Jeremy Toback Interview

INTERVIEW WITH JEREMY TOBACK FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

DM) I understand that things have been picking up a lot since the single, "You Make Me Feel"?

JT) That's what I hear! (laughs) Not in Los Angeles, though, but it seems to be everywhere else.

DM) What is the story behind the single? How did it come about that you wrote it?

JT) "You Make Me Feel" is your basic love song, but there's a double twist to it. It's kind of about how... I don't want to say "real," but it's the kind of relationship I'm in, the kind that I'm interested in. It's the kind where the person's a mirror to you, that can sometimes drive you batty, but in the end it's for the good. In the end, it's a leg up. It's got some funny autobiographical stuff in it. The first verse is about living on Sunset Boulevard, about the time on Sunset where above this Latin disco, across the street from a bar, there are a lot of people getting murdered.

DM) So you live in a good safe area, I see?!

JT) Exactly! And that was the time I met my lady...not that there was anything wrong with that place, but since then I've moved to a safer place.

DM) Now, are you still dating the same woman who is the subject of the song?

JT) Married! (Laughs)

DM) Oh no!

JT) The whole tragedy, well, not the whole tragedy. Zorba the Greek says, "You have to be married and have kids." So this is the half-tragedy. (Laughs)

DM) So, to summarize, you're living the half-tragedy, trying to be a world famous rock star, and you're married.

JT) (laughs) You mean I'm not the world famous rock star already?

DM) You know, I always thought a person wouldn't want to mix those two items.

JT) Oh, right. Like why you originally want to do this thing to begin with? You do it to get--I shouldn't say "you," I should say "one"--I probably did because I thought, "This would probably help my lame social skills."

DM) And then you got married anyway!

JT) I know, there's the irony. I had to get married to get the record deal. So now I have to find other reasons to play the music.

DM) So the first question is, how was the married life going into music industry?

JT) Great. The only challenge is the challenge of being married and having a fair amount of road work. However, that's been detailed in countless country songs already! But you know, homecoming is sweet.

DM) So you have never gotten tempted by any other fans, the road, the lifestyle?

JT) I think that temptation is there; it is just a question of what you do with it. I'm a faithful guy. There are a lot of beautiful people out there! (laughs)

DM) Maybe that's the new big question, how does a man with temptation all around him deal with it?

JT) Well, there's one easy way, and that is to know the consequences. The comical consequence is that my wife would kill me. There is no way that I could hide anything from her, because I'm a horrible liar and she's a really good detective. And there's the more serious sort of consequence. I guess I have other agendas, and besides just physical pleasure, I would like to grow as a human being. I know that even though I certainly have desires, just liked the next person, I realize that if I were to do certain things, there would be certain negative consequences. They called it Karma in the East. (Laughs) It's easy to draw the picture of all the bad things that can happen if you decide to do something. If you don't often put yourself in a place where you're too gone on substances to be rational, then it's pretty easy, and I imagine that's where the trick comes in. When you've been liberated of your control by a substance, it is easier to throw caution to the wind and forget about what might happen! I shouldn't be too Orwellian here or anything, I guess!

DM) No, I'm actually more interested in your phrase "controlled by a substance."

JT) Well, I mean if you get trashed or drunk, if one has to do that, I think it becomes easier to forget what the consequences would be.

DM) However, if you're sober, and you're aware of your actions, and know that your wife would kill you... (Laughs)

JT) Then it's kind of a no-brainer, so after the show, I go back to the hotel. (Laughs) Call her, tell her you love her, do a little meditation and go to sleep.

DM) I would imagine, though, that touring would not make a relationship all that easy.

JT) You know, the nice thing about this job, in between tours... I've been home for a year and a half right now working on the record, and now I'm getting ready for the record, doing publicity. And that's been awesome. And I get to spend more time than your average Joe at home, because this is my gig. I write my songs in my room. And then, obviously, when I get ready to go out on the road (which I'm about to do), it's going to be just as long as may be the opposite experience.