The Jeff Timmons Interview
Published Tuesday, February 28, 2006 by midnight lounge | E-mail this post
Drew Lachey is a dancing maniac on Dancing with the Stars. Did he learn all his moves from you? HAHA! Anybody that knows me knows that I have very limited dancing skills. Drew was always the best dancer in the group and I'm glad that he had his time to shine.
How do you handle being bombarded with rumors, gossip and news about your former bandmate?
I don't mind. I'm very happy for Nick and his success. As far as the rumors, I know Nick and how great of a person he is, so it doesn't bother me at all.
Cool. I can't help but think people often times become a bit numb to all the tabloid fodder that gets put out there, oftentimes forgetting that there's a person behind the headline
Well, it's part of the business and you have to get used to the fact that all the bad stuff comes along with the good. If a person is secure enough they won't get bothered by it.
What can you tell us about the upcoming record?
The new record is more upbeat. I've written and produced all of the tracks with my friends and we've just had a blast making it. Of course you'll hear the ballads that are the standard of what I do and 98 degrees did, but there are some slammin' uptempo dance tracks as well.
That's awesome...will the label be doing any club mixes?Well, I'm putting this out on my own label. I've turned down a couple of offers from some majors so I could keep creative control and market it the way I want to. To answer your question, I would love to do club mixes- I think it's an absolute must. Now it's just about finding the right guy to do them for me.
I couldn't agree more. I think putting a remix together for the club audience only makes the music that much more accessible
It's just the smart thing to do. You have to utilize any and all avenues that make sense for the type of project you are doing, and unfortunately people don't take advantage of the clubs to get their music out there.
I'm sure it's daunting, yet creatively freeing to work without the constraints of a major label. I admire that.
Thanks a lot. It's also tough because you don't have a million dollar marketing machine behind you. BUT- after learning everything I have, I wouldn't have it any other way at this point. I've been blessed with the experience of learning the inner-workings of the business, from production to radio to retail and marketing.
What has inspired you musically for this next release?
Probably the same inspirations that I've had my whole career but haven't had the opportunity to draw upon them. Michael Jackson, Boyz II Men, George Michael, Earth, Wind and Fire, Joe, Quincy Jones, The Eagles, Boston, Journey, Zero 7....I could go on all day but you would get bored!
Zero 7, interesting! Would you say there's a hint of an electro-chill sound coming our way?
A little, I think. I don't want to front and act like I'm well schooled in the genre, but I like the Vibe Zero 7 has and I tried to cop it on some of the songs.
Mainstream perception can be a rather bitter pill to swallow, as most people think that if you’re not cracking MTV’s TRL and top ten lists on pop radio, you’re not successful as an artist. Does it bother you that people instantly classify you as a boyband icon?
A boyband "ICON" would be nice. Unfortunately, most don't consider boybanders "icons." Look, we were considered that because we were four white guys singing love songs with harmony. Not many know that we put ourselves together, got ourselves signed, produced a lot of our own music, wrote a lot, etc. All in all, I don't really mind what people think. I just love and have a passion for music. If I can do that and make a living and take care of my family then I feel like the luckiest guy alive.A solo artist has to persevere in such a industry where so much of it is manufactured...especially when other "bands" in your category were put together by a label, you and the guys were more organic. Do you find the struggle as a solo artist to be the same as a member of a band?
There are always struggles either way in this business. In a band, it was trying to find material that everybody liked and was comfortable with. As a solo artist, it's now become a struggle to get folks to realize that I like to write and perform different kinds of music and get them to accept that. And of course, the business side of things is always a struggle.
Mine was Robert Palmer’s “Bad Case of Loving You (Doctor, Doctor).” What was the first record you bought?
Master of Puppets by Metallica. I'm a huge fan.
What’s recently been added to your iPod?
This is gonna sound weird, but I don't have an iPod that works. I have two and both are broken so I travel ghetto style with a Discman and a pair of big, goofy studio headphones. I have a pretty wide variety of music in my collection. I've been listening to kelly Clarkson's album quite a bit. The production is unbelievable.
Kelly's album is really good, indeed! There's nothin' wrong with rockin' the discman. Have you joined the blog revolution? Do you read any?I've read a couple. I don't have a lot of spare time and when I do I busy surfing on Myspace. I've come across some interesting blogs here and there but haven't gotten into that whole scene yet.
You’re pretty damn cool about having such a large gay following…where does that confidence come from?
I think it was the way I was raised. My parents never discriminated against anyone and preached that to us. I'm a pretty secure guy. My last manager was gay and he kind of opened my eyes about a lot of preconceived ideas that one might actually have about gay people. Fans are fans and people are people- gay or not. Just because I'm straight doesn't mean I don't like to be in the company of dynamic people.
Who screamed louder at a 98 Degrees show when the orange jumpsuits came out; the gay guys or the fifteen year old girls? have you retired those jumpsuits?
You're killin' me with the jumpsuit stuff. I bet I could fish some pretty funky garb out of one of your closets. You'd be surprised, but the women in their 20's and 30's screamed the loudest!
Is there a clause in your contract that at least 75% of any photo shoot needs to be bare-chested?Haha! I'm actually shy about doing that kind of stuff.
Seriously Jeff, you look great – how do you keep your rigid workout routine while on the road?
Thanks for the compliments. I do yoga everyday. I'm on the Atkins diet fairly strictly, too. I try to get to the gym about 3 or 4 times a week.
I asked Jordan this same question. Headlining this most recent tour isn’t the first time your paths have crossed…what would Jordan say about you?
That's a good question. Hopefully, Jordan would say that he has made a friend in the business that he can really trust. That's how I feel about him, anyway.
They're probably hard to come by in such a fickle business. You’ve met many celebrities in your travels. Who were you the most starstruck by?
I'm always starstruck. Stevie Wonder was pretty cool.
are you single right now?
I am single.
What do you look for in a woman?
Of course you always look at a woman's looks first. But there definately has to be more than that. I have to have someone who has a great sense of humor and can put up with my silliness because I'm never serious.
What is your biggest accomplishment in life?Greatest accomplishments: Personally- my children. Professionally- I feel all that I've been fortunate to achieve is great as a lesson.
Is it hard to be on the road and not see them?
Most of the time I don't schedule road trips during time with my kids. Just not getting to be with them every single day is painful.
Be sure to check out Jeff's home on the web. You can sample his upcoming music at myspace and at Tagworld.
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