While on a tour stop in St. Paul, Matt Johnson — the singer-songwriter behind the longtime band The The — visited The Current studio for a thoughtful chat with host Bill DeVille.

Listen to the conversation using the audio player above, and read a transcript below.

Interview Transcript

Bill DeVille: My name is Bill DeVille, and I am so excited to say that Matt Johnson of The The is in the house. He's right here next to me, and we're going to talk on the radio. How you doing, Matt?

Matt Johnson: I'm very good, Bill. Nice to see you on this beautiful autumn day. Or "fall," I should say. Fall day.

Bill DeVille: And you've already been out for a stroll this morning?

Matt Johnson: I have, and I was just saying it's so peaceful and quiet and beautiful, reminding me of an Edward Hopper painting. There's long shadows and sort of luminous light everywhere. It's beautiful.

Bill DeVille: It's everybody's favorite time of the year here in the Twin Cities, the fall. It's always a good time to be in the Twin Cities.

Matt Johnson: Yes, it is.

Bill DeVille: Yes. So how's this tour going for you? You have been out doing a full-on tour for a while, have you?

Matt Johnson: We have, and we started in Northern Europe. We played all across northern Europe. We played the U.K. We're now working our way across America. And when we finish in the United States and Canada, and when we finish in United States, we then go to New Zealand and Australia. And we've been very lucky with the weather the whole way, too; blue skies virtually everywhere we go. I'm not sure if we're bringing them with us, or we're just fortunate that they're there when we arrive, but it's been a very good tour so far.

Bill DeVille: So does it feel good to be on the road? I see you didn't tour for quite a while. You took kind of a 15-year break. You were doing other things and stuff, right? 

Matt Johnson: Yeah. Well, I did tour in 2018, but that was the first tour in 16 years. And then this tour is to promote a new album, which is the first album in 25 years.

Bill DeVille: Twenty-five years?!

Matt Johnson: Twenty-five years, when you and I were both young lads.

Bill DeVille: Yeah. Ensoulment — tell us about that album.

Matt Johnson: The title is, was really, I mean, the word itself means the moment that the body is imbued with a soul, Ensoulment. But also it connects with two of my early albums, Burning Blue Soul and Soul Mining. And this is a very ... it's the band that I put together for the comeback special. So we have James Eller on bass, DC Collard on keyboards, little Barrie Cadogan on guitar, and on this part of the tour, Chris Whitten on drums, although Earl Harvin played on the album.

And for this tour, we're doing two sets: So the first set, we play the new album Ensoulment in its entirety, then we have a 15-minute intermission; then we come back on and we do retrospect, which is then a journey, a time traveling through the '90s, the noughties, the '80s, where we play some of our best-known songs.

Bill DeVille: Yeah. So you've had quite a recording history. You know, you talked about Soul Mining, and you have the new album. Another album that, that I've always enjoyed was your cover of Hank Williams on the Hanky Panky album. 

Matt Johnson: Yeah, which often overlooked, but I really enjoy that album, and it got terrific reviews in America. Bit misunderstood in England, because Hank Williams isn't so known, but I was a big fanof his songwriting. And it's funny when you look at old photos of Hank, he looks about 50, but he was 29 when he died, wasn't he?

Bill DeVille: He was 29, yeah.

Matt Johnson: It's astonishing, really. But what a great writer. And it was wonderful getting into those songs. Obviously, we changed them a lot, but it was a very satisfying album to do, though.

Bill DeVille: You've done so many things in your career. What haven't you done yet that you've always wanted to do?

Matt Johnson: I can't think of anything, it would just be just put out more albums, really. Because taking that 25 years off, I was very, very busy. I've been very involved in film-soundtrack work, started a small book-publishing company, so I've been very busy doing other things. But now, having had that break, I realize my passion for songwriting and performing, I feel quite rejuvenated. More people should take a 25-year break, I'd say, in music. Come back reinvigorated! 

Bill DeVille: It's kind of tough to do nowadays, you know, records don't sell like they used to.

Matt Johnson: Different world. 

Bill DeVille: Yeah, what do you think of the music business nowadays? 

Matt Johnson: Well, I have mixed feelings, really, Bill, because on the one hand, it's more empowering. I personally, I've got my own record company and my own studio, so I'm far more empowered. And I do licensing deals. I feel a lot of freedom to do, you know, work in documentary, do film-soundtrack work. I feel it's very, very fluid. And there's that, through the internet, that direct connection with the audience, which is wonderful. But the same point the industry is diminished compared to what it used to be. You compare it to something like the games industry, which dwarfs even the film industry. And so obviously, I think the people that remained involved in the music industry are the people that love music. They're certainly not doing it just for the money; they're passionate, as I'm sure you've been passionate about music, I'm sure, your whole life. And the people that I come across touring is people that love music. So there's lots of positives and there's negatives, like all things in life.

Bill DeVille: Yeah. And I saw that you had your first band at 11 years of age.

Matt Johnson: Yes. I started very young. I was doing concerts, singing, when I was about 11, 12 years old — in things like birthday parties and local youth clubs, village halls — but primarily cover versions. We covered like, David Bowie, The Beatles, Free, Deep Purple. But also, I started writing my own songs as well at that age, just practicing. And so it was just a passion. I was very bad at school. I left school at 15. I played hooky. I was a naughty boy. But I always had this belief I was going to succeed in music. I was very lucky that I found — many people don't find their calling till later on in life, or if at all — I found it at a young age, and I just loved music. And I was lucky, being a naughty boy at school. 

Bill DeVille: So you've always known you wanted to be a musician for a living. What, if you weren't, what would you have done do you think?

Matt Johnson: Well, my other interests, I do love, I have a passion for architecture. Whether I would have — I don't think, because of my bad behavior at school, I probably wouldn't have had the necessary qualifications. But we just come from Chicago, and I've always loved the architecture. 

Bill DeVille: Oh, Chicago is fantastic.

Matt Johnson: It's beautiful, those early 20th century skyscrapers, the Tribune Tower and the Wrigley Building, and later on, buildings like the Marina City. So I'm passionate about architecture, and possibly, if I'd have had the qualifications, that's something I may have been interested in doing.

Bill DeVille: All right, I got time for one last question for you. My favorite song of yours is one that you can always kind of hang your hat on when times are tough, when things aren't going well, I would always put on "This Is the Day." It's such a hopeful and optimistic song. What can you tell me about what inspired you to write a gem like this?

Matt Johnson: OK, and I often say this when I'm onstage: I remember looking out the window, seeing a blue sky — sorry, a clear blue sky — and a little plane flying across a clear blue sky. And that became symbolic to me of your hopes and dreams, and this plane flying into the future, where was it going? And so looking up at these blue skies, I thought about my own future, and realizing that every day you wake up contains the seeds and possibilities of change, you know? So I wanted to write something that was very, very hopeful, which is probably why it's my most successful song, and it resonates with so many people, because it's, "This is the day your life will surely change," it's hopeful, and it's possible for everybody and anybody to change their lives.

Bill DeVille: And it all falls into place, as it says in the song.

Matt Johnson: Absolutely.

Bill DeVille: Matt Johnson, so nice chatting with you. The The in concert at the Palace Theatre later on tonight, showtime 8:30, two full sets. You play the full album, Ensoulment, the new one, and then kind of a greatest hits thing.

Matt Johnson: That's right, yeah.

Bill DeVille: So that's pretty much the story. Thanks again for coming by.

Matt Johnson: Thank you, Bill. Appreciate it.

Bill DeVille: My pleasure.

External Link

The The – official site