I haven't seen it‚ but I just heard about it. There's an actress whose doing a pole dance‚ you know‚ working this strip joint‚ like we have here in Portland….
MB: So she's doing the pole dance to "Werewolf"?
Yes.
NJ: How does this make you feel?
I didn't see it‚ but I don't like that series Deadwood. I haven't seen any of that‚ like five minutes maybe. I didn't like any of it.
NJ: They used a couple of your songs right?
One.
NJ: Now‚ you weren't happy with the way they used it?
No‚ I just think the whole series sucked. It was a popular HBO show.
NJ: How do you generally feel when you hear someone's covered your song? Do you listen to it? Is it weird or is it flattering? Does it seem like someone's reading pages of your diary?
No‚ it always feels good. I've never been really unhappy with people singing my songs. Often‚ I like them a lot. I've been collecting people covering my tunes for several years‚ and I'm thinking of putting an album out of them. I think I maybe have 30 of them with people from all over‚ but people mainly U.S.A. or England‚ or Scotland. I think that's about it.
MB: Are they versions that people have heard or new things that people have recorded?
People record them themselves and they give them to me. Now I've got to sort them out and find a label that wants to put this album out.
NJ: Do you have the rights to release them?
I guess so. [Laughs]
MB: The label can figure that out right?
Well‚ they're all my tunes. I may have to work out an agreement with the artist‚ how to compensate them for their property.
MB: Now‚ are they people that other people have heard of or are they just musicians who independently have been sending you things they've covered of yours?
Mainly obscure people‚ but few are outstanding names. I can't think of too many right now. I haven't really paid attention to this collection lately. I almost released it in Ireland about two years ago‚ but I decided not to release it in Ireland because things tend to go underwater quickly when they're released in Ireland. [Laughter]
MB: Is the Irish market no good?
From my experience things don't get out. They put a high tariff on it and make it real difficult. I had an album come out in Germany‚ three actually‚ and two out from Ireland. You don't see that stuff around much.
NJ: So with the new album‚ do you feel like it's your favorite album? Do you feel like the new one is always your favorite?
Well I like it‚ I like it a lot. I keep getting to like my current stuff. It's been three years in the making‚ and I'm almost tired of it now‚ before it comes out. I'm kind of interested in the next thing right now.