Interview: Pete Yorn Not Just Another Jersey Boy
By: Wendy Kale - U-WIRE
December 14th 2001 6:05pm
(U-WIRE) BOULDER, Colo. -- Pete Yorn is not just another rocker from "Joisey." That's New Jersey for you westerners. Jersey is the home of working-class rockers Bruce Springsteen and Jon Bon Jovi. It's also the home of modern rock star Pete Yorn, who's rising up the record charts and changing the Jersey image of blue collar rock 'n' roll. Yorn isn't your typical working-class Jersey hero. In fact, the last time he packed Tulagi's on the Hill, the streets were lined with BMW's and other fancy sports cars from Yorn's Northern Jersey fan-base. Whatever class of fans he's attracting, Yorn is striking a chord with modern music lovers. His singer/songwriter style of rock and his emotive lyrics just made Yorn VH-1's "Best Kept Secret," his song "Life on a Chain" has become an MTV staple, and his record "Music for the Morning After" is charging up the record charts. Yorn grew up in the North Jersey town of Montville. Northern Jersey is close enough to New York City that residents there have access to the creative center of the country, and far enough away from the city to escaped insanity. Yorn dad's was a dentist, but his older brothers both were in local bands. "I always saw music as being fun," said Yorn. "My brothers were six and nine years older than me, so as a kid I would sit around and watch them playing in bands and practicing Judas Priest tunes. They'd rehearse in our house, and I thought "I could do that." Yorn didn't appreciate his brother's love for heavy-metal, so he started listening to records by The Smiths, Echo and the Bunneymen, the Velvet Underground and Neil Young. When he made the decision to pursue his own musical career, Yorn moved to Los Angeles and began playing at the L.A. songwriter room Largo, (where artists like Aimee Mann perform). Yorn eventually earned himself a regular gig at the club. "It helped that a lot of people in Los Angeles saw me play the room, and I met the producer for the Farrelly Brothers movies. I got one of my songs on the "Me, Myself and Irene" soundtrack, and on the TV shows "Dawson's Creek" and "Felicity." Those TV shows were actually good for me, because people got to hear my music a year before the record came out, and it got a chance to subconsciously seep into people's minds," said Yorn. While he was working on soundtracks, Yorn slowly but surely built up a fanbase in Los Angeles. A fiercely independent artist, Yorn decided to record his debut CD "Music for the Morning After" in an L.A. garage without a record deal and without a dime in his pocket. "Even after I got the deal and all this money was thrown at me, I decided to keep recording in the garage and use my long-time friends on the record," said Yorn. "We produced the record ourselves because I didn't want it to be too polished. I wanted this to be a rock record that was rough around the edges." Yorn is adamant about writing music that touches him and listeners, so he went to some unusual sources to write the lyrics on "Songs for the Morning After." "I wrote the song "Sense" after I saw the movie "The Sixth Sense,'" said Yorn. "I went home that night, and I was thinking about how the kid in the movie was so misunderstood, even though he had this unique ability. That got me writing this song about how we all have the ability to be misunderstood. Some of Yorn's songs come from more morbid sources. "I wrote "Simonize' when I was thinking one day about the Jack the Ripper legend," he said. "It made me wonder if he had any remorse in the minutes before he killed those women. Did he have any pity in those last few minutes? It just made me think." Yorn may take his lyrical ideas from some unique sources, but he always aims to create a sense of emotion and feeling for his listeners. That's an easy feat in folk tunes, but definitely more of a challenge when you're writing rock 'n' roll songs. "I usually write my songs from personal observations and shared experiences we all have," said Yorn. "I always write the music first, and then see how the music makes me feel. Then, I add the lyrics, and I try to capture the feeling the music creates. That isn't to say Yorn and his band don't have any muscle. For all his talk about feelings, Yorn still has the ability to play hard. "This is definitely contemporary rock "n' roll music," said Yorn. "If you've seen the band live, then you know we rock. People have always liked rock "n' roll music, but fans tell me that they think my music is unique because the songs seem really personal, and people latch on to that." Yorn's formula is working. He's been opening shows for Semisonic, Matchbox 20, Train, Coldplay and Blues Traveler, he's in the running for VH-1's "Best Kept Secret" award, his tune "Just Another" appears in the Bruce Willis movie "Bandits," and his debut single "Life on a Chain" has reached "Buzzworthy" status on MTV. The success of Yorn's record has named him as the next Springsteen or R.E.M. But Yorn prefers to remain his own "boss" and to strive for his success step by step. Though the record executives are still pushing the album, Yorn said he is looking forward to taking a break, and to stepping out from behind other artists to take the spotlight. "They're planning on going deep with this new record," said Yorn. "If I have my own choice -- it's a lot more fun to play my own shows -- even if it's just for 200 people. But you know what was the best to me -- having my old neighbor from New Jersey introducing me on stage at Tulagi. Now that's rock "n' roll." FYI: Pete Yorn and John Mayer play KBCO's Christmas show at the Gothic Theatre in Denver Saturday, 7 p.m.
 (C) 1999 Colorado Daily via U-WIRE
| 
