A tribute to the great actor and a tribute to the importance of dressing well.

"You have to protect yourself and look for armor, answers, and help in all life's elements...All fashion is boundary-laden, message-whispering, drenched in politics..." (Jessica Pallington West). 

This song is a tribute to the great actor Clive Owen, who drapes well when he's dressing up or dressing down. The lyrics communicate on a few levels. They came to me in a "Cole Porter moment" when difficult and seemingly disparate elements come together in rhyme and can make sense. 

Humphrey Bogart said (paraphrase) that the sign of a great actor was when he/she played a character on the screen and the character was so alive and so good you forgot who the actor was. Such is the case with Owen. He's been in many hit films, but hardly anyone (at least in America) knows him as a household word. It so happens that many of these movies are amongst my favorites (as for Owen the private person, I know little, except to say he avoids bright lights, tabloid-engaging misbehavior, and is said to go home to his family). 

Second, it's about the practice of "putting yourself together" in public. It's that edge of knowing that you prepared yourself to function with people, places and things. Maybe that isn't necessary for everyone, but it is for me. I have a "dress code" out of respect for other people. It's a matter of decorum. It's an extension of my inner self and interests. It shows I care and respect people and my surroundings. I didn't just dress this way for me--but for everyone. 

Along with that, people are more comfortable with you when you project an air of confidence, extending from the mere fact that you put thought into your appearance, like a form of armor. 

The music bed strongly quotes "For Your Love" by the Yardbirds as well as familiar "spy movie music" signatures. The song came together quickly and it's one of the fastest recording sessions I've ever had, thanks to the able hand of Bret Alexander and the quick drum chops of Ron Simasek (Bret and Ron appeared courtesy of The Badlees).

If I Could Dress Like Clive Owen

“Johnny is a virtuoso…” –Brian Wilson
“A delightful entertainer…” earcandy.com
“Pop music with a conscience…” Goldmine magazine
“The Harry Houdini of rock’n’roll” Spotlight magazine

Entertainer, songwriter, and “Singer at Large” Johnny J. Blair is known for his brand of “pop music with a twist,” influenced by Americana, British Invasion rock, old school soul/r’n’b, psychedelia, and punk/new wave, with melodicism breathed by classical, gospel, jazz, and world music. 

As a solo acoustic act or when fronting a band, Johnny engages an audience. He was called “a white James Brown” by Brown’s legendary drummer, Clyde Stubblefield. Johnny’s current itinerary includes performing in assisted living homes for people with disabilities and dementia: “Music goes through the brain into places where math and language don’t reach. It heals, and it makes a difference.”

Since the 80s, Johnny has issued full-length recordings to a global audience— from the “new wave concept album” DOOR IN THE WATER, to the soulful masterwork FIRE, to the bare-knuckled acoustic “agitpop” of TREADMARKS, to the “Ziggy Stardust meets PET SOUNDS” of GRATEFUL to the glam-tango tinged masterwork I LIKE THE STREET (with musical support from The Badlees, Eric Biondo/Beyondo, and Mike Garson, David Bowie’s pianist).

Johnny has worked with a range of acts—most prominently with Davy Jones of The Monkees (“I learned valuable stagecraft from David”). Johnny played and worked with Jones for 20 years, and he was the touring bassist/vocalist with The Monkees 45th Anniversary Tour of the UK and USA. Other artists Johnny has played with are John Bechdel (Ministry), David Cassidy, Buddy & Julie Miller, and Al Stewart (“Year of the Cat”). 

For 2019, Johnny on the beat with fresh material and a new album in the works, WE’RE GETTING CLOSER TO THE SUN. He says, “I’ve played the Royal Albert Hall, CBGB’s, Disney, The Fillmore, Las Vegas, Mabuhay Gardens, the Tokyo Billboard, holy temples in India, desert islands, Caribbean cruise ships, churches, prisons, garages, biker bars, and picnics, but I’ll really hit it big when I play for you!”

If I Could Dress Like Clive Owen

Johnny J Blair