Jackson Browne - Fan Letters & Reviews
January 2003
Hi Russ
The following article was published in the Sydney Morning Herald on December 31, 2002. It is provides some interesting insight and Jackson is surprisingly candid with his reponses.
We are really looking forward to seeing Jackson here in Sydney where he plays at the world famous Sydney Opera House. Has Jackson played in a more spectactular Concert Hall I wonder?
Submitted by: mlavorato@cathclub.com.au (Michael in Sydney, Australia)In The Present Tense
Jackson Browne may have mellowed when it comes to relationships but politically, there's still fire in the belly, writes Mike Seccombe. It's not an easy thing, blending middle age with rock'n'roll. Balding businessmen in their 50s know the problem as they search among the suits and golf shoes for something to wear to Brian Wilson. So do women of a certain age; wondering how tightly they can pack the flesh for the Rolling Stones gig.
And how much harder for the actual performers to this demographic, so many of whom seem to be coming through Australia this summer? For Wilson, reading the lyrics from the autocue while the band does the rest; for Jagger, perpetually starved into something resembling adolescent form. The demands of the business make it hard to mature like a normal person, you must admit, with normal reponsibilities, commitments and perspectives.
Which brings us to Jackson Browne and the reason it's taken him five years to release his new record, The Naked Ride Home.
"The simple answer would be that I've been working on the solutions to family problems," he says. "The kind that are fairly common. The health of one of my sisters, the wellbeing of her child and the various ways you can deal with certain kinds of illness and recovery and stuff."
Yep, this is Jackson Browne talking. The guy who always seemed to be rolling down some Californian highway escaping ties of one kind or another.
"I'm actually just dealing with things that we didn't deal with when we were younger. Both my parents passed away 10 or 15 years ago and we never really became the adults in the family. We somehow never really took on the unifying role that my mother had, in bringing people together ..."
So, latterly, he found "I became the head of my family". It didn't happen "purposefully" and it had consequences for his lifestyle and music.
"It made me stop again and again. There was a lot of renovating my music. The process was stretched out over a long period of time."
It also put his songs more in the present tense.
"I always tended to avoid songs about current relationships," he says. Partly this was in the hope that "you could have a real relationship without an audience", and partly because "if you paint an unflattering portrait of your girlfriend, you're f---ed".
But such an approach, of course, means one can only get new material by a series of endings. This album features a song - My Stunning Mystery Companion - which is not only about a current relationship, but more broadly about what it takes to ensure the continuation of a relationship.
"It's a semantic game about the problem that people have committing or asking for commitment," he explains. "You say: 'I'll love you forever' and you're already in trouble because you might not. So you have to take it moment by moment. It might mean only saying 'this is how I feel for now'.
"Clasping your heart and making overblown oaths", is not the way to permanence in the view of a man who, at 54, has tempered his romance with realism.
But if growing older has mellowed Browne when it comes to personal relationships, it certainly has not mellowed him politically. Take the opening lines of Casino Nation:
In a weapons-producing nation under Jesus/In the fabled crucible of the free world/Camera crews search for clues amid the detritus/And entertainment shapes the land/The way the hammer shapes the hand
The song savages the shallowness and conservatism of American political and media culture, accusing the "cowboy moguls" of propagandising the people into preparedness for "perpetual war".
There is nothing subtle about the song but nor, Browne points out, is there anything subtle about the way the US establishment seeks to "squelch" criticism. He cites the example of his fellow performer Steve Earle, whose song John Walker's Blues was banned by radio stations and attacked by politicians as being unpatriotic. The Earle song was written from the viewpoint of John Walker Lindh, a young American captured in Afghanistan, brought back to the US and recently sentenced to 20 years' jail for assisting the Taliban.
"I think what Steve Earle did is brilliant and raised some really interesting questions," says Browne. "I mean, how did this kid grow up in America and embrace not only Islam, but become this Taliban fighter?
"I think it's shameful, but all too predictable [that Earle] was chastised for doing what has always been the artist's role. I think that the questions are needed. In the case of the United States, not only does the government want to squelch any kind of criticism or opposition, its means of doing so is to make people feel as if they are unpatriotic if they raise any sorts of questions."
He should feel right at home, then, in Australia.
In the tradition of CCR's "There's a bathroom on the right," Jimi's "Scuse me while I kiss this guy," and other misunderstood lyrics, I can add my six-year-old daughter's mis-hear of Jackson's "Never Stop." On the way to school and work one morning, we had the song cranked in the car, and Jackson sings the line "How you wrapped me in your sweetness."
Cassidy: Why's she chasing him?
Me: Whattaya mean?
Cassidy: Well, he just said, "You were after me in your sneakers!"
I re-played the line a few times to convince her she'd heard it wrong, but then (as these things tend to go) I started hearing it her way.
Happy 2003, y'all, and thanks, Russ, for all the good info!
hey russ,
love the site. keep up the good work. anybody know how to write to jb? does he follow this site? thanks
Webmaster's Reply:
At this point in time there is no address where you can write to Jackson Browne. Several of his past albums have listed addresses where people could send fan mail, but it my understanding that these are all old addresses and not currently valid.
I once overheard Jackson tell someone that the only way to be sure he saw a letter was to hand it to him personally. Obviously not an easy task!
Jackson once told me that although he has seen this website, he does not follow it. He told me that reading what others say about him makes him uncomfortable -- and that he doesn't spend much time online becuase he knows how addicting it can be and just doesn't have the time.
Russ
hey jackson browne,
Just wanted you to know that my brother and i saw you in atlanta georgia, and you were awesome. And we love your new c.d. that just came out.just wanted to say thank you for the music that you put out,and we are looking forward to seeing you in atlanta in the year 2003.take care mr.Jackson and we love you.
Your Truly,
Jackson Browne,
Your voice carries me away to a higher plateau. I can leave behind my broken dreams. I spread my wings to its romance. I soar, far above heartbreak, in its melody.
Thank you for your gift.
Hi Russ,
this is a message to all European fans and I would be glad if it could be published this way.
I have got one ticket to sell for Jackson's Amsterdam concert on March 18th 2003 at Heineken Music Hall. The price would be 50 Euro. Unfortunately I have got to work then and cannot attend the concert. I am going to Antwerp / Belgium on March 15th 2003, though.
It's a real pity that Jackson will only be coming to Germany for two concerts in Berlin and Hamburg. As I live in the Western part of Germany to attend a concert in the Netherland or Belgium is much easier because it is not so far away.
Anyone who is interested in buying the ticket please contact me via email.
Hi Russ! Just a quick note to point you and all the fans to a news item stating that Jackson plans to return to the U.S. to play more dates and to an article about Jackson's ecological and political lifestyle.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/030103/143/2yzn3.html
http://nature.org/magazine/winter2002/jacksonbrowne/
Happy New Year!
Hi, just wanna tell you how happy I am right now. I have tickets to see JB in Copenhagen 26/3.I live in Sweden, but Denmark is just around the corner from here. In fact it is a bridge that connects Malmoe in Sweden and Copenhagen in Denmark. Me and my girlfriend both love Jackson's music.
Take care,
i had the wonderful pleasure of seeing jackson perform at the peace rally (no war on iraq) in los angeles this past Saturday. apparently, jackson decided to perform there at the last minute, because i didn't find out about it until i heard it announced on the radio while driving down there for the rally. he performed one song before i was able to even get to see it (i was still marching) and then some speakers (including maxyne waters and martin sheen) took the stage. after that, jackson re-appeared (with band) to perform casino nation, about my imagination, and i am a patriot. very short, but very sweet. made my day! thanks to jackson for appearing at such a worth while cause.
here in newcastle nsw australia relly looking forward to Jacksons tour next month. Ill be seeing him at the sydney opera house and also he is playing an outdoor twilight concert at a nearby vineyard. should be soething else having read over the years on your site fans views of jb outdoor concerts in the Us. attached is a newspaper article published 1/16/03 in my local daily the NEWCASTLE HERALD . do notknow the writer or source but some interesting thoughts on early days and Petty.
if any readersmight want me to buy for them souvenir AusT concert t shirts you might let me know
regards
Dear Russ:
I can't believe that after all these years that whoever wrote and produced the JFK, Jr., America's prince made-for-TV movie on TBS actually had the audacity to recreate the lie and portray Jackson as a violent individual. Everyone that has any clue whatsoever knows that Daryl Hannah orchestrated that entire thing. It is my understanding that HE called the cops not her. Why would a person that is supposedly beating up someone call the cops!!!!!?
I have met Jackson personally upon several occasions and know for a fact that he is incapable of violence in any way, shape or form. He has been known to stand up for his rights for what he believes in like when it comes to our absolutely corrupt, lying, cheating, self-serving government. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Jackson is a man of great integrity, intense compassion and complete honesty. He is extremely personable, generous, gentle and kind. I have found him to be nothing but an absolute gentlemen. He has a way with his incredibly spontaneous sense of humor and always knows the right thing to say to make people feel at ease.
I am very surprised that Jackson's management allowed this to resurface. Or that the people involved in the show didn't do the research more thoroughly before broadcasting this blatant lie. As long as we're talking about it, the show did not portray JFK Jr., in a realistic manner either. He was far more intelligent, innovative and charismatic than they portrayed him. I don''t want to dwell on that however as it is Jackson Browne that we are talking about here.
I ask that anyone that saw that show and reads this letter takes the time to realize the tendency the media has to misconstrue facts and actually outright lie in order to capture the audience which is usually too ignorant to realize the lies and take the time to determine the facts. Everyone please take the time to remember all the great things that Jackson has added to our lives and to remember all those heart felt intense lyrics, motivating music as well as the never ending devotion he has had to helping others with his numerous benefit concerts that he has continued to perform over the years.
A JB fan and friend forever,
Webmaster's Reply:
Hi Lisa. Nice to hear from you!
The problem is that Daryl apparently did make this accusation at one point, so the fact that the movie shows her making the accusation is probably nothing that Jackson can sue about. It's just a shame that it had to be brought up again. But what do you expect from a tv tabloid movie?
The best that can be implied from the movie is that Daryl's motive for making up such a story may have had more to do with attracting JFK Jr. than it did with getting back at Jackson for leaving her. Not that either is a legitimate reason for making up such a story. She just never considered the consequences to those whom she was hurting... and that tells you a lot about the kind of person she must be...
And yes, the fact is that it was Jackson who called the police that night. The officers on the scene said that no allegation of physical abuse was made at the time and that they saw no evidence of such activity. If they had -- as any officer knows -- they would have been required to follow up on it. Too many people believe the trash they read in the tabloids.
Thanks for writing.
Russ
My name is Mary Barnes my husband and I love Jackson Browne we saw him a couple of years ago in Richmond Virginia at the Carpenter Center singing solo and we have photos of him and we met him personally infact we have the photos inlarged and in a frame on our wall now in our living room we dated on his music keep up the Good work and we just recently bought another cd of him and we play it all the time love your friends and fans from Lawerenceville Virginia.
I'm a French fan looking for a setlist. It's about the show given by Jackson Browne in 'Bayonne', a southern french city, during a show that's probably been done in '81 or '82. D'you think I could get this setlist somewhere?
I'll be lucky enough to see Jackson playing in Anvers (Belgium) on the 15th of march AND in Paris (France), the day after. I can't wait... We'll probably gonna have a good time.
If you have a moment, check this out : www.tramps-like-us.com. It's the brand new Springsteen french fan club that we made, with 3 good friends of mine,?at the end of last september.
Thanks for your help,
Submitted by: EVE.LAINE@wanadoo.fr (Eve)
Hey Russ!
I have to say that your site is great and I get a lot of info! I am only 20 yrs old and live in Scotland..just outside Glasgow. It is soo hard to find people my age that are interested in Jackson Browne (he is not that well known over here) which I think is a tragedy! Hopefully this e-mail will get people my age to contact me! I became interested in Jackson Browne at very young age, my dad would sing "everywhere I go" and "Something Fine" to me when I wouldnt go to sleep as a child. I now have a keen interest in the guitar and play regularly with my dad..in fact they call us the 'Waltons' down the pub!! I was delighted to receive tickets to see Jackson in concert in Edinburgh, however I heard that he is touring with his band this year. last time i saw him it was solo and could you please confirm that he is touring with his band!
Dear Russ,
The British mag. "Uncut" Dec. article about Jackson Browne was well deserved! For 3 decades he has remained the same severely talented beauty. I am sure he will continue to wake up the world on his upcoming tour.
All the best,