Catching up with Motown legend Smokey Robinson

Motown legend Smokey Robinson and Grammy Award-winning bluesman Keb' Mo' will visit Lisle this weekend for a pair of outdoor concerts at Morton Arboretum.

The shows, part of the arboretum's "In Tune With Trees" summer concert series, open Friday, July 24, with Keb' Mo' featuring a special guest, the subdudes, followed by Robinson's performance the next night.

Robinson, 69, who has recorded more than 35 Top-40 hits such as "Tears of a Clown," "The Tracks of My Tears" and "I Second That Emotion," caught up with the Daily Herald recently to discuss a new record, the music business and befallen Motown brother, Michael Jackson.

Q. Let's talk about your new record (due out Aug. 25). What can listeners expect?

A. It's called "Time Flies When You're Having Fun," because that's how I feel about my life. Fifty years have gone by instantly, like, in a flash. And I can't believe it's been that much time, but it has been.

It's all original material, all songs I wrote with the exception of "Don't Know Why," which was made popular a couple years ago by Norah Jones. I love that song, so I did another rendition of that. Then, I have three of my really good friends on there as guest artists: Joss Stone, India.Arie and Carlos Santana.

I am really, really excited about it. I recorded it the old-fashioned way - live in the studio. By that, I mean all the musicians were in there playing while I was singing, which is unheard of in today's recording world. I've been recording these songs for about the last two and a half years and having a ball, man.

Q. How often do you write new material?

A. Always, always, always. Very seldom does a day go by, and I'm not exaggerating, that something of a song doesn't come to me - a melody, some words, or something. A lot of times I don't even pursue them or finish them. But if I think it's a really, really, good idea, then I have this method I do now. I call my voice mail from my car or somewhere and put the idea down on my voice mail. Because ideas come and go and sometimes they'll get away during the course of the day if you don't put them somewhere.

Q. How do you decide which to record? Do you just inherently know?

A. Kinda, sorta, man. I really do. I can.

Many times I've dreamed ideas. I used to have a tape recorder by my bed, you know, and I would dream something and wake up right quick and put it on the tape recorder and go back to sleep thinking, "Oh man that's a great idea." Then I'd wake up in the morning, and it wasn't such a great idea (laughs), you know what I mean? But I basically know the ones that I want to pursue and finish up like that.

My aim is to always, always write a song. I want to write a song. Not so I can get a hit record - my basic ingredient is to have a good song and that's how I've always approached it. The first time I record myself or someone else, I might not give it the right treatment for the world to say that's a great song. But if it's a song, it has a chance to live on and on and on and on in some way. Twenty years from now, somebody could say this is a great song I want to record this, and do it, and the masses of people will enjoy it.

Q. What do you think of the level of talent in contemporary music?

A. You know what? It never changes, man. It's always the same. You've got some great, great young talent out there today, man.

I think we live in a world where the negative is always pronounced. The negative gets all the attention, and not just in music. In everything. And I've always felt every city should be required by law to have at least three TV stations and radio stations that give nothing but good news. Because all the news is bad. They tell you all the tragedies. All day long, you're bombarded with negativity. So of course the music that is negative gets all the attention. That's what everything is based on - the negative.

People are not even concentrating on the positive. There's some wonderful talent out there making music these days and it's a shame they're not getting the most attention.

Q. How did you find out about Michael Jackson's death?

A. I was in a meeting and my wife called me crying and told me that he had died of a heart attack. It was absolutely unacceptable to my psyche. Because Michael was a bundle of energy and he was not overweight and he was a young man ... For him to die of a heart attack was just totally unbelievable. It still is, you know what I mean?

It's just very, very deep. He's going to be missed, man. But he's going to live on forever and ever and ever. Michael Jackson will be here forever because he made everlasting music and because Michael Jackson was an innovator.

There was nobody like Michael Jackson. I've been watching entertainers since I can remember, since I was a baby, and I've never seen anybody quite like Michael Jackson.

Q. Any favorite personal memories? Obviously, you knew Michael in a way a lot of people never got the chance to.

A. Well, you know, my personal memories of him are just that, they're personal, man. I've had many wonderful times with him and many wonderful memories with him. He was my little brother, and I've been missing that part of him for a long time because he isolated himself from basically everyone and I haven't had a chance in years - 10 years or so - to sit down and just say "Hey Mike, how you doing man? What's going on in your life and so forth," on a personal one-on-one. I do miss him. I do love him.

"In Tune With Trees" summer concert series

Where: Morton Arboretum, I-88 and Route 53, Lisle

Featuring: Keb' Mo' at 7 p.m. Friday, July 24. Tickets $47 the day of the concert.

Smokey Robinson at 7 p.m. Saturday, July 25. Tickets $52 the day of the concert.

Tickets: Call (630) 725-2066 or visit www.mortonarb.org.

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