S RADIO ruled by fools

plotting to anesthetize

our brains (and make
them more receptive to the
advertising imperative), as
Elvis Costello would have us
believe, or is what the pro-
grammers feed us, as we flip
through the frequencies of a
pop soundscape crowded
with hook-heavy hits, the
soul food we subconsciously
are drawn to and need?

As a jingle writer for Coke,
Chevrolet and Expo'86 and as a
naturally-gifted radio hit man, Paul
Janz has worked both sides of the
equation.

janz, whose music fits comfor-
tably into the Contemporary Hit
Radio, Adult Contemporary and
Adult Oriented Rock playlists, is
garnering much air-time with the
first hit from his latest aloum
telease Renegade Romantic.

Every Little Tear recently busted
out of the box to chart top 20
three weeks after its release earlier
this year. The album followed right
behind.

Radio play translates into sales,
with the Janz single being the
eighth hottest selling single in the
country last week.

Janz recently talked about com-
posing and his own hit-making
process. Every Little Tear was
composed last year in West Van-
couver.

Music Now: When you sit down
at the piano and think ‘hit’, what
do you put into the making of a
popular song?

Paul Janz: ‘‘It’s either groove or
melody — that’s how a song starts
for me. Every Little Tear started
with a bass groove. From that
point on it's not like, ‘What's go-
ing to sell here?’ If something feels
good, | want every part of the song
to feel right. Joy is part of it. It’s
something real deep. It certainly
isn’t cerebral. But it isn’t entirely
emotional either. it’s mainstream
pop music but something happens
in the synapses of the brain.”
Music Now: Is there a moment
when you know that a particular
song you’ve composed has ‘‘it’’?
Paul Janz:‘‘There was one mo-
ment in particular with Every Little
Tear. This was the last song | wrote
for the aibum. I’m sure i’d done
18 or 19 songs to that point. It was
very important this time around
that the people in America (A&M
Los Angeles) felt that they had a
record they could go with. They

The Association for the Preservation of
Swing and Big Band Music continues its
very popular series of dances. With
favourite tunes o! the swing era.

featurin
RON RUTHERFORD
and HIS 17-PIECE

PRESERVATION OF
SWING BAND

With Vocals by
Karen Kelm & Lach Duncan
Regency Ballroom

HYATT REGENCY HOTEL
Sat., March 24, 9p.m--ta.m.
Everyone weicome incl. singles
Tickets $12 Tickets & info. 732-1922
Tickets also available at the door

MICHAEL |
BECKER

record review

wanted to hear at least four
singles. Up until that time they
were hearing two definite ones,
but they wanted to hear two more.

“It was Coming around the
time when ! just wanted to record
this record but | knew they wanted
another couple of songs. { realiy
compressed a lot of energy into
about six weeks of work on two
songs. Every Little Tear happened
to be the last song | wrote. | was
definitely thinking single, but not
sort of bastardizing the thing.

“Ido remember the one mo-
ment when I was still living in
West Vancouver. | wrote this thing
there when | was sitting in my
studio and | was just working
through the chorus and | did one
special change so that all the
chord changes never rested. Every

chord in the chorus is leading and
— bam — something hit and |
said, ‘Wow, | think I got some-
thing here.’

Music Now: Do you draw the
words for your music from ex-
plicitly personal experience?

Paul Janz: ‘The inspiration is
more from a feeling than anything.
A lot of my stuff is. it doesn’t really
boil down to an experience thing
or to an issue. Every Little Tear
simply depicts my feeling about
emotions and relationships.”’
Music Now: What are some of
your musical influences?

Paui Janz: “Pop influences have
been very broad except | was
never into stuff like the Sex Pistols.
! can’t say | don’t appreciate what
they did. The way they put
themselves into what they were
doing was certainly all the way
and that alone has a lot of merit.
My influences are people like the
Beatles, Elton John, Brian Ferry,
Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles.

“In order to do rock music !
don’t think you have to be an
angry person, you don’t have to
depict anger or bad boy. There's
just a lot of great stuff out there
that’s dane in good conscience.”

bss :
scam
PRESEN F,

a

25 - Wednesday. March 21, 1990 ~ North Shore News

Come to New Warld
Pharbourside tor Lets Oo) Lobster
March ba 24.

Vistas on the Bay and Dvitasts
Restaurant are featuring lobster
gourmer dinners between
6:00 and 10:00 pm.

Come and savour the delishts
of the sea in unique style.

NEW WORLD

HARKOURSIDE

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Vancouser. B.C. Canada VOR YES
‘Telephone: (60.4) 689 9211
Fan: (604) 689-4358
“loll tree: 1 800-663 &RR2

2 MEUGER CE NEA A GRLD MOTELS NTERUATIGNAL

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AIL MENS AND WOMENS FASITONSON SALE

Spring. It’s the perfect time to clean out your closet and stock up
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lingerie. But hurry, before we're cleaned out!

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