Have you ever wondered what a songwriter was thinking when they wrote a certain song? With the “inside track” it will no longer be a mystery as we speak with the musicians themselves and they give us the inside story on songs, their inspirations, the stories behind the songs and more. 

RNW: First off, congrats on the new album! Great stuff. The first question: you’ve been known for your musical evolution from back in the days in Noise Addict to your solo career. When it came to time to write and record the material for this CD did you approach it differently?

Ben: I kind of approach waking up each day differently, so it follows that each album becomes a very different experience. I always knew this record would have an element of sweet sorrow. I try and Put as much love as possible into the making of each of my records.

RNW: Speaking of which what is your songwriting process like? 

Ben: Sometimes it’s like a massage. Sometimes its like vomiting. Sometimes i do it alone. Sometimes with friends. Sometimes I’m lost at sea, at other times I know exactly where I’m going. It’s a mysterious process. I’ve given up theories and philosophy. The best I can do is take a practical approach. I try to get from a to b with as little damage as possible.

RNW: You recorded “hey you. Yes you” Back in 2001, which is now finally being released in the us and Canada but I know once fans hear it they will want more so are there any more songs in the bag? If so are you playing any out on tour?

Ben: I’ve got a lot more songs. Me and McGowan, my guitar player, have been writing a fair amount. I’m working on an album with my friend Juanita from Waikiki. Also a project called Mixtape where I’m writing songs for different people’s voices. Sometimes I’ll do one or two live but I’ve never liked going to a show and getting bombarded with new songs.

RNW: How did the deal with F2 come about?

Ben: Jon Cohen has been a fan of my music for a long time. When I met him a year or two ago and he talked about starting a label, it just felt like the obvious place to go. It’s nice to be somewhere where they aren’t asking me to be anything I’m not.

RNW: Ok now we get to the heart of the matter. In this series we like to take the readers/fans deeper into the songs by asking you to give us the inside story on each track. It can be the back story to the songs, what inspired it and interesting stories that go along with the song. The idea here is to help those who hear a song and ask ?i wonder what he was thinking When he wrote that one? Or “what’s this really about?? “So I’ll give you a song title and so you can give us some insight into the track.

1. Running with Scissors

I watched Oprah one day while recording my album. There was a photo of a girl who had died of anorexia, wearing a ‘running with scissors’ t-shirt. The image seems poignant to me. I’ve since found out It was probably a Weird Al t-shirt. 

2. Aftertaste

This is a track that I wrote from an idea Juanita from Waikiki had. Originally she had the verse recorded, just her voice and organ. I felt a deep funk vibe to the song. Dan found a beat that reminded us of ‘off the wall’. It was always meant to have a laid-back   sex energy. 

3. Dirty mind

I recorded the album in the months after 9/11 when we were all watching CNN a lot. It felt like I was being told how to feel. In some ways, this is the most direct protest song on the album, but a lot of them have that energy. There is a need to define my space and my turf on this record. It’s a bit aggressive I suppose. 

4. Something Borrowed, Something Blue

This one started from that killer riff. Just train of consciousness. I was out at Joshua Tree in California, one of my favourite places. The riff has the deserty feel yknow. I wrote the stuff about my dad in it shortly before I found out he was dying. My best stuff is often quite psychic. Words seem to fall together in ways that don’t make sense to my rational mind, but have a hidden meaning for me to explore.

5. Run 

I just wanted this to sound like INXS. Me and Lara (my keyboard player) got pretty stressed writing This song. It’s sometimes hard to co-write a song that’s quite abstract. The collaborative process is often about dialogue and a song like this just requires a leap of faith. It was the catalyst for a big fight we had actually. Good for our relationship in the long run though.

6. Chills

I was staying with Jason in LA and he had the first line of the song. I sat at his piano and rest just came.

7. Music 4 the Young & Foolish

This was my Madonna song. Dancefloor anthem. Flowed very easily. I remember having a blast writing the lyrics with Lara. We loved all the double entendres and saucy come-ons. It’s a bit Jarvis too really. A camp sick hip hop loveboat song.

8. No Room to Bleed

We had the piano riff for a while but the inspiration wasn’t there. One day I got frustrated in the studio and drove down to Big Sur. I walked around the forest for a few hours. There was mist on The floor like in a Brothers Grimm fairytale. The song came instantly, in a wide open space it suddenly became very easy to write about being trapped.

9. On & On

A quick little jam. I had this song for a few years but it really came alive over a de la soul style groove. Sometimes when I sing it I feel like Rob Thomas or Bono cos it has a bit of arena rock in it. I always like the line ‘9 o clock I think I’m going to hell’. 

10. Shine

I was very clear about this song. I remember saying to the musicians “play this like you are sitting around a campfire with Charles Manson”. In some ways this song is thematically the centerpiece of the album. It’s about choosing the abstract. Choosing to go into the darkness. Some nights I open with this live. It has a lot of life in it for me.

11. In the Morning

This one was sitting round for a couple years. I wrote it all in one go on a spring day after listening to Joni Mitchell ‘Blue’.

12. Still on the line

Ahhh. Real unknown territory. Dissonance. Drones. I feel like Dan gave this track to me as a challenge. I remember a verse for this song that got cut : “teenagers/at drive-ins/their laughter/sounds like sirens”. This is my Taoist song I suppose. My spiritual calling. And Glenn Campbell.

RNW: You’ve been out on the road with Fountains of Wayne and also making various media appearances including Leno. What are your tour plans in the immediate future?

Ben: I’m going to Australia to promote my film and tour, then come back in the fall and tour more. I have no idea how people in America feel about my music or if they want to see me perform it, but if so, ill happily keep touring. I’m ready to connect in a way I wasn’t before.

RNW: Did you accomplish all you set out to achieve with this cd?

Ben: Well it’s a little silver disc with music on it, so it looks pretty good to me.

RNW: What do you want fans to take away from your music?

Ben: I want them to change. I want to change. That’s the most important thing.

RNW: Finally, what’s next for Ben Lee?

Ben: Breakfast.

Listen to samples and Purchase this CD online