In April, his cult following consisted of coasty co-eds and Connecticut kids supporting their hometown hero (and he played the little bitty Barrymore).
Today, John Mayer’s enthusiasts have multiplied and his music emanates everywhere. He recently posted two singles simultaneously on VH1’s countdown and sold out huge arenas. In July he visited Milwaukee’s modest Rave, but Friday he’ll grace the Madison Coliseum as his seemingly endless tour (two years and counting) returns. Now he’s promoting his album Room for Squares and just re-released freshman effort Inside Wants Out.
Mayer prides himself on his soulful, honest lyrics that speak to his young listeners. He has often said that personal songs like “Comfortable,” a universally felt breakup anthem, and “My Stupid Mouth,” illustrating tactless ramblings everyone experiences while dating, are not directed at anyone specific . . . yet. Both his albums deal with anonymous muses, but he feels his music is changing.
“Now that I’m connecting real events in my life with my music, I feel there’s less having to prove myself and more straight up emotion,” Mayer explained.
It’s hard to believe Mayer could exude any more passion, but he claims Room for Squares is actually “half cerebral and half heart.” Especially intimate is his sexy single “Your Body is a Wonderland” whose awkward video rotates often. His other hit, “No Such Thing,” downplays the benefits of conventional academic lifestyles (John attended music school for only a year), ironic since his biggest fans are collegians.
Mayer, however, enjoys those who appreciate his entire repertoire. “I have songs that affect people as if they were hit singles but didn’t have to be played on the radio 20,000 times — ya know, that pesky me-making-money thing,” he said thankfully. He could potentially keep playing to his loyal fans for years — which, he said, is “an incredible feeling. I’ll trade that for a video in vomit rotation any day.”
Mayer is so unassuming, though, that he doesn’t realize his image and wit are everywhere. His summer fling with asinine actress Jennifer Love Hewitt hit the press hard, albeit too late (the two split days before the story leaked).
This may explain why Mayer has yet to visit “TRL,” whose Carson Daly also once loved Love (maybe Mayer will eventually become part of an Eminem lyric — “Sit me next to Carson Daly and John Mayer and see if Love’s the best play for those players,” possibly?).
In response to the fact that ladies love cool John, though, Mayer argued, “They haven’t seen me from the side view.” A self-proclaimed outsider, he says, “It’s 8 percent how I truly want to be and 20 percent that I’ve just never fit in.” However, he has become a sex symbol nonetheless.
“I feel like people come to my shows for the music I make. In terms of the demographics responding to anything else . . . I feel that’s a fun detour,” said Mayer, who actually seems to be hunting for a honey. “I’m going to have to just do a tour of elementary schools and meet a teacher,” he decided.
Mayer joked that Madison should hold a “bitch drive” for him, but suddenly realized the rap-ness of that plan. Lately, though, the ubiquity of the “featuring” phenomenon in rap has Mayer going mad. In mocking, he claimed all his next album’s tracks will be “featuring John Mayer.”
Oddly enough, Mayer hopes to collaborate with a teenybopper favorite: “I hear Justin [Timberlake], and I think it’s great. I want to do something with him someday, and I’m sure that I will.”
While that probably shot Mayer’s casual image to hell, it supports his desire to “desegregate classes of music . . . what people consider respectable.”
“Even though it’s cooler to like The Strokes than Michelle Branch, give me Michelle Branch any time of the day over The Strokes,” Mayer said. “If it sounds good, it’s good.” What sounds good to Mayer is sharing love and lyrics with listeners.
“I don’t feel comfortable until I’m understood.” His live intros often begin, “Ya ever get that feeling . . .?” He emits emotions constantly, and what delights him most is seeing the crowd singing along with his confessions, agreeing, “Yeah. Me too.”
Mayer’s need to be understood is what justifies the constant touring. He’s been at it so long that although he’s still “a pretty sheltered kid,” the touring “is like being at home.” The little things like “Ooh, the bus is moving!” no longer fascinate him, but the never-ending tour has given Mayer a visual of his rapid rise to fame.
The clubs became larger, the East Coast became Europe, but Mayer attempts to be consistent. He always plays to the last row. “Even though they don’t think they have front-row seats, they’ll feel like it,” he says.
His pure voice, passionate lyrics, and presence achieve his ultimate goal.
“I want everyone in the audience to feel like I’ll miss them when they leave.”
And the audience will miss him too. But if the tour keeps on, he’ll be back soon. There’s always room for John.
