feature
jesse malin
The Power of Positive Thinking
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sk pe
july/august 2007
by Matt Fink
“i
always like things that deal with the darker side of stuff but also have love and hope,” says Jesse Malin, the former glam punk-turned-heartland troubadour whose latest solo release is meant to serve as a wakeup call for an apathetic generation. “I feel so much connection to songs, and the bands that I got turned onto. John Cassavetes has
with things and spitting them down, and that makes you feel better and feel hopeful. They talk about things that people don’t want to talk about. But music is a healer, as Bob Marley would say.” Given the obstacles he’s faced over the last few years, Malin could be forgiven had he not
New Jersey native was left to twist in the wind while other singer-songwriters moved ahead of him in line. Lucky for him, an old friend remembered him from his days as D Generation’s frontman and had the resources to put him back in business. “I always write a lot, but this was even more, and I tried to map
“We’ve been through a period when people are afraid to go out of the house.
Terrorism, hurricanes, war – fear, fear. Fuck that. This is your generation. It’s happening now. Do something. Be there. Show up.”
these really heavy movies and a lot of punk bands are seen as being so angry and negative, like Bad Brains. But I think there was a lot of hope and love in there,” he counters. “It just wasn’t a blind fairytale. They’re dealing
wanted to look on the bright side for Glitter in the Gutter. With Artemis Records in turmoil, leaving him to sort through the 30 songs he had written without knowing when, or if, they would see release, the 39-year-old
them through a lot of demos and stuff,” Malin says about the exceptionally fruitful period that produced his third solo release. “I sent one of the demos over to Billie Joe from Green Day. [D Generation] had toured with
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