BEN JELEN INTERVIEW APRIL 2008
Interview: Lena Lamoray

If you don’t know who BEN JELEN is now then you will real soon.  He is taking the planet by storm and making it a better place.  I caught one of his live shows and to say this man is talented is an understatement.  I’ve never seen a man pull out so many different instruments and be able to play them all.  So, do yourself a favor and pick up his latest CD, EX-SENSITIVE, and take in a show.  Ben is beauty, hope and change personified. 

Lena:  Throughout your career you have been very active with various different charitable organizations such as Wildlife Works, Natural Resources Defense Council and Tori Amos’ RAINN, to name just a few.  How did you get involved with them and what advice can you give people that would like to help but don’t know where to start?

Ben:  I got involved with these organizations through my music and passion for the environment, as well as human rights. I’d say the first place anyone can start if they want to help out is to educate themselves about the issues. With concerned people is where change starts, so adding yourself to that group is important. My main passion is the environment – I’m a humanist at heart and know that we’re all connected down here and need to take better care of the systems that give us and every other species breathable air and drinkable water. Something people often underestimate is how powerful their consumer vote is – what you buy heavily effects how big companies do business, so we do still have a lot of control – by environmentally sustainable products and clean energy if you can.

Lena:  What was it like playing the SXSW Music Festival in Austin, Texas?  It must have been an amazing experience to be featured alongside such acts as MIKA, AMY WINEHOUSE and more.

Ben:  SXSW is a great experience – last year I remember seeing Amy Winehouse walking around everywhere – you couldn’t miss her! I also discovered the ‘Coldwar Kids’ for myself, who I love. This year I was much more busy, we played 4 shows there and the time I wasn’t playing shows I was kicking off my new Ben Jelen Foundation – it’s to raise money for environmental protection. We had a great start, and have raised $10,000 already. The money goes to four areas of funding: education, investment, political, and humanitarian – to learn more, please visit benjelen.com/foundation.

Lena:  How did you get started in acting and do you plan on doing more in the future?

Ben:  Any acting I’ve done has been much by chance because someone wanted me for a part and I went in and tried out for it. I wouldn’t call acting a passion for me – I’m horrible at playing anyone but myself, but if I can do that, I’ll have some fun with it.

Lena:  Do you think DR. HOUSE made a huge mistake by not hiring you?

Ben:  YES!! I’d be a diligent compassionate doctor. He just didn’t like my long hair and my ‘harmony’ tattoo! It was an amazing experience to shoot for just that minute – Hugh Laurie was in character the whole time, even in the makeup trailer– I walked around the hospital-inside-a-warehouse and marveled at how real it was, yet how they could just move a wall when they needed!

Lena:  Linda Perry is such a talent in so many fields.  Were you able to walk away feeling that you captured exactly what you were going for or are there some aspects of EX-SENSITIVE that you wish you did differently?

Ben:  Linda is a huge talent. We recorded in her personal LA studio which is full of vintage equipment – the best part, even with the amazing energy of the studio, is Linda herself – she cares deeply about music and production and it shows from the moment you first sing her a song. Listening back to Ex-Sensitive, I’m still very proud with how big a step it is from Give it All Away and I can’t think of anything I’d change.

Lena:  If you had to pick just one song that you have written throughout your life that really sums up the way you feel about the present day world which one would it be?

Ben:  Pulse, for me, does exactly that. Its speaking on a large level about us as humans on this big floating rock – that there is a ‘pulse’ connecting all of us, which has never been more true than now. There’s a lyric in the song that says ‘we’ll learn to curve before we break’ meaning that we have to turn a little right now, learn to sustain our huge amount of activity here, that we need understanding, compromise and forgiveness.

Lena:  How do you chose a song to cover?

Ben:  When a song moves me, I feel like I can do it justice emotionally and make the performance mine, so I can cover a song. I’ve covered ‘Fake Plastic Trees’ by Radiohead, and ‘River’ by Joni Mitchell. When I toured in 2004 we covered Tracy Chapman’s ‘Revolution.’

Lena:  Your music has been featured on LAS VEGAS, ONE TREE HILL, SMALLVILLE and others.  Which show do you enjoy watching the most?

Ben:  Of those three, I like Smallville the most but can’t say that I watch all that much TV or any of them regularly.

Lena:  How do you stay healthy on tour?

Ben:  Good question, staying healthy on tour isn’t so easy. It still comes down to the main things – what you eat, getting enough sleep and exercise. I try to eat plenty of fruit and fresh veggies when I can – mixed in with some Cliff bars and trail mix, it leaves less room for the greasy food you can find everywhere. I drink lots of water. Sleep can be difficult – my earplugs usually put me to sleep every night. I bring my rollerblades which is great because I get to see cool places nearby and get exercise at the same time. The gig itself is somewhat of a sweaty workout too.

Lena:  What is your favorite band of all time?

Ben:  I’d have to say U2. They were always great, still stand for what I believe in and have longevity as well.

Lena:  You sing, play guitar, piano and the violin, what instrument do you wish to conquer next?

Ben:  I would like to pick up a ukulele – it’s like a small guitar without the bottom two strings. I also love the sound of wooden pipes, and one day I will finally acquire some bagpipes and play them for hours and hours!!

Lena:  From start to finish, how long did it take you to put together EX-SENSITIVE?

Ben:  The entire process of recording took about a year – we were off to a quick start until I got a tragic phone call from my Parents in England that one of my siblings had suddenly died from a heart arrhythmia – this immediately offset the whole recording process for a few months and the aftermath was even more difficult, but the studio was a good place to start healing. In the end we did the album in about 4 long sessions – Linda mixed most of Ex-Sensitive as well.

Lena:  What are your plans after you finish this tour?