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future. Please tell us a little bit more about the idea, the concept and the content of "Time
Clocks!”
JB: "Time Clocks" is for me a record that
is an extension of “Royal Tea“ in the
sense that the song "Time Clocks" was
written for “Royal Tea“, but I forgot
about it, because we attempted “Royal
Tea“ twice! Once in July of 2019 and then
again in January 2020, because our
drummer Anton Fig broke his ankle. And
all the songs I’d written in July got put
into a play-list, except for one, which was
“Time Clocks“. And then when I saw that
I missed that song, I re-submitted it and
it became the title-track. And it was
actually the right track for this record,
not for our previous album. So, you know,
the whole thing about “Time Clocks”: It
really is the passage of time, personified,
because I’m here doing this interview at
44 years old. I can blink an eye remember
my 40th birthday, I can also blink an eye
and I’ll be 45. So, half a decade is passed and it doesn’t seem like a long stretch of time. So, I guess
that happens to everybody as you get older. But I wanna to address that in terms of my own life and
my own career and my own music
On "Time Clocks" you talk a lot about your life on the road in all that time. Surely this view of
it, in the eye of the pandemic, is different than it was two years ago. What used to be
completely normal is now a rarity. How difficult was it for you to come to terms with this and
accept it?
JB: That’s a good question! And it’s not just me! The thing about having something so familiar, been
taken away! It’s not playing shows, it’s not playing guitar, it’s not writing songs, not making music,
it’s not posting stupid pictures on Instagram ... it’s travel! The fact that you couldn’t travel! And one
of the things I like about my job the most is that I’m paid to travel. And I have friends all over the
world. And it’s not the same thru a lens! It’s not the same on “Facetime“, it’s not the same on a
“zoom”call. The interactions of people what I miss the most, the camaraderie, the conversations
they doc me. Being in a room with a bunch of eccentric characters, you know, in some bar, in
Amsterdam. That to me is worth living! You can’t recreate that. You can’t substitute that for
something else. So it havin’ a finality and now it’s so rare that people do get together, but it’s
starting to come back. You know, now the fact that it’s comin’ back in a certain way, you know, well
that feels kinda weird, because we took it for granted for our whole lives. So, we’ll see what
happens.
"Time Clocks" has become an extremely dynamic, equally reflective album. The ten songs are
characterised by a high degree of urgency, departure, confidence, but also a look back, a sense
of proportion and a certain caution. The signs of the times?