Jim Interview

[Don Dante]

My favorite music blog interviewing my favorite musician.  Now that's sweetpickles...

http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2008/01/23/off-the-record-jim-james-louisville-ky/

[dragonboy]

What a great read, makes me want to visit Louisville  :)

[cmccubbin@work]

My favorite music blog interviewing my favorite musician.  Now that's sweetpickles...

http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2008/01/23/off-the-record-jim-james-louisville-ky/

can you post the text of the interview...my work won't let me visit that site!!!

[ycartrob]

My favorite music blog interviewing my favorite musician.  Now that's sweetpickles...

http://www.aquariumdrunkard.com/2008/01/23/off-the-record-jim-james-louisville-ky/

can you post the text of the interview...my work won't let me visit that site!!!

Off The Record :: Jim James (Louisville, KY)
Published on Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008 at 7:00 am


Off The Record is a recurring, feature here on the Drunkard, that marries two of my greatest interests; music and travel. Having a locals perspective when visiting a new locale is the difference between experiencing it through the lens of a tourist and of that of a native.

Off The Record gathers some of my favorite artists, asks them to reflect on their city of residence, and choose a handful of places they could not live without, be them bookstores, bars, restaurants or vistas.

Today's installment of Off The Record catches up with My Morning Jacket's Jim James. With the band gearing up to release their follow-up to 2005's Z, and live dates set for the Spring/Summer, it felt like a natural time to catch up with James to find out what specific locales, in his hometown of Louisville, KY, he'll miss the most when the band begins touring behind the new LP. Below are fifteen that fit the bill.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

My Morning Jacket's Jim James' Top 15 Things About Louisville, KY

1. Joe Creason Park: "Trouble be increasin' at the Creason" used to be our motto as kids. We used to buckle, play shock, drink wine in the woods, and do all sorts of other misfit activities here as young'n's, now I just go there to walk and be healthy and pretend it is my own private yard. Boring. Joe Creason Park, located right across the street from the Louisville zoo, is totally sweetpickles.

2. Caufields Novelty: This is a sweet costume store, we buy soooo many goofy stage props and decorations from them, we should own stock - home of the world's largest bat (like Dracula), which is right down main street a few blocks away from the world's other largest bat:

3. Louisville Slugger Museum: Home of the world's largest bat, which happens to be down the street from another of the world's largest bat's. You can get your name engraved on a sweet bat here. I have a bat with my name on it, but I want one that says: "sweetpickles" on it. Maybe I can get a signature series...hopefully someone will read this and answer my prayers.

4. Brandon and Drew's Back Yard: My buddies, Brandon and Drew, live together and they have a sweet backyard. My other buddies, Will and Mike, used to live in the same apartment, and we would have bonfires and lawn Olympics in their backyard. When they said they were moving out, we knew someone had to inherit the yard, so Brandon and Drew moved in. Once we listened to "Dancing in the Moonlight" there like 137times in a row. Another time we listened to "Be Thankful For What You Got" there like 859 times in a row and it was raining and my boombaucks 2 got ruined, which turned out to be sweetpickles, cuz now I have boombaucks 3 - and he is waterproof. Once there was a party next door where the only items of clothing you were allowed to wear were baby diapers and duct tape. This, my friends and neighbors, is one sweet ass yard.

5. My Old Apartment: My old apartment was really sweet. It was my fave apt. ever - and the first place I ever lived by myself - without roommates! It had a back porch, and I could blast my stereo as loud as I wanted till 9 in the morning, until the weightlifter moved in. I vested many opponents and taught many lessons in original NES ice hockey up inside that place. I lived there for 5 years, and just moved out a few months ago...sigh...I had some sweet times up inside that place, but like all good things it had to come to an end...sigh....

++ Continue reading My Morning Jacket's Jim James' Off The Record......



6. Ramsi's Cafe On The World: This is one of the best places to eat in the world. I have had the luck and good fortune to be able to have dined at many establishments all over this wide piece, and without a doubt Ramsi's Cafe On The World is among the best. I recommend the cubean burrito. It is sweetpickles!

7. Joe Ley Antiques: A big crazy funhouse of an antique store. Old remnants of fountain ferry amusement park, costumes, furniture, coffins, records, axes, Col. Sanders body preserved - you name it, they got it, and its old and dusty and scary.

8. The Widow's walk ice cream parlor/falls of the Ohio: From this vantage point in Indiana, you can look across in wonder at one of mother natures most scenic miracles: Louisville, KY... and wonder where the falls fountain is now. You can also sample one of many fine ice creams.

9. The Old Cardinal Stadium: This is a sweet old stadium that makes you feel like you are still in the 70's. we saw Alice Cooper and Kool And The Gang there this summer at the KY state fair. I saw the Beach Boys there when I was a kid and got a free Zagnut candy bar! Sweetpickles!

10. The Rathskeller at the Seelbach Hotel: This is my favorite rathskeller I have ever seen! There are pelicans on the poles that watch you explore and it is all made out of tiles and echoes. God built it with his love for you in mind! A little known secret!

11. The Palace Theatre: A beautiful old theatre with a great personality. It makes you feel like you are outdoors, under a starry sky. There is a name for this type of theatre, which I was told by the man who runs the Loews in jersey city (a different but equally cool, big scary spaceship style theatre) but I cannot remember it. People have a bad habit of tearing down cool theatres like this so they can put up parking lots, but I'm really glad they saved and restored this old gal. Way to go Louisville! If anyone ever wants to tear her down again they'll have to go thru me first. You and what army?

13. Waterfront Park: They used to store a bunch of salt down on the waterfront, but now we have a really nice park where you can walk around and ride bikes and create memories. I really like salt, but I think i like the park better. This is a really great place to view thunder over Louisville!

14. Thunder Over Louisville: This is the biggest fireworks display in the world, culminating in the fearsome "gargantuan:" the world's largest fireworks explosion in the Midwest. This is a special day every year around derby where all Louisvillians take to the streets and exist together as one beautiful people, realizing that we are all created equal in the eyes of whatever made everyone...all in the great outdoors...unless you just stay home and watch it on TV. Ahhh.....thunder.

15. Cave Hill Cemetery: This is the oldest cemetery in the world. And the most beautiful. And there is a very vaginal cave there that is where all the world started and where it will end someday too. It is inside a hill. We will all go back up inside it to the great-here-after! It is so totally sweetpickles!

[Jon T.]

I wonder if "Sweetpickles" is going to be the name of the new album...  :-?

[cmccubbin@work]

I wonder if "Sweetpickles" is going to be the name of the new album...  :-?

jim continues to get goofier....

[cmccubbin@work]

anybody know where Jim's old apartment was in L'ville?

just curious...

[Dodge]

Love this and love Aquarium Drunkard!

Dodge
Owner, My Old Kentucky Blog & DJ, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
http://myoldkentuckyblog.com

My Old Kentucky Blog on SIRIUS Satellite Radio's "Blog Radio" :
Every Tuesday @ 12pm EST on Left Of Center : Channel 26 and again at Midnight EST.

[bowl of soup]

Sweetpickles was Tracy's nickname in college.

[KC]

Thanks for posing this. I hadn't check Drunkard in a while.

[weeniebeenie]

Cool! Thanks for posting! :)

[ycartrob]

Sweetpickles was Tracy's nickname in college.

actually, it was Big Sweetpickles (or have you forgotten?)

[aMD]

anybody know where Jim's old apartment was in L'ville?

just curious...

I guess it doesn't matter since he's moved. It was in the (lower) Highlands near Bellarmine.

Great interview. Aquarium drunkard's the best in the biz just like our boy jim!

I've spent a lot of time in cave hill cemetery but I've never found the vaginal cave jim was talking about.  anybody wanna go adventuring this weekend?  curtis?

[cmccubbin@work]

anybody know where Jim's old apartment was in L'ville?

just curious...

I guess it doesn't matter since he's moved. It was in the (lower) Highlands near Bellarmine.

Great interview. Aquarium drunkard's the best in the biz just like our boy jim!

I've spent a lot of time in cave hill cemetery but I've never found the vaginal cave jim was talking about.  anybody wanna go adventuring this weekend?  curtis?

ha ha...let's check it out after Halfway to Forecastle rocks our faces off!!!

however....i'm not sure i want to get sucked into the center of the universe at such a young age.

[Don Dante]

Love this and love Aquarium Drunkard!

Dodge
Owner, My Old Kentucky Blog & DJ, SIRIUS Satellite Radio
http://myoldkentuckyblog.com

My Old Kentucky Blog on SIRIUS Satellite Radio's "Blog Radio" :
Every Tuesday @ 12pm EST on Left Of Center : Channel 26 and again at Midnight EST.

Yes!  I love your site too, Dodge.  Crazy that you posted on here, because every morning I look at Drunkard, then MOKB, then Captain's Dead.  Every morning.  You do great work.

[bowl of soup]

Sweetpickles was Tracy's nickname in college.

actually, it was Big Sweetpickles (or have you forgotten?)

Hmmm...  I knew you as Gherkin, but then there was that whole "bottle of cisco, everybody dance now, locker room incident", and everybody started calling you Sweetpickles.

[sweatboard]

I think that's my favorite interview yet.....


15. Cave Hill Cemetery: This is the oldest cemetery in the world. And the most beautiful. And there is a very vaginal cave there that is where all the world started and where it will end someday too. It is inside a hill. We will all go back up inside it to the great-here-after! It is so totally sweetpickles!

[Ghosts_on_TV]

This pic is from Ramsi's right? I had a fine meal there. 8-)

[aMD]

yep. That's Ramsi's and some very cool peeps.  8-)