Interview: Sean Nelson of 'Nelson Sings Nilsson' and Harvey Danger

Sean Nelson/Photo by Ryan Schierling

Sean Nelson/Photo by Ryan Schierling
When Sean Nelson takes the stage in Largo at the Coronet's Little Room this weekend, the majority of his song choices will come from the Harry Nilsson songbook—from which he painstakingly selected 15 tracks for his unreleased album, Nelson Sings Nilsson. Although the record is still in search of a label, those in search of a great live show need look no further. Nelson has crafted a fresh and fitting look back to a talented man who was ahead of his time. Plus, it's not hard to imagine that if Nilsson were alive today, he'd probably be playing at Largo.

In addition to the Nilsson project, you may also know Nelson from the band Harvey Danger (best known for "Flagpole Sitta"), as the co-owner of Barsuk Records, or from his work as a journalist, screenwriter and actor. LAist chatted with Nelson last Sunday from his home in Seattle, during which he candidly spoke about Nilsson, Largo, Harvey Danger and Proustian minefields.

LAist: When did you first discover Harry Nilsson's music?

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Sean Nelson: Like many other people, I sort of got to know his music after hearing "Everybody's Talkin'" in Midnight Cowboy. But the main way I came to know about him was through the Monkees. I was obsessively interested in the Monkees when I was in junior high and high school. In fact, I wore a Monkees t-shirt to the first day of high school and was roundly destroyed for it.

So I knew about him through the Monkees because he wrote songs for them, then I discovered that he was also an associate of the Beatles, who I was obviously also obsessively interested in. I really didn't know the full extent of him until they started reissuing his solo records right around the time my band entered a weird long hiatus mode. I had started playing with a band called the Long Winters and was looking for something new to do on my own—and Nilsson's music really struck a chord.

When speaking about Nelson Sings Nilsson, you've said that you've been struck by the fact that scandalously few of your peers know Harry Nilsson's music. For those who are unfamiliar with his music, what is the short pitch you give them to acquaint them with this remarkable man?

Well, first I say, "He's the guy who sang 'Everybody's Talkin'' from Midnight Cowboy." And everyone seems to have heard that song. Then I continue with, "And you know 'One [Is the Loneliest Number]'? He wrote that song but wasn't the one who had a hit with it." Next, I talk about "[I Can't Live If Living Is] Without You" and how that's him singing but that he didn't write it. When I mention that one, most people either grimace or say, "Oh, I love that song!" If they still don't know who he is by that point, I say, "You know the 'Coconut' song at the end of Reservoir Dogs?" Everyone gets it by that point. But they still don't know the stuff I think is his best.

So you only mention "Coconut" as a last resort…

I don't have any problem with that song. I'm a big fan of novelty songs in general. But it's hard when an artist is best known for a novelty song. Take Randy Newman for example. Most people know him only for "Short People" or "I Love LA." When they only know him for that, they kind of dismiss him as a novelty artist and I think that's unfortunate. Maybe even a tragedy. But there are worse tragedies in the world, I suppose.

And frankly, that's something I have wrestled with in my own career because I have a band and we're only known for one song that is regarded by many to be a novelty song. I'm not embarrassed by the song exactly, but it suffers without our other music to contextualize it. I think that's part of why I identify with Nilsson.

But I admire the fact that he had no compunction about being funny. He really ran towards novelty and sense of humor in his music—sometimes to great effect and sometimes to stupid effect—but he was a very funny guy and certainly never boring.

"1941" — Nelson Sings Nilsson

Many people equate Nilsson's various styles over the years with the facial hair he sported on his album covers. Which is your favorite Nilsson—with beard or without?

Interesting question. Well, I tend to like his earlier stuff—the late 60s period with his first three records, and Nilsson Sings Newman. That's all pre-beard and it's only with Nilsson Schmillsson that he gets into the beard period. There's a lot of great stuff in that phase, but I tend to prefer pre-beard.

Do you have a favorite Nilsson song?

Well, there are two songs on my Nilsson record that are in many ways identical, "1941" and "Daddy's Song." They're both about a little boy not being allowed to know his father because his father abandons him and his mom. I think those were really intense, autobiographical songs for him. And though the lyrics are sad, verging on morose, the tone of both songs is also relentlessly upbeat, verging on hysterical—full of old music-hall pop sensibilities and these incredible soaring melodies. I really like that he made unlikely and catchy pop out of such an intense subject, and it happens to be a subject that's very close to me as well.

What's your favorite cover that someone else has done of a Nilsson song?

Well, it's hard to top the Aimee Mann cover of "One." That's pretty perfect. And I'm looking forward to Neko Case's version of "Don't Forget Me."

"Daddy's Song" from "Head"

Now, in listening to some of the Nelson Sings Nilsson tracks on your myspace page, I noticed you modeled your version of "Daddy's Song" on the Monkees' version from the film Head. Given that you're such a big Monkees fan, is it safe to say you're a fan of that movie?

I'm a huge fan of it. I genuinely think Head is one of the best films ever made, and the only psychedelic movie that really works as both a stylistic experiment and as a film. But I'm biased by my conviction that the Monkees were one of the telltale sea change pop cultural events of the late 20th century.

What led you to choose this arrangement over Nilsson's, or even the one off the Head soundtrack, which differs slightly from the film?

I think the version from the movie is more dramatic. Or maybe melodramatic. I really like the way it goes to that a cappella moment, and the horn arrangement is incredible. I think it's so good because, even through their show was off the air by that time, the Monkees still had all the best LA musicians in their quiver when they were making these recordings. I guess Nilsson did, too, but perhaps the fact that it was arranged for someone who had such aggressive vaudeville sensibilities like Davy Jones—there's just something about it that really works. And again, unlikely. When I sing it, I can really see the dance portion of it.

Maybe when your album is released, you can recreate the dance part for your first single…

I've actually been talking about that with a friend of mine who's a filmmaker. It's pretty radical. Of course, I'm a full foot taller than Mr. Jones, and a good deal denser…

I know you're a fan of Nilsson's album Nilsson Sings Newman. If you were you going to record a three-song EP called Nelson Sings Nilsson Sings Newman, which songs would you include?

That's funny, because my plan is to do that as a bonus CD if I ever get a label to put out Nelson Sings Nilsson. My thought has been to do Nelson Sings Nilsson Sings Newman as sort of a live thing. As for which three I'd choose if I were limited to that, I really like his version of "So Long Dad," "Love Story (You and Me)," and I don't know…it's hard to choose, but let's say "Cowboy."

How close is the full-length Nelson Sings Nilsson CD to being completed? Ever thought of going the CD Baby route to get it out there?

Yeah, I know that's sort of the way to do it, especially now, but it's really hard for me because I'm not organized. I'm really bad with doing the admin work of being a record label. I think that if I did self-release the album, it would be more along the lines of putting it up on a website, calling it good and just letting people donate money to it if they want.

We'll see what happens. I'm really proud of the album, and actually, the incredibly talented guy who produced it, Mark Nichols, will be joining me onstage at Largo this Saturday.

What's the most fun Nilsson song to play live?

Well, for a long time it was "Gotta Get Up," but that's kinda obvious. It's pure fun. But I also feel like at this point, "Maybe" is my favorite to sing. Or possibly "Don't Forget Me," which is heartbreaking when done right.

Nilsson was quite a chameleon during his career. He seemed right at home with all sorts of styles and lyrics. Is there any single musician from the last decade or so that you feel has matched his energy and talent?

Well, obviously I think there are tons of people who are really talented, and I'm very happy and honored that some of them are my friends. I don't feel like Nilsson has many heirs in the sense of his particular aesthetic, which is sort of a combination of Broadway, rock 'n' roll and being really mischievous and humorous. He was more or less a humorist but he was also not afraid to bare his soul a little bit.

However, I think in terms of variety of projects and versatility of talent, it's hard to deny that Jon Brion is in that same kind of mold. I've performed at a bunch of his Friday night shows, and I must say that the fact that he can play literally anything is one definite bonus. He's not content unless he's trying something new, and I think that for a certain window in Nilsson's career, he was like that. He was up for anything.

Harvey Danger played the Little Room last year. How did that come about?

Well, we've been playing at Largo since 1999 when we were mixing our second record in LA. We'd gone on tour with Grant Lee Buffalo in 1998, so we knew Grant Lee Phillips through that. Grant was hosting a variety show at Largo where we debuted some new songs, and just over the years I've played some shows there with whomever I was working with at the time. I've just been friends with Largo owner Mark Flanagan and Jon, and I feel really privileged to be part of that repertory company.

You've said that Largo is your favorite club in America. What do you feel makes it so special?

I felt that way about the old spot and wondered if they'd be able to maintain the spirit when they moved to the Coronet. But they did, and that made me realize that what I love about that place is really down to the people who run it.

It's so musician-friendly. The no-talking policy is really an important thing. There is nothing worse than people who are talking and texting while you're playing, because you feel like you're trying to communicate something and it's just as rude as when someone texts while you're having a conversation. I think there's a culture in club life and going to see music where it's like, "Let's pay $15 to stand in a room and talk while someone stands on stage and does something." It's like TV with a sense of smell. And there's nothing like that at Largo. I don't mean to sound like a prig—I do it, too. I text message all the time. It's just nice to be in a place where the lights are low and everything is geared toward making the performer and the audience into one collective entity. It's shockingly rare.

Plus Largo has always been sort of a safe ground for people who don't make sense anywhere else. I mean, obviously, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings can play any number of places in LA or anywhere else for that matter, but they're going to play at Largo because they make the most sense there. It feels like the same goes for Colin Hay, Michael Penn, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple or any of the others who don't necessarily fit comfortably with the weird—let's go ahead and call it capitalist, or commodity-based—dynamic of playing music live in front of people. They can have a safe haven at Largo.

"Maybe I'm Amazed" — Harvey Danger and Jon Brion in the Little Room

And you never know what'll happen on any given night.

Yeah, when Harvey Danger had our show there, we played "Maybe I'm Amazed" and Jon happened to be in the back of the room. As soon as we started playing the song, he ran out of the room, dashed upstairs, ran back downstairs with an acoustic guitar, and bolted onstage just in time to play the solo. When you play Largo, you're a lot more likely to have an unexpected, amazing, beautiful night. Last time I was there, I wound up in a kind of modified all-star—or is it no-star?—jam with Jon, Benmont Tench, Sean Watkins, Sebastian Steinberg and David Garza, taking requests for an hour. Total bliss.

Although the show this weekend is going to be a little more stripped down, is there any chance you might bring Nelson Sings Nilsson to the Largo main stage with the full orchestra?

We really want to, but it's expensive to get all the players down from Seattle. Plus, I feel like it's probably better to do that when the record comes out. I can't imagine debuting it anywhere other than Largo. It couldn't be more perfect.

Have you at all been involved in the Nilsson documentary Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?

No, but I saw it at the Seattle International Film Festival and we actually played "Maybe" on a rickety upright piano just before the screening. I have to say it's a really good movie and I'm sad that it hasn't gotten distribution yet.

What is it about these great Nilsson projects that haven't yet seen the light of day?

That's the thing. No one seems to know who he is. Well, not no one, but it's a hard sell. No one seems to know who Harry Nilsson is, and fewer people know who I am. (laughs) So it's tricky. But I think the record is really good and I'm still happy I did it. And in all fairness, I haven't been particularly aggressive about shopping it around. Not my specialty.

In addition to your music, you're also a journalist, actor and screenwriter. Had you always dabbled in these areas?

When I moved to Seattle in 1992, back when it was still the epicenter of youth culture around the world, I decided I was going to do everything that was interesting to me. Once one of those things stood up and demanded a little more attention, I would go towards that. But I've always felt like writing music, singing in a band, acting, writing, working on films, and writing about music and films was part of the same general impulse to me. I know lots of people don't agree with that sentiment, but those are the things that interest me more than anything else.

What's been your favorite interview to date? Do you find that you bring a new perspective to your interviews since you are also a musician?

I've interviewed a lot of musicians and sometimes it winds up being this incredible conversation. I interviewed David Berman of the Silver Jews last year and I just wanted that experience to go on and on. Colin Blunstone from the Zombies was another great one. But there are also a lot of musicians who just don't have the skill of talking about what they do with music, and that's perhaps why they're good musicians, because they can't do it with words. If they could do it with words, they wouldn't play guitar or whatever.

I have no difficulty talking about stuff until the sun comes up, and I really like it, but I don't think that means I'm better or worse at anything. It's just my particular lot, so I like it. I like talking about the ideas behind what I do and the ideas behind what other people do as far as I'm allowed to speculate on them.

Since you'll be returning to LA in a few days, I was wondering, do you have any favorite places—restaurants, bars, etc.—you always like to visit when you come to town?

Well, because I grew up down there, and had what's probably a typical "child of divorced parents" kind of pre-adolescence in LA and in the Valley, my memory has a lot to do with coffee shops, which is where the hand-off usually took place. That's why performing so close to Norm's is so interesting to me, because there was a time when my dad worked in an art gallery on La Cienega, only four or five blocks away from where Largo is now. For a while, the only phone number I had for him when I was little was the pay phone at Norm's. So it's very evocative for me to be around there. I guess I'm not necessarily the best person to ask about restaurants and stuff without entering the Proustian minefield. It's all fused with these intense memories of my parents being miserable. And me, too, of course!

Thanks for speaking with LAist, Sean!

Don't miss Nelson Sings Nilsson this Saturday night (Feb. 21) in the Largo at the Coronet Little Room. The show starts at 9:30 p.m. and tickets ($15) will be available at the door. For more information about Nelson Sings Nilsson, visit www.myspace.com/nelsonsingsnilsson.

Photo by Ryan Schierling / www.ryanschierling.com. Special thanks to David Sandholm for his question contributions.