John Mayer Live Archive

ABC interview, AU, 2009.

• John Mayer: My job is to play songs for people, my job is to transport people, my job is to give people 45 minutes on a record and two hours on stage of escapism. And I think for me to take the role of tutor, and trying to explain to people why they should feel sorry for me, or why they should have a little more sensitivity to the fact that I'm not just complaining because I'm a celebrity, this is actually a problem. I don't necessarily want to do that. Because I think in explaining that, whether you were successful at it or not, you've taken that ability to transport somebody away, you know what I mean?
• Interviewer: It's not just escapism is it, I think you also have a desire to reinforce our essential humanity and brotherhood.
• John: Which you can do with music without having to explain outside of music why somebody--you know somebody could come up to me and go ''Dude, why not just let them have the picture?' Now, I have two choices. I could sit them down and talk to them, and 5 minutes later their head would be on backwards, they would go 'I had no idea.' But the question is, do you really want somebody to carry that load? Isn't it sort of completely antithetical to what you go and see an artist for? To take on his load, you know. That's why I say to people 'It's awesome, it's fine, don't worry about it.' There might be information that I could give people that would exonerate me as being a douchebag as people call me, but I think overall, it's a really bad idea. Because you will in having done that, removed this relationship that's essential in somebody saying 'Just play me a song, and let me just disappear into it.'
• Interviewer: Yeah, I don't want you to dump on me, but I love it when you celebrate your humanness and I love it when you celebrate your vulnerability.
• John: Oh no no, that's fine, I just mean talking about--trying to explain the vitriolic media, I don't think that should be my narrative. So I'd rather deal with that on my own time, and if it is terrible, then I'll deal with that. But I think to interject that into the stream of communication I have with people with a guitar around my back, and a record coming out, I think if the music is good enough, you can erase all that stuff. And let me deal with the stuff that might be not as fun as I wish it was, but then you at least maintain that ability to communicate with a fan. I don't want anybody worrying about me. I don't want a fan going like 'I had no idea.' That's terrible, and they don't realize that their head is hung low and they're walking away from me and they've realized that I have just taken away everything from them that they believed in.