Looking for…lusting after,
Waiting on a date with Kate!
As you can see from the line he wrote on my CD, Jason Mraz is a flirt…but he’s very subtle about it. He tends to look up at you through his mop of curly hair and long eyelashes…and he has the “wry smile” down pat. I can see why he’s got such a huge female following…damn, did I just become one of the number? Still, not many of them can say they scored a date with him!
If you could have 24 hours with one person – living or dead – who would it be and what would you do?
I think Bjork. I want to choose someone living because that way it still seems optimistic…it could happen. I’d leave the “what to do” up to her I guess. We’d start by (whispers) talking about how she works, the way she works, how she thinks, what she does. I’d like to know how she works, what she eats…enjoy some QT (quality time)!
What’s the most tragic item in your wardrobe?
That’s a hard one because I travel light, very light. Probably now it’s that red that’s been photographed so many times (he’s wearing it on his album cover). It’s trashed, it’s ruined and disgusting. Every now and then people will say, “Where’s the hat? You need to wear the hat!” but that wouldn’t be nice.
What celebrity do you lust after?
I’ve never been one to read the celeb magazines really.
Have you ever turned up to an event and seen someone and thought, “Wow, she’s looking hot!”
Yeah, I was backstage at a Coldplay show and Gwyneth Paltrow was there. I loved watching their relationship – super rock star with super actress – that was kinda nice. It made me think, “I could do Cameron Diaz” or someone like that.
What’s your dream car?
I like the sporty wagons. Just to be able to own a car would be cool – I don’t have one at the moment. I drive, and I’ve had cars, but I don’t have a place to park it.
What song is the soundtrack to your life?
I’ve got quite a few. There’s two songs that, if all goes to shit, these two songs can revive me. One’s “All is Full of Love”, by Bjork, and the other is “No Surprises” by Radiohead. I sing away, I move in slow motion…I really feel the song.
What’s the best present you’ve ever been given?
Somebody gave me the new iPod for my birthday last week. Honestly, the iPod has bought music back into my life. It’s amazing, and I no longer have to travel with my big CD book – that’s such a hassle when I’m travelling so much. I really wasn’t listening to music except when I got to the hotel and turned my computer on. Now I have tunes everywhere, and I can listen to more albums.
You started playing guitar quite late (18) was it just lots of listening to music before then?
I always sang. I was always singing and making up songs. We had a piano in our house and I was doing that, but it wasn’t until I was18 that I decided guitar would be my instrument and I fell in love with that. But I’m still working on it.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever set fire to?
My brother and I used to set fire to all kinds of things. We would take our He-Men and my sister’s Barbies and perform burning rituals on them. We had this toy fire house and we decided we’d take the He-Man’s and Barbies and put them inside and light them on fire. It was made entirely of plastic and it created this molten lump with huge flames and heaps of black smoke. My parents came outside and saw the smoke and we got in trouble. That was a cool thing to set on fire. I accidentally lit my friend’s hair on fire once. I was just joking around at a party and all of a sudden it was like, “Woah!”
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say…
Blind date: Scary Beer: Refreshing Barbeque: Hot dogs Coffee: Toca, my percussionist. He drinks like 12 cups a day – a mad amount of coffee. Best mates: I’ve got a really excellent friend in LA, we call him Bushwalla. He’s kind of a writing partner of mine, and just when I don’t think I can go any further, we get together and lock ourselves in a room and put some music on and freestyle over it. He was my roommate in college when I first started playing guitar, so I’ve known him for about 8 or 9 years now. He’s been with me through think and thin, and any memory I’ve had he’s been there as well.
How did Jason Mraz happen?
One day at a time. I started playing guitar, decided I wanted to do this, and spent 3 years sitting in my apartment learning how to play it and writing songs. Then I moved to San Diego to look for inspiration and to live on the beach. I just started to get involved in the music scene there and going to open mike nights – playing anywhere that I could and learning from the other people playing. I worked on it until I started doing my own show there, and I spent about 2 years doing my own show every Thursday night. I was there selling coffee and singing songs.
You were smiling a lot when you said that – they were pretty special times then?
They were – it was the best time. When I think that we did it for two years, I wish that it was still going. We just had so much fun, and that’s where we got signed from. I guess we were just making such a noise that people would come and buying the little live CD we made. There were people who would travel and come to the show, then take the CD back to their town and spread the word, and that’s how it happened. It was just a magic, magic time. We all lived at the coffee shop basically. After the show I’d sleep in a booth at the back and I’d work there the next day, or play a few shows.
Have you been back to play?
I’ve went back to San Diego recently, but last time we played there we played in an arena. I’m seeing all these faces that came to the coffee shop and I’m wishing we could go and do it there. Joe (coffee shop owner) has actually closed it and is reopening in a different place, so the actual place where we all stayed is gone. That’s where I learned to do what I do and if I hadn’t had those two years I wouldn’t be who I am today. It was totally spontenious, and when you play that regularly you have to assume that a lot of the audience is going to be the same audience as the last one – you can’t give them the same show, you can’t tell them the same jokes, and that forced us to improv. I learned not to prepare so much and to just get up there and be yourself. You get to know your audience, get to know your environment and if that’s not working for you then get to know yourself and explore inside a little bit.
What’s the best thing about women?
I love the way they smell…and I love women’s clothing. I’m a horrible shopper. When I walk into a GAP or a store that sells men’s and women’s clothing, I don’t realise I’m looking at women’s clothes first. I went into a Diesel store and said, “Can I get those jeans?” and they said, they were for women! I’m like, oh shit! Women’s shoes are great too. I like they’re sense of style and their sensibility.
What’s the most annoying thing?
I don’t like a woman who takes too much time in the mirror - that gives me a feeling that she’s not quite comfortable yet. I love a girl who just gets out of bed, throws her hair back, puts on some flip flops and is ready to go. If we’re going to go out to a nice dinner and dancing I don’t mind – there’s a lot of fun that goes in with that and I would do the same (get dressed up). I’d be cool if a girl didn’t take a shower for a week.
What’s the biggest rebound no-no?
I feel like I’m always on the rebound. I try to get involved in a relationship, but I’m constantly moving. Every relationship that I’ve been in recently they can’t handle the fact that I’m going to leave town, and there’s going to be other people in other towns. When I’m on the rebound, I tend to be a big talker, and that gets me into a lot of trouble, because I can talk myself into a new commitment right away. ‘
You come across as quite a quiet person…are you?
I save my energy because we do lots of shows and I want to have energy for that. When you said “blind date” earlier, if I was to sit down with someone I’d just met and we were getting to know each other, if I was very energetic and having a great day, I could maybe pull out some wit or charm, but I’m definitely a shy person. Every time someone tries to hook me up I just can’t do it…I’d rather find it on my own.
Are you planning a tour here soon?
We’re trying to organise it at the moment for October or November, so I’m hoping we get back here that soon.
Have you ever been stopped by customs?
Yeah, going into Canada. We just looked suspicious you know? We cleaned out our van of anything that could get us in trouble, and they kept telling us, “We’re going to search your van, this is your last chance to get everything out of it!” They went through everything – spend a good hour or so doing it. On flights I’ve never been stopped. When you’re a musician, they always look at you and question you.
If you could do a celebrity endorsement for any product, what would it be?
Maybe condoms, I think condom commercials are funny. Oooh, I saw a KY (lubricant) commercial and that was hilarious. Those would be fun, something sexual.
Home cooked meal or restaurant?
I make a mean guacamole. I don’t cook anything else well. I’m a huge sushi fan – I love sushi. I’m also a huge McDonalds fan. I grew up on McDonalds…I grew up in a small town and all we really had were fast food places, and I feel like because I ate it so much when I was growing up – from 6-16 I ate it every day. My body is built and totally immune to the crap that’s in McDonalds food.
What reality TV show would you go on?
Not one of those dating ones…they always make you look bad. I think I’d like to go on one of those adventure ones. I’d go on Survivor because that was the one that kicked it all off.
Which person would you be – they scheming one…the one everyone likes…?
I’d be the super nice guy and I would help everybody out and do my part. I’d be the guy they keep around till the end because he gets the job done, but the last two people would vote me off right at the end.
What’s next for you then?
When I get home I’ve got 2 weeks off, which is great. I’m just going to sit down and do some stuff for the next record. I write every day in a little journal, but as far as writing songs, I either write on stage or during sound checks – it’s so hard to do it in the hotel.
Looking for…lusting after,
What’s the first thing that comes to mind when I say…