Interviews

Published on February 6th, 2018 | by Darren Paltrowitz

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Jonny Polonsky On “Fresh Flesh,” Rick Rubin, Mike Ness & White Castle

Two decades ago, in his early 20s, Jonny Polonsky was poised to be “the next big thing.” Having fans in Jeff Buckley, John Zorn and Reeves Gabrels alike, Polonsky was mentored by The Pixies’ Frank Black and quickly signed to American Recordings by its founder Rick Rubin. While Polonsky did wind up on MTV and touring as part of Lollapalooza, things did not turn out as planned. The record deal went away and the Chicago native would be temporarily out of the spotlight.

Polonsky eventually reconnected with Rubin and became an in-demand session musician. His touring and/or recording credits include Johnny Cash, Neil Diamond, The Dixie Chicks, Minnie Driver, and Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan’s band Puscifer. Polonsky has since released several full-length albums, and the latest of which is 2018’s Fresh Flesh. Fresh Flesh features appearances from Mark Lanegan and Bauhaus drummer Kevin Haskins, while Polonsky — traditionally known to play most instruments on his recordings — is backed by bassist Jennifer Batter and bassist Katie Burden.

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Polonsky — who will be playing an album release show for Fresh Flesh at Los Angeles’ Hotel Cafe on February 9th — via e-mail for The Hype Magazine. The singer, songwriter and producer can be followed on Twitter via @JonnyPolonsky.

I first found out about you in the Hi My Name Is Jonny era of your career, probably from all of the advertising at Tower Records. Do you miss anything about that era?

Jonny Polonsky: Yeah, I miss the advertising! The old world was so much fun in so many ways, but wasn’t built to last. But yeah, as a fan and performer, I do miss the sense of pageantry and thrill of anticipation for a big album or band.

That said, all that really matters is the music, the artists. There’s always good stuff around if you’re open to it, but the 80s and 90s were an exciting and unique time to be on the receiving and delivering ends of music.

What impressed a lot of people about you in the Hi My Name Is Jonny era wasn’t just the songs, but the high-level people endorsing you. Is it true that you had cold-called a lot of them to start those relationships?

Jonny Polonsky: I did, but it really wasn’t anything calculated. I was just seeking out musicians I admired, and I wanted to learn from them, or get some kind of nod of approval from them. It’s pretty natural to look for mentors when you’re serious about what you’re doing, in whatever field, especially when you’re young and just starting out.

I was a huge fan of Tin Machine, in particular the guitar playing of Reeves Gabrels, who went on to be Bowie’s long-time collaborator and now plays in The Cure. I found his number through 411 directory assistance and we made friends over the phone. I would send him tapes of my stuff, and he would offer lots of encouragement and advice.

He ended up passing that music onto Frank Black. Frank flipped, got me a manager, produced the demo that got to Rick Rubin, Rick flipped… Next thing ya know, I was all over Tower Records.

How did you make the transition from solo artist to sideman and session player? Did Rick play a role in that?

Jonny Polonsky: I’ve always played different instruments in other people’s bands. When I moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 2002, I ended up reconnecting with Rick by way of Audioslave. He was producing their second record and my day job at the time was acting as a sort of tech, “Boy Friday,” for the band while they were working.

Rick ended up asking me to play on a couple Neil Diamond records, and a Dixie Chicks record. We also recorded about 60 songs that Johnny Cash had started before he died, some of which ended up on American V and VI.

Fresh Flesh is your new album. How long did you spend writing the songs on there?

Jonny Polonsky: It’s hard to say, I’m always writing. These songs came together pretty quickly though. I had formed a band with a couple friends of mine. They were beginners on their instruments, and I thought it would be a fun challenge to write music that was super-simple and straightforward so that they could learn the songs easily — plus I hate rehearsing.

My songs have always been pretty barebones, but these were especially so — sometimes just two or three chords. Same chords for the verse and the chorus where only the melody changes, stuff like that. Mike Ness is a master of the two-chord song, by the way. No one ever talks about how great his songs are, so I will.

Do you have a favorite song on Fresh Flesh?

Jonny Polonsky: I still get a kick out of hearing Mark Lanegan’s spoken word intro to “Solar Child,” and kind of am still amazed to hear him speak and sing words that I wrote. I also like hearing “I Want You So Badly,” I love hearing Jennie and Katie — the drummer and bass player — sing.

Fresh Flesh promotions aside, what is coming up for you career-wise?

Jonny Polonsky: Non-denominational world domination. And hopefully some touring.

Might there be more music coming from Big Nose in the future?

Jonny Polonsky: I would love that. Brad and Tim are pretty busy with Prophets Of Rage, but you never know. I would love to make a proper record with those guys.

When not busy with music, how do you like to spend your free time?

Jonny Polonsky: I go see a lot of live music around L.A. Sextile is awesome. Qui is great, Egrets On Ergot are great, I really like Terminal A. Molly Lewis is a great whistler with a fantastic band behind her. Poppy Jean Crawford is super-cool, she has tons of style and attitude and is someone to watch out for.

I love going to movies, especially the New Beverly Theatre, Quentin Tarantino’s place. They always have great double bills, the best popcorn in the city, and White Castle sliders. They’re not even paying me to say this.

Is there something you wish more people knew about Jonny Polonsky?

Jonny Polonsky: I was gonna say I wish people knew how much I loved White Castle sliders and Mike Ness, but I think we’re in the clear on those issues.

Finally, Jonny, any last words for the kids?

Jonny Polonsky: Hi kids, hope you’re well.


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About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."


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