Photograph by Mark Seliger
In our new issue, John Mayer opens up about his hunt for "the Joshua Tree of vaginas" and harshly critiques his own albums. Here's bonus interview from Erik Hedegaard's chat with the guitarist:
On his early ambition:
When I first sat down to solicit myself for a record deal, I did the rounds at all the record companies in New York City in 2000. The label heads would ask me, "What do you want as an artist?" and I said, "I want to be the guy who plays The Tonight Show, [and then sits] on the couch, making people laugh." There were only two men who were musicians who could truly sit on the couch at the time I came up: Chris Isaak and Harry Connick Jr.
When I first sat down to solicit myself for a record deal, I did the rounds at all the record companies in New York City in 2000. The label heads would ask me, "What do you want as an artist?" and I said, "I want to be the guy who plays The Tonight Show, [and then sits] on the couch, making people laugh." There were only two men who were musicians who could truly sit on the couch at the time I came up: Chris Isaak and Harry Connick Jr.
On his biggest hits:
My hits are not hits. "Your Body Is a Wonderland" is the biggest hit I've ever had, maybe ever will have. There wasn't a ton of music in that song. It's a novelty tune. I don't have Lady Gaga-sized hits; I'm trying to get hits on my terms, hits without selling out the musicality. "Waiting on the World to Change" has all of its roots in Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. It's "We're a Winner" and it's "People Get Ready" and it's "This is My Country." "Who Says" is no different than a Lyle Lovett song, except it has the phrase, "Who says I can't get stoned?" which is a little bit like, "They say I've gotta go to rehab." It has a little bit of fang on it.
My hits are not hits. "Your Body Is a Wonderland" is the biggest hit I've ever had, maybe ever will have. There wasn't a ton of music in that song. It's a novelty tune. I don't have Lady Gaga-sized hits; I'm trying to get hits on my terms, hits without selling out the musicality. "Waiting on the World to Change" has all of its roots in Curtis Mayfield and Marvin Gaye. It's "We're a Winner" and it's "People Get Ready" and it's "This is My Country." "Who Says" is no different than a Lyle Lovett song, except it has the phrase, "Who says I can't get stoned?" which is a little bit like, "They say I've gotta go to rehab." It has a little bit of fang on it.
On becoming a staple of the tabloids:
It's so interesting how success hits people and how they react to it. I remember reading Pearl Jam saying that after Ten, "I wish we hadn't gotten this big." I read that, and I go, "Well, then give it back. Someone else will use it." The idea that phenomenal success is something to wish away... I don't understand it. I hope I sell 100 billion trillion copies of whatever I put out, but if you're that guy, then next time out, don't write a hit song.
It's so interesting how success hits people and how they react to it. I remember reading Pearl Jam saying that after Ten, "I wish we hadn't gotten this big." I read that, and I go, "Well, then give it back. Someone else will use it." The idea that phenomenal success is something to wish away... I don't understand it. I hope I sell 100 billion trillion copies of whatever I put out, but if you're that guy, then next time out, don't write a hit song.
I love being a famous musician but I don't like the [intimate details of my] relationship to be known. It just makes me severely, severely uncomfortable, as I believe it would make anybody uncomfortable. How did we get to where we actually say this: "Why do I watch that? It's like a car crash, you can't look away." Guess what? I look away at car crashes, and I know people who look away at car crashes, because it makes us uncomfortable to watch other people in pain.
Personally, I want to watch somebody entertain me safely without the sense that I'm going to fall through the net and crash with them. Personally, I want to see somebody who is a trained professional entertaining me — Alicia Keys entertains me, she's fantastic. That's why I liked Norah Jones selling as many records as she did, that was a "well done, America."(Rolling Stone). Read More
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