With Hope and FuryJoe Jackson reviews most of the styles that made him unique. And he always has his tongue out…
There is a lot of talk about England in the subjects covered on this new album. Why such a choice and especially why at this moment in your life?
It's quite difficult to say. Things are quite unpredictable with me, like life in general. When I started living in New York, I didn't imagine, for example, that I would continue to go back and forth to England, that I would continue to come back to where I grew up (Portsmouth, nda). But it quickly seemed important to me. It also has a lot to do with these horrors of confinement, during which I was stuck in England.
Should we see nostalgia on your part in relation to a certain image of England of yesterday? When you talk about today's “Burning By the Sea”, it's hard to know if you like it or if it annoys you!
Both (laughs)! I am incapable of writing about England without this love-hate relationship, with things that I love there more than anywhere in the world and, alongside, things that make me angry or which can go so far as to depress me. As for nostalgia, yes, there is a little, but not too much. I've always seen nostalgia as a recreational drug, it's okay to have a little but not too much…
If the album covers all the styles present in your music, Latin sounds are often included. They seem to have never left you…
That's right. It goes back a long way now, back in the early 80s, when I started spending a lot of time in New York. The Latino scene at the time reflected a fantastic era in this area and yes, I come back to it regularly. Maybe I was Cuban in a previous life, who knows…
The album is therefore called Hope and Furyhope and fury. Which of his moods is yours most often?
(Laughs) Great God, both, constantly! That said, I have never been someone who was particularly angry or pissed off. We must have hope. What is the alternative otherwise? Despair? Depression? Not exactly a promising prospect. When I was first starting out, I was often referred to as an angry young man even though I had a lot of fun in everything I did. I even wanted to write a song called “Angry Young Man” but then it seemed too easy…
What relationship do you have with your songs from the time, those that made you famous?
I have no problem playing some of the more famous ones. On the contrary, I think that it helps the public to get involved in the concerts and I see nothing wrong with that. Certainly, there are a few on the first albums that I don't like anymore, because they seem immature, even stupid.
Do you have specific examples to give?
No (laughs)! Let's just say that these are the ones that I no longer play on stage, you won't hear them anymore!
You can also check out our interview with Joe Jackson via our e-reader below:
