Donuts To That

Jon Houlon lays down the law.

by A.D. Amorosi

	print	email	reply	rss feed

Published: Sep 18, 2007

(CLICK IMAGE FOR LARGER VERSION)

By day, Jon Houlon is a government lawyer representing Philly's overworked and underappreciated DHS social workers. By night, he's the obsessive, imagistic, lit-witty singer-songwriter behind pub-rockers The Donuts and the damnably poetic John Train. The Donuts had the brass to release two CDs two months ago (5-4-5 and Jet Ear), and Train just dropped the highly politicized Mesopotamia Blues.

City Paper: Two Donuts albums at once: the hubris!

Jon Houlon: Yeah, it's arrogant. But Costello, Dylan and Haggard put out two records a year in their heyday. I'm following their lead. And I'm a much better songwriter than Ryan Adams.

CP: What do you do if you're playing a John Train set and someone — not your Donuts drummer — requests a Donuts song?

JH: I'm operating at a level of obscurity where this sort of thing really doesn't happen. My own wife can only name a couple of my songs. I did get fired from a local gig for refusing a patron's request for "Bobby McGee."

CP: When does it become a Donuts versus a Train tune?

JH: I suppose Donuts songs are generally written with a lighter heart. I can't imagine singing something as ridiculous as "Guantanamo" with John Train. Some songs are simply too complex for the 'Nuts. I mean that as a compliment. I tried to throw an augmented seventh chord on the last record and they freaked.

CP: My favorite Houlon song pre-2007 was one you wrote about Jimmie Rodgers' last moments. Why do I like that?

JH: "Angels Turned Thieves" on John Train's debut. I figure you'd like that 'cause it mentions choking on phlegm.

CP: So Mesopotamia Blues. Why did you name it after the original Iraq?

JH: I've written hundreds of navel gazers about my problems. I wanted to do something different, something outward. If that situation in Iraq hasn't given you the blues, you must be sleepwalking. I also wanted to stretch back in history. Think about how we got involved in Iraq. The British — led by Leachman and others — made our same mistake in the early part of the 20th century. Bush and Cheney are no students of history.

CP: I respect your choice of covers even if I don't agree with them. I feel like you wrote the album around the covers.

JH: You're right on the mark. I read an interview where Nick Lowe stated that it's arrogant to only record your own songs. Also, it creates a hell of a challenge to write something that will stand up against a Hancock song.

CP: "Don't He Look Good?" What's the short-'n'-sassy?

A: I saw an item in the paper about how the military had revamped the Army combat uniform. Right next to it was an article about a soldier's uniform being sent home — without the soldier in it.

CP: Would you make the same record if Bush was right?

JH: Bush doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground. How's that, motherfucker?

John Train

Fri., Sept. 21, 9:30 p.m., $8, Johnny Brenda's, 1201 N. Frankford Ave., 215-739-9684, www.johnnybrendas.com

 

All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking Post Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Name	please enter your name
Email (will not be published)	please enter a valid email
Comment	please enter a comment
Enter the security code on the right in the textbox below.
Security Code	please enter the code
	Join the City Paper Mailing List

Just Do It
Just Opened
What We Heart
Just Do It
In The Event That...
On The DL
Just Do It