Jack Johnson (the laid-back acoustic surfer dude)

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Now that we've had a John Mayer thread, why not tackle this Hot AC Hawaaiian annoyance?

I don't mind his songs as much as Mayer's (I kind of like "The Horizon Has Been Defeated"), but their burbling, sleepy atmosphere - and his singing - make me wanna throw his board to the sharks!

― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 2 October 2003 17:00 (twenty-two years ago)

I wish the real Jack Johnson would spring forth from the grave and kick this guy's ass

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 2 October 2003 17:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Sam -
I had never heard Jack Johnson before I recently started becoming obsessed with a show that I KNOW is up your alley, you little Dawson's Creeker - "The O.C."!!! And they played some J.J. on there, and I don't know if it's just the deeply liberating "I-am-not-ashamed-and-this-should-not-be-a-guilty-pleasure" feeling of getting into it, but I totally dug the song, whatever it was. I also will now disclose that I absolutely love "California" by Phantom Planet, the theme song to the show.
If this means I have to revoke my ILM card, so be it. I am not ashamed. I AM NOT ASHAMED!!!

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Thursday, 2 October 2003 18:03 (twenty-two years ago)

Ben Harper's slide guitar is the best thing about Jack Johnson's music.

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Thursday, 2 October 2003 18:09 (twenty-two years ago)

Attention Ben Boyer: Please hand in your ILM card to a moderator within the next 24 hours, or further action will be necessary.

"California" was a great single and meant a lot to me two springs ago as it was the first year that I actually had a car in LA and could drive all around, like up the 101 - as the Phatom Planet guy sings about; it was a lighthearted "pop-rock" song that I could actually relate to. But I am glad i never heard any other PP songs since I knew enough stories about what kind of cocks those guys are in person

As for Jack Johnson, there's very little to say about him even though I only heard the single, or two. Didn't he have some sort of attention-getting lyric about how news anchors keep talking about many people died today, without thinking its anything special ? Maybe he should have been a professional surfer instead.

― Vic (Vic), Thursday, 2 October 2003 18:14 (twenty-two years ago)

he was a professional surfer!

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 2 October 2003 18:48 (twenty-two years ago)

I'm as mystified by his success as anyone, but man do the kids dig it. Maybe it's that it's so underproduced; it stands out a bit from everything else on the radio. FWIW, he's an incredibly nice fellow and very handsome, that could have a little to do with it.

― teeny (teeny), Thursday, 2 October 2003 18:51 (twenty-two years ago)

dave matthews big upped him, jamband endorsements carry ALOT of weight (go to a recent david byrne show for evidence of this)

― cinniblount (James Blount), Thursday, 2 October 2003 19:34 (twenty-two years ago)

I like that "California" song too!

― Sam J. (samjeff), Thursday, 2 October 2003 20:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Vic - what did you hear? Several years ago I played in a goofy band out here in L.A. and we played with Phantom Planet a few times, and they always seemed really nice, esp. the main guy (Alex). This was in '97 or '98 though. Give me the dirt!

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Thursday, 2 October 2003 21:09 (twenty-two years ago)

I interviewed Phantom Planet, well at least the two members who bothered to show up. They weren't exactly rude but they were totally uninterested in giving me a decent interview.

― teeny (teeny), Friday, 3 October 2003 14:16 (twenty-two years ago)

O R They?

― Chris V. (Chris V), Friday, 3 October 2003 14:23 (twenty-two years ago)

I kiss you Chris.

― teeny (teeny), Friday, 3 October 2003 14:25 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey nothing major, just how they were real unfriendly jerks at their show and didn't care to talk to anyone and had big attitudes, etc. Of course, I think there'd be a big difference between them '97/'98, pre-Rushmore and in 2002

― Vic (Vic), Friday, 3 October 2003 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

Well a healthy mistrust of music journalists is a positive in my book.

― mentalist (mentalist), Sunday, 5 October 2003 00:09 (twenty-two years ago)

yes obviously journos never do anything good for bands.

― teeny (teeny), Sunday, 5 October 2003 03:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh oh oh oh Jack Johnson you know what fuck Jack Johnson and the yawns that he calls music.

― My name is Kenny (My name is Kenny), Sunday, 5 October 2003 04:02 (twenty-two years ago)

four months pass...

Request: Jack Johnson - OPO (ie, what is his best song?)

― gygax! (gygax!), Friday, 27 February 2004 20:25 (twenty-one years ago)

Seconded -- or what was the name of the song used on "the O.C." that I mentioned upthread?

(I am sure there is a way to search on the O.C.'s site for what music they've used, but I'll be damned if I'm going to get busted on there at work... ILM's bad enough...)

― Ben Boyer (Ben Boyer), Friday, 27 February 2004 20:31 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm a little surprised this thread hasn't generated any surf-in traffic (pun intended).

― morris pavilion (samjeff), Friday, 27 February 2004 21:20 (twenty-one years ago)

three years pass...

No more 'the laid-back acoustic surfer dude' -- why, Newsweek says he is a troubadour dude with a cause.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 25 January 2008 15:39 (seventeen years ago)

His version of "Mama, You've Been on My Mind" on the "I'm Not There" soundtrack is great.

― o. nate, Friday, 25 January 2008 15:56 (seventeen years ago)

CLASSIC: Jim Jeffries
DUD: Jess Willard

― Jake Brown, Friday, 25 January 2008 16:18 (seventeen years ago)

three years pass...

Request: Jack Johnson - OPO (ie, what is his best song?)

― gygax! (gygax!)

Either Cocoon or Traffic in the Sky for me. I don't get why hate on this guy... yeah he's milquetoast and he's like a hallmark card turned into music but at least he has a nice sultry voice unlike say Chris Martin who also sounds like a hallmark card but sang by eunuchs.

He's really popular in Germany for some reason btw. I don't really know why but all the friends from there that I know have at least one of his albums on their fast, german cars.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al-fORvOjKY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMaRDHqvhps

― Moka, Wednesday, 28 September 2011 06:35 (fourteen years ago)

three years pass...

I try not to listen to him frequently otherwise I'll hate him really fast but he is my go to artist on family reunions where you have to aim for upbeat, middle of the road, easy listening music. Anything more ambitious than him and we are forced to listen to butchered, instrumental piano versions of every song that has been on the billboard charts since 1954.

― Moka, Tuesday, 6 January 2015 01:36 (ten years ago)

Erlend Oye's last album seems to fall okay in this hip to be square sound too.

― Moka, Tuesday, 6 January 2015 01:37 (ten years ago)

I'd actually forgotten about him to the point that when I saw this thread was bumped, I thought it was for a death announcement!

― You’re being too simplistic and you’re insulting my poor heart (Turrican), Tuesday, 6 January 2015 01:41 (ten years ago)

Me too! I was like, oh yeah, this guy. RIP.

― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 6 January 2015 01:46 (ten years ago)

Ha, you wish.

― Moka, Tuesday, 6 January 2015 02:40 (ten years ago)

I like him a lot. There's something really appealing about the way his songs are based on the rhythm guitar. In my mind, I equate with Jonathan Richman and Lenny Kravitz. Really like the two popular ones from In the Sea (his 2010 album), "You and Your Heart" and "At Or With Me."

― timellison, Tuesday, 6 January 2015 03:34 (ten years ago)

"From the Clouds" is really nice, too, from the same record.

― timellison, Tuesday, 6 January 2015 04:56 (ten years ago)

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