Jeff Whalen is the singer-songwriter behind the early 2000’s rock group Tsar and he’s back with a rock/glam/bubblegum/pop gem that is sure to make you smile. The album 10 More Rock Super Hits was a successful Pledgemusic project that will see wide release in 2/19. We spoke to Jeff right before the Chitsmas holidays about the album and Tsar.

What is the story with Tsar? I read that label politics killed your deal with Hollywood Records.

Jeff: I dunno!  There were definitely some staff shake-ups while we were there.  The people who signed us left and that’s pretty much never good for the band.  But we were pretty naïve and the whole thing was fairly bewildering, so I don’t know how label politics affected our career or whatever there.  So much of what happens at that level seems unknowable, or out of the band’s control anyway. 

I think we thought that our stuff was so undeniable that our main job was to just focus on the group and it would all work out in the end.  It didn’t work out really, so maybe that wasn’t the best plan.  But I have to say, Hollywood bankrolled our two full-length records–our main statements to the world, I guess–and for that, I’m grateful, ultimately.  That said, could the label have tried a little bit to sell some of our records?  Sure!  That would’ve been nice, actually.   

You toured with Duran Duran, right? What was that like?

Jeff: It was dreamlike.  Surreal.  Fun.  Duran Duran is one of my favorite bands of all time.  When we toured with them, we’d never been on any tour before, so it was a daunting, exhilarating experience to be playing in front of so many people, opening for Duran Duran. 

We’d been fans of theirs when we were kids, and I’d been deeply affected by the reaction girls at school had to them back in the day. You know, girls dressed up in Duranie gear and special makeup, walking down the hall. To me, Duran Duran’s effect on girls at my school seemed so real and eternal and beautiful, like it tapped into some truth about art and romance and humanity or something.

I liked a lot of their songs, though they looked really cool, though back then boys generally had to keep their Duran love under wraps a bit, or at least it was like that at my school.  I really dug their lyrics–I could never figure out what they were talking about–but in a really good way.  I mean, rock has a grand tradition of speaking in mysteries or weirdnesses, but somewhere in there, I think Duran Duran’s approach to lyric-writing made a big impression on my still-cooking child-brain and has had an effect on my own approach to lyric-writing.

When we toured with Duran Duran, they seemed so ancient to us, though thinking about it now, they were probably only in their late 30s or early 40s.  Simon LeBon would warm up his voice for 30 or 40 minutes before the show.  Depending on the venue, we could sometimes hear him earnestly, seriously singing his scales, echoing down the halls, before we went on.  The shows were fun.  Pretty good vibes at most of them.  Sweaty.  Summertime.

I love Duran Duran, I do.  I root for them.  I don’t really follow their career or anything, but the love is there.   

Tell me how the new LP 10 More Super Rock Hits came about.

Jeff: Tsar never officially broke up or anything, but we were all doing various life-type things.  Focusing on an assortment of human life events, I guess.  It seemed like it would take a great deal of focus and coordination–focus and coordination that nobody had–to get it together to make a Tsar record.  Meanwhile, I was ready–champing–to make a record.  It was totally a need in me.  So I thought “Hey!  Solo record!  I can take part in the great rock tradition where the guy makes a solo record.” 

Tsar had played a few shows in The Dark Stuff days with Nerf Herder and I’d had a couple super-fun, drunken conversations about the Beatles with Linus of Hollywood, who was playing guitar with Nerf Herder.  A friend of mine named Phil McDonald, who’s in this super-catchy band called Punch Punch Kick, had been working with Linus on their album and he recommended him highly, so I called Linus and he was into it.  He said if I wanted to do a loose, vibey record, then probably he wasn’t the guy.  But if I wanted to do a produced record, like ELO or somebody, then let’s do it.  I said, “that’s exactly what I want, Linus of Hollywood!  Let’s fucking do it!”

And it was a really fun experience, without a doubt, the easiest, most fun time I’ve ever had making a record.  I mean, one of the reasons I wanted Linus to produce was his reputation for super-professionalism.  I wanted him to crack the professional show business whip and make me make a professional show business-type album.  And it was like that, for sure.  But a lot of it was also us spending most of the day talking about pop music and drinking coffee and then breaking for lunch.   Linus is an extremely talented guy.  A true artist.  A true musician.  He’s also super funny and a totally decent human being.  Fun guy to drink with and talk about solo Mick Jagger.

Will you be doing any touring to support the album? When and where?

Jeff: None of it is set yet, but I’ll likely be coming to New York a tiny bit.  Just ever-so-slightly England, maybe, a skooch?  More maybe?

Who are your musical heroes?

Jeff: To be truly groundbreaking and edgy, I’ll say the Beatles.  I’ve spent so many hours, days, weeks, years of my life talking about the Beatles.  And yet there’s still so much to discuss.  It’s endless, ever-renewing.  Like, the other night, a friend of mine and I spent a while talking about early-Beatles John vs. Paul, in terms of how they each had a different approach to how they sang cover songs.  Paul seems to be singing like his goal is to demonstrate his vocal ability, like, “look how much I can sing like Little Richard!”  Meanwhile, John’s approach is to put the song across, like you believe him when he’s singing “Baby It’s You” or “Anna” or whatever.  Even something like “Please Mr. Postman” is like that–like he really wants that freaking letter!  Even “Mr. Moonlight.”  Like he means it!  Whereas with Paul, you don’t for a second believe that he’s going to Kansas City.  And if you want to, you can let that shape how you perceive their separate approaches to their whole body of work.  Or not!  And it doesn’t make John better than Paul or anything.  It’s just another thing to talk about.

But in terms of non-Beatles musical heroes, I’m gonna say Steve Gregory from the Pooh Sticks.  He’s definitely been recognized for being great–in certain circles, anyway–but his work is genius.  I mean it.  It’s a way of understanding pop music that destroys the line between listening to music and making it.  Like if the radio made an album.  It makes so much sense to me, I’m in awe of it.

Any hope of a Tsar reunion?

Jeff: I’m a band guy at heart.  And Tsar is the band.  When you go through something like the things we went through as people and as a band, you can’t erase that, or even build something else with other guys, really.  A musician’s first or main band is permanent, like your family or something.  You can’t change it.

I saw a therapist who had been Motley Crue’s therapist, and she said that all bands ultimately get back together because you forge these relationship and creative dynamics that can’t really be changed—a way of understanding yourself as a person and as a musician. Kind of like how people as adults repeat relationships and dynamics from their childhood. Some not-so-good stuff, but a lot of good stuff as well.

I really want to make a bunch more music before the world gets taken over by our benevolent robot overlords–solo,  Tsar, other bands, whatnot.  I’m really excited at the moment about making music, and yeah, I do feel like Tsar has an album or two left to do.  I’d be excited to rip it up with those guys.  

Thanks, Jeff!