B.A. Johnston is to indie music what Zach Galifianakis is to film – not to mention that they bear somewhat of a resemblance.
If you’ve ever seen this mutton-chop-sporting, Casio-keyboard-playing, beast of a man, half-naked on stage singing songs about video games and neck tattoos, then you are aware of the magic that is B.A. Johnston. If you haven’t yet experienced this ridiculous trucker-cap-wearing ginger work a crowd with the confidence of a pop icon—or perhaps simply a man who has drank far too many beers—then you ought to get yourself on down to the Windsor Hotel on Mar. 9 to check out this sweaty Hamiltonian perform in all his stinking glory.
Johnston spends most of his time driving around Canada in a Toyota Previa since he is pretty much constantly on tour, and releases music just as frequently, with eight albums and a DVD out over the past decade and another one planned for release in late 2013 or early 2014.
One of the most interesting and hilarious aspects of Johnston’s music is the album artwork that accompanies it. His newest album Hi Dudes!—released in 2012—features a screenshot of the creature from the movie Weird Science on the front cover. His CD prior to that, entitled Thank You For Being a Friend, includes album artwork that is an artists’ rendition of Johnston alongside John Candy, the Hamburglar, and what looks like a gremlin from the movie Gremlins posed in the style of the Golden Girls.
Recently, Johnston was able to take a few minutes out of his relentless touring schedule to answer a few questions for the Manitoban, so read on to learn more about douches, hugging, and how to stay entertained when you basically live in a van.
The Manitoban: “Eye of the Douchestorm” off your newest album Hi Dudes! might just be your best work yet. Were there any particular douches that inspired this song?
B.A. Johnston: This song was actually inspired by a bouncer in a bar I was playing in Montreal. I asked him if the Montreal Canadiens were playing that night and his exact response was, “If they were it would be a total douchestorm in here.” And then the song just wrote itself, basically.
M: You spend a lot of time on the road by yourself in a van. How do you manage to not feel lonely and bored?
BAJ: Well, you don’t. You basically get the minivan madness – a lot of singing to yourself, trying to have conversations with teenagers at McDonald’s, and yelling at the CBC. The loneliness can at times be surreal and horrifying, but you get more drink tickets this way.
M: You recently put out a 7” with the Magnificent 7s from Winnipeg. How was that experience?
BAJ: It was great. It really exposed my weakness as a technical musician, though. They kept trying to tell me what key things were in.
M: What’s your favourite place to eat when you stop in Winnipeg?
BAJ: Falafel Place is good, as is the Nook and the Black Sheep. I miss the Shanghai, mostly for the awesome sign and getting to eat in a restaurant where the waiters wore tuxedos.
M: You’re known for moving to impromptu locations during your shows such as bathrooms and on top of vending machines. What’s your favourite memory of this?
BAJ: Once in Saskatoon I did the encore in the bathroom and two dudes started to fight. I made everyone in the bathroom yell “hug it out” until they stopped and hugged. It was pretty life-affirming.
B.A. Johnston will be performing at the Windsor Hotel (likely in the bathroom) on Mar. 9 alongside the Lonely Vulcans and the Bad Nerves.
