We caught up with Joshua Radin before his show tonight at Belly Up Tavern. Check out our snippets into his life as a musician and possible aspiration to become a screenwriter/director.
Joshua Radin
Everyone is talking about your new album, Onwards & Sideways, and how you’ve said it was written primarily to woo a certain woman… which worked! Congrats! Has opening this emotional faucet helped you with communicating your feelings to her?
I think it has, and thank you so much! Every day now I feel like I’m able to be even more honest with her.
On this tour you are bringing along old college pals, Cary Brothers and Rachael Yamagata. Did they lend a hand on the new album?
No, not on the album. But they definitely have been inspirational on this tour and the way I craft the set.
The three of you are like peas in a pod, each having long history working with one another and playing the same places, like the Hotel Cafe. Recently, you and Cary crossed over a numeric milestone and Rachael isn’t far behind. What’s it like when you all get together these days compared to 20 years ago?
Well, I see Cary all the time. We live a few blocks apart in Los Feliz. We’ve been very close friends for many years. So it’s difficult to say what it’s like when we hang out, because that’s pretty much all the time.
Do you get the chance to catch any other artists’ performances? Who have you been listening to lately? Or who do you think others should be paying attention to?
I have been listening to Lord Huron quite a bit. I think their music is really great and I’ve been inspired by their album. I don’t listen to a lot of music being made now. Usually I listen to stuff from the 60’s and 70’s.
You started out writing comedy screenplays. Is this something you are still interested in/working on?
I haven’t written any scripts in about a decade. But i do think about getting back to it one day. Maybe another ten years of touring and recording and then I’ll write and direct a film.
Last but not least, when you’re not playing or writing music, what is something you like to do?
I love going to restaurants, sitting in coffee shops while reading, and when I can, I like to play golf with other songwriters.