Interview by Ron Mwangaguhunga
"We are the only Sobules in the world," Jill Sobule meaningfully tells me when I ask her about the origin of her interesting last name. "It is Russian or Polish," she continues, "depending on what year or war."
Jill Sobule is one of those effervescent personalities that light up whichever room she finds herself standing. Jill Sobule is a born performer. The many fan sites online and the fierce loyalty they exhibit is testament to Jill's enduring appeal.
Jill's song writing and delivery are the primary factors in her popularity. Often Sobule masks very deep social issues with a tongue-in-cheek style. "I think humor is sometimes a better way of getting a point across, rather than hitting someone over the head with anger," explains Jill. "I just recorded a song about the death penalty: 'You better not kill in Texas, they just love to kill you.' It was done in a goofy cowboy way with Steve Earle. The humor makes it even more sick and poignant." Jill is very socially conscious which is reflected in her music "More and more I get my news online," said Jill. "Especially after 9/11, I read what the foreign papers have to say. I like the Independent and the Guardian (UK). Sometimes (usually when I'm bored), I check out 'Outsider,' crazy right wing, or conspiracy theory sites."
Another part of Sobule's popularity can be directly attributed to her unusual business model. Like the Grateful Dead, Sobule does not prosecute or harass fans who bootleg her concerts. "I actually encourage bootlegs," explained Jill. "I put them on my page if they are of exceptional quality. I only get pissed if they record when I am terribly out of tune." As a result of these liberal view of MP3s, Sobule has gotten more underground airplay with higher quality downloads and, as a result, a larger and more passionate fan base.
Sobule's career in the fickle American recording industry has gone through several ups and downs, which give her a realistic and down to earth aspect that comes through in her music and, even more strongly, in her personality. Sobule's career in music began after dropping out of college and then struggling for nearly a decade in obscurity before landing a deal with MCA. Her debut album "Things Here are Different," in 1990, was fairly well reviewed by critics, but did not particularly make waves in sales. Sobule did end up scoring a minor hit with "Too Cool to Fall in Love."
Jill's next album was to be produced by the legendary Joe Jackson. Alas, it was not to be. "The record with Joe never came out -- I was dropped," says Sobule. "I had a tough time working with someone I admired so much. I was not as assertive and assured as I should have been."
After being dropped by MCA, Jill took a variety of jobs including waiting tables and working for a wedding photographer. Sobule admits she was not the best waitress in the world. At one bar she worked at, Sandra Bernhard and Madonna came in and did not tip her. Things went up from there.
In a moment of good luck, one of Sobule's lawyer friends found himself entertaining a group of music executives and, as it would happen, he played one of her demos. The executives were intrigued and asked if they could meet Sobule. Jill came in and played for them, which led to a second record deal on Lava/Atlantic, her self titled comeback album, "Jill Sobule." Sobule had two bona fide hits on the album: "I Kissed a Girl" and "Supermodel" (featured on the 'Clueless' Soundtrack).
"I Kissed a Girl" is receiving another round of fame as the new independent film trailer for "Kissing Jessica Stein" has been using the song. Jill told me she planned to see the film the week of our interview.
Sobule is a Mac enthusiast. "I have a (blueberry) iBook," she says happily. "I'm just about to buy the new G4 lap top. Which one should I get?" After recommending the TiBook, I asked Jill how technology has changed her life now that she has a web site.
Jill was not always as technologically savvy as she is now. "Being somewhat of an 'analog girl,' I was late to the whole web page thing. Actually, some fans forced it on me, so I could have more contact, as well as put up a ton of free mp3s. Now, I'm in the process of making (jillsobule.com) more interactive and fun.
"I'm still using my 4 track cassette to record. However in the last year, I have become gadget queen (iPod, Treo Palm Phone, etc.). I also have surrendered to Pro-tools."
Just as thousands of listeners have surrendered to the beautiful sounds of Jill Sobule.
Check out Jill at www.jillsobule.com
