Wilonsky, ever the scourer of the Internet--seriously, I think the guy reads everything ever published to the web with the word "Dallas" in it--came across this little gem this morning, and we think it's well worth passing along your way...
Seems Express Night Out, which I believe is a faux-alt in Washington, DC, had the opportunity to sit down with My Morning Jacket's Patrick Hallahan recently, and decided to ask the drummer how the little MMJ-Erykah Badu collaboration that we all went so gaga over last week actually went down. Here's his answer:
How did you guys set that up? I heard that she was actually a fan of the band's cover from Bonnaroo?Hallahan: I think it was the combined forces of good karma and circumstance that led to such a crazy evening. We've been super fans of hers for a long time, and some journalist asked Jim why we covered "Tyrone." He professed his love for her, she read about it, listened to the version we did at Bonnaroo, and wanted to come see the show. Her people got in touch with ours, and we were told to keep a wireless mic handy in case she felt like singing — not knowing whether she was going to or not was BRUTAL.
She popped backstage after the first set and couldn't have been any sweeter. The next thing I knew, that amazing voice was coming through my monitors. What a night.
So there you have it: Even the MMJ crew wasn't sure it was going to go down...which I guess explains why MMJ frontman Jim James seemed so pleasantly surprised by it all.
And, since we're already on the subject of Erykah, check this out: Underground hip-hop favorite Pharoahe Monch added a couple verses to Erykah's "The Healer" for his remix. Hear it here. It's pretty cool--and surprisingly up to date on current events, actually.
Update: Oh, and that "some journalist" who hooked Erykah up with MMJ? It was the Morning News' Thor Christensen. His take, after the jump. --Pete Freedman
Writes Thor, in an email that just popped into my inbox:
"I was the instigator of the Badu-My Morning Jacket duet, by journalistic happenstance.When I interviewed Jim James, I asked him about Badu and "Tyrone." I also told him she lives here in Dallas and asked him A) if he'd ever met her (he hadn't), and B) if he ever considered trying to duet with her onstage.
His reply was "that would be a dream come true."
So I called Erykah to see what she thought of their version of "Tyrone" and also to tell her about Jim's "dream come true" comment.
She said she loved their take on "Tyrone" and would definitely like to go to their show at the Palladium - although, at the time, she said she didn't want to duet with them.
Badu asked me to pass along MMJ's contact info to her Dallas-based publicist, Paul Levatino, and lo and behold, the next thing I know they're onstage dueting.
I'm glad she changed her mind, and I'm happy to have played a role in the whole thing."
