INTERVIEW: Jack Savoretti
- Posted on April 4, 2008 11:09 AM
- 0 comments
Jack Savoretti interview by Katie Spain
The women in our office were disappointed that my interview with Jack Savoretti was a mere phoner. The man is a looker and I think they hoped for an in-house face to face. Luckily, Mr Savoretti sounds as good as he looks and we soon got down to business, chatting about his debut album ‘Between the Minds’ and a recent stint of gigs as Cafe Nero's 'Artist Of The Month'. The half-English, half-Italian solo acoustic artist has just returned from the SXSW festival, and is playing a showcase at the Soho Revue bar next week.
Our conversation soon took on a whole new light - and spirals towards talk of singing in toilets and 'suck and blow' techniques. Don't blush, it's not quite what you think...
I hear that you have recently been the Café Nero artist of the month? How is your coffee in take going?
Higher than ever; there are lots of ups and downs.
You have been getting up close and personal with fans by doing a version of busking. Did you meet any interesting characters along the way?
Everybody was pretty nice. It is always strange when people have been living with your music for a long time because they approach you with a sense of familiarity. It is hard to reciprocate it sometimes because you don’t know them. It’s nice sometimes though because you feel like you are old friends. It is an awkward situation to be in but it is one of the most interesting things about being on the road. It’s cool but pretty bizarre. When I meet people, they quote songs, but it’s nice because everybody has their own reasons for liking it. I always try and find out why they like certain songs.
You have a lot of gigs coming up in the UK. Have you done your fair share of musical slogging in the past – like busking and the toilet circuit?
I did busk when I lived in Switzerland but with percussion and not guitar. I was kind of late into gigging. I didn’t really know how to wok it live. It is something I am still trying to get my head around. What gives me the confidence is that I believe in the songs.
Do you still get nervous before going on stage?
Of course; you can’t not get nervous before going on stage. I get nervous when I go to see shows let along when I am playing.
What is your first musical memory?
Hmn, I think Stevie Wonder and my dad singing ‘I Just called to say I love you’ to my sister. I think it was my sister’s favourite song when she was five or six.
What was your first instrument?
Drums; I used to be terrible at music class. Then I changed school; on the first day they took me to the music room and I saw a white pearl drum kit and - I can safely say- that is the day that changed my life.
You must have been a very loud little boy to have in the house?
Well, my mother encouraged me to play guitar and that could very well have been to get me off the drums.
You have an Italian background. I am being very stereotypical here, but are you a good cook?
I like to think I am. I’m not as good as some of my friends but I love cooking. I haven’t poisoned anyone yet. My priorities – that are Italian in general - are food, family, football and fun. Those are the four Fs that I like to cross off.
What is your signature dish?
Well, you have to be able to make a good plate of pasta before you can cook anything.
Do you get back to your Italian roots much?
Most of my family live in the Italian part of Switzerland. I go there as much as I can because it is sort of a Utopia; it is just beautiful and the food is great. It is a nice place to go and escape to, to eat well and to have fun.
I read that you loved writing poetry as a child. Do you still have notebooks and journals all over the place?
I don’t actually. I used to – kind of. The main reason I started was because I had a short attention span. A poem was about as much as I could get away with. Now, I don’t even do that. I have become so lazy that I don’t even write anything down. The method I use to see whether a lyric or song is worth telling or not is if I remember it, it must mean something. I don’t want to say that it is liberating, because that sounds pathetic, but the pen and paper tied me down. I could never write as quick as I was thinking.
Is there any particular setting that you find inspirational on a creative level?
I know that if you ever have writer’s block, pack a suit case and get out. That fuels the fire that feeds creativity. I like to walk around all day at home. If I want to write, I pick up my guitar and walk around. I keep going until it is finished. I have written in some weird places; on top of a mountain and in a toilet. I just try to get away from things so I write everywhere.
On the toilet?
Not on the toilet, in the toilet! Toilets have the best acoustics. It is a great place to go in and sort of…be creative.
Do you write the lyrics first or the melodies?
It happens all together. The melodies help me come up with the stories. The vibe that I feel comes from the guitar or the piano. A certain tune will make me think about a situation and that certain situation will inspire lyrics.
I want to learn the harmonica – any pointers?
I am probably the worst harmonica player out there. The trick to the harmonica is all about sucking. I don’t. I blow…this is probably the most awkward conversation you have ever had on the phone.
Do you suck or blow?
I blow. I don’t suck – yet. But I am working on sucking.
I will try sucking my harmonica and not blowing.
Good luck!
Anne Barrett signed you after a haircut encounter. Do you pinch yourself sometimes about the way things have turned out?
That story has been twisted to sound like we were both at a hairdressers, made eye contact and here we are now. Anne Barrett’s hairdresser had my demo from my mother who was ranting about her son, who had just moved to London and was working in Shepherds Bush making falafel. This woman gave me Anne Barrett’s phone number. I phoned her for a couple of months and one day she picked up. She was in the country for two days. She told me to come to the office with my guitar. I played a couple of songs for her and her husband, purely looking for advice. She asked me if I would be up for working together and I said sure. That was almost five years ago. I think she wanted to work someone who would take her back to the roots of why she got into the music industry.
Your new album, Between the Minds, has just been released. Was it a long time in the making?
It was. I think you can hear that. It doesn’t really have a thread going through it. It is more a collection of things. It is like looking through a photo album of the last couple of years rather than something that was made on purpose and to be heard all together. Every song has a different vibe and keeps it to the point of where it is interesting. I wanted this album to sound like something you would listen to on a road trip.
Do you have a personal favourite tune from the album? I imagine it is like trying to choose your favourite child.
It is impossible. I don’t really look at them the same way as I would other people’s songs. I don’t even look at them as songs. They are just things that I have got down. They have a life of their own. I definitely don’t have a favourite.
The thing that I found when I was listening to your music was that it made me really want to be at a festival – chilled out on the grass and listening to you play. What is the best festival out there?
South by Southwest – definitely; the quality of the music is amazing. I have heard of one in the States called Bonnaroo which is supposed to be great too. It has a really cool vibe. It is the bright side of the music industry.
You have supported Corinne Bailey Rae. Did she give you any advice on tour?
She was phenomenal. I was really lucky to get on the road with someone like Corinne. I was thrown into the deep end and wasn’t used to gigging. It was just me and my guitar. Her audience was amazing. They were very patient with me. Touring is hard work. What you see on stage is the fun part for the musicians. What happens off stage is really tough. I take my hat off to Corinne.
What do you get up to outside of music to relax?
When I come home, I love catching up with friends. Most of us travel quite a bit for our jobs so when we are all in town, it is a real event. I am obsessed with playing football too.
What is the most memorable concert that you have been to as an audience member?
It has to be my first concert when I was sixteen. I went to see Bob Dylan at an ice skating rink in Zurich. It was pretty much half empty. There were people sitting in circles on the middle of the floor just hanging out. He played for two hours. It was my first gig and I thought that it looked like a lot of fun. I will never have that experience again. I saw him again in LA. It was so disappointing. He wasn’t on very good form and we had terrible seats. He did seven encores which was amazing because he did all the classics.
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Jack Savoretti's official site.
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