Good and evil

J. Williamez spills the beans on his musical influences

NJF

J. Williamez might be familiar to Uniter readers for a number of reasons. For years the musician/comedian penned his Good and Evil column for our back page, and just last week the latest record from his band The Civil Disobedients, Another Dead Medium, was voted the favourite local release of 2014 by our readers. 

In addition to putting out that collection, Williamez released 52 songs last year (that’s one a week for all you calendar freaks) which can be heard at jwilliamez52songs.blogspot.ca. Come and enjoy him when he hosts The Uniter Fiver showcase on January 15 at the West End Cultural Centre. 

Name the best bad album you own.

Hands down and without a doubt: Milli Vanilli’s Girl You Know It’s True. For some reason, I really identify with them. Probably because most people wish I didn’t sing either.

Everyone has stolen music online, but is there any music you would pay a million dollars for?

No. I can’t even afford to pay my rent. Also, anyone with a big enough ego to even consider charging a million dollars for his or her music (for some reason, I’m looking at you, Kanye) doesn’t deserve to be listened to.

I once saw a documentary about you, I think it was called Cannibal Vegetable. What would a biopic about you be called and who would play you?

It doesn’t matter what it would be called as no one would ever get to see it, as it would never even get made due to the fact that I would demand to play myself and then, when the studio finally gave in and let me, I’d spend all my time on set in my trailer demanding increasingly fancy sushi and martinis.

What music gets you in the mood for self love?

I think an easier question to answer would be “What, music or otherwise, doesn’t get me in the mood for self love?” The answer would be: “Not bloody much!”

Blatantly name-drop the most famous person you know. 

Kevin Bacon. Admittedly I don’t know him personally. But I do know this about him: He was completely unwilling to come to Winnipeg to write a song with me, despite my generous offer that he could crash on my couch while he was here.

Who is your least favourite artist of all time (and why)?

Kevin Bacon; because I am a bitter, petty and unforgiving kind of guy. And because my couch is really comfortable, not that he’d ever know.

Congrats on writing and recording 52 songs last year! During this project did you ever reach a point where you thought, Fuck it?

Thanks! Yes, there were absolutely many points throughout the year when I thought “Fuck it!” In fact there were very few days over the course of the year, when I didn’t think “Fuck it.” But the main point that I really gave up was near the end of June. I was already way behind, and just sort of gave up for the next five months. When I finally decided to make a run for the finish line, it was already late November, and I ended up putting out 35 of the 52 songs in the last 42 days of the year. There was one day near the end when I released SIX songs.

Finish this sentence. “If I didn’t make music, I’d be …”

Able to pay my rent.

Visit jwilliamez52songs.blogspot.ca to hear more from Winnipeg’s favourite silly person.

Published in Volume 69, Number 16 of The Uniter (January 14, 2015)

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