Josh Johnson is exploring uncharted territory to redefine the relationship between comedy and music with his ambitious 33-track mixtape Elusive, out this Friday, June 11. Today, he shares "Why Don't You Return My Love" and the stand-up track "Not Quite Old," both of which premiered this morning at BTR. "WDYRML" channels Otis Redding with help from Brooklyn-based trumpeter and vocalist Wayne Tucker.
"I had the incredible opportunity to work with Wayne Tucker to give the mixtape something with a more retrofit," says Johnson. "It was one of the pieces that felt necessary to complete the spectrum of expression we were creating. 'Why Don't You Return My Love' comes at the tail end of the first arc of the mixtape where I really wanted to delve into relationships and all the different outcomes that come from loving a person. I've admired Wayne Tucker's talent both vocally and the unique way he approaches instrumentals."
"Not Quite Old" is Josh's attempt to contend with the fact that he is getting older and while actual old age is still a far way off, what's closer might be even more perilous for someone as socially awkward as him.
"Part millennium escapism, part modern Negro spiritual," Elusive weaves the Chicago by way of Louisiana comedian's shrewd and self-deprecating observations on the absurdities of modern dating and American decay with nine music tracks (most of which he co-wrote) that roam the same thematic terrain. "I think it's more creative and interesting to see what a song sounds like that's about what the previous two comedy tracks are about," he says. "What's being relayed in that pain, musically, that isn't in the stand-up?"
Elusive is composed of two halves, or "arcs," as Johnson calls them. In each arc, comedy, and music intertwine like a double helix. The first arc refracts the timeless need to forge romantic (as well as platonic) relationships through the surreal lens of the pandemic The second arc is more specific to the politics that bubbled to the surface since the pandemic began, as Johnson tackles student debt, Confederate statues, the American healthcare system, and the true nature of Black-on-Black crime. The musical interludes give shape to the mixtape-so-called because of its experimental and collaborative nature-and serve as its north star, articulating a mixture of hope and sorrow and an emotional clarity that any parade of jokes naturally obscures.
Next week, Johnson's debut one-hour stand-up special, Trevor Noah Presents Josh Johnson: # (Hashtag) will premiere Friday, June 18th at 11:00 PM ET/PT on Comedy Central. The special will be available on Paramount+ in August.
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