This interview took place Sept. 10th 2001 outside the Rocket Bar in St. Louis. The interview was done on the sidewalk just before the New End Original show.

What is it like to be back on the road with an actual band again?
It's good. It's fun. It's just different. There's just some things I love about being alone... and, Some things about being in a band. I like the fact you can do whatever you want, play whatever you want, and change things at the last minute. But with a band, it's sort of like dictatorship versus democracy.

Do you still keep in contact with the members of Far (now in the bands the Revolution Smile and the Milwaukee Band)?
Yeah. I just heard from John(Gutenberger). He just played in San Francisco, but I was gone. We don't not talk. I definitely talk to Chris (Robyn) and John the most.

Describe the differences of onelinedrawing and New End Original.
Well, onelinedrawing is just sort of a thing that's just shapeless and, really, is very different. New End is pretty much a rock band. I don't think onelinedrawing is overly weird and New End Original is overly normal; it's more standard, it's four different people trying to figure something as opposed to onelinedrawing, which is generally me. onelinedrawing is all these strange ideas going through my head and New End Original is all our strange little ideas mixed together.

Who are some of your biggest inspirations in music?
Zeppelin, Miles Davis, Neil Young, Sinead O'Connor, Billie Holiday. The big ones that never change. I'm a big believer that classics are classics for a reason. Jazz -Miles, Coltrane, Parker. There's a reason these guys lasted. Same with rock: Zeppelin, Bowie, Hendrix, Stones, Beatles - they're incredible. But I definitely don't live in the past; it's hard to put on a list. Also, influences often occur when you are forming something. So it's not that things aren't going, they just formed the blueprint for rock. Other people have done other things with it, of course, but there's no changing that. I don't think rock has changed that much since.

What's your view on modern music?
There is some brilliant stuff. You always hear people say their top ten records of all time and they mention records that just came out last year. There is a difference between favorites and best. Some of my favorite things, I would say aren't the best things ever. My favorite U2 record is THE UNFORGETTABLE FIRE. Why? Just is. But the best record is definitely JOSHUA TREE. I think about this best/favorites thing a lot.

When I think about influences, I generally refer to older things because those are the things that influenced me early on. Other bands who have also been influenced by those things are more peers. Needless to say, I adore Radiohead. I adore PJ Harvey, Pearl Jam. I love deftones. I love Moby, even though he has done all these advertisements now. I think he is brilliant. I found this new band, the Butchies. I love this band, Wheat. Norman, the guitarist in New End, is into different kinds of music. He's into house and trance, all this stuff that I don't know much about... so I'm hearing stuff from him. That's fun.

In Far, you did some touring with the deftones. Do you think you may do that ever again, even for some local shows?
I'd always love to as a friend; I think we are in pretty much different places at this point. I think I'm done with major label-land; and, the deftones are still bravely fighting the fight. I kind of gave up on it, to tell you the truth. I don't think I got what it takes to exist in that world. I'd love to play with them; I worry about them.

You have the ALWAYS NEW EP coming out soon, Will there ever be a full-length onelinedrawing?
Yeah, there is going to be. I definitely got songs. It's funny. If I would have just waited, I could have made the two sketchy EPs a full-length. [I could have made the twelve songs from the last two ALWAYS NEW EPs into one full-length.] For me, I've been just really eager from the start to get things out to people. I don't have a lot of patience or discipline. I think I have a lot of intentions and creativity. But... I think I have enough songs for a full- length. I think it would be nice to put out a full-length. I think maybe it's sort of cohesive and interesting. We'll see.

Before Napster went down, you were to be one of the featured bands. Do you regret not getting the chance or on missing out on the added attention from that?
No. I knew a friend who did that and he got a lot of hits from that. But, no! I actually miss Napster, to tell you the truth. I'm kind of sad that it's gone. It's funny... while it was around, 1 was kind of ambivalent about it... really liked some parts, yet didn't like other parts. Now that it's gone, , really miss it. I have the same views on it, but I don't think that I weighed heavily enough the good parts. I think it was a really interesting thing. I think it's sad that it's not around anymore.

As far as my exposure... I really just don't care about that stuff. There's a lot of things that I would like to try and I'm trying to figure out the best way to do all of it and it's a hard thing to figure out. It makes me happy that anyone cares about what I do and it makes me happy that people care a lot, but I don't think that I'm right for celebrity life" or anything like that. Not saying that will come to me, but I think there is a reason why it hasn't. I don't think I'm right for it. I've thought about this a lot... like rock stars I admire, grew up with, and wanted to be. The last year, I've realized I'm not that. Needless to say, talent-wise, I'm not Bono... and Thom Yorke and PJ Harvey are brilliant. I'm not comparing myself to them, but I am saying there is something different in my personality where I don't have the endurance or the discipline. But I do love sharing my music with people. I am trying to figure out how I can do that and make a living and hang out with people I enjoy and I trust. I don't think I have the constitution to hang out with people I don't like too long. Or the people that don't like me. I think there is a lot of that when you have success in performance. I can only say what I've seen and read about. and the little tiny amounts of personal experience I've had with it.

With your first single, "Lukewarm," having the possibility to be a very radio-friendly song, do you think that New End Original has the chance of being more widespread, with a larger following?
You know, I don't know. I've never been in a band that had any mainstream success, All I've been involved with musically is stuff that small groups of people really, really, really cared about. I'm really happy about that, to tell you the truth. I don't know what mainstream success would be like. Maybe it would be fun; maybe I'd be fine with it... but I don't think it would be, though. I think it really would be the intimacy that gets lost. That's what I see when bands get bigger. It's not their fault; it's not that they always sell out. It just gets lost when you have 20,000 people in a room... or even a 1,000. It's sort of like a math equation. I think some performers can generate a level of intimacy in a large room and that's what makes them huge stars. I don't know if I got that in me. But I know I like where I am and I know I don't like 90 percent of what I see happening to my friends when they hit the big time. New End signed with Jade Tree. Obviously a good label, but never sold a massive amount of records. So, that's not anyone's plan.

It's ironic that "Lukewarm" is arguably the most successful thing I've ever written. If it's doing anything, it's sort of a declaration of life: that I'm not going to settle for mediocrity, which mainstream success can have a lot of. It's just funny. So, who knows, maybe we'll end up on the radio and I'll try to be explaining why I hate SUVs to radio station owners who own SUVs. I think there are a lot of choices you have to make to be famous. First you have to be real talented and then, a lot of things have to happen. I don't belittle fame at all. There are just decisions to make... people you have to work with, marketing plans that you have to decide on that are ridiculous. There are a lot things if you don't make those decisions, then the odds of you making a success in the music industry go down a lot. That's just a fact.

Did you bring R2 with you on this tour?
Yes. R2 is in a bag in the back. I have a few onelinedrawing things on this tour questioned if I was going to or not; I figured I had to. He's a joke that's gotten way out of control... and I'm very happy about it. onelinedrawing is very humbling. All I've really done are the silliest ideas I've had. And, I've worked really hard, but I just did some of the goofiest things I knew and things that I thought were neat. The word "neat" is a big one for me. I'm just very happy about it.

 I am happy now. We just released a full-length record; we just did a European tour; we are doing an American tour. And, we only practiced nine times. I love that! That's what I like to do. Everyone knows how to play; they all liked the songs that I had. It just happened. It happened so quickly that all of us... we still look at each other and are like, "Who are you?" I love that.

I've got these two really amazing things: I'm really proud of the New End record; I'm really proud of what I did with onelinedrawing. I think we are a really good live band. I'm really proud of everything I am... we are doing! That's just the most important thing to me. It really is. I just like to make stuff. This is what feels good to be, to be making records out of my house; to be in this band. It's great! The more I go, the more I better be having fun! 'Cause if not this is very tiring.

If only we could all be a little more like Jonah....

do yourself the favor and visit Jonah at www.onelinedrawing.com

(interview/photos: travis lawrence)