Jason Mraz is a busy man. Fresh off an acoustic tour with Alanis Morissette, Mraz kicks off his own “Mr. A-Z” tour next week with a Sept. 12 appearance at the San Diego Music Awards. In November, he’ll join none other than the Rolling Stones, as their supporting act. Lucky for the Gay & Lesbian Times, the self-described “boy with the fallopian voice” made time in his busy schedule to chat about Elton John, his plans to record an acoustic album and, of course, the good old days at Java Joe’s…

Gay & Lesbian Times: Well, first off, I have to mention that I had the opportunity to hear you jokingly “come out of the closet” on Anya Marina’s show on 94.9 a few months back, which was pretty funny. So on behalf of the gay community, we’re all wondering, does that mean we can officially claim you as “family”?

Jason Mraz: [laughs] Yeah, sure… why not?

GLT: Excellent. I have a theory that your new album, Mr. A-Z, could be your most gay-friendly album yet, for a bunch of reasons. One is that you even sing opera on one of the tracks [“Mr. Curiosity”], which I know is a big part of your live show. Can you share a little about your background and skill in that area?

JM: Well, I got a teaser in high school – my choir director was mad for the classical music, crazy about opera, and he was a gifted singer himself. So every year we would have a few complicated pieces that we would sing, and I was just way into it back in the day, singing those Italian arias. It was just something that stuck with me over the years and it kind of popped out on stage a few years ago, just because I love the sound of a stage that’s full of reverb. And I just started using the opera-thingy, and it just kinda stuck. It became such a fun thing to do at the show. I never thought I’d put it on the album, because at the show I’ve always known it be kind of a surprise effect; but it works for that song.

GLT: Well, it’s a beautiful song. The first time I listened to it, I couldn’t help but think of Elton John. You seem to be almost channeling him in that song, in the vibe and the melody, and I know you do a killer cover of “Rocket Man,” so I was wondering if Elton was one of your inspirations?

JM: Yeah, Elton’s always been an inspiration. And it’s funny, I grew up and probably the first Elton in my generation was, like, “Candle in the Wind,” and then it moved on to Elton John and George Michael singing together, and then you’ve got his greatest hits. And then from there, as I got older, I started going backwards with all his old records. Always been a fan. Always been a fan of his craziness, along with his music.

GLT: Well, let’s move on to another song on Mr. A-Z, “Song for a Friend,” which is pretty much a love song from you to your best friend. Could you share a little bit more of the background?

JM: Yeah, that song is for my best friend, Jerry, who I lived with for about two years when I first moved here to San Diego in ’99, before I had a vehicle or anything. He drove me to all my gigs and he was really the one who kicked my ass, like, “Get up, you’re going to do this, you’re going to do this,” and I owe my career to him, basically. And after the first few years together here, we moved to L.A. together and we got a place, and he paid the rent for the entire first year while I tried gigs, going back and forth from San Diego to L.A. and Sacramento – just all around. And I would pay for the pizza and pay for things when I could. [But] he knew; he knew that things were going to get better someday. He’s just a guy that I’ve done everything with in a very short amount of time. I mean, I’ve only known him for six and a half years, but I feel like I’ve known him for 20 years, with the amount of things we’ve done together – the vacations, the road trips that we take. He lifts me up when I am down, and it’s my role to do the same thing for him. And… he’s always been poking at me for years, kidding in a way that says, “When are you going to write me a song?” And so I finally did.

GLT: You have a blog on your Web site and I’ve noticed that something you often write openly about are some of the challenges and pitfalls of the popular/mainstream music industry, which is something that you tackle in a tongue-in-cheek way on the song “Wordplay.” You poke a lot of fun at yourself and at the industry in that song, but do you get the feeling that some people, critics maybe, aren’t getting the joke or understanding what you were trying to convey with that song?

JM: Yeah, you’re right… You know, some choose to get it and some choose not to. The song was fun for me, and that’s what songs have always been for me. They’ve been therapy; they’ve been gifts to myself, for myself, to share with my immediate friends and family. That’s what they’ve always been. So after the first album and during the creation of the second album, there were a million people just in our team alone that seemed to have all eyes and ears on the project. So I wrote “Wordplay” as a way to alleviate the pressures that I was pushing on myself. And the best way I’ve always dealt with a situation was to make fun of it, to realize this isn’t the end of the world, it’s just another goofy little thing. So, yeah, I wrote “Wordplay” to have fun with this kind of B.S. expectation…

GLT: You’ve recently been on tour with Alanis Morissette, and in November you’ll begin opening for the Rolling Stones. Are there days when you can’t believe who you’re touring with, or is it just getting more exciting as you go?

JM: I think [it’s] both. [But] I honestly have been kind of “reluctant rock star” ever since the thing ever took off from Java Joe’s. Just because I’ve felt everything has been one opportunity after the next since Java Joe’s, and it’s been opportunities, and I’ve said, “Yeah, I’ll try that….” And it’s just kind of snowballed into this other dimension… now I’m all way out in the atmosphere, in the cosmos, and Java Joe’s is now long closed and life is different. You know, some days I’m totally amazed when I turn around and look at where I’ve been, and other days I’m scared shitless because I’m thinking I’ll never be able to come back. … I’ve got a love/hate relationship with what I do, but when I get to meet people like Alanis Morissette and hopefully Mick Jagger – whoever – and just see how these other songwriters and performers live their lives, then that kind of makes it all better – not because they’re celebrities, but because you find out they’re normal people, and they’re trying to figure this shit out too, because they have their friends and family back home that they’re supposed to be calling. So it’s interesting – it’s an interesting little… gig… and I’m learning, I’m learning how to go with it and have fun and be a freak. And if everything does crumble, then we’ll find a new Java Joe’s to go back to.

GLT: Speaking of Java Joe’s and a more acoustic vibe, do you have any plans to put out an acoustic album in the near future?

JM: I’d like to. It’s been talked about, and the label’s totally prepared in case I do turn in an acoustic album next time. And it’s funny because, when I got signed, I was a Java Joe guy and all I was was an acoustic act, and since I got signed I’ve never put out an acoustic record. Part of it is because I’ve just been waiting for the right time to put out the right songs, and acoustic songs I think need to be incredibly beautiful songs that can stand on their own. So I started working on a project back in February, an acoustic album – and then the label hit us up and they needed their B-sides and they needed something for Starbucks… and my little acoustic album kinda got split up… and so I’m kind of starting all over again… But yes, I think my goal for the next album is going to be something acoustic. Also, it’ll give my band a break. It’ll give me a break from having to be a band…

GLT: And your band is changing… You have a new guitar player along with you for this tour. What should people expect from this new tour?

JM: I wish I knew! It would make rehearsals a heck of a lot easier.

Sufjan Stevens, Illinois

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Arcade Fire, Funeral

“I spend a lot of my time listening to nerdy, helpless singers of the Bright Eyes genre,” says Mraz.