ARTIST OF THE MONTH: John Garrison
When the world closed down, John Garrison was on stage in a concert hall in Hamburg. He had had a world tour scheduled. It was cancelled, as was the rest of the world. There was something almost eerie – symbolic – in a pandemic that all at once turned off the music.
Blissfully Ignorant by John Garrison, Director Søren Lund, Cinematography Azariah Frazier Bjørvig, DOP Mark Alexander Pilegaard Jensen.
“I’ve long had the feeling that soon it’s going to fall apart, that the world is heading down a slippery slope,” says John Garrison at a café one summer day, where morning coffee is again being served, albeit from a distance. Something collapsed – a pandemic pressed pause on live music around the globe, paralysed civilisation and enabled wild animals to roam through the world’s major cities.
It was another abyss Garrison had in mind when he penned his new album Extinguisher and a different turmoil. Sitting at a distance (in Copenhagen) and following the great political spectacle that has unfolded over time around Brexit and Trump in the news and on social media; “It was as if you couldn’t escape one crazy news headline after the next, and so much hatred, as though people had forgotten what it means to be considerate, to listen, to be accommodating and to be curious about diversity”. The song “Blissfully Ignorant” plays with the idea of the power that there is if everyone “switched off”. “There is no escape from bad news. It’s on every news stand, every TV screen, in every conversation, on every social media page, with 24-hour news updates to remind us. There is no escape. There is a reason for this. Bad news is good business! So just imagine how good it would feel to be totally unaware of everything. Imagine a world with no screens, no TV, no newspapers, no bad news.” Garrison’s personal attempts at finding some kind of peace of mind in theses modern times of polarised politics, economic turmoil, hatred, terrorism, pandemic and 24-hour TV are conveyed in this story of his own personal struggle to find calm in the midst of the storm. “The schizophrenic, extreme dynamics of the song (Blissfully Ignorant) mirror the extreme range of thoughts and emotions going on inside most people’s minds these days. Complete with the inevitable lapses of concentration that lead to the mental crashes and the distortion of inner peace.” Until the next time we let ourselves “switch off, close our eyes, take a breath, and feel the benefits …” as the song goes.
Egos roaring for attention
He talks about how he experiences social media having amputated the sense of community in favour of egos roaring for attention. The current political situation and individual experiences of insecurity, mistrust and a degree of loneliness are one thing. The common narrative, which is far more serious and cannot be solved with roaring egos, is quite another: “I had written a bit on a few tracks – that arose mostly out of frustration perhaps, but also out of powerlessness,” says Garrison. ‘Extinguisher came from a feeling that situations are out of control. Multiple wildfires springing up everywhere. There are too many fires to tackle as an individual. But if we all took personal responsibility, we could potentially extinguish the overall fire that burns. However, it is much easier to blame than to take responsibility. Extinguisher is a record for these times,” explains Garrison.
The sound of music during a pandemic
John Garrison has lived much of his life in New York & London having grown up in Coventry UK, but in recent years has settled in Copenhagen with his wife, the Danish actress Pernille Andersen and their two children. The youngest was born when the Danish prime minister sent the country into lockdown and the family retreated to safety behind the four walls of their home. Like most, who are lucky enough to have a home, did. Suddenly, “isolation” and “distance” became about “consideration” and “caring”. The fear and uncertainty of a worldwide and deadly pandemic became a shared condition. It was here that Garrison’s new album came into being, and the lyrics, written over time, such as the song “Closer When We’re Apart” suddenly gained a frightening relevance.
John Garrison in his living room studio during the lockdown. Watch the video here
The album is a showdown with a time of self-centredness that seems to be heading towards the edge of the abyss, so hope lies in a common rebellion culminating in the song “The Revolution Is Just Waiting A Name”: If the future came calling, calling for change, said “the revolution is just waiting a name” would you take up your sword, if you thought it would make a change?”
John Garrison first experienced success with his band Budapest’s debut album Too Blind to Hear released on Republic Records, which culminated in a sold-out tour of Europe and a top10 hit in Spain. His first solo release Above The Cosmos named after the famous Cosmos Diner that Garrison lived above in New York City won critical acclaim and support from over 300 US college radio stations. The track “Never Far From Me” established a new audience in Europe after the first lady of France Carla Bruni featured it repeatedly on her radio show. Songs from the follow-up Departures were regularly featured on US TV shows with over 30 major syncs. Following this, Garrison ventured into new musical territories with his next project Satellites, gaining a strong following from critics and vinyl enthusiasts alike, with legendary retailers Rough Trade awarding Satellites.02 “album of the month” upon its release and a Record Store Day release in the US, alongside a 4/5 review from The Guardian .
Garrison has become a much-in-demand studio bass guitarist for some of the biggest acts in the world, having played on tracks by Ed Sheeran, Christine Aguilera, Sting and Robbie Williams, who he also co-wrote the recent Number 1 “Fairytales” with, featuring Sir Rod Stewart.
Garrison's new album: Extinguisher, written in a Copenhagen apartment with the available remedies and instruments during the lockdown. The album will be released in Denmark first and then in the USA and UK. To be released Dec4th 2020, accompanied by visuals and moving images sourced from cool Nordic noir talent. The album will also benefit from tour support in Europe. John’s influences are broad and varied from Scott Walker, Talk Talk & Beck to Radiohead, The The & The 1975.
This Friday he releases the songThe Revolution Is Just Waiting A Name