VH1 Storytellers!!!

[SaraBananaBear]

This is my Gmail Convo with Mr. Reid Wilkof who was front and center at the taping last night. Enjoy.

Reid: I am trying to find words to describe last night to you one of the most powerful music experiences of my life

me: im reading the forum now..
what did they talk about?
did they tell the stories of their songs...?
what the fuck is Dondante about?

Reid: about their friend
  and that changed the mood for the rest of the night
  he was in tears
Patrick was in tears
whole room weeping
the stories were not really stories as they were these tangents of thought
  and belief
  very spiritual

me: kinda spiritual?
9:20 AM
Reid: but not preachy or religious

me: totally

Reid: just openness
 
of life
 
and caring
 
compassion
 
honestly if this guy started a cult I would be there

me: he has started a cult...JOIN THE FORUM!

Reid: we sat next to two girls who are two frorum heads

me: Penny?

Reid: Casey, we were 4 feet from them. there wasnt a stage it was studio so we were on the floor with them

definitely got a lot of air time

me: did you look nice?

Reid: casual
 
so hot
 
if I took my sweater off it would have been bad news came home pits were soaking

me: hahahaha

how was that new song "moving away?'

Reid: ohh man they had to do it twice

me: i heard...why?

Reid: something happened with the taping one of the computers fucked up or something they did it
 
he fucking killed it
 
after that song production manager comes up and was like we got to do it again
 
Jim is like I cant I cant do that again
 
he poured it out on this take
 
on the first one
 
they did it again at the end
 
the other new song

is AWESOME

me: the one the had to do again, what did that one sound like?

Reid: slow ballad

I wanted to leave during its about leaving a loved one and trying to have a long distance relationsip
 
and it not working
 
shit I just cant hear right now
 
whole time I was thinking about that fucking girl
 
even dreamt about her last night

me: nice, Jim tappin into your psyche

Reid: really has
 
I feel different after last night
 
made me think of culture and our reasons for even being on this planet
 
the world is shit
 
people treat each other like shit

from day to day to our government
 
to traditions about faith how those traditions treat people
 
makes you want to get away from everything and forget about it
I guess the whole band went to Lady Gaga the other night at MSG hilarious tweet pic of them

me: nice.
 
brb
 
got to shower

END CONVO

beautiful..

Beautiful indeed, so lovely, thanks for sharing! :)

[SaraBananaBear]

I know when Springsteen did Storytellers a few years back, they also released a DVD of the whole session later in the year after it aired.  Not saying they will definitely do this for MMJ, but there's a precedent.

Oooh, that'd be so nice!  :D

[SaraBananaBear]

Thanks everyone for sharing stories/details, love reading it!  ♥ :)

[Camp]

Thanks for all the info on the show last.  I'm glad everyone had a great time and it was really nice meeting everyone.   Unfortunately they didn't have enough room for just one more person.  There was only two of us that didn't get in and the super nice girl who was in charge of the guest list came over to me and said how sorry she was I couldn't  get in.  She said that she had pleaded with her boss to let me in but he wouldn't allow it, she actually looked more upset about it then I'm sure I did.  Keep the details coming if you think of anything else and I'll see you all next time the band comes around.  Now where the fuck are these tour dates I need something to look forward to.

[br00ke]

Thanks for all the info on the show last.  I'm glad everyone had a great time and it was really nice meeting everyone.   Unfortunately they didn't have enough room for just one more person.  There was only two of us that didn't get in and the super nice girl who was in charge of the guest list came over to me and said how sorry she was I couldn't  get in.  She said that she had pleaded with her boss to let me in but he wouldn't allow it, she actually looked more upset about it then I'm sure I did.  Keep the details coming if you think of anything else and I'll see you all next time the band comes around.  Now where the fuck are these tour dates I need something to look forward to.

great to meet you too  :)  after we found out val got in we were asking her about if you would get in .. sucks that it didn't work out man !!

[jesseyoungblood]

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!
(and a lot of paraphrasing, brevity and mixing up when he said what exactly as there was too much to remember right)

first story or tangent of thought was in relation to a long night that had eventually became morning "as long nights tend to do"... at which point, though he tries to eat healthy, even when he doesnt want to, he went in the refrigerator to grab a fresh box of eggs.  and when he opened the lid the light in his kitchen somehow hit the eggs that got him thinking about the existence of life in all things be they eggs, leaves, people etc.. and how we all need to realize there is in all of us as there is in all things like leaves and eggs a core brilliant  light linking us all (i am really paraphrasing here).
- wordless chorus

he then mentioned something about how we loves to read the onion and how sad it is we get our real news from that and the daily show, etc.  but he said his favorite headline was "US department of Retro warns we are running out of retro").  he then got into the whole thing of how we constantly recycle the past and how this led to "we are the imitators, they are the innovators" but then he said FUCK THAT .  WE need to be the innovators, and that we (not that just them as a band) need find our own identity in all of this and not just look to the past.  so he changed the line!
i think at this point is when he started to talk about how in the early days he was learning his voice and how to sing he would admire those people who could hit those crazy high notes like shannon hoon (for the life of me i cant remember all the others he mentioned).  and which is why he thinks he closes his eyes so much when he sings - he is trying to reach them "up there" so that they can help him.
- the way that he sings

he got into when they were first starting out they all decided the best thing to do was to go buy a van and hit the road.  they found a beautiful 1989 dodge or something that was two-toned (just like tommy over there) in beige and white?  i forget.  and they called her "Rosie."  they were all excited to go out and hit the road (or the "circuit" as so many people he'd talk to would refer to it).  so one night when he was having dinner with his grandmother he told her about it.  and she asked if they would be playing lots of bars, to which he replied well probably yes.  to which she said "bars are dark and lonely." 
Golden

talking of the new album, how they recorded it in a sweaty hot gym in kentucky and how the heat helped the sound.  this album is much more round in its sound.  where as the past few might have been triangular or "spikey" like how sprite or carbonated water feels on your tongue.  this album is like milk on your tongue.
circuital

then he spoke about the universal feeling of what its like to have to move, especially the choice to move for someone else, but i think that was covered by others' posts.
new song - moving away

i dont need to explain the intro to dondante as i think its been explained way better than i could have done already, but just wanted to add one little part regarding his friend.  when they were in the 4th grade his father got a new guitar (a fender strat?) and how he and his friend would stare at it as though it was the holy grail, then in a whisper he said "all the secrets are contained within"
dondante

getting into the religion / political thing here... the dangers of organized religions repeating the mistakes of the past,  how kids at church are so bored but outside of it how they see everything for the first time and the joy in everything.  also the frustrations they felt during the bush administration.  how he kind of lets it all go with his scream at the end of the song.
gideon

i found this part pretty interesting as i really had no idea what the song was about... but here he gets into what its like to be in love and in a relationship but there just is something missing, something just isnt right, but you stay in the relationship anyway.  you start looking at all the wrong things and how its kind of like running down an alley shooting at all the wrong things - like i dont deserve this, i could never have that - but you are never hitting on the right thing.
smoking from shootin

they took a little break then came back to do movin away again.  mentioned something about how great the song was the first time but the computer was saying "ERROR ERROR 10001001011100"  pretty funny.  asked us all to put our hands in the air, even if its only metaphorically, to get the song right.  and how being asked to do the song again is like telling a really funny joke and everyone around laughs out loud and then someone says - now tell us that same EXACT JOKE.
(something else he said, and i cant remember when it was but it was quite funny - hey you guys can stand or sit, do whatever you want really.... as long as you are standing)

he spoke about being invited to work on a shel silverstein tribute album in the famous MCA studios in nashville (at least i think thats what it was).  and that since they were asked to do a cover for storytellers they thought this would be appropriate -
26 Second Song
the 26 second song...  it was pretty funny.

then since this was storytellers they thought this was really the most appropriate cover - and it was great - lullabies, legends and lies.

i'm leaving out a lot but i think others have got it covered elsewhere - especially the part of the importance of finding that thing that helps bring you to that place where nothing else matters whether its sports, or music, or whatever that can help define you - because he's afraid all the reality tv, and texting, and video games are stealing the identities of the new generation.  how he sounds like an old man saying that, but back in the day when they invented the telegram there was some old guy saying "its too fast!  its gonna ruin everything!"
- he felt like a schoolteacher up there but he wasnt teaching anything (wrong jim.  way wrong).
- he hates silence between songs because it gives people the opportunity to say something stupid, but pat wishes he could have just a few seconds of silence to let the songs settle before starting up again.  and jim was like "no way!  i'm making noise, youre making noise!!"
Great intro to OBH.  "i'm going to read a quote, i wrote it down because i didnt want to get it wrong - on location, touring round the nation.  beastie boys, always on vacation"  and how no sleep till brooklyn is kind of how they thought it might be... just partying, travelling "fuckin shooting people!" whatever.  it was pretty funny.  but then he said the reality of the road turned out to be different of course, but that what it did to them in the end made them closer and better musicians and people which is a better result anyway.

ok folks i need to get back to work but was afraid if i didnt find someplace to jot this all down real quick i'd lose it....

[br00ke]

i think at this point is when he started to talk about how in the early days he was learning his voice and how to sing he would admire those people who could hit those crazy high notes like shannon hoon (for the life of me i cant remember all the others he mentioned).  and which is why he thinks he closes his eyes so much when he sings - he is trying to reach them "up there" so that they can help him.
- the way that he sings

roy orbison i think ?

"fuckin shooting people!"

YEAH !!!  ;D ;D i forgot about that part. jim can be quiet serious and profound and really freaking hysterical too    great recap ... really great .. helped bring some of it back. i can't believe you can remember all of those details and have it so well written out. bravo !!

[SaraBananaBear]

Thank you so much jesseyoungblood!  :D

[bluesky]

Hey Camp it was really nice to meet you outside, I am sorry that you didn't get in but hope now that we know you we see you at more shows! I really had a difficult time last night falling asleep my heart was still pounding fast at 2am. I feel super lucky to have been able to make it in to the show! Let's see if I can recall more details:

The early highlights were typical Jim at a show. He was abstract. He started talking about staying up late and being hungry but being a healthy person and still wanting bad food late at night. He was looking at a carton of eggs. And start to talk about how much life is in something like an egg, how it have potential to become a chicken or just be an egg an eaten. He mentioned how leaves were like that too, how all these things have life in them. He talked about meditation and how all things are connected. You got to love Jim!!!

The Way That He sings: Jim talked about wanting to channel the great singers like Roy Orbison and Marvin Gay. How they could hit the high notes and how he wanted to do that. How he looked for them when he would preform to guide him or something.

Moving Away is slow and LOVELY!!! He said it was about moving to be with someone and the hope that brings but also what you leave behind, those you love and the ones you want to leave. But that it is hopeful!!!

[br00ke]

RE: movin' away ... i believe that one of the lyrics in the 1st bit is "anything for romance"

[bluesky]

Jesseyoungblood great recap!!! :) More keeps coming back though it's hard to write. Meeting Brooke later so I am sure we will relive together!

[Penny Lane]

Thanks for all the info on the show last.  I'm glad everyone had a great time and it was really nice meeting everyone.   Unfortunately they didn't have enough room for just one more person.  There was only two of us that didn't get in and the super nice girl who was in charge of the guest list came over to me and said how sorry she was I couldn't  get in.  She said that she had pleaded with her boss to let me in but he wouldn't allow it, she actually looked more upset about it then I'm sure I did.  Keep the details coming if you think of anything else and I'll see you all next time the band comes around.  Now where the fuck are these tour dates I need something to look forward to.

k

sorry you didn't get in, Camp  :(
Great meeting you, have fun in Vegas!

[Dodobird]

Just found this!

My Morning Jacket Tape VH1 Storytellers Performance

VH1 Storytellers: My Morning Jacket will premiere on Friday, June 3rd but the network is looking ahead and sent over this tease:
My Morning Jacket front man Jim James declared "[touring] ain't what like the Beastie Boys promised on the song 'No Sleep Till Brooklyn'!" as they ripped into fan-favorite "One Big Holiday" in front of an intimate 200 member-audience last night at the taping of "VH1 Storytellers" at Metropolis Studios in New York, NY.

The hour-long "VH1 Storytellers" episode will feature the band performing a selection of songs including "Gideon," "Dondante," and a new track, "Wonderful," from their upcoming album. While introducing "Dondante," an emotional James told the story of the childhood friend who gave him his first guitar, formed their first band and collectively dreamed of appearing on "VH1 Storytellers." That friend has since died, but James explained that he was with them on stage in spirit as their boyhood dream came true last night.

James also spoke of hitting the road during the beginning of the band's burgeoning career. Prior to setting out on tour in a new van, James was spending Christmas with his grandmother, who asked James if he would be playing music in bars. When James responded with a yes, his grandmother said that "bars are dark and lonely places," a warning that turned into a key

http://www.antimusic.com/news/11/feb/28My_Morning_Jacket_Tape_VH1_Storytellers_Performance.shtml

[Jon T.]

Awesome! Thanks.

[Apeskies]

thanks for the small article =D

SO PUMPED!!

[lil sis]

June 3rd is officially marked in my Outlook.  :)

[The DARK]

RS video of Golden!

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/blogs/rolling-stone-video-blog/exclusive-my-morning-jacket-perform-golden-on-vh1s-storytellers-20110411

[ericm]

RS video of Golden!

http://www.rollingstone.com/culture/blogs/rolling-stone-video-blog/exclusive-my-morning-jacket-perform-golden-on-vh1s-storytellers-20110411

Very cool!

No more than 30 seconds in is a great shot of our very own Pennlane, right in the front row. 8) Then  few seconds later we get Penny and Brooke. Way to go ladies.

[wolof7]

What an awesome vid!!! Love how winded Jim was when he first began to talk...forgot how jealous I was of all of you who got in but seriously what a truly great and special experience for you all!  :)

That place seemed like it fit like 50 people!

[Erik26]

Just came on to post this little gem...Guess I was about 20 minutes late. LOL. Great Vid!!!