The Baker's Dozen #45 Joby Fox
Northern Irish singer, songwriter and humanitarian Joby Fox was in London recently for two shows in support of his excellent album ‘I Once Was A Hawk…Now I’m A Dove’. RGM was lucky enough to be at the second of these, and you can read a review here. While Joby was performing his promotional duties, he took the time to complete a Baker’s Dozen for RGM. Topics included his favourite records and artists that inspire him while we were reminded that one invention is particularly vital.
1. What is your earliest musical memory?
My oldest brother bought a guitar in a second hand shop and gave an impromptu concert for the rest of the family with a fairly out of tune guitar.
2. Do you remember the name of your first band?
The Bankrobbers! Of course! Stupid name but a great band.
3. Which current artist do you find the most impressive and why?
Somewhere between Fontaines DC and Gregory Porter. I really relate to Fontaines DC because of their love for Irish literature and their realism. They seem like a very cohesive band. Gregory Porter is just a man with pure class, and his sound is something I often tap into myself with double bass and brushy drums.
4. Do you sit down to actually try to write songs or wait until inspiration strikes?
I sit down to write, but sometimes inspiration just strikes you. I’m proud of being able to sit down and just write a song. I’ve learned the discipline.
5. If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?
Always believe in yourself and don’t believe all you read.
6. You’re stuck in a lift with your musical hero (living or dead) and they ask you to play them something - who is it, what do you play and why?
I’d like to get stuck in a lift with John Lennon and play a song I wrote while in Woodstock called Give Me Peace. He would definitely approve of the lyrics.
7. On the road, do you have any pre-show rituals/superstitions?
Not really, only to check my pulse to see if I’m still here.
8. Should music be free?
Ideally yes, although I do believe the artist should be paid for their time and performances. Maybe a tariff would be a better idea instead of naked free marketeering.
9. Can you remember the first record you bought and what have you bought recently?
My first record was In a Broken Dream by Python Lee Jackson featuring Rod Stewart. The last thing I bought was Stephen Macartney’s I am Stephen (King Cedar)
10. What was the last song that made you cry actual tears?
Sweet Misery by Tré Burt
11. In the digital age, we have more music and video at our fingertips than ever before. Do you have any guilty pleasures or recommendations in film or TV?
I love the old Western, A Fistful of Dynamite. The best acting and the best score by Ennio Morricone.
12. Your house is on fire. You already have your loved ones slung over one shoulder and your guitar in one hand. With your other hand you can rescue three CDs or LPs…What are they?
The Dubliners, Live and Dangerous by Thin Lizzy, and Time Out of Mind by Bob Dylan.
13. What is the most important thing to you that you can see from where you are right now?
Toilet roll….!
For me, Green Note in Camden Town remains one of the best venues in London. I have seen some great shows there in recent years, but it was my first time down in the Basement Bar, which makes the intimate confines of the main room upstairs seem positively palatial by comparison. If we were to talk about interesting characters with a story to tell, Joby Fox would certainly qualify, so Green Note was the ideal venue to get to know Joby Fox a little better.