B.A. Johnston

B.A. Johnston is an entertainer who travels across this great country singing his stories to whoever will listen. I recently approached him at a show and asked him some questions:

How long have you been playing shows?
B.A: I think I did my first show in 1993, but it was under a different name.

What name was that?
B.A: Me Against the World. It was huge, as you can tell.

On your MySpace page it says your music is, "nerd rock at its highest point." What does that mean?
B.A: It means I am number one at nerd rock. I am the pinnacle.

Who else falls into the nerd rock genre?
B.A: The Tiny Tim guy, who did that "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" song with the ukulele, maybe? I dunno, maybe there isn't any more, I've cornered the market.

So you're nerd rock defined?
B.A: [laughing] Yes, definitive.

You really seem to have a good time on stage, who do you think has more fun: you or the audience?
B.A: I hate every moment I perform. When people are like at Burger King and they're making your poutine, that's what it's like when I'm on-stage, but I just give 110% so it looks like I'm having fun, but I think the audience probably has the most fun. I know people that hate it, they don't have any fun at all.

How to do you keep things interesting while on tour?
B.A: You don't really. You just try to survive, and it's hard, and they try to stop you from doing it, but you have to keep going. Roads look really dull, it's just like a neverending... you try to look for good food a lot.

You get pretty close to members of the audience sometimes, often rubbing up against them. Has anyone ever taken this the wrong way?
B.A: Not really, I got pushed. Some guy threw a drink in my face, but I was wearing a snowsuit so it kinda repelled the beer, and I would have thrown it in my own face at some point anyway, but he was clearly insane, it wasn't my fault.

Also on your MySpace, The Velvet Elvis's back parking lot was mentioned on your "List of Shit 2006." Why did it make the list?
B.A: 'Cause my car doors don't lock and someone stole like, 50 CDs out of my car, 50 B.A. Johnston CDs out of my car.

At least whoever stole them will have good music to listen to!
B.A: Or they're in a dumpster somewhere, probably more the case.

Tunes: myspace.com/bajohnston