Pigeon John Chirps
09-14-2006
by Brenten Gilbert

Some people have the ability to polarize the opinions of those around them. Pigeon John is one of those artists. Fans can praise the open and honest approach to his life, lyrics and shows, while detractors can point their fingers at some of the "questionable" lyrical content and off the wall antics. Love him or hate him, he's now got a new record out on a mainstream label and the world is listening.

Sr. Editor Brenten Gilbert managed to get Pigeon John on the phone for an interview recently to discuss the past, the present and the future in the world of Pigeon John. Below is an excerpt of that conversation.

brenten gilbert: You've been in the hip-hop music business for a long time now. For the sake of our readers, can you tell us a little bit about your history?

Pigeon John: Yes, My first record, before I was a solo artist was with a group called Brainwash Projects, it came out in 1998 originally on Jackson Rubio - that was Matt Wignall's label. Havilina, Halo Friendlies, the whole Long Beach scene. Then LA Symphony was formed. A crew of eight emcees and a couple of dj's was formed in the 90s because we all kind of had the same faith and vision in life and we liked each others music so we joined together. Independently, we put out Composition No 1 in 1999. Then we all got signed to Squint/Word Records in 2000/2001 and recorded a fresh record that never came out called Call It What You Want with Black Eyed Peas, Mario C of the Beastie Boys, Prince Paul of De la Soul. For us it was a huge deal, but that fell through. When that fell through, I started going solo and I looked for a deal for a long time in both industries and no one really wanted me to be honest. So I released Pigeon John is Clueless on my own and sold a lot of units that way and I was making a lot more money doing it that way. So I just kind of let the labels come to me after that. Released a couple of Pigeon John albums and now I am on Quannum Projects, a label based out of San Fransisco CA and I'm about to release the brand new record. This is the biggest label that I've been a part of yet, so I'm really excited and I can't wait for the CD to be in all stores and easy to find.

Very cool. How did you land on Quannum?

The last label decision was between Quannum Projects and Gotee Records and it was a tough, tough decision to make. I grew up, obviously, doing Christian music, but also being a part of the underground hip hop scene. I've always drawn a blurry line between the two - I never thought it was different. So it was really tough to decide whether to go all the way Gotee or to start over on a small label with less money, but I decided to do it the hard way.

(laughs)

So now that you've "blown up". . .

(laughs)

. . . how are things different than when you first started off?

Well. I used to work a lot. Whether it was at Macy's selling stuff, clothes, stocking, mail clerk. . . Nothing's really changed, but I know that I used to do a lot more music. It seemed like when I had two jobs, I would record a lot more because I knew that the LA Symphony studio was open from midnight to three in the morning and then I have to go to sleep to get up and go to work in the morning. So, I would record every night, because I knew I only had three hours in the day. Now that I have my own studio, it's like "Hey, maybe I should go see a movie." So, I'm a lot more relaxed. It seems like in a tighter situation, it's almost easier to write really good music. So what I do now, is I starve myself.

okay. . .

I starve myself for about one week until I can hardly even breathe anymore and then I go right into the vocal booth. That's how the hits come out so easy. My wife doesn't like it when I starve myself, but I tell her, "Wife. Art first."

(laughs)

Kind of like you're getting ready for a boxing match in the studio.

Yeah, that's a good way to look at it.

(laughs)

I guess, the only thing that changed is that back then, we used to sell our cassettes and CDs hand-by-hand and through mail, because we had no deals or distribution. This is a lot better, because it's easier to find the CDs and I get to travel a bit more. I still feel like I'm the same guy as when I was in Brainwash Projects, you know, fresh out of high school, stuff like that. It's been a cool ride.

So the new album is called Pigeon John and the Summertime Pool Party. . .

Yes.

. . . but it comes out in September, after summer is past.

(laughs) I know, I know. But that's for the people who miss summer and who are back at school. It's something to remember summer by.

Can you tell us what the name means?

It means. . . absolutely nothing. I wish it did though. Let's make up a meaning right now. Pigeon John and the Summertime Pool Party means, let's keep the party going. That's one definition. Two is that I wanted to make a classic summertime album. And the final definition is that, I'm from Hawthorne California and there's only one other guy from there and his name is Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys. Listening to the Beach Boys and realizing that something needs to happen, it heavily inspired this record. I wanted an album that, when you push play, it just puts you in a good mood.

One of the songs on the new album is called "Weight of the World," what's been the weight of the world on your shoulders lately?

Oh, the weight of the world. I think for me it's been touring all the time. I'm on the road six months out of the year at least. That's been the biggest weight since I spend so much time away from home and I have a wife. I try to fly her out every two to three weeks when I'm out on the road, but that puts a kind of weight on things. And then every day for six months, I'm in a bar. That's like my nine-to-five is just being in a bar and hanging out, meeting people, doing this, doing that. For me, it does wear on me, like "Geez Louise," because it's every day. And touring is just built for constant party. That's just the way it's built and it's hard to kind of separate yourself and just find time to reflect or read or pray or just have a little quiet time because you're just surrounded by the band, you're surrounded by the people who come out to the show, the driving, the eating, it just never stops. And it's fun - it's kind of like a big summer camp, but it can wear on you. Before you know it, you're pounding more brews than you should be pounding, and then you realize that you've been doing this for like forty-five straight days. I need to chill out a little bit and try to find a balance. For me, that's the biggest weight, but it's getting better. I'm learning.

So what have you been reading when you do get away?

Oh man, I love that Bible, The Message. I love that little freakin Bible, it's the bomb. And then I'm into a lot of novels. So, I've been reading that John Grisham, "The Broker." Really heavy stuff, I don't know if you're on to that yet, really heavy fiction. . .

(laughs)

Very cool.

I'm so influenced by reading, and it's so great, because I can bite literal sentences and quotes, and pretty much no one will ever know. Like, I wrote a song called "Beautiful Little Sharp Chicks" on Pigeon John is Clueless and I got that from Jack Kerouac in The Subterraneans when he was describing these girls in the 50s in San Fransisco and he just ran that off and I thought, "Man, that was hard." So I took that title. And for this record, there's a song called "The Last Sunshine" which is a bomb way to describe the sunset. That's from The Great Gatsby and I just thought that was beautiful and I had to use that. I made a song about things that you miss. Like a very last glimpse of youth or an old relationship or if you're moving from state to state. It turned out pretty well. So yeah, I bite all my favorites and no one even knows.

Well, now the secret's out.

(laughs) now the secret's out and now I'll switch my whole style up.

(laughs)

If you could devote all your time and efforts to one social issue, cause or need in the world, what would that be and why?

Man. What a great question. Cause in the world. I guess if I could teach a class in college on how to party harder and more efficiently, I think that's what I would do.

(laughs)

Just playing.

Yeah, would that be a cause or a need. . .?

all of the above

(laughs)

Actually, I got to go to Africa with my wife to Mozambique to an orphanage out there two years ago and it was life changing. Pretty much everyone who goes there says that it changed their life. But I think if I could devote my life to anything it would be to that, because of the need. And being African American too, that was my first time in Africa. I was seeing like, my cousins in their faces. They look the same and that's a small thing. But you just realize that we're all the same, they just speak Portuguese. It felt like such a gap between the black people that I know in America and the black people I know in Africa.

But I think that the need is there to just be with them and then financially to bless them. Going to school is a huge deal to them. Going to high school. You have to pay to get in and pretty much everyone within a four hour radius goes to the same school. If you do get in, it's a huge deal and that's high school, which is pretty much the junior high level of education here. But if you do that, then you get a good job and all this stuff that I take advantage of and don't concern myself with, they're hunting it down and waiting in line for it. And them being my brothers, I fell like if I can do anything, I'd be helping them out and blessing them.

I remember that I got to teach English. Not like actually teach - there was a teacher there - but they just wanted me to talk to them in English so that they could get used to it. So they were just asking me questions, people who were in the orphanage and also people who just came to the class, because the orphanage had these English classes for free for the community. So this one young dude, asked me if I knew Tupac, because it's just that way over there. And I laughed and explained a few things. Then I asked him - we were doing a one-on-one conversation - what kind of cars he liked. He had a look that made me feel so stupid, because he didn't understand that question. I said, you know, do you like fast cars, big trucks, what kind of cars? And it was kind of like asking you or me what kind of moon we like to own. Do you like the ones around Saturn? Which kinds? It just didn't register because it's just not where they are. They pretty much walk wherever they go and me being from America, I'm sitting there asking him what kind of diamonds does he like, "Do you like the yellow ones or the purple, 'cause I like the purple ones."

So that was just a life-changing thing and that would definitely be it. Sending kids to college for probably about $2,500. Putting them through school. I would love to give more of my time and use my music as sort of a fund raiser almost to send them to college. In one show, I can send someone to college. It makes me sad. You're gonna make me cry right now. . .

I'm sorry. Wait, no I'm not...

(laughs)

Let's try to lighten the mood a little... There's been rumors about a new Brainwash Projects album being in the works for a long time now. Any news on that?

Yeah. We're halfway done. It's gonna be on Basement Records. We signed that deal in 2003, believe it or not, to make that record. Since I've been touring and bTWICE was working full-time, we're recording a little slower. But the songs are sounding lovely. I'm having fun working with b and we're arguing a lot less. The first record, we argued every day, storming out of the studio, like "dude, just write your verse already!' It was a tough thing. This time we're taking it easier on each other and hopefully it'll be out by Christmas, man. That's what I'm hoping.

That's great. So no battle raps between the two of you on this one?

No way, dude, I already won. He doesn't want anything from me.

Is there anyone left, with whom you haven't already collaborated?

Oh, of course. Man, there's so many. Q-Tip would be one. I'd love to work with Q-Tip. I'd love to work with Danielson, that would be a dream come true.

Have you got their new album?

No, but I read a great review in SPIN that made me want to get it. I love their career. I really really do. They've been around for at least ten years doing their stuff. I remember seeing them doing shows at Cornerstone dressing like yuppie golfers with the nice purple shorts and stuff that's become cool, maybe not even now, but stuff that will be cool in about five more years or so. They were just really ahead of their time to be honest, kind of like Soul Junk who influenced Beck and all that. They were just at the cusp of something really special. So, I'm a big fan of Danielson. And I'd love to work with Matt Wignall and Havilina. There's so much stuff.

Alright, anything else on your mind or heart that we didn't cover that you want to share?

Be yourself and participate in our culture. Don't hide out anywhere in any sect, just be a part of our culture and be yourself.

And?

And if you like the stuff check out PigeonJohn.com and MySpace.com/PigeonJohn. Summertime Pool Party should be fantastic.