Howard Jones rides the new wave, bringing 40 years worth of hits back to KC

Photo by Simon Fowler

New wave maestro Howard Jones was 15 minutes late to our interview and apologized all over himself. “I’m so sorry for being late,” the musician exclaimed. “It doesn’t normally happen to me, but everyone’s been dead chatty today.”

Naturally, we told him to expect the same from us—and he immediately chuckled. 

In fact, the 69-year-old laughed through much of our chat as we bobbed and weaved through his discography, his videography, and what it was like to perform at Live Aid, back in 1985. 

Last summer, Jones was on a nationwide tour with Berlin and Boy George. This year—in a bit of Brit-pop brilliance—he’s appearing in select cities alongside Haircut 100 and Martin Fry of ABC. You can see Jones et al. performing at the Uptown Theater on Sunday, August 25.

As fate would have it, Jones is particularly looking forward to visiting Kansas City again, which he says is one of his favorite stomping grounds. “I love Kansas City—and I’m not just saying that because I played there in a casino a few years ago,” he says. “That was the most brilliant gig—and the audience was just so there for me. So, I asked, ‘Oh, are we going to Kansas City this time?’ Hopefully, those people will come again.”

The Pitch: I saw you last year with Berlin and Boy George. What a fun trifecta! This go-around you’re performing with ABC and Haircut 100. How did that come about?

Well, it was about waiting to put together the best lineup that we could think of. After the Culture Club tour, that went really well for me. And we wanted to do a tour that was a lineup where, from the very first minute to the last song of the night, people are going to love it. And I think we’ve got that lineup. And I like to be involved with the people I’m touring with and I think we’ve got a great one here. We’ve got different songs and some updated things—and yeah, we’ll be rocking it!

Is there anybody you’d kill to collaborate with—either old-school or new-school?

Howard Jones and Paul McCartney // Photo Courtesy of Howard Jones’ Instagram

Um, I’ve always fantasized about writing a song with Paul McCartney, but, I mean, that’s not going to happen, is it? 

Hojo, I need you to manifest that, friend. It could happen. 

I know. It’s terrible. I’m friends with Brandon Flowers from The Killers. And, in fact, our whole family’s gonna see them in London next week, so I’d quite like to write a song with Brandon. That’s a good one, isn’t it? Yeah, I’d love to do that. But it takes me so long to write stuff. I mean, I’m probably not a great collaborator, really. 

You do realize you inspired a generation with your big hair back in the day, including me. I legit asked for the HoJo hairdo once. Your hair has become your legacy. 

I mean, it’s certainly a part of it, and I’m fine with that. It’s great, isn’t it—that I was able to express myself like that and I had an outlet for it? Visually, as well as the music, it was all part of the creative excitement around that time. The visual thing was a big part of what I did right from the beginning. It was natural for us to make videos and get the clothes right. Fashion is just being creative, isn’t it? I was in my dreamland.

I was very fortunate to have my hairdresser come with me everywhere on tour. It was all hairspray. It wasn’t anything more than that. It wasn’t anything secret. It was just hairspray—and backcombing. And I never did it myself. I always had somebody to do it, so that’s why it looks so good. If I’d done it myself, it would’ve been hopeless. 

For nostalgia, I went back through your video collection. Do you have a favorite video that you’ve shot?

I really loved doing the American version of “Like To Get To Know You Well.”  We did two versions—we did one in London, where I was just going around London shaking hands with people, which was great. But then I got to work with Wayne Isham, who went on to direct Michael Jackson’s videos.

So, he actually came to London and he had me hanging upside down on bungee ropes. I don’t think it’s actually included or didn’t make the cut, but I really loved making that because it was fun. I had to do crazy things, and there was this wonderful sort of handmade animation that they did to it. 

But there was also the “Life in One Day” video, which was my absolute favorite because I got to play all those characters. I don’t think people realize it’s me. We did a fake Top of the Pops which I thought looked better than the actual Tops. The ones I enjoyed are where the director really gave me some exciting roles to play. 

Photo by Tina Hagerling

You’ve got a milestone birthday coming up next February. What are you planning?

Oh, I was either thinking of doing a big gig—maybe doing the Royal Albert Hall or something? Or not making any kind of fuss whatsoever about it. So, I’m in two minds. I haven’t talked this through with anybody.

I really need to think about it more now, because it’s coming soon. It’s right around the corner. We’re looking at places to have my friends and family in London, but I should do a gig for everyone. Should celebrate it.

Speaking of milestones, next year will be the 40 anniversary of Live Aid. What do you remember most about that day?

So many things, I don’t know where to start. Okay, I’ll whiz through them. Okay? Arrived in London, went and did TV, did an interview—very jet-lagged—on the BBC. And then met Diana later that day. She said, “Oh, I saw you on TV.”

Photo by Tina Hagerling

As in Princess Diana?!

Princess Diana! So, she was watching me on TV. Then flew to Live Aid in a helicopter with Brian May and the guys from Queen. Not Freddie. Freddie came separately. I hung out with Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney—and not just like saying, ‘Hello, how are you?’ It was, like, half an hour of chat, because we’re vegetarians and we had a lot to talk about. Linda took a photograph of me and Paul, which is one of my most treasured possessions. We just put it up on Instagram because it was his birthday recently.

I met David Bowie and I couldn’t believe it because he knew who I was and he knew what I was doing. That blew my mind. Watched the Queen show—the best show ever probably in the history of rock and roll. Then got to do my song which was called “Hide and Seek” at the piano. The audience joined me in the chorus. It was sublime. 

There’ll never be another day like it. I’m so grateful that I got to be part of it. It made a difference. It actually saved tens of thousands of lives. And everyone wanted to support what Midge Ure and Bob Geldof had come up with to save people. It was the best event of the ’80s. And yeah, I got to be part of that. That could have been it for me and I’d be fine. 

You’re a proud vegan. What’s your favorite thing to eat? Are you a good cook?

Well, I am. I’ve been a vegetarian for nearly 50 years. And I reckon now I’m sort of 90 percent vegan, but I call myself vegetarian because there’s a bit of dairy still in there. But vegan suits me better than even vegetarian. I’m in this business—this rock and roll business—and I’m still going strong at this age. And I think that may have quite a bit to do with the diet. It’s really been good for me. 

I like to cook. Yeah, I cook a vegan curry. I love roasting vegetables and getting each vegetable the right texture and everything right, and then doing the sauces and everything. 

Photo by Jed Hoile

Real talk! In “Things Can Only Get Better,” where did the “whoa, whoa, whoa-oh-oh, whoa-whoa, whoa-oh-oh” come from? That is the ultimate earworm. It is forever etched in everyone’s brain. 

In the first album, I had all the songs written, all done, all sorted. The second album, I had nothing. I was on tour. For, like, 18 months, we were constantly on tour! So, I had a setup in my dressing room. It was a little recording studio—and that’s where that song was written. 

So, in the evening, I’m out there singing the songs, and everyone’s singing along, and it’s great. It’s the most amazing time. So that vibe of wanting to have something the audience sings along with was part of writing that song. 

You don’t even have to know the lyrics to enjoy that. And then I’d come on the band bus and play it to the band and see what they thought of the song as it was developing. It had the energy of live shows every night, writing during the afternoon, and all those things produced that song.

Call and response songs, for the win! Finally, what’s a hobby of yours that no one would ever know is a hobby of yours?

The thing that I follow most? It’s really ridiculous—it’s Formula One racing. I’m a huge fan of Lewis Hamilton. I’ve been following it, like, since my 20s. It’s not that I want to be a racer or drive fast or anything like that. I just love the pursuit—like, when you study something like that, you can learn things that apply to your own life, right? And then you just incrementally get better at little, tiny things. And it adds up to 1/10 of a second or 100th of a second. 

And I think that’s what I try and do with every show, every tour. It’s like how can we just make it even better this time? Like, tweak this bit, tweak that bit, and then before you know it, it’s better. If you study anything closely, you could learn how to apply that to your own life. So those hobbies or those obsessions can really show you something.

Interview gently edited for content and clarity.