In his work with Jawbox, J. Robbins found a way to make "difficult" music almost-easy listening. For his second solo album, he simply wants to show you who he is.
"I just felt like there were so many rules on behavior and how to be. And for whatever reason, I felt like I wasn’t going to learn any of them right. I was going to get them all wrong. The only path forward that I could see when I was a kid and a young teenager was in my inner space and in finding the punk scene."
Feeling this.
"I mean, in a way it’s more like opening a wound. But my thing is, I haven’t wanted to talk to anybody in a public way like this about Callum’s death because it’s never not going to be raw. But at the same time, it’s the kind of thing that people need to talk about more, right? Like, death is real. Loss is real."
Also really feeling this. I didn't realize that Callum had passed, and I was always amazed that he and Janet could take care of him and give him such a normal life and still be productive creatively. The death of a child will definitely make you reexamine your priorities.
Wow, that was a really wonderful interview. When reading this I was reminded of a something Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys once said, "I believe that music is God's voice." Hearing that one of my music idols is/was going thru tough finical times I wanted to know does j. have a gofundme page for Callum? (I apologize for jumping all over the place) The line "it's a fear of being too easily understood" reminded of something Martin Heidegger once said, "to become understandable is suicide for philosophy."
Such a sweet and thoughtful interview. Thank you J and Norman!
One of your best interviews ever. I'm feeling so many things right now. Thank you Norman and J.
That was beautiful. I have wondered about Callum for years and am sorry to hear he is no longer with us. Thank you, J., for being so vulnerable.
I'm a long-time fan of J, his music and lyrics.
Incredible. Thoughtful. Real.
"If you can manage to start with a lump of Play-Doh and end up with a sculpture that you can stand to look at? That’s success."
Agreed.
"I just felt like there were so many rules on behavior and how to be. And for whatever reason, I felt like I wasn’t going to learn any of them right. I was going to get them all wrong. The only path forward that I could see when I was a kid and a young teenager was in my inner space and in finding the punk scene."
Feeling this.
"I mean, in a way it’s more like opening a wound. But my thing is, I haven’t wanted to talk to anybody in a public way like this about Callum’s death because it’s never not going to be raw. But at the same time, it’s the kind of thing that people need to talk about more, right? Like, death is real. Loss is real."
Also really feeling this. I didn't realize that Callum had passed, and I was always amazed that he and Janet could take care of him and give him such a normal life and still be productive creatively. The death of a child will definitely make you reexamine your priorities.
“Precious cargo in a box of brittle bones.”
I’m fucking sobbing.
Wow, that was a really wonderful interview. When reading this I was reminded of a something Brian Wilson from The Beach Boys once said, "I believe that music is God's voice." Hearing that one of my music idols is/was going thru tough finical times I wanted to know does j. have a gofundme page for Callum? (I apologize for jumping all over the place) The line "it's a fear of being too easily understood" reminded of something Martin Heidegger once said, "to become understandable is suicide for philosophy."
The period we were talking about was largely in 2007 when Callum was diagnosed. Sadly, he passed away in 2020.
This is the first time I heard about Callum’s passing. Please give my condolences to j. And his family.