Interviewer: Hello, everybody. Today in the studio, we have James Black, one of the most successful musicians and soundtrack writers at 63 with a new young son, domestic bliss and at least one mega blockbuster on the horizon to hit theatres soon. James is like an advertisement for a good life. Good afternoon, James.
James: Good afternoon.
Interviewer: Our listeners are always interested in your everyday life. So how's your life going? How is your family? What's your daily life like?
James: Well, it's nothing like what your listeners might expect. Usually I go to bed early because I have this young son who was born on the 4th of July this year named Charlie, and he has a very well structured routine. In the evening, the three of us get in the bathtub at about 620, and then we usually order food in because our kitchen is being remodeled right now. Really, the whole house has been benefiting from our nesting instinct. In the morning I get up, feed the dog and take it out.
Interviewer: Glossy magazines have never published photos of your house or your dog. We didn't even know you've got one.
James: We've got a big, red haired standard poodle named Woody Allen. We call him Woody mostly.
Interviewer: Are you happy to become a father again?
James: Of course. Charlie is lovely. He's got a little safe area playroom where I just watch him play and develop. He's starting to stand up and has just started to say Daddy this last week. Then I sit with him on my lap and we play the piano a bit.
Interviewer: With so many things to do and all the responsibilities of being a father. Do you manage to find time for yourself?
James: Kind of. Being fit is really important to me. I've got a kind of gym here in the house and I do my routine and try to get my 12,000 steps. We've got a couple of treadmill side by side. Sometimes we walk around the neighbourhood, too, with Charlie and with the dog, and that's about it.
Interviewer: Are you currently working on anything?
James: I go over my new script every day. I'm working on a movie that I can't really talk about because they haven't announced what it is. I mean, the people doing it. But I work on my part every day. I like if I have enough time not to cram anything but just kind of touch it every day.
Interviewer: I see. I have so many questions connected with your work. When you're playing music do you feel like it's a separate part of your brain? Do you do it for the audience who's there? Do you get better every night?
James: I like the idea of being a student and I play with very good musicians, so playing with them allows me to get better. My aim is to get better, but I really love it for its own sake. For me, playing is very interactive and it's improvisational. We really don't rehearse as a group, but I get these great musicians and we jam and I don't know what we're going to play until they start to play it. And then I do a lot of talking, playing with the audience.
Interviewer: What is the busiest part of the day for you?
James: I generally think of it as work slash play because it's the work of play, it's the playtime, and I like how time goes on set. It's almost like time on an airplane or something where people are together. It's a different, very trippy kind of time, I find, because you're together in imaginary time where you're out of time. You're called upon to be present and honour what can happen in the moment and the whole day can go like that. The whole day can be a kind of meditation.
Interviewer: Thank you, James.
