Interview: Chris Jensen

In my first post, I outlined the recurring features of this blog.  Well, I now add another; interviews!  From time to time I will have a chat with friends, musicians, and persons of note.  My first interview is with good friend, songwriter, and occasional dabbler in unconventional cover songs, Chris Jensen.


Justin Stoleson: Mr. Jensen, it is an honor.
Chris Jensen: Please, Justin.  The honor is mine.
JS: You flatter me.  Now, I understand you just finished recording a new song.  It is about some sort of love gone wrong, is it not?
CJ: I think so. I mean, it's originally a Lady Gaga song that I just kind of rearranged. There's a lot of controversy around it right now because of lines like "Jesus is my virtue / Judas is the demon I cling to."
JS: Why the controversial choice?
CJ: A lot of people take her too literally.  I don't necessarily agree with Gaga's philosophies or whatever, but I don't think she's talking about Judas Iscariot at all.  It's about always falling for the wrong people, then still having feelings for them after they hurt you.  That's what I get from it anyway.  I did change a lot of her lyrics, though.
JS: Now, there's a lyric about love resembling a brick...
CJ: Ah, yes.  I even set that as my Skype status thing.
JS: It would take many bricks to build a house, and likely more than one to sink a body.  Can this song be taken as a promotion of polygamy?
CJ: Off the record?  Definitely.  I have a private ranch out in Utah with some of my friends.  I'm not saying we're polygamists, but you know... Anything could happen.
JS: Of course.  Well...  You've developed a penchant for songs with emotional depth and unique lyrics.
CJ: I have a penchant for discovering hidden depth in seemingly vapid pop songs.  One of my favorite cover songs to play is T.I.'s "Whatever You Like."  I sing it as a heartfelt ballad over the piano line from Coldplay's "The Scientist."
JS: You were previously in a band called Spero.  What, for you, is the biggest difference between working with a group and working alone?
CJ: I feel like I have more freedom working alone, but better range of expression in a group.  Working in a group is hard, though.  Arranging practice times that work in everyone's schedule, especially.
JS: Which do you prefer?
CJ: I think I get more gratification from playing with a band.  I become a part of something, you know?  It's a community effort.
JS: Yeah, I totally understand that.  So then, are we going to see a Spero reunion?
CJ: We got third place in last year's battle of the bands.  I'd like to see if we can repeat that or try for something better.
JS: Some would say you recall earnest singer-songwriters like Scott McKenzie or Simon and Garfunkel.  Who or what would you say has been the main inspiration for your music?
CJ: [Laughs] Wow.  I once said that my two biggest influences are Colin Meloy (of The Decemberists) and Conor Oberst (of Bright Eyes).  I'm not as witty as [Meloy], and I'm not as depressed as [Oberst], but I"m probably as witty as [Oberst] and as depressed as [Meloy].
JS: Did you always picture yourself doing this sort of thing?
CJ: Yes.  By all accounts, I've been wanting to cover Lady Gaga since I was a small child.  My parents tell me my first words were "Mamamama..."  I take it that I was predicting what would become the iconic hit "Poker Face."
JS: [Laughs]
CJ: In all seriousness, though, not at all.  I like being silly by making stupid songs sound serious.  It's amusing for me, but I often begin to consider the songs in question more legitimate than they really are.
JS: Tell us about your upcoming projects.  What can we expect from you in the future?
CJ: Well, I've been working on some new material recently.  One of them is, I think, the best thing I've ever written.  If all goes according to plan, I should have a ten(ish) song collection of demo recordings by the end of the summer.  This is the third summer in a row that I've said such a thing, however.  2009's edition was 80% complete when I abandoned it, though.  Expect to see some of those songs resurfacing.
Also, check out some of my old, old stuff at http://www.myspace.com/inkspillrecords!

Well, that's it for today!  Be sure to check out The Point Board I added as a seperate page to keep track of everyone's point totals.  It also elaborates on the rules, which you may want to be familiar with before posting any comments.  I may be in Wisconsin the next time I post something, so that'll be fun.

*UPDATE*
I nearly forgot to add today's Wikipage of the Day!  We're in the midst of a pretty hot July, so here's a refreshing article about The Year Without a Summer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Year_Without_a_Summer

Quiz Time!  +3 Points max.
Why am I going to Wisconsin?  I may accept more than one answer for this.  Multiple answers from a single person will count as one answer.