Josie Cotton Interview
-by Jeremy Gloff
-appeared on TheNewGay.net
-May 31st, 2011

It was with great chagrin that I saw my fellow TNG buddy Zack had done a Josie Cotton article. I’ve been a huge fan of Josie’s for years and her and I have had an online correspondence with her  for a few years. In my little envelope of column ideas was a scrap of paper with Josie’s name scratched on it. I had yet to get to that scrap of paper.

I cut my losses and left a remorseful comment on Zack’s piece. It was with great delight that I checked my email the following day. Josie’s publicist suggested I interview Josie anyhow!

And so I figured that if we can write about Lady Gaga multiple times on TNG, there’s no reason we can’t write about the more talented Josie Cotton twice. Josie’s new album Pussycat Babylon is a five star release easily on par with the rest of Josie’s discography. The music is adventurous and infectious while the lyrics are intelligent, heartfelt, and fun.

Without further ado please enjoy again the brilliance of Josie Cotton.

JEREMY GLOFF ASKS JOSIE COTTON TEN QUESTIONS

Jeremy: "Johnny Are You Queer" is definitely a peg on the pop culture map of the 1980s. As pop history junkies know, The GoGos were originally slated to record it but opted out. In the ensuing years did any of the  GoGos ever reach out and let you know what they thought of your version?

Josie: Well then the pop historians are wrong. The GoGo's didn't opt out on "Johnny Are You Queer." They were forbidden from recording or performing it. They had walked out on a production contract with the producers who discovered them at their first gig and worked with them non-stop for two years after that. They were the Paine Brothers and they wrote "Johnny Are You Queer" FOR the GoGo's. They felt very betrayed personally and professionally and so they took back the song. Everyone who was around at that time knows the story. The GoGo's were so afraid of a lawsuit they never told the real story or how much they truly owe these guys. It was kind of tragic to watch go down. And yes I heard from a mutual fan that Belinda said no one could have done a better job. Ironically at one point there was even talk of me replacing Belinda in the GoGo's after she went solo.

Jeremy: Lindsey Buckingham of Fleetwood Mac played guitar on your song "Jimmy Loves Maryann." You two are an interesting combination.  Any memory of what that session was like?

Josie: I met Lindsey in London when I was finishing up my second record for Elektra with Roy Thomas Baker. He was also working with Lindsey at the time and suggested Lindsey throw something down on this song we were having trouble with. The actual session went really fast. He was such a virtuoso on the guitar that it was over before I could even come to grips what had just happened. Very sweet guy as I recall...self effacing even.

Jeremy: You look a long break from releasing music and came back in the early 1990s with the magical FRIGHTENED BY NIGHTENGALES.  The songs "After The Rose" and "In My Dream" are my two favorites by you - they are haunting. Could you tell you were making a special kind of magic during the recording sessions for that album?

Josie: You gave one of my favorite reviews of all time ever! I believe you described that record was like wandering around a trailer park on the desert at dusk and then finding a severed head. That was always so funny to me and I loved the imagery but it was also oddly on point. When we were shooting a video for that record, we were out in the middle of the California desert in this long abandoned night club that had been owned by Frank Sinatra. Supposedly it had burned to the ground opening night...some mob vendetta. Anyway this place was creepy. It was right off the highway but there was nothing around it for miles and you could see these figures way in the distance running from bush to bush. The police dropped by at one point as someone had actually reported finding a human head in the bushes.  Don't know what ever happened to those tapes.

Jeremy: You took many more years off before you resumed recording in the 2000s. Rumor has it that you have a few unreleased albums sitting in the vault. I'm intrigued.  What were those albums like?

Josie: One was very new wave. One a little country and the other one very dark, almost Goth.

Jeremy: Any chance you'd ever release those unreleased albums even if they are limited edition independent releases?

Josie: I have thought of putting out a compilation of the three and eventually I will do that. (Ed. Note from Jeremy: please, please do release these!)

Jeremy: Any fan of your music knows you totally love the B-movie camp of the 1960s.  What are your thoughts on the current horror films?

Josie: For me nothing will ever come close to being as bad or as great as those early b-movies. In terms of current horror movies I'm not a big fan of torture and pain. I generally like all zombie movies and anything adapted from a Philip K Dick science fiction novel.

Jeremy: One of the most magical things about your music is that it draws on the best aspects of the underground retro of the past.  I'm curious to know where Josie Cotton thinks one can still find magic in today's current modern world?

Josie: I see magic all around me...in everyday items, in people, in science. There's nothing BUT magic when you pull the veil away.

Jeremy: Your songwriting genius is often overlooked.  When one digs into your songs they will find intelligent and quirky lyrics.  Do you have a personal favorite song you have written?

Josie: I think the songs from Pussycat Babylon are the best I've written by far. I couldn't choose one. What is this Sophie's Choice !!? I'll just say "Stop Iggy Pop" since that was the first song of mine that I played or programmed every instrument for. That was insanely fun.

Jeremy: With your new album PUSSYCAT BABYLON you set out to fulfill many fan's wishes of you doing an electro/dance album.  What's your favorite song to dance to from the new album?

Josie: I would have to say "Pussycat Babylon" It's kind of like Gordon Lightfoot meets Snoop Dog in a rave.

Jeremy: Us fans are so glad you are back to releasing music Josie.  After you are done promoting PUSSYCAT BABYLON any clues as to what we can expect next?

Josie: Thank you so much, Jeremy. After this press blitz has died down I plan on doing a lot more videos. Sometimes it feels like I'm invisibly emitting all this music into deep space and keep waiting to hear something back. To make
it visual feels much more tangible to me..like I've done something that won't be lost.

Thanks Josie!  Find Josie Cotton on Facebook or at JosieCotton.com.