When someone mentions the names Bill Burr, Jerry Seinfeld, or Jon Lajoie, the last thing that comes to mind is seriousness.
These are all successful comedians who thrive in the ridiculous nature of life, and who have built their careers off jokes. However, Lajoie is now breaking off from his very successful career in comedy to pursue the world of serious music.
Lajoie realized that this journey would require him to create a distinct persona, which is exactly what he did when he formed the band Wolfie’s Just Fine, marking a new chapter in Lajoie’s life. .
Talking on the phone from L.A, he states that he got to an age where he realized that comedy wasn’t his only love.
“I [realized] that I would be okay no matter what the response to it was. I just decided to release it under a different name, so that people are clear that more serious stuff is Wolfie’s Just Fine, and the comedy stuff is Jon Lajoie.”
This new album explores ten songs best described as alternative folk, and shows Lajoie in an entirely different light. The album proudly sports the name I Remembered but Then I Forgot, which Lajoie explains came from his youthful mind twisting and wrongfully remembering a Of Mice And Men quote.
I Remembered but Then I Forgot is the first album by Wolfie’s Just Fine. This side project of Lajoie explores different areas of the folk and alternative sides of the music industry. Photo courtesy of Press Here Publicity
This presence of unique names and unusual themes gives the album the same presence of Lajoie that we’ve all come to expect, just hidden behind the soulful sound of Wolfie’s Just Fine.
With such a drastic shift from comedian to serious musician, it can be easy to become confused of who Jon Lajoie actually is. But to fully understand him you can’t separate the different sides of his career.
“The Wolfie’s Just Fine side of things, which is deep emotional connections and general vulnerable truth, is needed. But the other side of the coin is also important. If I was just doing comedy, then after seven years there’d be no way for me to just keep sitting at my home studio thinking of the next funny thing to put out. The way for it to be sustainable was for me to be able to express myself this way.”
That isn’t to say that Lajoie has abandoned his comedic roots however; If anything, it has encouraged his funny bone to become much more prominent.
“Now that I’ve recorded this album and spent so much time working on it and rehearsing to play live shows, all I want to do is write a dick joke. So who knows what’s around the corner. I live in L.A. so there’s always stuff happening that I may have to throw my hat into the pile and talk about.”
Lajoie says that he’s already thinking of material for a second and third album to come in the near future.
Wolfie’s Just Fine’s debut album I Remember but Then I Forgot is currently available on iTunes.
The editor responsible for this piece is Katherine Huitema and can be contacted at khuitema@cjournal.ca.