http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ent/music/6562115.html

Chris Isaak considers himself "Mr. Lucky"
By ANDREW DANSBY Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle
Aug. 5, 2009, 7:42PM

Chris Isaak said he's always felt comfortable in his sparkly shirts and suits.

Chris Isaak points out that he wasn't exactly idle for the seven years that separated Always Got Tonight and his new album, “Mr. Lucky.” There was a holiday album, a live recording, a TV show and lots and lots of touring. The creator of Forever Blue — for my money the best breakup album ever made — is on the road again, passing through the Verizon Wireless Theater on Saturday. “I live more in a hotel than anywhere else,” the California-based singer-songwriter says. “But that's OK, because I like the small soaps and the free slippers.” Isaak took some time to field questions about “Mr. Lucky”, his straight-arrow existence and the importance of Neil Diamond.

Q:Is there a reason “Mr. Lucky” is in quotes on the album title?

A: When things go completely off the tracks wrong I sometimes whisper to myself “Mr. Lucky” ... and when they go completely right — and that has happened — I think to myself “Mr. Lucky.” I really do have a lucky life. My dad drove a forklift for most of his life and had a second job as a handyman. I think I am lucky to have had folks who worked their (butts) off to give me the chance I got.

Q: In Cheater's Town, you refer to her “black heart.” That's a serious accusation. Have you ever accused somebody of being black-hearted?

A: I think Cheater's Town is pretty easy to understand for anyone who ever rode around town looking at places and thinking “they were there together” ... and, “How could she take him to our hangout!” But it's best not to dwell on such things. Go outside, make some new friends, join a club, talk to your minister.

Q: So it's 1985. The year starts with Like a Virgin on top of the charts and ends with Say You, Say Me on top. And you make Silvertone. Did you feel like an alien? Was there a kinship with the punky rootsy guys in L.A. like the Blasters, Los Lobos and Dwight Yoakam?

A: I worked pretty much without a scene. We were in San Francisco, and it wasn't the record capital like L.A. I think it was a good thing. We did our work, and we didn't spend all our time at a party or talking about what we were doing. I always tried to see the Blasters or Los Lobos when they played. They really are great bands. So real, so talented. And Dwight Yoakam is about as good a songwriter that ever put a pen to a paper. I think he is someone who years from now will still be remembered, like a Hank Williams or Buck Owens.

Q: The “retro” label gets bandied about a lot with you. There's clearly an affinity for some older stuff, but the records always sounded modern to me. Do you think the tag is lazily applied?

A: I always liked music from the '40s and '50s, but I didn't want to try to redo that sound or those songs. I wrote my own songs about my own life, and I tried to put my own flavor to it. But when people heard influences of (Roy) Orbison or Elvis (Presley) . . . yeah, I stole all I could carry but nobody sounds like those guys.

Q: Has the falsetto ever let you down in concert? Is it safe to say you've never been much of a smoker?

A:I don't drink, I don't smoke, and I never did pot in my life. My idea of a good time is going swimming and playing guitar, and somebody brings some food.

Q: Do you remember the first album you bought with your own money?

A:Maybe Meet the Beatles. I'm not going to count the red Huckleberry Hound record.

Q: You've covered Solitary Man — is there a better song out there?

A:No. And if you have a second, get the book by David Wild about Neil Diamond. It will fill you in and make you realize why without Neil Diamond, the USA would probably not be free, and you and I and many others would be working in chains in a sewage plant someplace.

Q: Does one feel self-conscious the first time he steps on stage in a sparkly suit?

A:Not if one is a hillbilly like me!

Q: I've heard surfing wipeout, car accident, boxing and genetics as the cause of the nose bend. Are any of these the culprit?

A:Boxing. It has been broken a bunch and mostly straightened with a spoon.

CHRIS ISAAK

• When: • 8 p.m. Saturday

• Where: • the Verizon Wireless Theater, 520 Texas

• Tickets: $45-$75; www.livenation.com

Chris Isaak on TV

Camera-friendly and charismatic Isaak is a natural for a TV host, which is why the Biography channel has given him The Chris Isaak Hour, a show that includes interviews and music performances by the likes of Yusuf Islam, Glen Campbell and others. Older episodes can be seen at www.biography.com.

Campbell was a particular favorite. “I was scared to talk to Glen, but I think I knew more about his music than he expected,” Isaac says. “I grew up listening to all the records he played guitar on.

“And then to be able to sit around with him and jam and sing, I guess that's why they call me ‘Mr. Lucky.'”

andrew.dansby@chron.com

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http://www.tulsaworld.com/scene/article.as...1&rss_lnk=4

Love, guitars and mother

Isaak plays a wicked game of Wikipedia

"Living on a tour bus cuts down on my chance to meet the right person," said Chris Isaak. He plays the Brady Theater Aug. 12. Courtesy
By KAREN SHADE World Scene Writer
Published: 8/4/2009 3:33 AM

Chris Isaak has never looked at his Wikipedia page online. There's not much chance for it, when most of your time is spent on the road.

"Please take into account that I am on a moving bus, have slept about two hours in four days, and my bass player and drummer are taking turns singing in the bunks on each side of me. I believe they are trying to sing 'My Sharona,' but no one can be sure," Isaak wrote in an e-mail.

Despite the upheaval that constant touring introduces into his life, Isaak — the star of the "Chris Isaak Hour" on the Biography Channel, the king of cameo film roles, the smoldering crooner of good ol' rock 'n' roll heartache — took a break to answer a few questions we had about his page on the world's largest online "free encyclopedia."

Wikipedia says: "Christopher Joseph 'Chris' Isaak is an American rock musician and occasional actor." How do you define yourself?

"Romantic ballad singer, occasional surfer, former farm hand and roofer, and full-time screwball."

Wikipedia says: "His best-known song is 'Wicked Game.' " What is one of your favorite songs from your backlog of work, and why?

"My favorite...I like 'Forever Blue.' I always thought it was a complete story in a song. And it came to me so quickly. It started out as a letter to my ex. But you know, I don't usually listen to my own music, at least not if people can see me.

"I read one time that Sinatra used to like to play his own records. I always liked him for that. I guess EVERYBODY likes Sinatra."

Wikipedia says: "Isaak was born in Stockton, Calif., the son of a potato chip factory worker and forklift driver. Isaak's mother is Italian American." Is this true, and how does your background influence your work, such as "Mr. Lucky," your new album?

"All true. My parents are still together, married 60 years. I asked my mom what the secret was to staying married that long, and she told me, 'Don't leave.' I like that. I kind of used the idea in one of my songs:

'A simple plan, here's what we'll do,

'You count on me, I'll count on you.'

"Of course, it helps to be in love "

Wikipedia says: "Isaak has also appeared in numerous films, mostly playing minor cameo roles." How did this start?

"Somebody asked me to be in a movie, and I showed up on time. I think the secret to my success may be my punctuality and my penmanship."

Wikipedia says: "Many guitarists have thought Isaak's main electric guitar is a Gretsch 6120, however Isaak revealed in a 2002 interview that it is, in fact, a one-of-a-kind Gibson." What kind of sound do you work out of the Gibson?

"I love my Gibson. They really hold up to the beating they get from me during a live show. I don't try to mistreat my guitar, but it's hard on a guitar when you are running around and sweating on stage a couple of hours a night for months on end.

"A poorly made guitar will look good for about a week, then peel and warp like a pair of cheap boots in a rain."

Wikipedia says: "Isaak is also an amateur boxer, a former Golden Gloves champion and an avid surfer." You are also the host of "The Chris Isaak Hour." Is there anything you can't do? What's next?

"I have had a heck of a time with personal relationships. I think maybe living on a tour bus cuts down on my chance to meet the right person. I only get to meet the girls that the drummer has in his Scripture studies in the back of the bus. Many of them are convicted felons, and one of them gave me candy that made me sleepy.

"What's next? I will keep on singing and swinging. I love being on tour, I think I spend more time on a bus or a plane than at home. When you are on the way to the next town it's a magical time. You feel like everything and anything may be right around the bend."

If you could change your Wikipedia page to say anything you want, what would you write?

" 'Considered by many to be the greatest writer of an era, many have compared his works to Shakespeare or Micky Spillane. Yet, to balance this genius, he is also a virtuoso on the guitar, drums and flugelhorn.' Nah — nobody would buy that.

"I did hear a great quote from Buck Owens shortly before he died. I really loved his music, and he was just the greatest man when you met him — big, friendly, smart and damn funny. They asked Buck what he would want to have said about him. He said something to the effect, 'That I was a hard worker,' and I loved reading that."

Cheers, Fifi. You're a star! Thanks for posting that.