Interview with @JacksonRathbone of 100 Monkeys and Twilight

No matter how successful entertainers become, they’ll inevitably always remember the first gig—whether it was disastrous, wonderful, or absurdly strange. Gotta Start Somewhere embraces these nostalgic moments by asking established entertainers to retell the first time they ever graced a stage. In this edition, The A.V. Club talks to Twilight star and 100 Monkeys member Jackson Rathbone before the band’s show Thursday at House Of Blues.

Jackson Rathbone: My very first performance, I was in kindergarten. I was living in Norway at the time, in a place called Stavanger, going to ISS international school. My family lived there for like four years when I was a kid.

Anyway, I lip-synced and danced to The Big Bopper’s “Chantilly Lace” all by myself, and I brought the roof down. I don’t remember that much, really. I know I had slicked-back hair and I rolled up my sleeves like I had cigarettes in there. I always loved that kind of music, though, even when I was a tiny little kid.

The A.V. Club: Did your teacher or family encourage you to do this talent show?

JR: I was always the class clown. My mom always says that she got a call from every single principal, every single year, talking about what a problem child I was. I’d always act up in class and goof off to make other kids laugh. So, I think it was my teacher’s idea to make me perform.

I don’t know why I lip-synced. It was the late ’80s, though, so Milli Vanilli was all the rage. Now it would be Ashlee Simpson, I suppose.

AVC: She’ll never live that down.

JR: And she shouldn't. It sucks, but shit.

AVC: Why drew you to do “Chantilly Lace”?

JR: What is there not to love about it? It starts off with that phone ringing and “Helloooooo baby” in that deep voice. It’s so funny, and very theatrical. It makes you want to twist your hips, especially with that lyrical content of “wigglin’ walk and gigglin’ talk / makes the world go round, round, round.” In the ’50s, they knew how to write a good pop tune. The Big Bopper was a radio DJ, and this was his big hit single before he met his untimely end in that airplane with Ritchie Valens and everyone else. I think I loved music from that time, too, because my parents were extremely conservative. I wasn't allowed to listen to other music growing up. I’d sneak to friends’ houses to listen to their rap albums. I grew up on blues and Muddy Waters, though—stuff not of the time. I was listening to music that was 40 or 50 years old at the time.

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