Mayercaft Carrier Day 4: Q&A with John

As a returning Mayercrafter, I got an invite to a Q&A session with John, which was pretty cool. We wrote down questions, and the Sixthman crew picked the ones John would answer. Mine did not get chosen, but it was cool to hear what was on every one's mind, and of course, what the "Tattooed One" had to say.



Here's a rundown of some of my faves...

Q: When will the new album come out?
A: Hopefully as early as September, so John can get on the road this fall. But then he proceeded to tell a great story about how Continuum was late, and the advice he got from none other than Bruce Springsteen was that no one would remember whether the album was late or not, they'll just remember whether it was good. So I guess we'll see.

Q: What do you consider your greatest achievement?
A: Being 9 years into a career, and having the same excitement still be there as releasing the first album.

Q: What is your songwriting process?
A: This one went one for a while, but the essential piece was "Songwriting is not a cumulative process. Writing one good song does not unlock the key to the next one. Every song is it's own football game."

Q: Have you ever had writers block, and if so how do you get past it?
A. Another long answer, but the essence was if it's not happening, you put down the guitar and do something else.

Q: Do you choose the other artists on board?
A: It's about 50/50 between artists he likes, and artists recommended by his management or record company that are "up and comers" and a good fit for the audience.

Q: What songs do you wish YOU had written?
A: "She is Leaving Home" - The Beatles, "Got To Give It Up" - Marvin Gaye, "Hypnotized" - Biggie Smalls, "Girls, Girls, Girls" - Motley Crue, "Old Love" - Eric Clapton, and "Best of What's Around" - Dave Mathews Band.



Other funny anecdotes:
One guy that asked a question said, "Hi, I'm J.J. and I talk to you every day on-line (through Twitter). John's response? "Hi, I'm Blocker...."

When talking about how he selected his management team, he essentially said that he had an All-star list in mind, but ultimately it came down to connecting with people. He doesn't believe in networking, and feels there is no middle of the road with people. You either meet and hit it off, or you think, "I can't stand this guy!"

He mentioned he owes a lot of his pop-blues amalgam approach to the Dave Matthews Band.

And my all-time favorite....
The secret to life? Cover everything in frosting!