If there was a Mount Rushmore of ‘80s Synth Players (and really, why isn’t there a stone carving of that niche tribute already?) the likely visages on display would belong to Thomas Dolby, Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran, Martin Gore of Depeche Mode and Howard Jones.
When this information is relayed to Jones himself, he lets out the first of many sharp and sustained laughs that permeate the conversation.
“Oh, I’m so proud to be on that mountain, thank you, Bob!” he offers, before drilling down a bit on why the instrument and its sound so dominated the era of early MTV and the Top 40 charts.
“It was all that technology emerging at the time, and so we had the chance to be making sounds and using instruments that hadn’t been used before. We were almost as much scientists as musicians,” he says.
“There’s such excitement when you’re able to make music in a different way. And then there were all the videos. And I got excited about doing these one-man electronic shows with synths and drum machines. We didn’t have computers then, though!”
Jones will be coming to Houston with fellow ‘80s hitmakers Boy George & Culture Club (“Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?” “Time,” “Karma Chameleon”) and Berlin (“Take My Breath Away,” “The Metro,” “No More Words”) in “The Letting It Go Show.” It stops at the Woodlands Pavilion on August 11.
“I like these kinds of [package] shows because it’s a chance to play to bigger audiences and introduce your music to people who might not know it,” Jones continues. “It’s a really great lineup. I know George from way back and Teri Nunn from Berlin is a terrific singer and performer. There’s a lot of excitement around this tour.”
The British-born Jones racked up an impressive series of hits in the decade including “What Is Love?” “Things Can Only Get Better,” “New Song,” “Life in One Day,” “No One Is to Blame,” and “Everlasting Love,” with more charting singles in his home country.
This year also marks four decades since the release of debut single “New Song.” And after the current tour ends, he’ll embark on a solo jaunt that will also bring him back to the United States. Though Jones chuckles about the numerically-christened “Celebrating 40 Years.”
“I think the tour promoters always like to give it a name. And then you think ‘Well, how many more can he do? He’s made it to 40!’” Jones laughs. “But it does make me reflective and where I’ve gotten to now. I’ve always thought I was a slow learner, but I got there in the end! Hopefully, I’m getting better at what I do!”
On the setlist for sure is “No One Is to Blame.” Filled with allegories and absolutely relatable to anyone in a relationship who wants to be with someone else (“You can look at the menu, but you just can’t eat/You can feel the cushions, but you can’t have a seat/You can dip your foot in the pool, but you can’t have a swim/You can feel the punishment, but you can’t commit the sin”), Jones calls it “the most complex” song he’s ever written.
“It’s got so many layers. It’s about making a choice between playing the field or sticking with one person. I’m not advocating one or the other. Also, the idea of having someone to blame is very convenient,” he says. “But taking on the responsibility yourself is important. I’m still thinking about all the ramifications of that song to this day. It’s also about frustration. You can’t quite get to where you want to be.”
Jones also discussed a favorite cut that is both deeper in his catalog and deep in theme: “Always Asking Questions.” It’s another one he’s especially proud of.
“It was in the very early days and I’d really realized that I wanted to write a different kind of pop song. To express philosophical ideas, that’s what I was most comfortable with,” he says.
“The idea of challenging the status quo and what we’re presented with and programmed by in school or parents or whatever. It’s not that they’re wrong, it’s that you’ve got to have that seeking spirit to ask questions. Do your due diligence to make up your own mind and not believe everything you hear from forceful or clever people.”
But Howard Jones remains a potent creative force of new music today, as he showed with last year’s Dialogue. It’s the third of a planned series of four mostly instrumental/experimental records, including 2015’s Engage and 2019’s Transform. Final effort Global Citizen slated for release next.
Jones says making a suite of albums was a sort of self-forced challenge to make him stay on his creative path.
“It was a way of making a commitment to doing four new albums, and I have to be a man of my word to the fans!” he laughs. “It made me focus. It’s a lot of effort and time and thought doing a new album. It won’t travel as far as those albums from the ‘80s, but I was able to motivate myself.”
One track on Dialogue with vocals, “Who You Really Want To Be,” mentions the term “lockdown” and indeed Jones wrote most of the album during the pandemic.
“I really couldn’t collaborate with other people and it was just me in the studio. It was really good for focusing,” he says. “My studio in the middle of the house and I’d be on my way to bed but would have an idea and jump in the studio. Then, three hours later, I’d make it to bed!”
Howard Jones also probably had a lot more time to meditate during the pandemic. A dedicated and lifelong Buddhist, he notes on his website that the religion “is teaching” rather than “has taught” him. It’s a spiritual journey he’s happily still walking.
“It’s a practice that I do every day. Just like if you want to keep your piano playing chops up, you have to play regularly. Otherwise, it fades away. It’s just reminding me every day of the Buddhist principles of cause and effect. And how you treat people is really important,” he says.
“Respect the person in front of you now and encourage that person to realize their full potential. And remind yourself of that as well. As human beings, we need to keep on top of that because it can drift into cynicism and hopelessness. I always look for hope no matter what’s going on in the world at the moment.”
One year of moments he won’t soon forget was in 2001 when he was part of the revolving series of musicians touring in Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band. He recalls with excitement playing the Keith Emerson keyboard parts on Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s epic “Karn Evil 9” with All-Star bandmates Greg Lake (himself of ELP and the original singer) and Sheila E. on drums.
But like so many other All-Stars, Jones says he reverted to fanboy mode around an Actual Beatle, soaking up as much as he could.
“It was really great. You get off the stage and the band gets into a van and then you get into a jet and you’re just sitting there with Ringo and [wife] Barbara. And he’s telling you stories about John and Paul from the old days. I was like ‘I can’t believe this is happening!’” Jones says.
“Ringo is a very positive influence. And he wants to be as healthy as he possibly can be and live as long as he can because he wants to see his grandchildren grow up. And that’s very inspiring to me. I had a thoroughly great experience with Ringo.” Jones is 68 and Starr just turned 83.
Finally, when asked if he has any particular memories of Houston, Howard Jones recalls a seemingly cultural clash that actually worked.
“I think it was Houston where we went to a club and people were doing line dancing to techno music and it blew my mind!” he laughs. “What a cultural phenomenon! Texas is a fascinating state.”
Boy George & Culture Club, Berlin, and Howard Jones play at 7 p.m. on Friday, August 11, at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, 2005 Lake Robbins. For more information call 281-364-3024 or visit WoodlandsCenter.org. $20-$199.95 plus service fees.
For more on Howard Jones, visit HowardJones.com
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
