March 13, 2025 • 40 mins
Jonatha Brooke has a voice to soothe your soul, and the lyrics to nurture it. First introduced to audiences as a part of the duo, “The Story,” Brooke eventually turned to an illustrious solo career and has been gifting us with her own unique storytelling ever since.
Jonatha has quite the discography to boast with 14 albums over the past three decades, most of which were produced under her own independent label - Bad Dog Records. She has co-written songs with Katy Perry and The Courtyard Hounds. She's written and performed for Disney films, numerous television shows, and she composed and performed the theme song for Joss Whedon's "Dollhouse." She also wrote the one-woman musical show, “My Mother Has Four Noses” in honor of her own mom, and now finds herself writing for the stage once again with three new productions underway.
Check out today’s episode to learn more about the very talented Jonatha Brooke who will grace the stage of The Lizzie Rose Music Room this March 30th.
Thanks for listening!
- Subscribe to The Jersey Arts Podcast in your favorite podcast player.
The Jersey Arts Podcast is one medium of Feature Stories on Discover Jersey Arts (jerseyarts.com), where articles and videos also cover New Jersey’s vibrant arts and entertainment scene.
Discover Jersey Arts is presented by ArtPride New Jersey. The program was co-founded by, and is currently supported by funds from, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Additional support for JerseyArts.com content is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts.
- Subscribe to the Discover Jersey Arts' weekly e-newsletter to have stories delivered to your inbox.
- Follow and contact us @jerseyarts on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (00:04):
This is Gina Marie Rodriguez and you're
listening to the Jersey ArtsPodcast.
Jonatha Brooke has a voice tosoothe your soul and the lyrics
to nurture it.
First introduced to audiencesas a part of the duo, the Story
Brooke eventually turned to anillustrious solo career and has
been gifting us with her ownunique storytelling ever since.
(00:26):
She has quite the discographyto boast, with 14 albums over
the past three decades, most ofwhich were produced under her
own independent label, bad DogRecords.
Jonatha has co-written songswith Katy Perry and the
Courtyard Hounds.
She's written and performed forDisney films, numerous
television shows, and shecomposed and performed the theme
(00:48):
song for Josh Whedon'sDollhouse.
She also wrote the one-womanmusical show my Mother has Four
Noses in honor of her own mom,and now finds herself writing
for the stage once again, withthree new productions underway.
Today's episode is a littledifferent than most.
While Jonathan and I do discussher music and her career, we
(01:10):
also fell into the topic ofgrief and how pivotal art is to
the shared human experience.
We laughed, we cried Okay, well, I cried, but we had a grand
old time.
Check out today's episode tolearn more about the very
talented Jonathan Brook.
It's so nice to meet you.
(01:30):
Thank you so much for takingthe time.
I really do appreciate it.
I'm very excited.
Jonatha Brooke (01:35):
Likewise my pleasure.
It's been a while since I'vedone anything like this, so this
will be great.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (01:40):
Oh well, yay, I'm glad to be your
introduction back into it.
Jonatha Brooke (01:44):
I guess, and I have to say, I love your twinkle
lights in the background.
Thank you, that was a COVIDthing because I was so depressed
and I think they are a greatantidepressant.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (01:54):
They are.
No, they are.
I want twinkle lights all overmy house and I've been trying to
find the right one.
If that, makes sense.
I'm very particular about thedesign.
I haven't found it yet, but I'mwith you on lights helping.
Jonatha Brooke (02:10):
Anyway, I guess.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (02:11):
I should talk to you about music too.
Okay, if we have to, I've beenrocking out to your music
because well, obviously becauseI was amping up to talk to you,
right, but I hate when I havesuch a limited amount of time to
talk to people because this isa short form podcast and I have.
I hate when I have, like, sucha limited amount of time to talk
to people because this is ashort form podcast and I have a
million questions.
But I'll try to be as conciseas possible.
Okay, me too.
(02:32):
Okay, but you're, are you inthe middle of your tour?
I know you were just in Denmark, right?
Jonatha Brooke (02:38):
Or just got back yesterday.
No I think I got back Sunday.
Oh, what's today, yesterday?
No, I think I got back Sunday.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (02:44):
Oh, what's today, Tuesday?
Jonatha Brooke (02:45):
Yeah, so yeah, I'm always in the middle of my
tour because it just as long asI can tour, I will, so there's
no specific beginning or end.
It used to be based around thecycles of new records, but I've
been hoping to make a new recordfor a couple years now and I
just haven't had the time or thefunds, so I'm just on tour
(03:07):
whenever I can be.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:09):
I love that.
I'm not a person who travelswell, so I'm always fascinated
by people who enjoy touring andlong-term travel, so I guess I
wanted to ask you what about it?
Do you enjoy?
Jonatha Brooke (03:23):
Not the travel part for sure, because it is
just grueling and it's um.
Especially as you get olderyour body doesn't bounce back
quite as quickly to the insultsand assaults of gross,
disgusting planes and icky,coughing, gross people, uh.
But I have to say I just lovethe camaraderie with my guitar
(03:47):
player.
In Denmark I can afford a bandbecause two of my guys are there
already, so I'm not paying forhotels most of the time and it's
just, I don't know.
I think once you've been on theroad with a bunch of dudes it's
hard not to still love it.
And it is, is it's so grueling,but you get on stage and you
(04:09):
get, you do your show and yourock and there's this dynamic
thing that happens in it.
I can't, I just can't quit it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (04:16):
I think that's great.
When you said that you, youcan't oh my gosh, I speak
English.
Sometimes I have trouble withthe language that I was born
into.
Try Danish.
You were saying that being ontour with a bunch of dudes is
actually something that you love.
It was not the direction Ithought you were going to go in.
So is your band?
Mostly men.
Jonatha Brooke (04:38):
Right now.
Yes, I mostly tour as a duobecause it makes it affordable,
and Sean Driscoll is my guitarplayer.
He's based in New York and I'min Minneapolis, but we just meet
up wherever we're going andhave an extra day of practice or
whatever, but it's mostly dudes.
Yeah, there are women in myRolodex that I would dream of
(05:00):
playing with again.
It's just the money, it's theaffordability factor.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:05):
I think everything in life is, you know,
dependent on capitalism.
I feel for you, though I didwant to ask, I mean I should.
Let's give them a shout out,the gentleman in Denmark who are
those folks that you work?
Jonatha Brooke (05:17):
with so cool A drummer named Kent Olson and a
bass player named Morden Jay andthey're seasoned, really just
awesome musicians.
And they happen to be superfans of mine, so they like know
my music inside and out.
So it's just a pleasure becausethey love playing with me and
(05:39):
so I feel great and they arehonored and I'm honored and
they're really good musiciansand they're well known in that
the sort of music world overthere.
So it gives me this little sortof cachet.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:50):
That's great.
So how often do you end up inDenmark?
Jonatha Brooke (05:53):
It seems like like once a.
I was there in June, I wasthere last spring as well, so
usually just once a year, butit's been more and more because
I just love it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (06:02):
Do you live in Minneapolis?
Are you still?
I do.
Jonatha Brooke (06:06):
I do.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (06:07):
Is it super cold right now?
Jonatha Brooke (06:09):
Gorgeous.
It's like it was in the 50syesterday.
Let me tell you it is currently31, but probably going up to
like oh, 40, 42.
Oh wow.
So, I came home to likegorgeous, gorgeous springish
weather.
So it's, and also, you know,climate change.
(06:30):
It's becoming a destination,moving place, because we won't
probably have fires or floods,so come on down.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (06:40):
Wow, yeah, you know I haven't.
Well, again we're back on thetravel thing, but I haven't seen
much of our country, so Ihaven't really been past the
East Coast.
I mean, I went out to LA once,but beyond that I'm kind of a
Jersey girl and I've stuck herefor most of it Amazing.
Jonatha Brooke (06:56):
You should come, we'll cook you dinner.
Oh, please do I like cookedmeals, because I can't cook at
all, me neither I'm good atreally good at cleaning and
eating, but my husband is anamazing cook, so oh, thank God,
Lucky.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (07:08):
Yeah, you are lucky.
Maybe I'll ask you forrelationship advice later too.
How do I find a man who cancook for me?
Anyway, moving on, I, before Iforget, I want to tell you one
thing my producer, or one of myproducers for this podcast, jim
(07:30):
Atkinson, is a huge, super fanof yours, so he's very happy to
have you on this podcast and Ishouldn't say it because I can't
speak for him, but I'm assumingthat he is currently living
vicariously through me.
Jonatha Brooke (07:42):
Oh, that's wicked sweet.
Tell him hello and give him ahug.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (07:45):
Absolutely .
See, she said hi, jim.
But in his honor I wanted toask you a little bit about your
song Inconsolable, which Ibelieve it ended up on the
season finale of the firstseason of a little show called
what was it?
Buffy?
Jonatha Brooke (08:02):
the Vampire.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (08:02):
Slayer, possibly Buffy the Vampire
Slayer.
Yeah, how do you feel aboutthat?
How did it end up on that show?
What was that process like?
Jonatha Brooke (08:12):
That's the weirdest thing, because I hate
to admit it but I still have notseen that show.
But it turns out that JossWhedon is a big fan of mine, so
it was his call.
I didn't even know that it hadhappened until people started
telling me like hey, did youknow that inconsolable was on
buffy?
And then he ended up calling meto write his theme song for um
(08:32):
dollhouse.
So I wrote and sang what youdon't know won't hurt you, um,
for his, his next escapade.
Uh, so it was.
Uh, I guess it was kind of alove story and that was really
fun to sort of hear from himhimself and to have the
assignment of like hey, I'm asuper fan, I need you to write
me a song that's kind of a crossbetween Dance of the Sugar Plum
(08:55):
Fairies and your song Carefulwhat you Wish For.
I'm like got it.
I got it, and then I sent it tohim.
He's like oh my god, that's.
And then I sent it to him.
He's like oh my God, that'sexactly what I meant.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (09:03):
I love hearing the stories of artists
like fangirling or fanboyingover other artists.
Jonatha Brooke (09:12):
It's one of my favorite genres of fandom, so it
is it is cool and and there'ssome quirky, weird things like
you wouldn't expect.
So, like I'm a super fan ofMichael McDonald, like he's the
he's the only one that, likeI've ever gotten an autograph
from.
I just adore him so bad.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (09:30):
And then everyone else I'm kind of
unfazed by.
Did you get starstruck when youmet Michael McDonald?
Jonatha Brooke (09:34):
Totally, oh my God, oh, I also did when I was
living in LA.
I saw Joni Mitchell in thecereal aisle at Whole Foods and
I just froze and I didn't wantto bother her, but that happened
.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (09:48):
Oh, so you didn't get to talk to her, nope
.
Well, at least you have thecereal story though, because I
think that's what I hold on to.
I do, I do.
Yeah, that's the good thingabout LA you just run into
everybody and anybody.
Jonatha Brooke (09:59):
Yeah, we'll always have Cap'n Crunch in
common.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (10:01):
Exactly.
I wanted to ask, since we'retalking about film and
television, do you have anythingin the works, anything upcoming
for composing for film and TV?
Jonatha Brooke (10:12):
I do not have any film and TV stuff happening.
I am working concurrently onthree different musicals so I am
trying to keep about 40characters straight in my head
and what they sound like and howthey should sing and how each
thing has its own sort of soundand timbre and musical motif.
(10:32):
So that's where my head isright now.
I'm hoping finally to record anew Jonathan record and I have a
couple songs that I've beenworking on for that.
But it's a it's a juggle.
Right now there's lots ofthings on the front burner.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (10:44):
Yeah, I mean for our listeners who can't
see me.
My jaw was just on the floor.
That's a lot to handle.
Is there anything that you cantell us about those musicals, or
is it still too early?
Jonatha Brooke (10:53):
to say anything.
No, I can tell you sort of plotlines.
One of them is called Switched.
It's about two women who areswitched at birth and they kind
of they find out from one of themoms who was kind of suspicious
all along, who kind of knew,but she, she lets them know,
basically around their 40thbirthday, like hey, maybe you're
not who you thought you were,and so that's we start the play
there and then we sort of goback and forth between their 16
(11:16):
year old selves and their 40year old selves.
The second one is called Tempest, is called Tempest and it's a
fictional story about anAntarctic explorer named Annie
Lawson who perishes with hercrew of three dudes.
It's like me in a band in theAntarctic in the 1930s and the
(11:37):
conceit of the story is that bythe time it's 100, 110 years
later, the technology exists torevive her because the ice has
preserved her and her team.
So she's revived and go and wesort of get to see both worlds
in that one.
And then the third one is acommission from the History
Theater here in Minneapolis andit's an incredible story based
(12:00):
on a novel called Evidence of Vby Sheila O'Connor, about a girl
, a 15-year-old girl and this isbased on the truth a
15-year-old girl in Minneapolisin the 30s who is an amazing
singer-dancer, gets into troublewith club owner where she's
singing, gets knocked up and atthat time girls were sent away
(12:20):
to like prison, basicallydetention school, and she was
locked up for six years just forgetting pregnant, oh my God.
And so we follow her throughher sort of you know character
arc of like despair and thenagency and then despair and then
going through this prisonsystem basically wow, that also
sounds scarily timely.
(12:40):
So it, yeah, and that one iskind of fast-tracked.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (12:43):
That's in the season for 2026 wow, all I
mean my jaw was on the floor forall of those.
They all sound amazing.
I have no idea how you'rewriting three different musicals
concurrently like that.
Jonatha Brooke (12:56):
I just don't know either.
I'm just trying to keep like.
I'm trying to keep their.
I'm trying to keep a specificsort of musical tone to each
character so that I can identifyit's like.
It's like their vernacular ortheir accent, so that they don't
all start whizzing together.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (13:14):
Right, right.
So are you.
You're writing the book and thelyrics and the music.
Jonatha Brooke (13:19):
Thank God, I'm just writing the music and the
lyrics.
Okay, I'm terrible at dialogue.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (13:26):
Well, while we're on theater, before I
forget, I wanted to talk to you, if it's okay, about the one
woman show that you did.
My Mother has four noses, sothis is not about me, but I
wanted to share that.
I lost my father two and a halfyears ago and one of the things
that he left me with was writethe book, gina, write the book
(13:47):
about us, and I've had suchtrouble.
Like, right after he passed, Iwas actually, the words were
flowing out of me and I wrote agood 15 pages in a day, and then
I stalled.
And I haven't been able to doanything since, and I don't know
that there's necessarily aquestion wrapped up in this,
(14:08):
more my admiration for you thatyou were able to take a
difficult time in your lifeabout living with your mother
and her struggle withAlzheimer's and then turning
that into something reallybeautiful that other people were
able to relate to.
So I guess, thank you therewasn't a question there, but
thank you for being able to dothat.
Jonatha Brooke (14:26):
I think this is something I talk about when I
teach songwriting as well issometimes to break the wall of.
Either it's like the mean girlon your shoulder saying like you
suck, you suck, you suck, don'tbother, or it's your editor, so
that you don't even letyourself write something before
you've tried and then just editit.
(14:46):
So one of my favorite writers,mary Carr, always says like I'm
not that great a writer, I'mjust a really good editor.
So for me the point is justlike get it down, even if it
sucks, just write and write andwrite free write.
Give yourself assignments oflike I will only write this one
story.
So then you're not overwhelmedby like I must write the story
(15:07):
of my life with my father.
It's more like what about thattime where we made that little
silly musical at breakfast aboutbreakfast with mom?
And you know I was CrepeSuzette and my husband was the
muffin man and we were just likeliving in this Alzheimer's
crazy world.
And that really helped mebecause I too was overwhelmed.
(15:27):
When I started I knew it wasgoing to be theater, it was
bigger than a record, but I'dnever done that before.
I was terrified.
So I started just taking it inbite-sized chunk stories and
that allowed me to move throughit.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (15:41):
Thank you.
Thank you for that advice, Iguess.
I guess that was the questionbuilt in there without me
wanting to say it, so yeah, it'shard.
Jonatha Brooke (15:49):
I mean we all, anyone creative can tell you
about, like the doldrums, youknow where you're just like.
Oh God, get me out of here,give me some wind.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (15:57):
I've been stuck in them for probably two
and a half years.
I wonder why.
Jonatha Brooke (16:02):
Yeah Well, number one, you're grieving.
It's a loss, but also givingyourself assignments is helpful.
I luckily had a deadline so Icouldn't not write it.
I was in the theater, you know.
Festival not write it, I was inthe theater you know festival
six months after mom died, soI'm like I better get cracking.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (16:23):
Wow, that is definitely.
That's a sooner deadline that Iwould have expected you to say,
I know.
Jonatha Brooke (16:28):
I know.
So I was like crying andgrieving and writing and crying
some more, and then singing andcrying some more, and it was
this whole cathartic process.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (16:37):
Wow, did it help?
I mean, you said it wascatharsis, so like after you
finished the run.
How did you feel?
Was it relief, Was it joy?
Jonatha Brooke (16:47):
I don't know if they're the right words for that
, but it felt yeah, it certainlyfelt cathartic and there were
some days, like any grief story,where it was really really
rough and hard to get throughthe show.
There were a couple of timeswhen I started to lose it.
But you know, I was acting, soI had to learn to sort of turn
(17:08):
it off.
Turn off like the Jonathan,real Jonathan, and be like
character Jonathan.
But it was, yeah, I think it wasa great thing because it just
became this beautiful love storyand gesture to her and I think
what also was healing for me wasthat it, it the play ends with
(17:33):
I sort of show you pictures ofmy mother as normal mom, so you
see her in her element.
You see her silly and clownishand kind of sexy and making fun
of herself and that was heressence.
And so to be able to restorethat for myself as well as to
leave the audience with that aslike this is my mom, she wasn't
(17:55):
this weird, crazy Alzheimerperson, she was that too, but
like this is her essence, andthat felt really powerful for me
as the daughter telling thestory.
But also I think that gave theaudience's permission to be like
to laugh, to cry and then towalk away with.
Oh, I love her too.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (18:15):
Absolutely , and I think that's what's
beautiful about art.
You know, you just introducedher to a whole new world of
people who are now sharing thatlove of your mom, and she gets
to enjoy that in the afterlifeas well.
Jonatha Brooke (18:29):
I sure hope, so I was so bummed.
I wish she could have seen theshow.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (18:34):
I fully believe that she did and
probably revisits it all thetime, because I also am adamant
that time does not exist in thesame way over there.
The other over there is.
But not that I want to spendtoo much time on grief, but I
believe that because I don'tknow if you've had these
experiences where, like, maybeyou talk to someone who you've
(18:57):
lost and ask for a sign, and Imean I got some very clear signs
.
There was one day where I wasdrinking my coffee and coffee
has a very strong smell.
Right, it is coffee, but Ioverwhelmingly smelled my
father's cologne.
It was else in the room.
Jonatha Brooke (19:12):
I don't live with men.
There's never any cologne here.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (19:13):
But it was very specifically his cologne
room.
I don't live with men, there'snever any cologne here, but it
was very specifically hiscologne.
I couldn't smell the coffee, Ijust smelled the cologne.
So I do.
I fully believe that she wasover there watching your show
and revisiting it and listeningto the album however, I think so
yeah, I did play her a littlebit of the Kalimba song.
(19:34):
It's a song called Time Ilistened to that one and I think
that's fantastic, but I'm gladshe got to hear it while she was
on this plane as well.
Yeah, thank you, of course.
Love to your mom, love to mydad.
Okay, I'm going to try tocenter myself and bring it back.
I wanted to talk to you aboutyour song.
(19:56):
I'll Try, because I'm a Disneynerd to begin with, but
shamefully, I didn't know wherethat song came from or where
like.
It was something that I hadheard over and over and I
couldn't figure out why.
And it wasn't until recentlythat I realized I used to have a
collection of those Disney'sgreatest hits CDs.
So I had never seen Return toNeverland.
(20:18):
It's just that I had listenedto that CD on repeat and I was
like oh my God, this is a PeterPan song, but it's, I mean, it's
amazing.
Thank you for writing it.
But there, if you don't mind,if I could read some of the
lyrics that I feel like are alsotimely right now, my whole
world is changing.
Jonatha Brooke (20:44):
I don't know where to turn.
I can't leave you waiting, butI can't stay and watch the city
burn Dang.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (20:54):
I'mhmm, watch it.
Burn Dang, I'm going to cry.
This whole episode.
I'm trying not to Crying isgood, I mean, it is also
cathartic, but again everythingfeels like it's changing in the
world and it's a little bit hardto function.
(21:17):
I guess I don't know what otherword I want to use.
It does feel a bit like I don'tknow, like we're surrounded by
trauma every day and I don'tknow how to push through that.
But that song has been bringingme a lot of solace, and not
just because of the lyrics, butlike your voice is so soothing
(21:38):
and it actually regulates mynervous system.
So this is just going to turninto me saying thank you a lot
for the art that you've put outinto the world, and I wish I
mean everybody who listens tothis podcast is a fan of the
arts, but I wish more peopleunderstood, um, what a saving
grace it really can be in darktimes.
(21:59):
So anyway, thank you, I'll trynot to cry now.
Jonatha Brooke (22:03):
Well, that was.
I mean, that was a gift.
That song really.
My friend the story is actuallypretty good my friend, Bambi,
who worked at Disney for 19years, like, literally, she was
named Bambi, Not self-given.
She's the one that called meand said like hey, Jo, I think
you're the one to write thissong.
Here's the assignment.
(22:25):
I'm like I got it and, again,like the Joss Whedon one, it
just was a gift.
It sort of came down.
I was finished in 20 minutesand the song became the glue for
the movie because it wentthrough multiple directors and
producers, but it just was.
It was such an easy voice tofind this 12-year-old girl and
(22:46):
it's been translated into like15 or 20 languages.
My drummer in Denmark, his wife, sang the Danish version.
Oh wow, there's a Frenchversion, Italian, Spanish.
It's crazy, it's really hadlife beyond me and that's so
powerful.
So I sing it every night.
(23:06):
I sing it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:07):
Oh, I love that.
Yeah, amazing, it's also thepower of Disney and then they
called me again.
Jonatha Brooke (23:14):
I wrote a couple songs for Tinkerbell releases
and I just love assignments.
I love getting assignments.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:21):
Yeah, yeah .
Well, you like your deadlines,right.
Jonatha Brooke (23:23):
I loved it.
Nothing like a deadline.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:27):
To be fair , so do I.
They're very helpful, and theproblem with me, and going back
to my struggles in writing thatbook, are that self-inflicted
deadlines don't work for me.
They don't work At all rightLike I can tell myself I want to
do it in two weeks and that'snot going to happen.
So I need somebody else outthere saying well, I will pay
you $1,000 if you do it, or Iwill cook you a nice home-cooked
(23:51):
meal.
Jonatha Brooke (23:51):
It doesn't have to be much or you're fired if
you don't do it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:55):
There's that one too.
I like that one less.
Jonatha Brooke (23:57):
Well, I ended up .
I've been working on this songfor weeks.
I have a workshop happeningstarting Monday in New York and
I've been on tour and so I'vebeen like juggling and crazy.
And then I have anotherworkshop for another musical
starting April 1st, once I getback from New York.
Once I get back from New York.
So I'm like and this morning,cause I have a zoom call at 1230
(24:20):
today with the thing where I'vebeen struggling with this one
song which is kind of about whatdeath might be like, what we're
speaking about, but it's kindof more fantastical and surreal
and a little bit fun and jaunty.
I I, just before I got on withyou, I w I was like I found the
lyric and well, and I sent it tomy co-writers and I'm like
(24:41):
here's the lyric.
I haven't had time to sing ityet, but I think this is how it
goes, you know.
So like congrats down to thewire.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (24:49):
I love that and it's funny that we kind
of went in that direction and Ididn't know.
I didn't know that washappening, but we ended up there
anyway.
Jonatha Brooke (24:57):
So see the universe you know, death is
going to become my specialty ohmy gosh.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (25:02):
Well, you know that could help a lot of
people if it does, so sure, yeah, I wouldn't say anything
against that.
However, it did make me thinkof uh, I was watching your oh, I
forgot the name of what youcalled your covid sessions.
Was it the kitchen?
Jonatha Brooke (25:16):
oh, the kitchen, covid.
Yes, I used to have a sign butI forgot.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (25:21):
We'll pull it out later, but I wanted to
talk to you about that becausethere was one episode where you
were talking about songs thatdealt with despondence and
joyous Was it?
Joyous grief?
Yeah, I guess there is a theme.
It's clearly on my mind today,but I love those two words and I
love your word of the day.
(25:42):
Do you have, I should ask you,do you have a word of the day
today?
Jonatha Brooke (25:46):
It was.
Oh shoot, I was asking myhusband what it meant.
Well, it was okay.
This isn't the word, but thisis the other thing I was chewing
on.
Like all due respect is thisphrase that I put in the song,
because one of my Antarcticexplorers dudes is kind of
mutinying because they'reperishing Like the storm is
(26:09):
coming in and like there's justnowhere to go and she wants to
finish the experiment.
They're gathering cells andwe're going to prove it, and the
French dude is like all duecells and we're going to prove
it.
And the French dude is like alldue respect, we're going to die
.
So I sort of looked it up andit's got this like it's not
respectful.
It's like I totally disagreewith you but I'm going to
(26:30):
pretend that I respect you and Ikind of love the dual nature of
that meaning.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (26:35):
It's funny you said that, because I think
I just read something onlinethat I mean it was presented
more as a joke like well, whenthey say, with all due respect,
they never said how much respectwas due.
And I never thought of it thatway before because I always used
or I used to use it as a caveatto no.
No, I do respect you, but I'mtrying to offer a different
(26:59):
opinion and now I realize, oh no, it could also be an insult.
Whoops.
Jonatha Brooke (27:04):
Yeah, yeah.
So that was fun, because Ihadn't thought of it that way
until I looked it up either.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (27:11):
I love it.
I love.
Research Turns out a lot ofgreat stuff.
Jonatha Brooke (27:15):
Oh, and the thing about joyful grief is that
I think I live in that placewhere dueling things coexist,
and it happens lyrically but italso happens melodically, with
counterpoints and melodies,where there's you know, there's
maybe two thoughts and maybe twomelodies that coexist, and then
they harmonize with each other,they meet in the middle
(27:37):
somewhere and then they partagain or they cross paths.
I'm kind of obsessed with thatnature of two things existing at
once and your mind being ableto hold both.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (27:51):
Absolutely .
There's so much nuance in theworld and that's one thing that
my therapist would tell you thatI struggle with.
But I think that's what makesmusic beautiful and, like you
were saying, I'm not a musician.
The best I can do is play maybethe first few notes of Yankee
(28:11):
Doodle on the keyboard YankeeDoodle on the keyboard.
So I don't have the terminologythat I need to express what I'm
saying, but I think Iunderstand what you're saying.
In that there is a melding ofemotion.
I guess, I got that.
Jonatha Brooke (28:28):
Right.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (28:29):
Totally.
Jonatha Brooke (28:30):
I'll forget if I don't say it now, but you can
edit it out if it's notimportant.
One of the things that I lovedabout exploring the theater of
the story with my mom was, youknow, in the throes of
caregiving, it's super intenseand you're exhausted and people
are like, no, you should really,you know, make sure you take
care of you, and you're likewhen, how?
(28:50):
But there are these things thathappen in the caregiving maybe
you experienced this with yourdad but where, like, there's
this really hard thing, likewhen mom was actively dying,
which is itself this reallyweird frigging term.
So she's actively dying, wow,let me put my head around that.
But as she's actively dying,these crazy, actually
(29:13):
hysterically funny things werehappening.
Dying, these crazy, actuallyhysterically funny things were
happening.
Like one of the caregivers wentinto this religious speaking in
tongues, convulsions, likeepileptic fit.
It was like this crazy, likemom, mom is like you know, keep
me really quiet.
I'm reading her from the Bibleand I'm like mom, everything's
okay.
And I'm here, I'm here, I'mholding her hand, I'm staring at
(29:35):
her and then, audrey, ourcamera was like praise, Jesus,
lord is my shepherd.
I'm like, oh, my God, this isreally happening.
And like my, my little, mydaughter person is like, oh my
God, can you please go in theother room?
Like mom, everything's okay.
Like I, you know we're quiethere.
And then my, my writer brain islike, oh my God, this is
(29:56):
hysterically funny.
Like, how do I, how am I goingto tell this story later?
Because, like, no one's goingto believe this.
So, like that, I just love thatthere can be these two things.
And you're like, on the onehand, your, your heart is
shredding, and then there's thisincredibly like comical thing
that you know, know you'llappreciate even more later.
(30:17):
And so you're clocking it oflike am I allowed to think this
is funny now?
And you're kind of like, justsave it, save it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (30:23):
Absolutely .
As I've gotten older, Iunderstand better the notion of
yin and yang.
When I was a kid, I had noconcept of like.
What do you mean?
Balance, whatever.
Things are black and white andthat's it.
There is no in between.
But but now, yes, everythingthat you just said, there is yin
and yang right In order to takecare of yourself.
(30:45):
Which, what?
What do they say?
It's that you know you have toput your own oxygen safety mask
on first.
Yeah, which I I understand.
But, like you were saying,almost all of us struggle with
that notion because your impulseis to help the person that you
love who's sitting right next toyou, so it feels selfish to
(31:08):
take care of yourself first.
Yeah, but that's, that's thestruggle, right?
Jonatha Brooke (31:12):
we all, we all deal with that to some extent
yeah and there's some of eachthing in the other thing too,
which is life is interesting.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:21):
It is.
It is very difficult to process, right, but that's why I love
talking to folks like you andother artists who are helping I
don't know, I guess helping meto understand the things that
didn't jump out at me before andit reminds me of I loved Carrie
(31:41):
Fisher.
I still love Carrie Fisher, butshe had that quote take your
broken heart and turn it intoart.
I remind myself of thatconstantly, constant, because
what we all I mean, whether youconsider yourself an artist or
not, I think we all should bedoing that.
You know when, if you, maybeyou're not a writer, maybe
(32:02):
you're not a musician, but ifyou lose someone, it's okay to
pull out a journal and writedown whatever you're feeling.
Or even nowadays, with cellphones, you can just do like a
video diary or something.
It doesn't have to go anywhere,but we're all secretly artists
somewhere.
You don't want to make a careerout of it or or pursue it Like.
Art is pivotal to survivingthis messy world.
Jonatha Brooke (32:26):
Totally, totally .
Oh, I had one more idea foryour, for your dad book.
Oh, okay, what really?
What helped me with creatingthe mom thing also was I got
frustrated between how I wouldwrite a story and how I would
tell it Like on stage when I'mintroducing a song.
Sometimes I tell goofy stories,and so I started recording
(32:49):
myself in Photo Booth on mylaptop.
I just started giving myselfassignments of like okay, tell
the nose story, because my momhad prosthetic noses, because
she had had skin cancer, and soI would tell it into the
computer and then transcribethat and it would just feel much
more natural.
So that might be something thathelps you.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:09):
Yeah, yes, you know, it's funny because I
I mean, I did take my own advicewhen my father first passed.
I started video diaries because, even though I consider myself
a writer, I had the hardest timeand I still have the hardest
time writing journal entriesbecause, like with everything
else, I overthink it and I don'twant to edit myself and it's a
(33:32):
whole thing.
So I started these videodiaries and I was like you know
what, maybe I'll turn this intoa documentary or maybe I'll use
it as inspiration for the book.
So now I have hours upon hoursupon hours upon hours of footage
.
Jonatha Brooke (33:44):
There you go.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:46):
Yeah, but I just have to figure out how
I'm going to proceed with it.
Jonatha Brooke (33:52):
So it's either have someone else transcribe it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:54):
Yeah, Maybe I will honestly.
Or there's like computers thatjust do that.
There are this is a plug forRevcom With AI.
Now, yeah, they do.
There are those transcriptionservices and you're right, maybe
that's the route because partof it is, like, really hard to
(34:15):
revisit.
So there's a limit, right, youwant to stop yourself from doing
too much of it, because youdon't want to break down
entirely and you know I'd onlyhave to.
I would only want to revisit itlike once before I start
working on a project, ratherthan like the 50 times it would
take me to actually.
Jonatha Brooke (34:34):
Yeah, and easier to just see it on a page than
to witness yourself, kind ofgoing through the.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (34:39):
Yeah, you know, watch me have a mental
breakdown, but that was reallygood advice.
So thank you, and I love thatwe're kind of on the same page
because it's happening right.
Jonatha Brooke (34:49):
Whatever it takes to get the, you know it's
like get it down.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (34:53):
I wanted to talk to you about two songs
that I was just listening tobefore I jumped on with you
Taste of Danger, which yourecorded twice so or I mean a
new rendition of an older songCan you tell me what led you to
spicing it up and changing?
Jonatha Brooke (35:13):
do it again yeah , I guess I felt like I it's a.
I just I think it's a reallygood song.
I think that it is, uh, one ofthose songs that people get
right away.
You know, I didn't overcomplicate it, which can be one
of my tendencies, uh, and I justwas was telling a story that I
(35:35):
just like the poetry of it, Ilike the rock of it, and I
thought, well, if no one everheard this the first time when
it came out on the works, whichwas like 2009-ish 2010, I want
to give it another shot.
But if I'm going to do it, I'mgoing to do it completely
differently.
So I made it into this dark, Itook it down a whole step and I
made it this dark, moody sort ofbrooding piano thing, and then
(35:56):
I added these background vocalsand then I added this sort of
John Mayer quote at the end,like hold on to whatever you
find baby.
And I'm like John, is this okayif I steal some shit from you?
And he's like, yeah, yeah, doit, do it, do it.
So I just wanted to like make anew version and challenge
myself, but also just give thatsong another shot to be heard.
(36:16):
I think that's fantastic.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (36:18):
I mean it's wonderful, Like all of your
work is wonderful, but I wasreally enjoying that one and I'm
lacking the words to expressmyself right now.
Like you know, it's at the tipof my tongue, but my brain is
just not connecting to my tongueright now it's driving me nuts,
I feel ya.
(36:40):
Yeah, I was trying to saysometimes, in listening to an
artist's music right beforejumping on with them, it gives
you an idea of who the artist isor what the conversation will
be like.
And I mean listening to yourwork.
I think your voice is beautifuland the music is stunning, but
I still didn't really know whatthe conversation would be like.
(37:02):
But you've been such a joy and,yeah, I loved talking to you
and I wish this could go onforever.
I mean you might want to go,but I loved this conversation.
But, like I said, short formand I can only ask you so many.
Jonatha Brooke (37:14):
Damn yeah, we could go on all day we could
tell a lot of things.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (37:19):
I love you .
You're my new best friend.
I'm your new best friend.
Jonatha Brooke (37:22):
No, like I need a new best friend.
Minneapolis is a little lonelyin the winter, you know, you
don't?
Oh gosh.
Yeah, if it's crappy out, youjust don't leave.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (37:31):
I have to ask you something really stupid,
because we brought upMinneapolis again.
I feel like I have developedthis false memory.
Do you remember a show?
There was a show called Bobby'sWorld.
It was, I think it was ananimated show and Howie Mandel
was involved and all I rememberis thinking it was set in
(37:52):
Minnesota.
And I wonder if I made this up.
But I could have sworn that.
There was a character I thinkit was Bobby's mother who would
always say something like don'tyou know, don't you know, like
all the time.
And it is.
I mean, just knowing thatyou're in Minneapolis, I've just
, like I don't know, had thisI've never heard of that.
I'm writing it down, though I'mgoing to Google it.
(38:13):
I mean, it was a kid show.
I'm sure I remember this frommy youth and, like I said, I've
just learned about falsememories and how sometimes it's
wrong.
So I'm wondering if I have to.
It's a big adventure.
Maybe I just made this upentirely, but I guess, if I have
to ask a question tied to that,is that the correct accent.
Does that exist, don't you?
(38:33):
Oh?
Jonatha Brooke (38:33):
yeah, oh yeah, sure, yeah, you betcha, great,
great.
Yeah.
My husband is from here, whichis part of the reason that we
were not afraid to move here,but his sisters have much
thicker.
He doesn't have an accentbecause he left when he was 17.
But his sisters are definitelyMinneapolis kind of speakers.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (38:52):
Yeah, it's amazing.
Oh my God, I love it.
Well, now that I've just likebrought Bobby's world into this,
I think that's a great place toend.
Thank you so so much.
This really was a fantasticconversation.
Jonatha Brooke (39:07):
I appreciate everything about this day.
Thanks, Gina.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (39:11):
Jonatha Brooke will be sharing her
beautiful voice and music withthe audience at the Lizzie Rose
Music Room in Tuckerton, newJersey, on March 30th.
For tickets and moreinformation, be sure to visit
LizzieRoseMusic.
com and JonathaBrooke.
com.
If you liked this episode, besure to review, subscribe and
tell your friends.
(39:32):
A transcript of this podcast,links relevant to the story and
more about the arts in NewJersey can be found at
JerseyArts.
com.
The Jersey Arts Podcast ispresented by Art Pride New
Jersey, advancing a state ofcreativity since 1986.
The show was co-founded by, andcurrently supported by funds
from, the New Jersey StateCouncil on the Arts.
This episode was hosted, editedand produced by me, Gina Marie
(39:56):
Rodriguez.
Executive producers are JimAtkinson and Isaac Serna-Diez,
and my thanks to Jonatha Brookefor speaking with me today.
I'm Gina Marie Rodriguez forthe Jersey Arts Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
This is Gina Marie Rodriguez and you're
listening to the Jersey ArtsPodcast.
Jonatha Brooke has a voice tosoothe your soul and the lyrics
to nurture it.
First introduced to audiencesas a part of the duo, the Story
Brooke eventually turned to anillustrious solo career and has
been gifting us with her ownunique storytelling ever since.
(00:26):
She has quite the discographyto boast, with 14 albums over
the past three decades, most ofwhich were produced under her
own independent label, bad DogRecords.
Jonatha has co-written songswith Katy Perry and the
Courtyard Hounds.
She's written and performed forDisney films, numerous
television shows, and shecomposed and performed the theme
(00:48):
song for Josh Whedon'sDollhouse.
She also wrote the one-womanmusical show my Mother has Four
Noses in honor of her own mom,and now finds herself writing
for the stage once again, withthree new productions underway.
Today's episode is a littledifferent than most.
While Jonathan and I do discussher music and her career, we
(01:10):
also fell into the topic ofgrief and how pivotal art is to
the shared human experience.
We laughed, we cried Okay, well, I cried, but we had a grand
old time.
Check out today's episode tolearn more about the very
talented Jonathan Brook.
It's so nice to meet you.
(01:30):
Thank you so much for takingthe time.
I really do appreciate it.
I'm very excited.
Jonatha Brooke (01:35):
Likewise my pleasure.
It's been a while since I'vedone anything like this, so this
will be great.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (01:40):
Oh well, yay, I'm glad to be your
introduction back into it.
Jonatha Brooke (01:44):
I guess, and I have to say, I love your twinkle
lights in the background.
Thank you, that was a COVIDthing because I was so depressed
and I think they are a greatantidepressant.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (01:54):
They are.
No, they are.
I want twinkle lights all overmy house and I've been trying to
find the right one.
If that, makes sense.
I'm very particular about thedesign.
I haven't found it yet, but I'mwith you on lights helping.
Jonatha Brooke (02:10):
Anyway, I guess.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (02:11):
I should talk to you about music too.
Okay, if we have to, I've beenrocking out to your music
because well, obviously becauseI was amping up to talk to you,
right, but I hate when I havesuch a limited amount of time to
talk to people because this isa short form podcast and I have.
I hate when I have, like, sucha limited amount of time to talk
to people because this is ashort form podcast and I have a
million questions.
But I'll try to be as conciseas possible.
Okay, me too.
(02:32):
Okay, but you're, are you inthe middle of your tour?
I know you were just in Denmark, right?
Jonatha Brooke (02:38):
Or just got back yesterday.
No I think I got back Sunday.
Oh, what's today, yesterday?
No, I think I got back Sunday.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (02:44):
Oh, what's today, Tuesday?
Jonatha Brooke (02:45):
Yeah, so yeah, I'm always in the middle of my
tour because it just as long asI can tour, I will, so there's
no specific beginning or end.
It used to be based around thecycles of new records, but I've
been hoping to make a new recordfor a couple years now and I
just haven't had the time or thefunds, so I'm just on tour
(03:07):
whenever I can be.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (03:09):
I love that.
I'm not a person who travelswell, so I'm always fascinated
by people who enjoy touring andlong-term travel, so I guess I
wanted to ask you what about it?
Do you enjoy?
Jonatha Brooke (03:23):
Not the travel part for sure, because it is
just grueling and it's um.
Especially as you get olderyour body doesn't bounce back
quite as quickly to the insultsand assaults of gross,
disgusting planes and icky,coughing, gross people, uh.
But I have to say I just lovethe camaraderie with my guitar
(03:47):
player.
In Denmark I can afford a bandbecause two of my guys are there
already, so I'm not paying forhotels most of the time and it's
just, I don't know.
I think once you've been on theroad with a bunch of dudes it's
hard not to still love it.
And it is, is it's so grueling,but you get on stage and you
(04:09):
get, you do your show and yourock and there's this dynamic
thing that happens in it.
I can't, I just can't quit it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (04:16):
I think that's great.
When you said that you, youcan't oh my gosh, I speak
English.
Sometimes I have trouble withthe language that I was born
into.
Try Danish.
You were saying that being ontour with a bunch of dudes is
actually something that you love.
It was not the direction Ithought you were going to go in.
So is your band?
Mostly men.
Jonatha Brooke (04:38):
Right now.
Yes, I mostly tour as a duobecause it makes it affordable,
and Sean Driscoll is my guitarplayer.
He's based in New York and I'min Minneapolis, but we just meet
up wherever we're going andhave an extra day of practice or
whatever, but it's mostly dudes.
Yeah, there are women in myRolodex that I would dream of
(05:00):
playing with again.
It's just the money, it's theaffordability factor.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:05):
I think everything in life is, you know,
dependent on capitalism.
I feel for you, though I didwant to ask, I mean I should.
Let's give them a shout out,the gentleman in Denmark who are
those folks that you work?
Jonatha Brooke (05:17):
with so cool A drummer named Kent Olson and a
bass player named Morden Jay andthey're seasoned, really just
awesome musicians.
And they happen to be superfans of mine, so they like know
my music inside and out.
So it's just a pleasure becausethey love playing with me and
(05:39):
so I feel great and they arehonored and I'm honored and
they're really good musiciansand they're well known in that
the sort of music world overthere.
So it gives me this little sortof cachet.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (05:50):
That's great.
So how often do you end up inDenmark?
Jonatha Brooke (05:53):
It seems like like once a.
I was there in June, I wasthere last spring as well, so
usually just once a year, butit's been more and more because
I just love it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (06:02):
Do you live in Minneapolis?
Are you still?
I do.
Jonatha Brooke (06:06):
I do.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (06:07):
Is it super cold right now?
Jonatha Brooke (06:09):
Gorgeous.
It's like it was in the 50syesterday.
Let me tell you it is currently31, but probably going up to
like oh, 40, 42.
Oh wow.
So, I came home to likegorgeous, gorgeous springish
weather.
So it's, and also, you know,climate change.
(06:30):
It's becoming a destination,moving place, because we won't
probably have fires or floods,so come on down.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (06:40):
Wow, yeah, you know I haven't.
Well, again we're back on thetravel thing, but I haven't seen
much of our country, so Ihaven't really been past the
East Coast.
I mean, I went out to LA once,but beyond that I'm kind of a
Jersey girl and I've stuck herefor most of it Amazing.
Jonatha Brooke (06:56):
You should come, we'll cook you dinner.
Oh, please do I like cookedmeals, because I can't cook at
all, me neither I'm good atreally good at cleaning and
eating, but my husband is anamazing cook, so oh, thank God,
Lucky.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (07:08):
Yeah, you are lucky.
Maybe I'll ask you forrelationship advice later too.
How do I find a man who cancook for me?
Anyway, moving on, I, before Iforget, I want to tell you one
thing my producer, or one of myproducers for this podcast, jim
(07:30):
Atkinson, is a huge, super fanof yours, so he's very happy to
have you on this podcast and Ishouldn't say it because I can't
speak for him, but I'm assumingthat he is currently living
vicariously through me.
Jonatha Brooke (07:42):
Oh, that's wicked sweet.
Tell him hello and give him ahug.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (07:45):
Absolutely .
See, she said hi, jim.
But in his honor I wanted toask you a little bit about your
song Inconsolable, which Ibelieve it ended up on the
season finale of the firstseason of a little show called
what was it?
Buffy?
Jonatha Brooke (08:02):
the Vampire.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (08:02):
Slayer, possibly Buffy the Vampire
Slayer.
Yeah, how do you feel aboutthat?
How did it end up on that show?
What was that process like?
Jonatha Brooke (08:12):
That's the weirdest thing, because I hate
to admit it but I still have notseen that show.
But it turns out that JossWhedon is a big fan of mine, so
it was his call.
I didn't even know that it hadhappened until people started
telling me like hey, did youknow that inconsolable was on
buffy?
And then he ended up calling meto write his theme song for um
(08:32):
dollhouse.
So I wrote and sang what youdon't know won't hurt you, um,
for his, his next escapade.
Uh, so it was.
Uh, I guess it was kind of alove story and that was really
fun to sort of hear from himhimself and to have the
assignment of like hey, I'm asuper fan, I need you to write
me a song that's kind of a crossbetween Dance of the Sugar Plum
(08:55):
Fairies and your song Carefulwhat you Wish For.
I'm like got it.
I got it, and then I sent it tohim.
He's like oh my god, that's.
And then I sent it to him.
He's like oh my God, that'sexactly what I meant.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (09:03):
I love hearing the stories of artists
like fangirling or fanboyingover other artists.
Jonatha Brooke (09:12):
It's one of my favorite genres of fandom, so it
is it is cool and and there'ssome quirky, weird things like
you wouldn't expect.
So, like I'm a super fan ofMichael McDonald, like he's the
he's the only one that, likeI've ever gotten an autograph
from.
I just adore him so bad.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (09:30):
And then everyone else I'm kind of
unfazed by.
Did you get starstruck when youmet Michael McDonald?
Jonatha Brooke (09:34):
Totally, oh my God, oh, I also did when I was
living in LA.
I saw Joni Mitchell in thecereal aisle at Whole Foods and
I just froze and I didn't wantto bother her, but that happened
.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (09:48):
Oh, so you didn't get to talk to her, nope
.
Well, at least you have thecereal story though, because I
think that's what I hold on to.
I do, I do.
Yeah, that's the good thingabout LA you just run into
everybody and anybody.
Jonatha Brooke (09:59):
Yeah, we'll always have Cap'n Crunch in
common.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (10:01):
Exactly.
I wanted to ask, since we'retalking about film and
television, do you have anythingin the works, anything upcoming
for composing for film and TV?
Jonatha Brooke (10:12):
I do not have any film and TV stuff happening.
I am working concurrently onthree different musicals so I am
trying to keep about 40characters straight in my head
and what they sound like and howthey should sing and how each
thing has its own sort of soundand timbre and musical motif.
(10:32):
So that's where my head isright now.
I'm hoping finally to record anew Jonathan record and I have a
couple songs that I've beenworking on for that.
But it's a it's a juggle.
Right now there's lots ofthings on the front burner.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (10:44):
Yeah, I mean for our listeners who can't
see me.
My jaw was just on the floor.
That's a lot to handle.
Is there anything that you cantell us about those musicals, or
is it still too early?
Jonatha Brooke (10:53):
to say anything.
No, I can tell you sort of plotlines.
One of them is called Switched.
It's about two women who areswitched at birth and they kind
of they find out from one of themoms who was kind of suspicious
all along, who kind of knew,but she, she lets them know,
basically around their 40thbirthday, like hey, maybe you're
not who you thought you were,and so that's we start the play
there and then we sort of goback and forth between their 16
(11:16):
year old selves and their 40year old selves.
The second one is called Tempest, is called Tempest and it's a
fictional story about anAntarctic explorer named Annie
Lawson who perishes with hercrew of three dudes.
It's like me in a band in theAntarctic in the 1930s and the
(11:37):
conceit of the story is that bythe time it's 100, 110 years
later, the technology exists torevive her because the ice has
preserved her and her team.
So she's revived and go and wesort of get to see both worlds
in that one.
And then the third one is acommission from the History
Theater here in Minneapolis andit's an incredible story based
(12:00):
on a novel called Evidence of Vby Sheila O'Connor, about a girl
, a 15-year-old girl and this isbased on the truth a
15-year-old girl in Minneapolisin the 30s who is an amazing
singer-dancer, gets into troublewith club owner where she's
singing, gets knocked up and atthat time girls were sent away
(12:20):
to like prison, basicallydetention school, and she was
locked up for six years just forgetting pregnant, oh my God.
And so we follow her throughher sort of you know character
arc of like despair and thenagency and then despair and then
going through this prisonsystem basically wow, that also
sounds scarily timely.
(12:40):
So it, yeah, and that one iskind of fast-tracked.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (12:43):
That's in the season for 2026 wow, all I
mean my jaw was on the floor forall of those.
They all sound amazing.
I have no idea how you'rewriting three different musicals
concurrently like that.
Jonatha Brooke (12:56):
I just don't know either.
I'm just trying to keep like.
I'm trying to keep their.
I'm trying to keep a specificsort of musical tone to each
character so that I can identifyit's like.
It's like their vernacular ortheir accent, so that they don't
all start whizzing together.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (13:14):
Right, right.
So are you.
You're writing the book and thelyrics and the music.
Jonatha Brooke (13:19):
Thank God, I'm just writing the music and the
lyrics.
Okay, I'm terrible at dialogue.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (13:26):
Well, while we're on theater, before I
forget, I wanted to talk to you, if it's okay, about the one
woman show that you did.
My Mother has four noses, sothis is not about me, but I
wanted to share that.
I lost my father two and a halfyears ago and one of the things
that he left me with was writethe book, gina, write the book
(13:47):
about us, and I've had suchtrouble.
Like, right after he passed, Iwas actually, the words were
flowing out of me and I wrote agood 15 pages in a day, and then
I stalled.
And I haven't been able to doanything since, and I don't know
that there's necessarily aquestion wrapped up in this,
(14:08):
more my admiration for you thatyou were able to take a
difficult time in your lifeabout living with your mother
and her struggle withAlzheimer's and then turning
that into something reallybeautiful that other people were
able to relate to.
So I guess, thank you therewasn't a question there, but
thank you for being able to dothat.
Jonatha Brooke (14:26):
I think this is something I talk about when I
teach songwriting as well issometimes to break the wall of.
Either it's like the mean girlon your shoulder saying like you
suck, you suck, you suck, don'tbother, or it's your editor, so
that you don't even letyourself write something before
you've tried and then just editit.
(14:46):
So one of my favorite writers,mary Carr, always says like I'm
not that great a writer, I'mjust a really good editor.
So for me the point is justlike get it down, even if it
sucks, just write and write andwrite free write.
Give yourself assignments oflike I will only write this one
story.
So then you're not overwhelmedby like I must write the story
(15:07):
of my life with my father.
It's more like what about thattime where we made that little
silly musical at breakfast aboutbreakfast with mom?
And you know I was CrepeSuzette and my husband was the
muffin man and we were just likeliving in this Alzheimer's
crazy world.
And that really helped mebecause I too was overwhelmed.
(15:27):
When I started I knew it wasgoing to be theater, it was
bigger than a record, but I'dnever done that before.
I was terrified.
So I started just taking it inbite-sized chunk stories and
that allowed me to move throughit.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (15:41):
Thank you.
Thank you for that advice, Iguess.
I guess that was the questionbuilt in there without me
wanting to say it, so yeah, it'shard.
Jonatha Brooke (15:49):
I mean we all, anyone creative can tell you
about, like the doldrums, youknow where you're just like.
Oh God, get me out of here,give me some wind.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (15:57):
I've been stuck in them for probably two
and a half years.
I wonder why.
Jonatha Brooke (16:02):
Yeah Well, number one, you're grieving.
It's a loss, but also givingyourself assignments is helpful.
I luckily had a deadline so Icouldn't not write it.
I was in the theater, you know.
Festival not write it, I was inthe theater you know festival
six months after mom died, soI'm like I better get cracking.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (16:23):
Wow, that is definitely.
That's a sooner deadline that Iwould have expected you to say,
I know.
Jonatha Brooke (16:28):
I know.
So I was like crying andgrieving and writing and crying
some more, and then singing andcrying some more, and it was
this whole cathartic process.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (16:37):
Wow, did it help?
I mean, you said it wascatharsis, so like after you
finished the run.
How did you feel?
Was it relief, Was it joy?
Jonatha Brooke (16:47):
I don't know if they're the right words for that
, but it felt yeah, it certainlyfelt cathartic and there were
some days, like any grief story,where it was really really
rough and hard to get throughthe show.
There were a couple of timeswhen I started to lose it.
But you know, I was acting, soI had to learn to sort of turn
(17:08):
it off.
Turn off like the Jonathan,real Jonathan, and be like
character Jonathan.
But it was, yeah, I think it wasa great thing because it just
became this beautiful love storyand gesture to her and I think
what also was healing for me wasthat it, it the play ends with
(17:33):
I sort of show you pictures ofmy mother as normal mom, so you
see her in her element.
You see her silly and clownishand kind of sexy and making fun
of herself and that was heressence.
And so to be able to restorethat for myself as well as to
leave the audience with that aslike this is my mom, she wasn't
(17:55):
this weird, crazy Alzheimerperson, she was that too, but
like this is her essence, andthat felt really powerful for me
as the daughter telling thestory.
But also I think that gave theaudience's permission to be like
to laugh, to cry and then towalk away with.
Oh, I love her too.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (18:15):
Absolutely , and I think that's what's
beautiful about art.
You know, you just introducedher to a whole new world of
people who are now sharing thatlove of your mom, and she gets
to enjoy that in the afterlifeas well.
Jonatha Brooke (18:29):
I sure hope, so I was so bummed.
I wish she could have seen theshow.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (18:34):
I fully believe that she did and
probably revisits it all thetime, because I also am adamant
that time does not exist in thesame way over there.
The other over there is.
But not that I want to spendtoo much time on grief, but I
believe that because I don'tknow if you've had these
experiences where, like, maybeyou talk to someone who you've
(18:57):
lost and ask for a sign, and Imean I got some very clear signs
.
There was one day where I wasdrinking my coffee and coffee
has a very strong smell.
Right, it is coffee, but Ioverwhelmingly smelled my
father's cologne.
It was else in the room.
Jonatha Brooke (19:12):
I don't live with men.
There's never any cologne here.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (19:13):
But it was very specifically his cologne
room.
I don't live with men, there'snever any cologne here, but it
was very specifically hiscologne.
I couldn't smell the coffee, Ijust smelled the cologne.
So I do.
I fully believe that she wasover there watching your show
and revisiting it and listeningto the album however, I think so
yeah, I did play her a littlebit of the Kalimba song.
(19:34):
It's a song called Time Ilistened to that one and I think
that's fantastic, but I'm gladshe got to hear it while she was
on this plane as well.
Yeah, thank you, of course.
Love to your mom, love to mydad.
Okay, I'm going to try tocenter myself and bring it back.
I wanted to talk to you aboutyour song.
(19:56):
I'll Try, because I'm a Disneynerd to begin with, but
shamefully, I didn't know wherethat song came from or where
like.
It was something that I hadheard over and over and I
couldn't figure out why.
And it wasn't until recentlythat I realized I used to have a
collection of those Disney'sgreatest hits CDs.
So I had never seen Return toNeverland.
(20:18):
It's just that I had listenedto that CD on repeat and I was
like oh my God, this is a PeterPan song, but it's, I mean, it's
amazing.
Thank you for writing it.
But there, if you don't mind,if I could read some of the
lyrics that I feel like are alsotimely right now, my whole
world is changing.
Jonatha Brooke (20:44):
I don't know where to turn.
I can't leave you waiting, butI can't stay and watch the city
burn Dang.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (20:54):
I'mhmm, watch it.
Burn Dang, I'm going to cry.
This whole episode.
I'm trying not to Crying isgood, I mean, it is also
cathartic, but again everythingfeels like it's changing in the
world and it's a little bit hardto function.
(21:17):
I guess I don't know what otherword I want to use.
It does feel a bit like I don'tknow, like we're surrounded by
trauma every day and I don'tknow how to push through that.
But that song has been bringingme a lot of solace, and not
just because of the lyrics, butlike your voice is so soothing
(21:38):
and it actually regulates mynervous system.
So this is just going to turninto me saying thank you a lot
for the art that you've put outinto the world, and I wish I
mean everybody who listens tothis podcast is a fan of the
arts, but I wish more peopleunderstood, um, what a saving
grace it really can be in darktimes.
(21:59):
So anyway, thank you, I'll trynot to cry now.
Jonatha Brooke (22:03):
Well, that was.
I mean, that was a gift.
That song really.
My friend the story is actuallypretty good my friend, Bambi,
who worked at Disney for 19years, like, literally, she was
named Bambi, Not self-given.
She's the one that called meand said like hey, Jo, I think
you're the one to write thissong.
Here's the assignment.
(22:25):
I'm like I got it and, again,like the Joss Whedon one, it
just was a gift.
It sort of came down.
I was finished in 20 minutesand the song became the glue for
the movie because it wentthrough multiple directors and
producers, but it just was.
It was such an easy voice tofind this 12-year-old girl and
(22:46):
it's been translated into like15 or 20 languages.
My drummer in Denmark, his wife, sang the Danish version.
Oh wow, there's a Frenchversion, Italian, Spanish.
It's crazy, it's really hadlife beyond me and that's so
powerful.
So I sing it every night.
(23:06):
I sing it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:07):
Oh, I love that.
Yeah, amazing, it's also thepower of Disney and then they
called me again.
Jonatha Brooke (23:14):
I wrote a couple songs for Tinkerbell releases
and I just love assignments.
I love getting assignments.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:21):
Yeah, yeah .
Well, you like your deadlines,right.
Jonatha Brooke (23:23):
I loved it.
Nothing like a deadline.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:27):
To be fair , so do I.
They're very helpful, and theproblem with me, and going back
to my struggles in writing thatbook, are that self-inflicted
deadlines don't work for me.
They don't work At all rightLike I can tell myself I want to
do it in two weeks and that'snot going to happen.
So I need somebody else outthere saying well, I will pay
you $1,000 if you do it, or Iwill cook you a nice home-cooked
(23:51):
meal.
Jonatha Brooke (23:51):
It doesn't have to be much or you're fired if
you don't do it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (23:55):
There's that one too.
I like that one less.
Jonatha Brooke (23:57):
Well, I ended up .
I've been working on this songfor weeks.
I have a workshop happeningstarting Monday in New York and
I've been on tour and so I'vebeen like juggling and crazy.
And then I have anotherworkshop for another musical
starting April 1st, once I getback from New York.
Once I get back from New York.
So I'm like and this morning,cause I have a zoom call at 1230
(24:20):
today with the thing where I'vebeen struggling with this one
song which is kind of about whatdeath might be like, what we're
speaking about, but it's kindof more fantastical and surreal
and a little bit fun and jaunty.
I I, just before I got on withyou, I w I was like I found the
lyric and well, and I sent it tomy co-writers and I'm like
(24:41):
here's the lyric.
I haven't had time to sing ityet, but I think this is how it
goes, you know.
So like congrats down to thewire.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (24:49):
I love that and it's funny that we kind
of went in that direction and Ididn't know.
I didn't know that washappening, but we ended up there
anyway.
Jonatha Brooke (24:57):
So see the universe you know, death is
going to become my specialty ohmy gosh.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (25:02):
Well, you know that could help a lot of
people if it does, so sure, yeah, I wouldn't say anything
against that.
However, it did make me thinkof uh, I was watching your oh, I
forgot the name of what youcalled your covid sessions.
Was it the kitchen?
Jonatha Brooke (25:16):
oh, the kitchen, covid.
Yes, I used to have a sign butI forgot.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (25:21):
We'll pull it out later, but I wanted to
talk to you about that becausethere was one episode where you
were talking about songs thatdealt with despondence and
joyous Was it?
Joyous grief?
Yeah, I guess there is a theme.
It's clearly on my mind today,but I love those two words and I
love your word of the day.
(25:42):
Do you have, I should ask you,do you have a word of the day
today?
Jonatha Brooke (25:46):
It was.
Oh shoot, I was asking myhusband what it meant.
Well, it was okay.
This isn't the word, but thisis the other thing I was chewing
on.
Like all due respect is thisphrase that I put in the song,
because one of my Antarcticexplorers dudes is kind of
mutinying because they'reperishing Like the storm is
(26:09):
coming in and like there's justnowhere to go and she wants to
finish the experiment.
They're gathering cells andwe're going to prove it, and the
French dude is like all duecells and we're going to prove
it.
And the French dude is like alldue respect, we're going to die
.
So I sort of looked it up andit's got this like it's not
respectful.
It's like I totally disagreewith you but I'm going to
(26:30):
pretend that I respect you and Ikind of love the dual nature of
that meaning.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (26:35):
It's funny you said that, because I think
I just read something onlinethat I mean it was presented
more as a joke like well, whenthey say, with all due respect,
they never said how much respectwas due.
And I never thought of it thatway before because I always used
or I used to use it as a caveatto no.
No, I do respect you, but I'mtrying to offer a different
(26:59):
opinion and now I realize, oh no, it could also be an insult.
Whoops.
Jonatha Brooke (27:04):
Yeah, yeah.
So that was fun, because Ihadn't thought of it that way
until I looked it up either.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (27:11):
I love it.
I love.
Research Turns out a lot ofgreat stuff.
Jonatha Brooke (27:15):
Oh, and the thing about joyful grief is that
I think I live in that placewhere dueling things coexist,
and it happens lyrically but italso happens melodically, with
counterpoints and melodies,where there's you know, there's
maybe two thoughts and maybe twomelodies that coexist, and then
they harmonize with each other,they meet in the middle
(27:37):
somewhere and then they partagain or they cross paths.
I'm kind of obsessed with thatnature of two things existing at
once and your mind being ableto hold both.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (27:51):
Absolutely .
There's so much nuance in theworld and that's one thing that
my therapist would tell you thatI struggle with.
But I think that's what makesmusic beautiful and, like you
were saying, I'm not a musician.
The best I can do is play maybethe first few notes of Yankee
(28:11):
Doodle on the keyboard YankeeDoodle on the keyboard.
So I don't have the terminologythat I need to express what I'm
saying, but I think Iunderstand what you're saying.
In that there is a melding ofemotion.
I guess, I got that.
Jonatha Brooke (28:28):
Right.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (28:29):
Totally.
Jonatha Brooke (28:30):
I'll forget if I don't say it now, but you can
edit it out if it's notimportant.
One of the things that I lovedabout exploring the theater of
the story with my mom was, youknow, in the throes of
caregiving, it's super intenseand you're exhausted and people
are like, no, you should really,you know, make sure you take
care of you, and you're likewhen, how?
(28:50):
But there are these things thathappen in the caregiving maybe
you experienced this with yourdad but where, like, there's
this really hard thing, likewhen mom was actively dying,
which is itself this reallyweird frigging term.
So she's actively dying, wow,let me put my head around that.
But as she's actively dying,these crazy, actually
(29:13):
hysterically funny things werehappening.
Dying, these crazy, actuallyhysterically funny things were
happening.
Like one of the caregivers wentinto this religious speaking in
tongues, convulsions, likeepileptic fit.
It was like this crazy, likemom, mom is like you know, keep
me really quiet.
I'm reading her from the Bibleand I'm like mom, everything's
okay.
And I'm here, I'm here, I'mholding her hand, I'm staring at
(29:35):
her and then, audrey, ourcamera was like praise, Jesus,
lord is my shepherd.
I'm like, oh, my God, this isreally happening.
And like my, my little, mydaughter person is like, oh my
God, can you please go in theother room?
Like mom, everything's okay.
Like I, you know we're quiethere.
And then my, my writer brain islike, oh my God, this is
(29:56):
hysterically funny.
Like, how do I, how am I goingto tell this story later?
Because, like, no one's goingto believe this.
So, like that, I just love thatthere can be these two things.
And you're like, on the onehand, your, your heart is
shredding, and then there's thisincredibly like comical thing
that you know, know you'llappreciate even more later.
(30:17):
And so you're clocking it oflike am I allowed to think this
is funny now?
And you're kind of like, justsave it, save it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (30:23):
Absolutely .
As I've gotten older, Iunderstand better the notion of
yin and yang.
When I was a kid, I had noconcept of like.
What do you mean?
Balance, whatever.
Things are black and white andthat's it.
There is no in between.
But but now, yes, everythingthat you just said, there is yin
and yang right In order to takecare of yourself.
(30:45):
Which, what?
What do they say?
It's that you know you have toput your own oxygen safety mask
on first.
Yeah, which I I understand.
But, like you were saying,almost all of us struggle with
that notion because your impulseis to help the person that you
love who's sitting right next toyou, so it feels selfish to
(31:08):
take care of yourself first.
Yeah, but that's, that's thestruggle, right?
Jonatha Brooke (31:12):
we all, we all deal with that to some extent
yeah and there's some of eachthing in the other thing too,
which is life is interesting.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (31:21):
It is.
It is very difficult to process, right, but that's why I love
talking to folks like you andother artists who are helping I
don't know, I guess helping meto understand the things that
didn't jump out at me before andit reminds me of I loved Carrie
(31:41):
Fisher.
I still love Carrie Fisher, butshe had that quote take your
broken heart and turn it intoart.
I remind myself of thatconstantly, constant, because
what we all I mean, whether youconsider yourself an artist or
not, I think we all should bedoing that.
You know when, if you, maybeyou're not a writer, maybe
(32:02):
you're not a musician, but ifyou lose someone, it's okay to
pull out a journal and writedown whatever you're feeling.
Or even nowadays, with cellphones, you can just do like a
video diary or something.
It doesn't have to go anywhere,but we're all secretly artists
somewhere.
You don't want to make a careerout of it or or pursue it Like.
Art is pivotal to survivingthis messy world.
Jonatha Brooke (32:26):
Totally, totally .
Oh, I had one more idea foryour, for your dad book.
Oh, okay, what really?
What helped me with creatingthe mom thing also was I got
frustrated between how I wouldwrite a story and how I would
tell it Like on stage when I'mintroducing a song.
Sometimes I tell goofy stories,and so I started recording
(32:49):
myself in Photo Booth on mylaptop.
I just started giving myselfassignments of like okay, tell
the nose story, because my momhad prosthetic noses, because
she had had skin cancer, and soI would tell it into the
computer and then transcribethat and it would just feel much
more natural.
So that might be something thathelps you.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:09):
Yeah, yes, you know, it's funny because I
I mean, I did take my own advicewhen my father first passed.
I started video diaries because, even though I consider myself
a writer, I had the hardest timeand I still have the hardest
time writing journal entriesbecause, like with everything
else, I overthink it and I don'twant to edit myself and it's a
(33:32):
whole thing.
So I started these videodiaries and I was like you know
what, maybe I'll turn this intoa documentary or maybe I'll use
it as inspiration for the book.
So now I have hours upon hoursupon hours upon hours of footage
.
Jonatha Brooke (33:44):
There you go.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:46):
Yeah, but I just have to figure out how
I'm going to proceed with it.
Jonatha Brooke (33:52):
So it's either have someone else transcribe it.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (33:54):
Yeah, Maybe I will honestly.
Or there's like computers thatjust do that.
There are this is a plug forRevcom With AI.
Now, yeah, they do.
There are those transcriptionservices and you're right, maybe
that's the route because partof it is, like, really hard to
(34:15):
revisit.
So there's a limit, right, youwant to stop yourself from doing
too much of it, because youdon't want to break down
entirely and you know I'd onlyhave to.
I would only want to revisit itlike once before I start
working on a project, ratherthan like the 50 times it would
take me to actually.
Jonatha Brooke (34:34):
Yeah, and easier to just see it on a page than
to witness yourself, kind ofgoing through the.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (34:39):
Yeah, you know, watch me have a mental
breakdown, but that was reallygood advice.
So thank you, and I love thatwe're kind of on the same page
because it's happening right.
Jonatha Brooke (34:49):
Whatever it takes to get the, you know it's
like get it down.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (34:53):
I wanted to talk to you about two songs
that I was just listening tobefore I jumped on with you
Taste of Danger, which yourecorded twice so or I mean a
new rendition of an older songCan you tell me what led you to
spicing it up and changing?
Jonatha Brooke (35:13):
do it again yeah , I guess I felt like I it's a.
I just I think it's a reallygood song.
I think that it is, uh, one ofthose songs that people get
right away.
You know, I didn't overcomplicate it, which can be one
of my tendencies, uh, and I justwas was telling a story that I
(35:35):
just like the poetry of it, Ilike the rock of it, and I
thought, well, if no one everheard this the first time when
it came out on the works, whichwas like 2009-ish 2010, I want
to give it another shot.
But if I'm going to do it, I'mgoing to do it completely
differently.
So I made it into this dark, Itook it down a whole step and I
made it this dark, moody sort ofbrooding piano thing, and then
(35:56):
I added these background vocalsand then I added this sort of
John Mayer quote at the end,like hold on to whatever you
find baby.
And I'm like John, is this okayif I steal some shit from you?
And he's like, yeah, yeah, doit, do it, do it.
So I just wanted to like make anew version and challenge
myself, but also just give thatsong another shot to be heard.
(36:16):
I think that's fantastic.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (36:18):
I mean it's wonderful, Like all of your
work is wonderful, but I wasreally enjoying that one and I'm
lacking the words to expressmyself right now.
Like you know, it's at the tipof my tongue, but my brain is
just not connecting to my tongueright now it's driving me nuts,
I feel ya.
(36:40):
Yeah, I was trying to saysometimes, in listening to an
artist's music right beforejumping on with them, it gives
you an idea of who the artist isor what the conversation will
be like.
And I mean listening to yourwork.
I think your voice is beautifuland the music is stunning, but
I still didn't really know whatthe conversation would be like.
(37:02):
But you've been such a joy and,yeah, I loved talking to you
and I wish this could go onforever.
I mean you might want to go,but I loved this conversation.
But, like I said, short formand I can only ask you so many.
Jonatha Brooke (37:14):
Damn yeah, we could go on all day we could
tell a lot of things.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (37:19):
I love you .
You're my new best friend.
I'm your new best friend.
Jonatha Brooke (37:22):
No, like I need a new best friend.
Minneapolis is a little lonelyin the winter, you know, you
don't?
Oh gosh.
Yeah, if it's crappy out, youjust don't leave.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (37:31):
I have to ask you something really stupid,
because we brought upMinneapolis again.
I feel like I have developedthis false memory.
Do you remember a show?
There was a show called Bobby'sWorld.
It was, I think it was ananimated show and Howie Mandel
was involved and all I rememberis thinking it was set in
(37:52):
Minnesota.
And I wonder if I made this up.
But I could have sworn that.
There was a character I thinkit was Bobby's mother who would
always say something like don'tyou know, don't you know, like
all the time.
And it is.
I mean, just knowing thatyou're in Minneapolis, I've just
, like I don't know, had thisI've never heard of that.
I'm writing it down, though I'mgoing to Google it.
(38:13):
I mean, it was a kid show.
I'm sure I remember this frommy youth and, like I said, I've
just learned about falsememories and how sometimes it's
wrong.
So I'm wondering if I have to.
It's a big adventure.
Maybe I just made this upentirely, but I guess, if I have
to ask a question tied to that,is that the correct accent.
Does that exist, don't you?
(38:33):
Oh?
Jonatha Brooke (38:33):
yeah, oh yeah, sure, yeah, you betcha, great,
great.
Yeah.
My husband is from here, whichis part of the reason that we
were not afraid to move here,but his sisters have much
thicker.
He doesn't have an accentbecause he left when he was 17.
But his sisters are definitelyMinneapolis kind of speakers.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (38:52):
Yeah, it's amazing.
Oh my God, I love it.
Well, now that I've just likebrought Bobby's world into this,
I think that's a great place toend.
Thank you so so much.
This really was a fantasticconversation.
Jonatha Brooke (39:07):
I appreciate everything about this day.
Thanks, Gina.
Gina Marie Rodriguez (39:11):
Jonatha Brooke will be sharing her
beautiful voice and music withthe audience at the Lizzie Rose
Music Room in Tuckerton, newJersey, on March 30th.
For tickets and moreinformation, be sure to visit
LizzieRoseMusic.
com and JonathaBrooke.
com.
If you liked this episode, besure to review, subscribe and
tell your friends.
(39:32):
A transcript of this podcast,links relevant to the story and
more about the arts in NewJersey can be found at
JerseyArts.
com.
The Jersey Arts Podcast ispresented by Art Pride New
Jersey, advancing a state ofcreativity since 1986.
The show was co-founded by, andcurrently supported by funds
from, the New Jersey StateCouncil on the Arts.
This episode was hosted, editedand produced by me, Gina Marie
(39:56):
Rodriguez.
Executive producers are JimAtkinson and Isaac Serna-Diez,
and my thanks to Jonatha Brookefor speaking with me today.
I'm Gina Marie Rodriguez forthe Jersey Arts Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!