Jimi Haha Shares Secret Recipe

One can feel Jimi Haha's pain. The joys in his life are simple. He likes to tour with his band--playing over 200 shows a year. He likes to get laid back with his fellow "lazy-boys." He loves to paint and watch TV. But time and time again, he finds one factor that consistently prevents his simple euphoria: his ex-girlfriends and a broken heart. Maybe he won't make his bed up straight. Maybe he always stays out late. Nevertheless, this lead singer of Jimmie's Chicken Shack--the self-proclaimed "Music of ADD"--has a successful new album, a broadening fan base, a great attitude and a Joey McIntyre T-shirt. What does Haha do right? Apparently, it's quite a lot.

The Harvard Crimson: First of all, I get a feeling that Haha isn't your real last name.

Jimi Haha: Why would you think that? I come from a long generation of Hahas. (Laughs) Well, it might be a little made up.

THC: Where is Jimmie's Chicken Shack? Do they have a good rotisserie?

JH: Actually, it is from the biography of Malcolm X. One of our friends was reading the book at the time. He told us that it was a sketchy restaurant in Harlem. And since three of us are named Jimi, we thought Jimmie's Chicken Shack was appropriate.

THC: Ok... enough about names. Let's talk about the new record. Your first album, Pushing the Salmonella Envelope, had a very raw, in-your-face sound to it. Your new album, Bring Your Own Stereo, sounds much more produced and neatly crafted. Was this a conscience choice or just an evolution in your sound?

JH: On the first album, we were just trying to record the songs like we play them live. We lumped all of our hard stuff together, and we really didn't want to do a whole lot of producing--we wanted to avoid that overproduced sound. Above all, we didn't want to have Bring Your Own Stereo sound exactly like the last record. Listening to a record and going to a live show are completely different venues and ways of hearing music. We wanted for the album to be a different experience than the live show-show our fans different sides of the band.

THC: Were all the songs written recently or did you put some old stuff on the album?

JH: Some of the songs have been around--some more recent. "30 Days" was written three years ago, but I never thought that it would ever make it onto one of our albums. But the guys liked it and thought it would fit well on Bring Your Own Stereo. But a lot of the songs are new. For the first time, we actually had a practice space, so we got together and played all the time. Four of the songs were written together as a band...they really just came together while we played. I don't know if we were doing anything really different, but this time we were all much happier. At first, recording can be a tense experience. Some times you just don't want to be there. Now we have a much better time.

THC: Who are your musical inspirations? Were you listening to anything in particular when you recorded the new album?

JH: Well, our sound is a mix of a whole much of musical genres, so I guess this list won't seem that random. My musical heroes are the Beatles, Black Sabbath, Grateful Dead, Beach Boys, Bob Marley and even the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The other guys like a whole lot of other music, but we certainly respect and enjoy listening to everyone's music. I can't say that there was anything in particular that we were listening to that pushed us in any direction. The first record was the result of an ongoing movement in a hard rock direction over many years. Our music is fairly consistent between the two albums, but there is a lot of new stuff. A lot of that tends to be the result of playing with some new members that like to play different things. I used to call our music "Mutt Rock" because it has so many influences. My favorite new tag line is "Music for ADD" though.

THC: Your new style is sort of reminiscent of 311, and you also included them on your "Thanks" list. How much did they influence your music on this record?

JH: We've known 311 for a long time. When we were putting together our first tape, we played with 311 on their Grassroots tour. We gave them a whole lot of shit for headlining even though they were younger than us. Our personal style might heavily influence that West Coast feel. We like smoking, skating, snowboarding. A lot of people on the East Coast think that we have a West Coast sound, but people on the West Coast think we have an East Coast sound. Our musical vibe is probably somewhere in between.

THC: From what I understand, you broke up with your long time girlfriend Melissa just before starting to record the new album. Are many of the songs about her?

JH: Everyone seems to think that. I had an interview with Rolling Stone that went great, and then when I saw the article is began and ended with Melissa. I mean, a lot of the songs were written way before I dated her. The first verse of "Do Right" was written five years ago when I was dating the bitchiest girl in the world-a superbitch. I spent three and a half years trying to make her happy, and I never could. But the lyrics in the second verse are actually words that Melissa said to me that hurt a whole lot. I the album just breathes of her existence.

THC: What are your suggestions for the guys out there that are currently dating "superbitches"?

JH: Run like hell! There is no recovery-no hope at all! You can never do enough to make them happy.

THC: The other day I was in the Abercrombie and Fitch in Harvard Square, and I heard your new single "Do Right" on the store soundtrack. Would you consider this musical inclusion to be the crowning achievement of the band?

JH: Really? I had no idea! (Laughs). All I know is that my face would never adorn their catalogs or advertisements. That's very comical-you'll never see me playing soccer while beautiful women hang all over me. The song has definitely been promoted to pop radio. We have people listening to us that would never have listened to any of the songs off the first album. There is a radio station in Maryland where we were third most requested on their pop charts, behind Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys.

THC: Well, that begs the question. Do you like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch? Would you take 'em if you had one wish?

JH: (Laughs). I don't like girls that wear Abercrombie and Fitch. I like girls that wear nothing at all! Those A&F girls are just waiting to break my stupid heart. Actually, that's really funny because we played a show recently with LFO and Joey MacIntire. I played the show with a Joey MacIntire shirt on the whole time. I think we are the only band fucked up enough to do a show with LFO and an ex-New Kid.

THC: What do you think about the new boy-band, candy-crap craze like the Backstreet Boys, Nsync and LFO?

JH: Well, I find it nauseating as most people do. But, fuck, I want to go on tour with them. We are the only band corny enough to want to play in front of a few thousand screaming teeny-boppers. Most of them wouldn't even know what a guitar is!