Pete isn’t dead or in jail, according to Hamilton funnyman B.A, Johnston, who returns to the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Tuesday, April 23 with J Blissette in support of his new CD “The Skid is Hot Tonight.”
“Pete loves that song,” chuckled Johnston of the first single from the CD “We’re All Going to Jail (Except Pete, He’s Gonna Die), which also inspired a frame by frame re-creation of Van Halen’s “Jump” video.
“It’s not as good, because they have more money and we‘re older. But we painstakingly re-created every frame, but cut most of it,” he said.
“ But it features they guy who does my beats and the guy who does my album artwork, so it is nice to feature them,” he said, adding the song is partially based on a true story.
“Pete took too many magic mushrooms and thought security was chasing him. We lost him for a half hour. And he still thought security was chasing him, though I don’t think they were,” he said.
It is a follow up to his last CD Gremlins 3.
“ That was like two years ago. Time flies. I have like 12 CDs out now,” he said, adding they will probably only be playing three songs from the CD.
“I have a lot of ‘hits’ and people want to hear them. I know when I go see Iron Maiden and they mostly play their new album, I don’t really like that,” he said, adding he is always writing.
“It’s a long CD. It’s 12 songs and 42 minutes long. So it‘s like a Grateful Dead album,” Johnston chuckled.
“And I needed to buy groceries, so I put out this CD,” he said adding he is always writing.
“That’s what I do, I sit in the closet and write funny songs,” he said, adding there are also a lot of sadder songs about aging.
He is excited to be back at the Owl Acoustic Lounge.
“I’d like to get there on a weekend. But Uusually I’m on my way to somewhere else for the weekend. But I always get good crowds there on a Tuesday, so it’s really your fault,” he chuckled.
Johnston is also working on a new television show about his home town Hamilton Called Ham Jam.
“It’s about Hamilton. So there’s a bit about steel, about submarine sandwiches. And it’s a city of waterfalls, so I talk about that too,” he said.
“It’s like a tourist video for Hamilton except it won’t make you want to go there,” Johnson chuckled of the six episode series available through Bell Fibe.
“ I love it. It’s great. But it’s a lot of work,” he said.
He is looking forward to playing Lethbridge on a Tuesday.
“ Lethbridge has always been good to me. I’d love to give them a weekend, but I’m usually on my way to someplace else. And people keep coming out on a Tuesday, so it’s really all your fault,” he said.
“ I’ve got a whole new show planned for you. Just kidding,” he chuckled.
B.A. Johnston and J Blissette, are at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, Tuesday, April. 23. Admission is by donation.
