MUSIC
preview
preview MUSIC
Jewel identity
Yesterday North America. Now for the rest of the world. Brace yourself for imminent Jewel fever. Words: Jonathan Trew
Jewel. It‘s an unusual name but then Jewel is an unusual woman. She was brought up in an Alaskan log cabin in conditions which most North Americans would consider at best underprivileged (she had no running water) and at worst barbaric (she had no TV). As she got older she didn't make too many advances up the consumerist evolutionary ladder. = In fact. by the time she was in her ! late teens she was living out of a i car in San Diego. Her diet : consisted of charity and scraps and
she was too poor to pay for l medical treatment for a kidney complaint with the result that she was vomiting blood all over her car/home.
That was something of a low point for Jewel. Things are better now. She has a record deal with ! Atlantic after they got wind of 1 people queuing around the block ‘ to hear her singing in the i lnnerchange (‘ol‘l'ee House in San Diego. Pieces Of You. her debut 1 album. has sold almost six million i copies in North America. She has i had two Top Ten hits in the
American Billboard charts. Jewel
was nominated for two Grammy
Awards this year for ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘Best 1 Female Pop Vocalist‘. She has toured with Dylan and ' Neil Young. Jewel is -3 years old. She doesn‘t live in
a car anymore.
When The List tracks her down. she is on a promotional tour in 'l‘aiwan. ‘playing tiny clubs. l’m nothing in most parts ol‘ the world.‘ as she disingenuously puts it. The
i smart money says that she will definitely be something in most parts ol’ the world
very soon. Jewel is made for
global domination (i la Ala/ris-
.l/Iorisst'ttt'. She has a
remarkably clear and strong voice with which she articulates her urban folk songs. ller pop songs pull in the teenagers. her tastel‘ul. contemplative conl‘essionals will have thirtysomething prol‘essionals l‘iling her between their k.d. lang and lNXS (‘Ds while her material's stripped down simplicity will
, attract those with a penchant for Joan Baez. or early
Michelle Shocked. She‘s pretty enough to attract the
men. yet not vampish enough to alienate their
: girll'riends. llell. she even says things like Oh gosh‘
i to win the grannies over. i
‘l still live in a car or rather it's a tour bus now. in other ways it’s completely different. I'll never have to worry about how I'll eat again.’ Jewel
Jewel: from Alaskan log kid to chart-busting success
According to Jewel she already has a mixed fan base: ‘I used to tour with punk bands and goth bands and rock bands and I‘ve picked up a very varied fan base because ol‘ it.‘ she explains in a voice which. depending on your view. is either seductively coquettish or irritatingly girly. ‘I love country songs and I like punk songs too and I like being able to play them all. I like layering my writing so that there‘s different levels ol‘ meanings in the lyrics depending on what perspective you're looking at it li‘om.‘
Jewel‘s perspective has changed a little along with her change Ill l‘ortune. ‘Some things stay oddly the same.
I'm still somewhat isolated and I still live in a car or
rather it‘s a tour bus now.‘ she explains in between cutesy sighs. ‘In other ways it‘s completely dil‘l'erent. I'll never have to worry about how I‘ll eat again.‘
In the thanks section of the sleeve notes for Pieces- Of You. Jewel thanks ‘all the bosses who ever l‘ired me. forcing me to sing‘. Oh tasty revenge.
Jewel plays the Mitchell Theatre, Glasgow on Fri 17 Oct.
Bigmouth
The column that puts its foot where its mouth is.
'Naah, I think 60 days is enough. Mind you, we'll be fat and we'll have drug problems and divorces to go through by then. So yeah, maybe 90 days for the third.’
The Seahorses’ John Squire plans with remarkable forethought how many days in the recording studio will be needed for the next few albums.
'The Pavilion Theatre, Glasgow is taking extra precautions when Errol Brown visits the theatre next week. Extra security and large fig leaves will be on hand as manager lain Gordon is worried that lots of male members of the audience will attempt to re-enact strip scenes from the hit film The Full Monty to that famous Number One Hot Chocolate Hit "You Sexy Thing".’
A quick-thinking press release from the Pavilion who are hosting Errol Brown on Sun 72 Oct.
‘I can't write words that are about anything other than murder. And death. Oh, and relationships splitting up. I’m probably the nastiest person in the band, really.’ The appropriately named Linda Steelyard of Prolapse lists a few of her favourite things.
'l've got Muhammed in me, man. Muhammed Ali. I was watching When We Were Kings the other day, and he just jumped in me, man. I've got a bit of Lennon and all that, and now I’ve got a bit of Ali. I’ve got two loudmouth arrogant-bastards living inside me.’ Liam Gallagher offers a less than convincing explanation for his oft boisterous behaviour,
‘I'm drinking my coffee out of a mug from the Betty Ford Center. It says "Betty Ford" on it. I think that’s super chic. I wish my rehab had sold souvenirs. They did, actually. They had sweatshirts but I didn't buy one because I had no money and they didn’t take credit cards.’
Coortney Love mourns not being able to bring back momentos of those i halcyon days in rehab
lO Oct—23 Oct 1997 THE “ST”