It's been a while since we have heard from singer/songwriter/actor Jay Jacobson. His last album "The Ride" was released in 2014. It produced an acclaimed animated video for the single "I Lived." Jay also starred in his own successful and acclaimed one man show "Mental Creatures" that he performed at The Lounge Theater in Hollywood.
So where in the world has Jay been? Well you are about to find out!
So where in the world has Jay been? Well you are about to find out!
MS: How's "The Ride" been since 2014? You've been pretty quiet since then.
JJ: Unfortunately, not by choice. I was nearing the end of recording my next CD, “Travelogue”, when I came down with a rare auto-immune disease. I’ve been on heavy medications, and couldn’t really function. I’m now in the process of reducing my medications, and starting to somewhat function again. The goal is to keep the disease in remission and get back to functioning normally. It’s been quite “a ride”, pun intended.
MS: Well you are back with a quite timely single "These Troubled Times" give some insight into the creation of it.
JJ: Almost all of my songs reflect what I’m experiencing as I go through my life. I can actually see my journey if I look at my CDs one by one. I came to a point, just before COVID, where I felt I needed to say something about the state of the world. I think just about everyone is scared or suffering to some degree, no matter what your political outlook. We’ve gotten so full of greed and anger, and so far from empathy and caring for one another. I felt the need to say something about it.
MS: I cried when I first heard it, while the whole song is great, these lyrics: "A nation stands in need Capitalism has turned to greed, We killed off the dream we had, And threw away the seed" really nailed it.
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| Hi Jay! |
MS: Any plans for a video?
JJ: I’m actually in the process of working on one now. I’m a bit slower at things than I normally am, so it will come out sometime after the song’s release.
MS: Spill the tea, what was it like singing back-up for Liza Minnelli?
JJ: First of all, it was a major thrill to sing with her. I saw her in concert several times in the 1980s and she would make the hairs on my arms stand on end. She is probably one of the greatest live performers of all time. As for working with her, she was always very nice and professional. One thing that surprised me was that she would be smoking while singing during rehearsals. It didn’t seem to affect her singing though, and in the end she delivered an amazing performance, as she always did.
MS: You did a one man musical show "Mental Creatures" that was very successful. Give some 411 on it.
JJ: “Mental Creatures” was definitely one of the highest points in my career and life. It started out as a way to combine my songs with my acting, and I started to write a show around some of my songs. At one point, I suddenly realized I had something to say, and form that point on, the show took on a life of its own. It took four years to write. It was a show about living life fully, no matter what is thrown at you. The degree we can feel happiness, pain, anger, love, and so on, is the degree to which we can be fulfilled. I played 8 characters (or nine?), with no costume changes, and only a chair on stage. I would change my voice and physicality with each character. There were three main characters: a young painter from the south with his first gallery show ever; a middle aged female window, who starts dating again for the first time in years; and an elderly man, moving into a retirement home. The show was narrated by a singer-songwriter. A huge compliment I would often get is that people expected the other characters to come out at the curtain call, forgetting that I played each character. I was shocked night after night, week after week, at the overwhelming reaction. After the show I would be told over and over by people how moved and inspired they were, and many would still be sobbing, and tried but couldn’t speak. It was a huge success, with rave reviews, and I learned a lot by doing that show. It kind of spoiled me as an actor, in that it was in something that had a lot of meaning for me, and I got to play many different characters through their breakdowns and breakthroughs. And I got to sing my songs and connect with an audience. It was magical.
"I Lived"
MS: Ever planning on resurrecting it again?
JJ: I keep getting asked that over and over, usually by people that saw it and want to see it again. I would love to do it again, so if any of your readers knows a theater looking for a one-man-show, definitely let me know! The show was taped, so I do have a record of it. I thought about putting segments on my website, but the sound and lighting aren’t particularly good. it was a filmed play after all.
MS: OK, I know you are a film lover. Which film do you wish you could have done a song for most?
JJ: A film that comes to mind immediately, is “Call Me By Your Name”. There was so much emotion at the end, a perfect set up for a great, emotional, beautiful song. And I did love what Sufjan Stevens came up with.
MS: What actress would you like to work with the most and why?
JJ: Definitely Meryl Streep. She is so present and so great at listening which is key to great acting. I think I’d learn a lot from her. Also Toni Collette, Jessica Lange or Saoirse Ronan.
MS: To be, or not to be?
JJ: That is the question. “To be” definitely! Life is filled with hardships, and “troubled times”, but there is so much beauty and love in the world too. Quality of life is determined by how we relate with what it presents us. Nothing ever stays the same and all things, good and bad, eventually pass. Life is a mixed bag, but it is definitely an adventure to be experienced.
MS: Let's do Thai Food again soon.
JJ: I’m totally down for that!!
"These Troubled Times" is out today, check it, and everything Jay at the links below -
LINKS:
WEBSITE: jayjacobson.com
THE RIDE: http://www.jayjacobson.com/the-ride
