GALO: Before we get too far from Woody Guthrie, what are your feelings about Bob Dylan having met him and Guthrie being such a major influence on young Dylan? Did you think about those things?

JB: I did not think about all those things. I kind of purposefully kept myself a little bit ignorant about Woody’s history and Dylan’s history, and I tried to be true to whatever I would make of the lyrics that I found. I didn’t even listen to Woody Guthrie when I was working on my record. I wanted to stay kind of stupid about whatever had gone before this project. And Nora, his daughter, kept insisting that I do that. She was awesome about pushing me, and saying, “Look, make this about you. Woody’s going to be fine no matter what you come up with, but this needs to be about you. This is your record. So don’t worry about the past, don’t worry about expectations, just do what makes you sing.”

GALO: That was wise of her, don’t you think?

JB: She is the wisest, most lovely, generous soul. We really hit it off early on and I think that I owe her a great debt for trusting me. She had a really deep sense [that] she could trust me, and so, she let me take liberties with some of his lyrics, editing them. I could take a couplet from a journal from 1946 and pair it with a scribble on a napkin from 1957. She was OK about that and she was actually thrilled that I wanted to push things.

GALO: That was like a perfect kind of collaboration.

JB: It was.

GALO: Before this next question, I wanted to say, I’m sorry about the loss of your mom.

JB: Thank you. It’s intense. My dad passed in 1997 and then I was with my mom this whole last two-year period. I’m still figuring out what to make of it all and how to turn it into art.

GALO: I’ve read that your song “Blood from a Stone” was written for your mother, her maiden name being Stone. It is a beautiful song, and such a wonderful tribute to her, but you wrote that while she was still alive. Did she love the song?

JB: I don’t even know if she loved the song. She would always complain that she couldn’t understand the words; that I didn’t enunciate enough [laughs]. I know that she heard my music and that she was super, super proud of me. I don’t know if she ever related to it. It wasn’t her cup of tea necessarily; she preferred opera or classical music. But I know she was uber proud of her world-traveling daughter, and I would call her all the time from all over the world and she would be thrilled to hear from me and to hear what I was doing. But we never actually talked specifically about [my] songs. I’m not sure why. Maybe it was awkward because sometimes they were too personal or maybe she just didn’t relate. We would [however] talk about her poems, and I would tell her how much I loved [them].

GALO: Was it your mother who came up with the name Jonatha?

JB: It was. I think my parents had friends with a daughter they had named Jonatha. I think they liked the name Jonathan from the Bible and they were creative enough to come up with Jonatha. My parents thought it was so cool [that] they borrowed it for me.

GALO: It’s an unusual one.

JB: It’s good. I hated it as a kid, but now, I really, really like it.

GALO: From my research, it seems that you are always performing. Is that true?

JB: I do, especially if there is a new record out. My plan last year was to make a record, but then taking care of my mother derailed everything. I don’t regret a bit of it, but now, I have to regroup and make a record, and then the touring will follow, because it’s silly to tour unless you have something new to show for it.

GALO: Will you record here in New York?

JB: I think I will — either here or in LA. I have my super team out in LA, so I just have to figure out which coast to go for this time.

GALO: What was it like performing on the David Letterman show?

JB: That was pretty awesome. I am a huge Dave Letterman fan, so I had to try and just stay normal and not goofball all over him. I do remember in the middle of the song thinking, ‘Oh no, did I already sing that verse?’ And I’m just telling myself, “Don’t screw this up… don’t screw this up.” And you’re freezing. I mean, everyone says this, but it is really cold in there.

GALO: In photographs and videos of you, I see many a change in hairstyles and looks. Are you the deliberate chameleon?

JB: [Laughs] I’m kind of at the mercy of bad hair. I got tired of bad short hair, so I just grew it long for a while, and now I have bad long hair. I don’t change it that much, but I hate spending time on it, so whatever is going to be easiest, is what I’ll do.

GALO: And what about those famous rhinestone glasses? They look hot on you.

JB: You know, I guess they’re now my signature [look]. I actually need them, so I just wear them all the time.

GALO: Did you ever imagine when you were starting out that you would have such an extensive catalog of your own songs?

JB: I was hoping, for sure. It’s such a crap shoot what a career will become and I’ve been really lucky to have been around this long and to have made as many records [as I have] that I am still very proud of. Hopefully I can keep going a little longer.

(Article continued on next page)