Interview Magazine didn’t just give us North West Kennedy this week, they actually caught the intangible Ariel Pink on his second holiday ever for a chat with Tim Burgess of The Charlatans. Ariel Pink’s eleventh (!) studio album, “Dedicated To Bobby Jameson”, is coming out on September 15 so allow us to prepare you with some facts. Since a merch tee with the “Round and Round” era man-making-out-with-canine visual is staring at me right now at KNOTORYUS HQ, it does seem appropriate.
This upcoming Ariel Pink album isn’t as much of an homage as it is a memorandum. Bobby Jameson was a real-life L.A. musician, who was slated to become the next big thing in the sixties but never did. He had the skill, sure, but his manager was a “psycho” who mishandled his career. So Jameson fell prey to the drink and drugs. Or as Pink poetically puts it: “A classic fall from grace except there’s nothing to fall from.”
He withered into oblivion, only to resurface ten years ago ranting and raving on YouTubeand his blog about the injustices he had faced. He managed to gather a small group of fans, but died in 2015, still fighting for his cause. Ariel Pink was introduced to Bobby Jameson shortly thereafter and felt propelled to give this man the stage he deserved. His own posthumous album.
So what do we know about this new release? After reading Jameson’s blog, Ariel Pink decided to name it “Dedicated To Bobby Jameson”. And only then did he start writing tracks for it and recorded them at home, not really considering it a themed album. According to Burgess, the album sounds like a “new plane”. It contains 14 tracks, with titles like “Santa’s In The Closet” and “Kitchen Witch”.
In June, the video for “Another Weekend” was released, a hauntingly mellow sound picturing Pink looking like drug ballad singer Chalino Sanchez’s twin. As one commenter notes: “I like the bit that sounds like a squeaky shoe.” Other official releases, ‘ironic anti-suicide anthem’ “Time To Live” (a personal fave) and the romantic Morrissey-in-drag tune “Feels Like Heaven” preview a return to form fans will be sure to appreciate. His musical influence over the past 20 years has been undeniable, this won’t be an exception.
When asked if there was anything else we needed to know about this project, Pink proffered: “I love Madonna! I truly do, I hope she knows this. I hope she retweets this on Twitter. I like Grimes too.” Also, there may be a Christmas song with The Charlatans happening soon, so, the more you know.
You can still read Bobby Jameson’s blog here, dark but fascinating stuff.
Read the full Interview Magazine interview with Ariel Pink by Tim Burgess here.
Pre-order “Dedicated To Bobby Jameson” on vinyl and digital release here.
Ariel Pink will be touring North America and Australia this autumn, for updates check here.
Portrait: James Ryang
