HJ: Dude, completely mind-blowing and still really had to grasp. TMM: I heard about you like most people heard about you, through the NPR Tiny Desk contest where you performed “Peach Scone.” What was it like to go from living in your car and independently releasing your first album, “Hobo Johnsons 94 Corolla,” to now getting 16 million views on YouTube? So much of it is just having someone in the room and be able to gauge their reactions. When you’re screaming your lyrics, I really feel it you can’t really sing along to a Hobo Johnson song because it’s just you, authentically. When you uploaded the studio version of “Peach Scone” on Spotify and people were able to listen to the differences between that and the Tiny Desk version from your audition, you could really see the intricacies in your inflection and the way that you speak that make it feel so much more personal. I can’t go into the studio with headphones on in some dimly lit room, I need to be in front of people to really get the emotion out of it. Sometimes when I record songs they’re just god-awful, they just sound bad for some reason, and a lot of it is just being in the right headspace and mindset to feel the song, especially “February 15th.” That’s the only way that I could record it. I tried to record it in the studio, but it was so sterile and fucking bad. “February 15th” is one of the most emotionally potent tracks off of “The Fall of Hobo Johnson ” why did you choose to keep it live on the album? “February 15th” is kind of like your “i” from Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly Kendrick put out “i” as a mediocre studio-recorded single, but the version on the album is live and it leaves way more of an impact on the listener. I think going to one of our shows really puts it all in the right context where you can see the real emotion of what’s going on. You can really see the levels added from our “Peach Scone” video and our other live videos. HJ: I think that, like you said, our music is really personable, and people feel what I’m talking about, but the live show adds a whole other element to that. For people who haven’t seen you live, why should they come out to a Hobo Johnson show? “Mover Awayer” is definitely my favorite cut off the new album but listening to the live version you uploaded to YouTube lets me reexperience one of my favorite songs for the first time. I feel like your live performances really breathe new life into your music, though. The new album was a little different… I went to the studio for some songs, but most of it is me in my house by myself. ![]() The recording process is typically just me chilling in my house. ![]() ![]() Other songs, I tend to write poems and focus on the narrative part of it. Especially “Peach Scone” and “You and the Cockroach,” I kind of just sat there and rambled and made it up as I went you can kind of hear when I’m doing that. I record, and a lot of times write, just sitting in my garage or in my bedroom. Hobo Johnson (HJ): I do it all really loosely. The stutters in songs like “Peach Scone” really add to the listening experience and I was wondering what the recording process is like. When I listen to a Hobo Johnson song I feel like I can see the lyrics in your notebook through your inflection. Tastemakers Magazine (TMM): To me, the appeal of your music is its authenticity. In anticipation of his November 11th show at House of Blues with support from Mom Jeans., Interviews Editor Max Rubenstein spoke to Hobo Johnson about his breakout NPR Tiny Desk audition, shitposting, and his upcoming Christmas album.
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