Galway cult act John Dog has released his latest album, Always in Trouble. We asked him the BIG questions . . .
The new album from Mr Dog, who is often compared to artists such as The Magnetic Fields, Elvis Costello, and John Grant, features opening track Twitter Must Die, which he describes as "a spiky rant about everybody's least-favourite social media platform,"
Other tracks include Tucker Carlson’s Head, I Wish I Was A Neutrino, A Stranger to My Heart, and The Daily Mail.
Tell us three things about yourself . . .
I love both Superman AND Batman. I'm built for comfort, not for speed. For me, the action is the juice.
How would you describe your music?
Often wordy, arguably tuneful, occasionally funny, and usually short. I call this the John Dog guarantee, though I stress it is not legally binding.
Who are your musical inspirations?
In chronological order as I experienced them, I guess Mam, Dad and, I dunno, Val Doonican? The full list would of course be long, but I guess my Mount Rushmore would have to include Paul Simon, Beatles, Waits, Cohen, Dusty and Cole Porter.
What was the first gig you ever went to?
Madness! I helped my dad finish a concrete path in the garden and my reward was a ticket to the Nutty Boys at Leisureland, Galway. A pretty cool first gig, eh? (Exhales in relief that he wasn’t asked about the first record he ever bought . . . ).
What was the first record you ever bought?
As the courts have repeatedly denied my request for injunctions and I am now compelled to answer this question, it was Sting’s The Dream of the Blue Turtles. I now regard this matter as closed and all further inquiries should be addressed to my solicitors.
What’s your favourite song right now?
Ooh, so hard. It changes over time, doesn’t it? At various points in recent years, it might’ve been Vulfpeck’s Back Pocket or No Other Love by Jo Stafford or I Know What Boys Like by The Waitresses or MacArthur Park by either Richard Harris or Donna Summer.
Favourite lyric of all time?
Impossible to say, but one I quote every autumn without fail is from Broken Bicycles by Tom Waits: "Seasons can change on a dime/Somehow I forget every time."
If you could only listen to one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?
The original Dionne Warwick version of Bacharach/David’s Walk On By. It’s a crazily rich, innovative composition and arrangement with a delicate, subtle vocal line that very few singers could have managed. But luckily, Burt had Warwick, who was like hold my beer.
Where can people find your music/more information?
For music, Bandcamp would be my recommended destination though I’m on the streamers too. Insta @johndogsings is good for live updates and so on, @JohnDogSongs on YouTube has lots of funny videos for my songs and for the nostalgically inclined, I have a website.
Alan Corr
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