An oldie but still a classic: Open Your Eyes, the epic from Compartments in a new video. Ants again for the first time. Rick Wakeman’s cape.

Roger CortonI see you redid the old videos for Open Your Eyes. You combined the three parts all into one. Why?

JCHAnts (laughs). You remember when the computer servers crashed last summer? I lost a ton of old original materials.

As Editor, this is where I jump in with a ‘We Regret The Error’. As our readers know, I chop out a lot of material from our chats in order to make these (cough) discussions readable. My goal is 800 words even though we rarely make it. Sometimes I’m not as careful as I could be and in this case, I hacked out the entire portion of our chat on 08/24/16 where we discussed the server crash. I apologize for not finding somewhere to put it at the time because it was a […]

Health Care. Marcel Duchamp and toilets. Postmodern. Andy Warhol and Campbell Soup Cans. Making a statement and William Carlos Williams. Strategery. Son House. Brazil. Trump. It’s complicated. Who knew?

Roger CortonSo last time we talked about how hard it is writing great lyrics. And in fact you said “there is almost nothing I seem to hate worse in life than lyrics”.

JCHCorrect.

RCWhat with all the recent chaos we haven’t spent much time talking up your new album Progress. I think this is a chance to kill two birds with one stone; talk up a song and dive more into lyrics.

JCHYou’re so manly when you’re take charge.

RCI noticed something odd when I listened to my Progress CD of ‘Health Care’. The ‘raps’ aren’t the same as on this video.

JCHCorrect.

RCI assume that’s intentional?

JCHCorrect.

RCYou’re going to stop doing that soon, right?

JCHRight […]

Another snippet from the new opera, The Boats called Starting Over. Even more masturbation. Trogdor. Metal as Pro Wrestling. Spinal Tap. Going to Eleven. The arc of opera.

Roger CortonA new snippet. Dare I say it seems a bit ‘power-poppish’?

Starting Over (Snippet)

JCHDare. Dare.

RCSo where are we in the story now?

JCHSo… in an opera every character has to have their own song. Typically, it tells you how they are or what they’re trying to do. This is Tomás’ story–the middle brother. The three brothers realize that they’re gonna have to leave. The eldest brother is the least reluctant and the younger is the most jazzed. So Tomás’ feelings are the pivot for the story. Every time he goes out to work he feels like he’s in his element. But his wife is not entirely thrilled–he’d make her a lot happier if they left the life. So he’s having this inner struggle.

RCI […]

Another snippet from the new opera, The Boats called I Dreamed Of You Tonight. Rock Opera vs. Real Opera. Naked Lunch. Slippermen. Relationships. Inigo Montoya and The Princess Bride. Bohemian Rhapsody. The Elevator Pitch.

Roger CortonA new snippet. This is exceptionally beautiful. I’m starting to hear a theme in the all the snippets you’ve put up.

I Dreamed Of You Tonight (Snippet)

JCHOh, it’s all connected, that’s why it’s taking so damn long. It’s just so personal.

RCBecause it’s your family story?

JCHWell there are also lots of things going on in my ‘real’ life, right now, but yeah, it’s been tough teasing out the story. See the thing I keep trying to get across to fans is that these are ‘for reals opera’, not ‘rock opera’. Progressive Rock fans talk about ‘rock opera’ all the time and I find myself channeling Inigo Montoya

RCFrom ‘The Princess Bride’?

JCHYes. As he […]

More on what’s wrong with the third snippet from the new album, Progress, called We Danced. Donald Trump? A tribute to Steve Howe. Chattering. The O-Face. Wah wahs. Yessongs. Stolen video.

Roger CortonAlready you’re not happy with We Danced.

JCHWell, it hit me what the problem is.

RCI hesitate to even ask.

JCHNo O-Face.

RCThe what?

JCHOh c’mon. You know exactly what I’m talking about.
RCI do know what you’re talking about. But in the wake of the current election, can’t we be a little more uplifting?

JCHUplifting? How’s this for uplifting? FUCK DONALD TRUMP. Ya know why? I could care less about the guy’s politics. But the net long-term effect of his campaign will be to single-handedly make the world even more insufferably ‘PC’ than it already is.

RCDone?

JCHI am. But seriously. You can’t joke about anything anymore without getting called […]