“I’ve been performing comedy and music with my long suffering band The Lemon Squares for over 10 years now, and I always assumed that there was no way to capture the magic of our live shows,” says comedian, actor and sometimes singer John Early of his new album companion to his HBO special Now More Than Ever. “But listening to this album takes me right back to that sweaty night in downtown Brooklyn, which felt something like being a crazed preacher at a tent revival.”
In addition to the material from the special, the Now More Than Ever album includes four brand new cover songs from Early & The Lemon Squares, including songs by Madonna, Aaliyah, Dolly Parton/Porter Wagoner, and Donna Summer. There’s also an exclusive, album-only set from Early’s alter ego, Vicky with a ‘V.’ Says John, ’I’m so excited for people to hear the Vicky with a ‘V’ set that we had to cut from the HBO special for time. And I am so, so pumped about our new cover songs which I think are genuinely good and stanky. I would also like to put it on permanent record that I did the Madonna rap in one take.”
The album’s out today and you can listen to that below.
For more on Now More Than Ever, John told us about 10 influences behind it, including albums by Sandra Bernhard, Bette Midler, Tracy Ullman, Aaliyah, and more. Head below for John’s list and commentary.
JOHN EARLY – 10 INFLUENCES BEHIND ‘NOW MORE THAN EVER’
Bette Midler – The Divine Miss M
Bette’s blending of silliness and sincere covers is my main inspiration as a live performer. This album as well as Songs for a New Depression feature a lot of the songs she performed at the Continental Baths with Barry Manilow, and both of these albums were what I wanted mine to feel and sound like. Do You Wanna Dance makes me cry.
Sandra Bernhard – Excuses for Bad Behavior Part I
Sandra is another huge inspiration for me both comedically and musically. She invented the kind of psychedelic cabaret I traffic in. It is so cool to me that her cover of Sylvester’s You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) actually charted! And I really relate to her devotional intro to that song. That’s how I feel about Aaliyah.
Tracey Ullman – You Broke My Heart in Seventeen Places
I feel like people have forgotten that Tracey Ullman has a whole ass album. All music, no comedy, where she covers artists like Blondie and Doris Day. They Don’t Know is a perfect song with a perfect music video. I love her love of sixties girl groups, which feels very apparent in the production.
Donna Summer – Bad Girls
This album is meant to be listened to from start to finish with absolutely no breaks and no phones in sight! It’s propulsive and heartfelt – exactly what I want my live shows to feel like. I know that she felt stifled by the breathy, coo-y thing she was known for and wanted to rock out and she really gets to do that for a beautiful stretch of songs on this album. We covered “My Baby Understands,” one of my all time favorites, for Now More Than Ever.
Barbra Streisand – Butterfly
This is definitely Barbra’s grooviest album. Are you seeing a pattern here? Beloved gay icons dipping their toes in something a little more rock-inflected? I know from listening to her memoir that this album is the result of one of her weirder, unhappier relationships, but thank god it gave us her cover of Life on Mars which is so exciting and unexpected.
Isaac Hayes – Black Moses
Michael Hesslein and I listened to this album constantly in the car when we were touring Now More Than Ever. We thought a lot about Isaac Hayes for both our Aaliyah and Madonna covers. I am very inspired by his showmanship. The way he teases little bits of the chorus is like foreplay and then when he finally gets to it, it’s orgasmic. I think his Burt Bacharach covers are sublime.
Trio – Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris
This album was playing on repeat in my family’s van on our yearly trips to North Carolina and Virginia. I grew up in Nashville where Faith and Trisha and Martina were always on the radio. I loved those women but listening to Dolly, Linda, and Emmylou aka Trio was like a portal back to something sadder and stankier in country music. We cover “Pain of Loving You” on the album and were inspired by their harmonies for the Neil Young cover After the Gold Rush which we did in my special. Trio is for me what The Andrews Sisters were for Bette Midler.
Mo’nique – I Coulda Been Your Cellmate
Obviously the job of the comedy album is to try and capture the crackling liveness of a performance, and nothing is more crackling than this set Mo’nique did in a women’s prison. To me it is the gold standard of how wild you can get, and it is a huge inspiration for the way my character Vicky with a ‘V’ kills on stage and speaks to “women’s issues.”
Marshall Chapman – It’s About Time… (Recorded Live At The Tennessee State Prison for Women)
Another album recorded in a women’s prison. This time by my family friend, the great singer songwriter Marshall Chapman who, like Vicky, was born in Spartanburg South Carolina. This album was playing on repeat by my parents throughout my childhood. The taste!
Aaliyah – One in a Million
We cover Aaliyah’s Rock the Boat which she did on her final, self titled album, but this is my favorite Aaliyah album. It is totally from the future, but Timbaland uses a lot of live and retro sounds in his production. I want to cover 4 Page Letter with the Lemon Squares, and I want to walk down the aisle to the title track.
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John’s fall tour includes a NYC show with his live band The Lemon Squares at Webster Hall on October 14. All dates are listed below.
John Early – 2024 Tour dates
Fri. Sept. 13 – San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo’s 365 Club – SOLD OUT
Tue. Sept. 17 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Bellwether *UPGRADED VENUE*
Wed. Sept. 18 – Phoenix, AZ @ The Crescent Ballroom
Fri. Sept. 20 – Dallas, TX @ Club Dada
Sat. Sept. 21 – Austin, TX @ Mohawk
Wed. Oct. 2 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop
Thu. Oct. 3 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
Fri. Oct. 4 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig *LOW TICKETS*
Sat. Oct. 5 – Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
Sun. Oct. 6 – Madison, WI @ Majestic Theatre
Mon. Oct. 7 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Fine Line
Sun. Oct. 13 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts
Mon. Oct. 14 – New York, NY @ Webster Hall – SOLD OUT
Tue. Oct. 15 – Boston, MA @ The Wilbur
Wed. Oct. 16 – Washington, DC @ Black Cat *LOW TICKETS*
Sat. Oct. 19 – Nashville, TN @ The Basement East
Sun. Oct. 20 – Atlanta, GA @ The Earl – SOLD OUT
Mon. Oct. 21 – Durham, NC @ Motorco Music Hall