lunch for a pair of rampaging Great Danes) I managed to wangle my way onto the guest list at the Secretsundaze summer closing party at 93 Feet East on Sunday, which was fucking mental... It’s been ages since I’ve been to a daytime party where everyone’s been going all weekend and I’m totally normal! It’s like walking into a parallel universe. Brilliant party though, as usual, in a massive warehouse space under the arches, lit by a pair of the biggest disco balls I’ve ever seen. The only thing that was odd was that the DJs were playing tunes from a pair of laptops and I just can’t get used to stuff like this.

Call me old fashioned, but DJ-ing for me is still two turntables and a mixer, not to mention dislocating your shoulder dragging your records to and from the venue. Oh well, maybe it’s time to get with the program! Got sweaty, had a Vietnamese and went and stayed in the Hoxton Hotel, which is a ‘fashionable’ version of a Premier Travelodge (my mate got us a free room). Hoorah.

"Music is what feelings sound like." (Author Unknown)

Jack x

Part III: Game Boys and fashion victims...

Me again!

This week I have been rediscovering Shuggie Otis. If you don't know his stuff, get hold of 'Inspiration Information', it's unbelievable, at least a few thousand light years ahead of its time. He was dropped by his record label soon after its completion... Chumps!

I did a gig at The Windmill in Brixton on Wednesday and had a wicked time. It looks a bit like a community centre on the outside and a proper little rock 'n' roll pub on the inside, with loads of character. The gig went down well; properly sweaty! We were supported by a geezer called David Sugar who, alongside his guitar, uses two Nintendo Game Boys to make bleeps and beats... It's strange, but it really works. Afterwards I had a classic cab ride with an old Jamaican dude who had me laughing all the way home. Definitely a good night!

Went out on Saturday in Shoreditch for a mate's birthday and - as luck would have it - the bar we were in was hosting a party to celebrate the end of Fashion Week... fucking priceless! I've never seen so many victims in one room. Everyone had that desperate look on their faces: "Look at me, look at me, FUCKING LOOK AT ME!!!" There were a couple of dodgy trannies pole-dancing and the DJ had a fake dead fox slung around his neck, covered in gore, with fake blood splatter across his bald head... Nathan Barley, eat your heart out. Mind you, I ended up getting too pissed and dancing like Kevin Bacon in 'Footloose' to MIA tunes...

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life." (Red Auerbach)

Jack
xx

Part II: Performance and cocktails...

Hello again!

This week, I finally got round to reading 'American Psycho' which started me thinking about the way we’re living, and how little has really changed since it was published… Oh well, onwards and downwards! On a lighter note, I’ve been caning the wicked new Amp Fiddler LP ‘Afro Strut’ which is quality. Perfect for both horizontal and vertical listening, you can even shake a leg to it. I also downloaded a splendid (free) album by The Mighty Avatars, who I discovered on MySpace. It’s kind of psychedelic sample-based hip hop with a British sense of humour. Well worth checking.

I did a recording for a podcast on Wednesday morning, which wasquite funny. It was the first time I’ve done the songs acoustically, and I kept on cracking up thinking about when Craaaiiiig David used to go on Top of the Pops (RIP) with just a guitarist… classy!

Had a gig that night at The Metro, which is one of my favourite sweatboxes: disco ball, sticky floor, stinking toilets, subterranean dressing room, I was lovin’ it. I had a nasty veggie burger for dinner and listened to some students on the next table (who will no doubt be the next Bill Gates) talking about nanotechnology, and I got a text just before we went on saying Zane Lowe had just played 'Writer's Block' on Radio 1. Yeeesssssss!

The show went well, despite the fact that my mic cable kept falling out and cutting me off mid-sentence (a blessing, some might say). Thanks to all the crew who came down and to Velarsound for the support. I ended up in a bar with the Easy Access Orchestra, got pissed on evil Long Island Iced Teas and danced around to some fake house music until the yuppies started giving me funny looks. Rock ‘n’ roll.

Then I smoked and made beats like a hermit for the rest of the week! More exciting excitingness in the next exciting instalment…

‘My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music’ (Vladimir Nabokov)

Jack x

PS Just for you, I've done an 11-minute 'mash-up' which you can listen to along with four exclusive tracks here and here only! These will be unavailable anywhere else!! I'm too kind to you guys...

Part I: As recommended by...

Hi Slashmusic!

I came back from a little tour supporting Money Mark (the keyboard player for the Beastie Boys) about a week ago, and have been finishing a couple of B-sides for the new single since. In the meantime I've also had a chance to catch up on a bit of 'culture', so here's my current Just Jack-endorsed recommendations:

I got hold of The Roots new album ‘Game Theory’ the other day, and my ears have been thanking me ever since. It’s a classic, with the usual incomparable ?uestlove beats, but darker and more grizzly than a lot of their other stuff. I’m chuffed they’ve used my favourite beat from J Dilla’s ‘Donuts’ LP on the last track, which is a tribute to the great man himself.

I went to see the new Almodovar film ‘Volver’ in Camden Town on Tuesday, and into the bargain I even got to watch a couple of crackheads beating the shit out of each other outside the station! Home sweet home! I also managed to catch a bit of Dwele over the bouncer's shoulder outside the Jazz Café on the way home – I'm gutted I didn’t get a ticket.

I also watched the new Beastie Boys live DVD, which features the aforementioned Money Mark and his wicked drummer Alfredo Ortiz, who deserves a mention just for being such a dude! It’s one of the best things I’ve seen in ages, pure entertainment, and worth watching for Mixmaster Mike’s superhuman scratching alone. There’s a cameo appearance from Doug E Fresh too: nice.

Something else worth checking out is the Youngblood Brass Band; they’re from Ohio, and make totally unique hip hop in a marching band style. And I managed to get hold of a sampler of The Raptures new LP. If it’s anything to go by, the album’s going to be magnificent. Right, before this turns into a lifestyle column, I’ll call it a day. I’m off to meet some celebrities and cultivate a smack habit, so I’ll have more to write about in the next exciting instalment!

See you next week (if I make it)!

Jack x

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