KING LION – Leon Matthews – NEON LEON

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KING LION with Jason in early 2000s- JASON SCHWARTZ on Maui, Hawaii in a fun moment met King Lion and has to bring him to the people of Maui and the world.King Lion was, in a former life in the music business, Neon Leon, Leon Matthews, famous in the New York City Max’s Kansas City Rage in earlier decades. His hallmates were Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Rickey Lee Jones..more… he now has taken the Nordic countries by storm and is in high demand . A wonderful joy-filled man

Summary & Transcript Below…

1. 1. 1. Summary of Video Transcript: Interview and Performance with King Lion on Maui

• [00:02 → 02:44] Introduction and Warm-Up

The video opens with a vibrant, island-themed chant celebrating Maui’s spirit and lifestyle, setting a laid-back, positive, and uplifting tone. The host welcomes viewers to the show “Mama Presents,” preparing the audience for an engaging conversation and musical performance. The mood is infused with aloha spirit, emphasizing community, love, and the unique energy of island life.

• [02:44 → 08:06] Introduction of King Lion and His First Impressions of Maui

King Lion, a European diplomat and musician, is introduced as an artist with a decade-long career performing across Europe. He shares his first impressions of Maui as a unique, vibrant place with a special spirit and energy that stands out even to a world traveler. He contrasts Maui’s relaxed, friendly atmosphere with the harsher realities of many other places he has visited, emphasizing Maui as a kind of “oasis paradise” and a melting pot of aloha love.

King Lion recounts personal encounters that illustrate Maui’s kindness and warmth, such as a stranger encouraging him to smile during a stressful moment and a playful “smile citation” he received in Lahaina. These anecdotes highlight the island’s welcoming and joyful community spirit. He praises Maui’s natural beauty, clean air, and the presence of dolphins and sea turtles, which are rare in many industrialized countries.

He also reflects on the broader European context, describing countries like Germany, Denmark, and Scandinavia as environmentally conscious but colder and less vibrant in spirit compared to Maui. He notes Denmark’s green energy leadership and contrasts it with the industrial challenges in other parts of Europe.

• [08:06 → 18:54] Musical Collaboration and Cultural Exchange

King Lion shares his experience of connecting with local Maui musicians, particularly Kenny Roberts, and how they spontaneously collaborated despite differences in musical tuning. This collaboration symbolizes a cultural and artistic exchange that transcends boundaries, highlighting Maui’s vibrant music scene.

He expresses his desire to bring Maui’s musicians to Europe to share their talents with new audiences and to help them appreciate Maui’s unique environment and lifestyle upon returning home. He emphasizes the importance of cross-cultural musical dialogue, noting how Hawaiian music has gained interest in Germany and Europe, partly fueled by media like the TV show “Baywatch,” which introduced many to Hawaii’s allure, albeit in a somewhat commercialized way.

King Lion talks about his evolving musical career, from starting as a roadie and punk rocker in New York’s CBGB scene—where he was dubbed the “first black punk rocker”—to living at the Chelsea Hotel alongside legendary musicians and artists. He highlights the artistic growth and freedom he found in Europe, where his uncompromising style was embraced as art, contrasting with the commercial limitations in the U.S.

• [18:54 → 27:34] Music Philosophy and Collaboration

King Lion discusses the creative process, acknowledging that not all songs need to come from one person. He embraces collaboration, recognizing that collective creativity produces richer, more diverse work. He highlights the importance of sharing success and resources for broader benefit, including investing in renewable energy and environmental initiatives.

He also reflects on the role of artists and musicians as societal leaders who inspire future thinking and dreams. Despite the pressures and challenges of everyday life, art provides a necessary escape and a space to imagine a better future.

• [27:34 → 40:32] Live Music Performances and Reflections on Maui’s Environment

King Lion performs two songs live: a tribute to Maui and a love song. The Maui song conveys a deep emotional connection to the island, expressing longing and admiration for its beauty and spirit. The love song emphasizes the need for love and positivity in the world, resonating with the overall uplifting theme of the interview.

Post-performance, King Lion and the host discuss the vital importance of promoting positive messages through music, especially in contrast to negative and violent themes prevalent in other genres like hip-hop or news media. King Lion shares his personal experiences exploring Maui’s natural beauty, including the Road to Hana, and meeting talented local artists such as Marty Dread and Butch Helemano.

 

He notes that Maui’s artistic community is rich and inspiring, suggesting the potential for establishing a local record label to promote Maui’s musicians and bring international attention to their work. The Maui Arts and Music Association’s role in supporting and promoting local artists is also highlighted.

• [40:32 → 48:58] Artistic Vision and Environmental Commitment

King Lion talks about his visual art, describing paintings created with Maui sand and South Pacific water, symbolically incorporating the island’s essence into his work. This connection between art and environment promotes Maui’s natural beauty and encourages people worldwide to appreciate and protect it.

He underscores the importance of inclusivity and abundance, emphasizing that Maui’s lifestyle—where fresh fruit can be freely picked from trees—is a rare and precious gift unavailable in many urban environments. This abundance reflects a philosophy of gratitude and living harmoniously with nature.

The discussion touches on the historic influence of German culture on music (e.g., the Beatles’ early days in Hamburg), underscoring the potential for Maui’s music scene to become a new cultural renaissance. King Lion envisions Maui as a unique place to blend art, music, and environmental consciousness into a global movement of positivity and creativity.

• [48:58 → 54:36] Future Plans and International Collaboration

King Lion shares plans for his upcoming album “Island Style,” which embraces a broad range of musical influences, not limited to Hawaiian or reggae styles. He mentions working with a producer who has experience with major artists and hopes to create an international multicultural artist network.

He reflects on the history of musical movements—punk, grunge, hip-hop—and critiques the negative messages often associated with them, advocating instead for a music culture centered on light, positivity, and respect. He sees Maui as the perfect place to nurture such a movement.

King Lion describes his role as an ambassador of Maui’s spirit and music, promoting the island’s culture abroad while fostering local talent. The conversation reveals plans for future shows and collaborations designed to highlight Maui’s artistic community and its environmental ethos.

• [54:36 → 58:43] Live Performance and Closing Reflections

King Lion performs a heartfelt rendition of “All My Loving” by the Beatles, paying homage to classic influences while infusing it with his unique style. The performance is met with applause and appreciation, reinforcing his role as both a powerful vocalist and a cultural bridge.

In closing, King Lion reflects on Maui’s transformative effect on visitors, noting how even a month’s stay can renew energy and spirit. He praises the island’s natural beauty, community warmth, and the creative inspiration it provides. The host and King Lion express mutual appreciation, and the show concludes with a final musical performance celebrating freedom, community, and lasting memories.

1. 1. 1. Key Highlights

• Maui’s Unique Spirit: King Lion emphasizes Maui as a rare, loving, and inspiring place that contrasts strongly with many parts of the world.
• Cross-Cultural Musical Exchange: The spontaneous collaboration between King Lion and Maui musicians exemplifies the power of music to unite and inspire.
• Creative Collaboration: King Lion advocates for shared artistic endeavors and the pooling of talents to create richer, more meaningful work.
• Environmental and Social Responsibility: Both music and art are seen as vehicles to promote environmental awareness and social progress.
• Positive Messaging: King Lion critiques negative cultural trends and calls for music that uplifts, heals, and fosters respect.
• Art and Nature Connection: Paintings made with Maui sand and water symbolize a deep connection between art, place, and spirit.
• Future Vision: Plans for an international, multicultural music project centered around island style and aloha spirit.

1. 1. 1. Core Concepts

• Aloha Spirit: A pervasive theme of love, kindness, and community that defines Maui’s culture.
• Island Style: A laid-back, thoughtful approach to life and music emphasizing presence, joy, and connection.
• Artistic Growth: The journey from punk rock in New York to international success and spiritual maturity.
• Music as a Universal Language: Overcoming cultural and language barriers through shared creative expression.
• Environmental Stewardship: Using art and music to promote sustainability and respect for nature.
• Cultural Renaissance: The belief that Maui could spark a new wave of positive artistic and social transformation.

1. 1. 1. Keywords

Maui, aloha, King Lion, music collaboration, island style, cultural exchange, environmental art, Hawaiian music, punk rock, Chelsea Hotel, European music scene, positive messaging, reggae, cultural renaissance, Maui artists, Maui Arts and Music Association, international music project, sustainability, community spirit.

1. 1. 1. FAQ

Q: Who is King Lion?
A: King Lion is a European musician and diplomat known for his decade-long career in Europe and his recent integration into Maui’s artistic scene.

Q: What is the significance of Maui in the interview?
A: Maui represents a unique island paradise with a special spirit of aloha, inspiring artists and visitors alike through its natural beauty and community warmth.

Q: What is the “Island Style” album?
A: It is King Lion’s upcoming album that reflects the laid-back, positive, and collaborative spirit of island living, incorporating diverse musical influences.

Q: How does King Lion view the role of music and art?
A: He sees them as powerful tools for social change, environmental advocacy, cultural connection, and spiritual upliftment.

Q: What future projects are discussed?
A: Plans include promoting Maui’s musicians internationally, developing a multicultural music network, and continuing to create and share art inspired by Maui.

This summary provides a detailed, structured overview of the video content, capturing the essence of the conversation, musical performances, and cultural insights shared by King Lion and the host on Maui.

02:44

Today I have a great pleasure. Now, you’ve been seeing me on TV talking to all kinds of politicians, but in fact, this is a diplomat. This is King Lion. King Lion is from Europe. Uh many of you uh that are in the music industry may already know of him. He has been a musical talent recording and performing throughout Europe for the last decade. Yes. And we’re blessed to have him here. Thank you for being here in Maui and on our show. Well, I’m glad to be here in Maui. It’s a source of a very unique

03:16

spirit and energy. Oh, welcome. And that’s important. You know, we all who live here in Maui sometimes we get complacent and forget. Excuse me. I think someone’s riding a bicycle through the Oh, this the bellman. Okay. Sometime we here on Maui forget just how beautiful this place is and how special it is. But you’ve been around the world a lot. What do you think? Special is uh it’s the place I like the most. And uh each year I mean at least I I go through the entire EU. Uh, I do the

03:48

Mediterranean from Crete the aisle of Crete to Greece to Italy, you know, Spain, Ibiza, Jamaica on this side of the world. Well, not exactly this side of the world, but this part of the west side of the the west. And uh when I first came to Hawaii a couple of years ago, I was like, okay. Ah, this is it. uh from the Pacific Rim food to the Jawan music to the traditional music to the people that I meet in the street. Uh for example, this is what I call Hawaiian. I’m walking down the street and uh I was having uh my management

04:27

team wire me money. So there was team should wire money. Yeah. So it was like a little uh you know flimflam and uh because of the time difference and uh you know and Verizon telephone network and all of this stuff. So I was like, you know, a little like, you know, so I was walking down the street. It was the morning I was doing my jogging thing and a woman, I don’t know her, stopped me and said, “Aloha.” And I was like, “Uh, what?” She says, “Ah, don’t look so serious. It

05:01

can’t be that bad, you know.” Hey, look where you are. It’s fine. The sun is shine. I says, “Yeah, you’re right.” She said, “Smile.” And I I smiled and I felt better. And then all of a sudden uh you know my telegram was here you know and then I was walking in Lahina you know and a woman came up and she says hey you’re under arrest I was like oh is this some plane club policeman you know doing something strange and she says ah you’re under arrest for smiling too much

05:28

you know and gave me a smile citation in genie you know I mean you know you know I definitely wasn’t in Bosnia you know it definitely wasn’t Estonia It definitely wasn’t uh Scandinavia or Germany. I mean, you know, it’s been really wonderful here, you know, with all the challenges that the world has in the the near east, the far east, the far west, the near west, and the center. We uh have a little oasis paradise here where yes, people have um I don’t want to call it a Swiss a Switzerland of the

06:02

Pacific, but let us say it’s a melting ground for people to all share in a very loving aloha kind of way. It’s been a great thing, especially if in the right um vibe. So, you’ve been enjoying all kinds of music from here, huh? Yeah, I’ve seen some really good people uh in Aahu. It was like, “Okay, fine. I saw some things.” All right. Yeah. Okay. That was nice. But then I got here and uh it started off with a guy named uh Kenny Roberts and I was sitting in my hotel balcony and I was making my my version

06:38

of a my Thai. I mean I was saying, “Okay, well let’s say I do.” Okay, first time in Kihei to to to live for a while, you know. And uh I said, “Okay.” Mhm. And I heard this music coming up from the pool and I said, “Okay, it’s not a recording. It’s a live guy. Okay, listen. Oh, that sounds nice. Oh, that sounds nice.” You know, so I went downstairs. All the musicians here think, “Well, I’m going to play a club and there’s no one here listening.” But

07:07

that’s not true. No, it’s not how many people it is, it’s who it is. Yeah. And what they’re about, you know. So, what was Kenny playing for? So, he uh was singing some songs Yeah. Uh yes. And I came down and uh I said, “Okay, this is cool.” And the next thing within uh a half hour of a little talking, uh we were playing together and we did some songs together, having never played together before. And I I use a weird tuning, but he says, “Don’t worry, I won’t look at your hands. I can do

07:36

this.” And I knew by looking in his eyes to trust it. And we made some beautiful music. And the people at the end said, “Hano.” And that was my first Hawaiian hanohal, you know, and it was like, okay, this made me feel really good because uh for people appreciating what I do here, that means a lot to me because of the the caliber and the spirit of it of the people who are here and sometime maybe they take it for granted, you know. So I’m going to work on getting musicians to get to go to

08:06

Europe because I have a lot of contacts there now and stuff. So they can come for a month and appreciate that and understand it and uh express themselves to an audience that they would never think would actually be educated and really understand they were doing. And they’d appreciate hear even more when they come back of how wonderful the weather is and how clean the air is and the dolphins are swimming and the green sea turtles and the fresh air and no pollution and you know you don’t find

08:34

that in other places in Europe, Germany. Okay. Petrified dolphins. Okay. Deutsch. Germany. Germany. The leaves are falling off the trees because of industrialization and uh chasing money. So they go to Denmark because they have no beaches anymore, you know. And what’s in Denmark? It’s like Denmark is kind of like the road to Hannah. There’s nothing there. There’s nature there. There’s fish there. There’s the Clean Air Act is there. instead of lots of electricity, their windmill farms, the biggest ones

09:06

in the world, generating power. Uh it’s the most green country, so to speak, in Europe. So the Germans with all their money go there so they can appreciate nature and walk in the rain. And it’s not acid rain. See that? That’s fantastic, you know. And Scandinavia is beautiful, too. It’s pristine, but it’s cold. It’s cold, you know. But there’s wonderful nature and the people are quite educated and appreciate this uh our western pop culture and tradition exchange. Yes, it’s important from

09:38

Denmark here and vice versa and to Germany. Uh Germany has a particular interest in all things Hawaiian. Now, some people may say, “Okay, Baywatch Hawaii.” Oh, but what it does, it it acts as a a thing that gets people to begin to be interested. Whether it’s true or realistic or not, doesn’t matter. The point is that it’s showing scenes of Hawaii and people and there’s a plotline. Great. Everybody’s looking at this saying, “Wow, is it so nice?” And then a person like me shows up and

10:09

they say, “Yeah, is it like that?” I says, “Oh, no. It’s way better than that.” And yeah, but it looks so beautiful and so green. I It doesn’t even come close, you know. Are the girls so beautiful? Better, you know, and it’s like and it begins a dialogue and people start thinking, wow, yeah. Okay. So, in the past two years now, Hawaii did a whammy on me from Aahu to, you know, Maui. Huawei. And uh now I’m showing up, you know, and I always wear my Aloha shirts and I start my show

10:40

off with Aloha. And I wrote a song called Aloha and all these songs. And people just love it. And they buy my paintings that I did of of of Hawaii and and Maui. And I wasn’t trying to do it. And people say, “Oh, I want that so I can have a piece of that vibe and energy.” And then I took all that so I could come back. And how did we meet? Just sort of on a fluke. There we were. Yes. It’s at the car show. That was brilliant. You know, I says, “Oh, at the Iseka, I think it’s called Iseka Plaza.”

11:08

Zea Plaza. And I said, “Oh, we’re going to see some great custom cars, you know, from Maui. got to be good, you know. And we went there and it was and I I met this man running around appreciating some of the same cars, you know, trying to figure out, okay, which ones are which if you could have one. I couldn’t make up my But Purple Haze was looking good because I like Jimmyi Hendricks and The Color Purple. And I said, “Oh, I could see myself cruising around in that, but I’d

11:34

probably wreck that one because I would actually drive it, you know. I wouldn’t just have it sit, you know. I would drive it, you know. I mean, it’s Are you a wild musician? Are you a mild musician? Well, it depends, you know. It’s like uh sometimes it’s good to be mild and other times it’s good to be wild and play with your teeth, you know. You know. So, uh you’re an I can tell you’re an entertainer. You’re football. You’re an entertainer. Yes. So, have you been doing this here in the States and

12:06

in Europe or what’s Yeah. Well, uh, it started with, uh, in Atlantic City in South Jersey. I was a Springsteen Roadie, uh, the Jersey Shore Clubs, you know, where you had to learn the new top 10 every week, you know, and that was really good school because you learned what is a song, what is a pop song, what is it, you know, and uh, and if you didn’t keep it together, you were fired. So after some of that I moved to uh New York and became a part of the Maxis Kansas City CBGB scene and was known as

12:42

the first black punk rocker. It’s not something I named myself. Journalist uh did that like the Village Voice and so forth. And that was a scene with like Blondie and uh the Ramones and my name then was Neon Leon. So for those of you who have may have been there and seen that stuff and heard about Neon Leon’s dead, yes, he’s dead man, but King Lion is the new one. So, you know, that’s that, you know, cuz I had to kill off that persona because it wasn’t me anymore, you know, and uh and what it

13:13

represented at the time was fine. But then I I changed in other ways. I would say it grew. So, I left New York behind after uh a seven years apprenticeship living at the Chelsea Hotel, painting, having all these professors and world famous artists and musicians all living there and going knocking on doors and saying, “Oh, I heard your music. Who are you?” “Oh, wow. You look like Nico from Velvet Underground.” I am, you know, and she would play funeral dures all night. You know what I mean? And next to me was Tom

13:45

um Tom Waits and Ricky Ricky Lee Jones. They were my next door neighbors and they used to hang out at the Elkihoti which is right by the Chelsea Hotel. It’s a part of the lobby so to speak. And every night, usually if they were in town, they would have so many margaritas and so much tequila, you know, I would come home from gigging at Maxis Kansas City or some after hours club and they’d be they didn’t quite make it in the door, you know, and I would put them in the door, me and my girlfriend, and shut

14:12

the door to sit vicious and Nancy sponge to seeing Bob Dylan sneaking down the back hall with some blonde and you know, yeah, the Chelsea Hotel. Then I went to Europe with what I’d learned from there because Europe was very interested in this New York arts music scene and for the American uh music business it wasn’t really commercial because it was so uncompromising you know but in Europe it had more audience and yes there was all of a sudden you were playing say in New York for 25 bucks right and you caught the

14:49

plane and landed you know, and you got $1,000 for yourself. I mean, you know, it does affect you. Like, wait a minute, you know, and my friends say, “Wow, we should have come here sooner.” You know, and I mean, okay, what’s that? So, that was the lure of like being able to make a living without compromising because they considered it art and CBS considered it noise, you know. So Warner Brothers Europe said, “Okay, great. What’s the publishing?” I I said, “Okay, let’s do the deal.” I said, “What

15:24

about 7030?” And I says, “Okay, 70 for them, 30 for me.” Okay, but better than nothing. And I says, “Okay.” They said, “Okay.” And I looked at the contract and it was 70% of the publishing for me and 30% for them. I mean, you know, I was okay. That’s a generous contract. Yeah. I would say, “Okay.” And he says, “Uh, do you need some money?” I said, “Yeah, why not?” Okay, you can borrow against the publishing and uh that was good, fantastic. So I did a nice little

15:52

apprenticeship in Scandinavia which was quite good and that was fun. And now it’s this period of time. So it’s time to take all of that and that knowledge and uh bring a new day like you had Seattle, right? Grunge. Okay. And uh you had uh punk rock. Okay. You know, and uh I think maybe it’s Hawaii’s time because it’s time for some positive stuff. You know what I mean? Like hip-hop, everything is fine. It’s all great. But what’s the message? You know, and in these days, in these

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troubled times that we live in now, you know, it we need something to uh as Bruce Springstin said, it’s it’s time for a rising, not revenge, you know, not no, it’s time to rise and and take the high road in it and go up spiritually inside to make the world a better place. People say, “Oh, what can one person do?” Well, okay, look at Jesus Christ. Look at Buddha. Well, you know, Adolf Hitler. Hey, you know, one person can do a look, they can do a lot in any direction. Yes. And what I found is together we who are

17:13

individually doing a lot exponentially can bring this potential up into a great actualization that really is beyond our original vision. And that’s even better. Oh, that’s where we meet. You know, it’s like that’s how I got mostly attracted to you initially was I saw that you were an artist who had a vision of a greater tomorrow that the successes that you have and share you want to share with others. That’s the point. And be able to share to be an example, a positive example. And in this kind of time,

17:49

positive role models is a really wonderful thing. It’s like my new album which is going to be uh it’s tenatively called island style. I was going to call it jawan style but then I said okay that’s too restrictive. So then I said island style to encompass the mentality of people who live on islands and uh because it’s a laidback and so forth. Take time to think smell the roses or the uh hibiscus or whatever you want to call it. Uh take some time to to look. And our meeting was kind of

18:21

like something from a Jonathan Redmond book like Celestian Prophecies and Insight so that like-minded things get together and make something even bigger. So I see these musicians. I’ve got this album that I’m going to work on. I’m not concerned about whether all the songs are written by me. Okay, maybe I only have four good songs. I wrote 20. And maybe Steve Sergeanti has one or two, which he actually does. Hey, Steve, you know, and maybe Kenny Roberts has something. And maybe Marty Dread uh going to do

18:54

something by Butch Halamano and an arrangement by Roots. Why not? Why not? Absolutely. You know, and maybe one of them is a big hit, maybe internationally. And wow, everybody got some money and you know, and everybody’s happy. Who wants to ride in a Rolls-Royce alone if you want to ride in one? I mean it’s who wants to be the person with all the money and everybody else is suffering and starving. I mean I agree and the fact that see like I say take some of the money that’s made as a

19:26

record company or whoever you want to say and put it towards supplement development of renewable energy other environmental programs create demonstration technologies save the planet. That’s the power of music and art and working together. Yeah. The fact that you could write 12 songs or you maybe have 12 great songs, but then that’s enough for three albums because you brought in other people besides and by all of us working together, you have many more people out there promoting and sharing this wonderful

20:00

product them. Otherwise, sometimes someone wants to do everything and they end up being in their own a jack of all trades and master of none. You know, it’s like there’s nothing wrong with asking for help. There’s nothing wrong with asking questions. Uh there’s nothing wrong with any of that. It there’s nothing wrong with collaborations, you know. Uh all of us can’t be Bob Dylan, you know. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I mean, uh I wish I could just turn out songs like

20:27

Bob Dylan, but I can’t. But oh, it’s nothing wrong with me doing a Bob Dylan song because that’s what it’s there for, you know. There’s nothing wrong with quoting Shakespeare. That’s the genius of it. It’s like it’s here, you know, to be used and to be shared to make a better better hole. And maybe we’ll get Bob Dylan to come down and join us because we’ve got you know project that involves a demonstration to the whole world that we as musicians and artists

20:53

have something to give to lead into uh you know there’s many that think that musicians and artists are outside of of uh mainstream society. They’re just observing it. They’re the fabric, you know, art and music are the more lofty, sometimes people call the more lofty um arts that really allow people to relax and think about the future. And that’s where the dreams are made, you know, so having to work for a living and a regular typical job. I have nothing against McDonald’s or any companies and

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everything, but there’s something that the public rushes out to embrace the artist because they see in order man and woman at leisure that are able to create something outside the box. Outside the box, outside the matrix and sometimes you have to step outside of it to see it. You know, we can go on and I want to be sure we may come back, but I would like to get you um singing a couple of songs. Would you do that? Yeah. Yeah. I’d love it. Okay. My pleasure. We’re going to be right back and have uh King Ryan singing

22:02

a couple of songs. I’ll let you introduce him. Right back. Watch this. The magic of television. Okay. This is uh a song I just completed on this trip uh to Hawaii. And it’s uh it’s called Maui. The tenative title is called Maui. Maybe that changes. But here’s the basic [Music] thing. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. There’s a place in the South Pacific Ocean where my ram then so does dwell. And I know the time is coming when my heart will cease to heed

22:53

that lonesome call. It’s that call and it’s that feeling in my soul that keeps my heart rambling down the road. And I know someday soon I’ll see you in your smiling face. and my sunny southwest Maui keyway home. Well, there’s so much now that I’ve seen in this old world, but one thing just hurts me till the end. It’s the people that cannot live together. Don’t want to waste their lives on love and living free. But I’ve got a call and I’ve got a feeling in my soul

23:49

that kept my heart rambling down the road. And I know someday soon I’ll see you in your smiling face and you’re my sunny southwest Maui Kihei home. [Music] Now the time has come. Time to leave this old world. Lord, I’m weary and I want to settle down cuz I cannot waste my life on these people without eyes. Time to get back and live life like I should. Cuz I’ve got a call and I’ve got a feeling in my soul that keeps my heart rambling down the road. And I know someday soon I’ll see

25:10

you and your smiley face and my sunny southwest Maui Kihei home. [Music] And uh one more please. Song about love. I’ve heard of love. And uh love you know the Beatles said all you need is love. And uh that’s what we need more and more of that you know is somebody spit on you don’t spit back you know because that just builds on the negative and you just get more and more find someone to love and try to do the best you can and spread [Music] that [Music] yeah I want want to wake up with

26:10

you. I want to be there when you open your eyes. I want you to be first thing that I see. I want to wake up with you. I want to lay by your side. I want to feel it the beat of your heart and throughout the night. Want to love and squeeze you right. I want to wake up with you. All the love inside me has been sleeping. Oh, waiting for the right one to come along. [Music] You can share the love I’ve been keeping, baby. You can put the music to my song. [Music] D. I want you to be first thing that I

27:34

see. I want to wake up with you. I want to wake up with [Music] you. I want to be there when you open your eyes. I want you to be first thing I see. I want to wake up with you. Oh, I want to wake up with you. I want to wake up. With you. I want to wake up. I want to wake up with you. Instant television. We’re back. You are a pleasure to be with. You know, you have um very positive, uplifting energy. You know, I like you like to choose material that’s uplifting and kind of leaves you with a

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good flavor afterwards, you know. Yes, protest is fine. But and the news is fine, but uh you know, if you want to go oo, you know, turn on CNN. Well, you probably you can get all the When we were meeting there, I was there covering a couple of political candidates that were there at the car show. One of them has a vehicle. Bratis Johnson had an old car, you know, and I do politics like you do your songs like I do my songs. I’m there to see how can I add a little something to put a positive spin on it. What can we do to make this

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a better world? and you know want to wake up with you and being in Maui and being happy and sharing positive message that’s really really a wonderful thing. What kind of material do you find? I know you found Steve Sententi song. Oh the road to Hannah there’s nothing there. I love places where there’s nothing there you know there was not even time share you know I mean oh funny I mean I survived the road to Hannah. I mean uh people told me about that. Oh jeez. It used to be it was a hard road.

30:00

Now it’s it’s a matter of surviving being in a traffic jam at the moment. Well, when we went I you know she my girlfriend drove first and you know and me I was like oh look over there look over there you know and she’s like you know and then uh on the way back driving I understood too because uh I mean uh it definitely wasn’t Ottabbon uh which is an incredible super highway but by far not as interesting as the road to Hannah. It was just beautiful. most fantastic nothing else I saw in a long

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time to road to Hana where of course we don’t want to give away the song but many of you know people talk about the road to Hana that they get there and there’s nothing there no Taco Bell no used car lot no no swimming pool and no time share yeah great absolutely fantastic absolutely and then you you saw Kenny Roberts music also oh yes yes yes and he’s got a few songs and uh then uh I met this guy um Marty Dread Marty Which song are you looking for, Marty? Uh, I’m going to pick up a CD, you know,

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because I wasn’t really familiar with his material. Lono does a couple of great covers. He was another great guy. Lo’s another great guy. Lono was definitely happening. I saw him the other night. Lol manager. You know, it was like some good material to choose from. We all I found more interesting artists in Maui than I did in Oahu. You understand? No offense to Oahu. I love Oahu. Butch Halamano players of instruments. Absolutely. you know, uh, absolutely fantastic. As he says, life is what you make of it. But

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there’s just so many talented people. I was thinking, God, maybe I’m I’m supposed to make a label here, you know, and that’s what we’re doing here. And and do this. Exactly. Right. You know, great talents here and here. If you may recognize this Maui Arts and Music Association is to be able to promote artists and bring the money back here to supplement the development of technologies. That’s that social thing. It’s like bonoism. Sting and bonoism. Okay. You know, it’s

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like we hope that you uh both have Sting and Bono come here. This is the kind of thing. Part of what we do. I was with Sting at a thing called the Brazilian Rainforest Project, right? And uh New York. And that was fun way back in the day when I was so much older than I’m younger than that now. you know and uh that was the beginning of some of my realization about the environment and stuff like that through music and uh I mean okay say okay I’m not a millionaire yet but I am you see because it’s all in

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the mind you know it’s um things come if you’re not looking for it comes but uh then when you get it it’s like it’s almost more trouble than it’s worth so you might as well give half it away which my um old manager hated this attitude about me why are you going to go to Russia and play. There’s no money.” I says, “Yeah, but you know, everybody’s poor, so I might as well go and play, you know, and try to help them, teach them English, you know.” And they said, “No, you’ll you’ll never make

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this thing because it was Eurovvision, which is the Eurovision Song Festival, which is about a 60-year-old project.” And uh so I I submitted a song to Lithuania. I don’t speak Let And uh the girl didn’t speak English, so I hired a translator. the studios are bad. So we flew her to Denmark where the studios are high-tech world class. After one day she went back with the song, my manager and everybody said, “You’re on drugs. Is he’s worthless. He’s useless. He’s lost his mind. You

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know, what’s this that he’s doing?” You know, you catch that. So then the final thing was after I’d been dropped from my contracts, I got a phone call from Lithuania saying, “King is Linus, ah this is Budvidas. We’d like to from Eurovvision and uh the Symphony Orchestra of Lithuania and the National Cultural Ministry. We’d like to say congratulations. You’re one of 15 finalists out of 145 songs. Can you come for major cups press conference on Thursday? Hey, fantastic.

34:09

Right. Okay. Now, all the experts said, “Forget about it. It’s impossible.” And we broke two Eurovvision records of having two uh different songs from the same team in two different countries at the same Eurovision, same year, and all both made the finals. So, dreams can come true. It can happen to you if you’re young at heart. You know, it’s a you have to believe. You have to know when to when you’re recording, you got to know when to stop or have someone that you trust that tells you, “Okay,

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it’s enough now.” And trust them and go along with it. Relinquish your power sometimes to somebody else who might know something different and another perspective on it than you do because you’re too close to it to see the forest for the trees, you know, and the miracles can happen, you know, if me can wind up having a hit song, you know, in the Baltic states, Lithuania and Russia. Come on. And I don’t even speak Russian. All the odds were against it, but it happened anyway, right? Because I shared

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I didn’t think about the money. Now they invite me there to make money. I going to go to San Remo Festival with a whole bunch of people that I can’t even talk to. But does that let us stop us? No. We just play the music. I have a blues band. It’s part Russian, part Lithuanian. They sound like, you know, 70-y old black guys from Mississippi. They know more about blues than the average American does. And so we do jazz and blues festivals, you know, and the crowd goes crazy, but we can’t even talk to each other. So we

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don’t talk, we play and we share it. Well, it sounds like we’re really um the universal language of music and art and art and environment. Networking is also an art, you know. Well, I hope that you will become and love. Goes without saying, but and love. Aloha. Aloha. Do you know that? I found that aloha means God in Hebrew. Isn’t that fantastic? Lost tribe of Israel. See, there we are. Well, it all goes back, you know, it to the beginning. It’s all very clear. You were meant to be here from

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the beginning. You know, it’s like we’re going to be singing together. I can tell. Yeah. Jason’s got a really great voice. Well, we’re going to get to that. That’ll be That was really cool. You know, everybody needs to leave Maui for one month so that then they can come back so they realize what they have and who the people are that they’re around that they take for granted and say, “Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.” It’s the the problem with paradise sometimes. It’s so good

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you don’t realize you’re in it anymore, you know? Yeah. So, I would like to send everyone to Estonia or Lithuania to the countryside for those of you complaining about you don’t have enough money and wow, we only have three cars and uh oh gee, I have to do two jobs. Well, there’s many people in the world who wish they had one job besides picking up 10 cans and smashing them down and trying to sell them so they can feed their family. You know, you’re rich already. So, begin to enjoy your riches

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already. It’s not about money, you know. Yeah, that’s just frosting on the cake. It comes and it goes and you can’t take it with you, you know, and you can’t really buy time with it. You only have so much time. So, you should use in a positive way to come back to you, you know. This is what I believe and what I live by. And it’s been lucky so far. You know, I’ve got to go around the world and say this stuff. You know, it’s like, wow, I get to be here and hang out for a month

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and not have two jobs. playing music, art, being nice to people, listening, sharing. Isn’t he terrific? You know, it’s easy. We only get a king lion here once in a while in this persona, but all of us who embrace that same feeling here. I maybe that’s what is attracted here. You know there are great people with loving hearts that you come here you already had it in you but somehow you now stop and you realize you’re in a land where that is the pervasive it’s the common thing and it’s

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like so I feel home we’re glad I feel home here that’s why I wrote this song about my sunny southwest Maui Kihei home finishing it off here at this hotel after listening to such beautiful artists meeting you people in the street at the car show to this meeting people constantly to the waitress to the policeman saying oh aloha what’s happening many of us here believe that we can have paradise if we learn to put the positive spin on everything we do and share that loving spirit well it’s

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easier to look at the negative side of something you know that’s like the easy route oh I don’t have enough money oh I don’t have no you got what you need right you know, don’t dwell on that. You know, it’s like today I was in U Haiku and I was there and you know, there’s nothing there, but everything was there and I was hungry and okay, there was no store around, but it was like, hey, wait a minute. Steve uh kind of read my mind, walked over to a tree and grabbed an orange and handed it to

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me. I opened it up. It was perfect. Sweetest orange I ever had. Then he bent over and picked up something kind of like a passion fruit and said, “Try one of these.” Okay. Right off the vine. Perfect. Couldn’t be fresher. Way beyond the store. And God gave it to me. You know, through Steve. Yeah. And And over here is another thing. Try one of these, man. You know, passion fruit. Yeah. You know, uh Yeah. Yeah. You know, he says, “This one’s a little sour.” Yeah. Yeah. Okay. Let’s go

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for it. Yeah. Okay. Let’s finish the orange. Okay. Let’s over here by the waterfall, we got some nuts. Let’s try some of these, man. Yeah, there you go. I was rich. You know, if I would have gone to the the shop down the street, that would have cost me 10 bucks and it wouldn’t have been as good. So, I mean, you know, you’re surrounded by I mean, just the sunset that you have every night that more people just stop and look at it. Appreciate what we have. I bet so. Maybe tonight when you see the sunset,

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you’ll appreciate people come from all over the world to enjoy the sunset that we have every day. What a blessing. And to go up to Halaka and see the sunrise. I mean, when was the last time you were at Halaka at the top? Oh, it’s for tourists. No, it’s for everyone because there’s a a power in it. You know, it’s like seeing how it was in the beginning and how will always we be and when we come and pass and this time shall go, it’s still going to be going on. And it’s a source of power and energy and

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inspiration that hits something primal within us all. That’s why people fly from all over the world and take boats from all over the world, you know, and save for years or whatever to get here to just take part for one week so they can feel alive. This is sponsored by the Maui Visitors Bureau on his chest. No. Yeah, but I’m for it, man. You know that feeling that you feel that’s wonderful because that is really what everyone want everyone wants to have delivered. You got it. I mean I go

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to the beach you know. Okay which beach today? So I go to the beach and it’s like I got so much energy from being here. It’s like okay I’m painting on the beach and at first I was saying god all this sand is getting all over the painting. But then I said wow yeah of course there’s sand on the painting. A little bit of Maui is actually on the painting. Then I said, “Ah, for the paint, I might as well use the water from the South Pacific.” Yeah. So, the painting is actually done with water

42:00

from the South Pacific and Maui sand, you know, and I’m going to take this back to Europe and they’re going to say, “How much do you want?” And I’m going to say, “Well, I can’t put a price tag on it.” And so, my art agent will say, “Oh, blah blah blah blah blah.” And, “Okay, that’ll be another ticket to Maui.” And I’ll sell the other one. And, “Okay, Genie gets one.” Okay. Okay. We got two tickets back. Okay. you know, so I’m

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going to do a lot of paintings about Hawaii so I can sell them to get back to Maui, you see. And it promotes it promotes Maui and people look at I’m just painting about nature and the musicians, you see, and people look at that then they want to be there and they get a little bit of energy and they get a little bit of sand and they get a little bit of the water there in their home, a little bit of this energy and when they’re feeling bad, they’re going to look at that painting and say, “Oh,

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maybe I could.” And one day they say, “Maybe I will.” And then one day they say, “We’re going.” And then maybe one day they get here and they see what we’re doing here and they and they want to join in back with them the dream of Maui, environmental solutions that they saw here, a responsible integrated way of living, a positive attitude, all of it together to make this a better world in all ways. You know, it really is so important to be inclusive that everyone

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wins cuz there is truly abundance. You know, like you said, you take an orange off a tree or a little coin. You can’t do that everywhere. Do that in New York City. I dare you. Do that in the middle of Paris. I dare you. You can’t. I give you $10,000 right now. you can do it and you can’t, you know, but you can just go letters to him visit your friend, you know, and you’re hanging out and you’re walking through and you and you had your lunch. Okay, that looks good, too. And it’s no

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problem. We’re lucky here, aren’t we? Yeah. Incredibly lucky. I hope that you will come and join us. Do you have any art easily available for us to see now, or should we I send you some things. Okay. because a work in progress. I rather you see it at the end. You know, obviously there’s so much more to share with uh King Lion. You know, it only happens once in a while that I get someone that sort of finds their way into the mama world. You know, we didn’t go to your agent to find you.

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We just found you just sort of natural. It was just a natural meeting, perfect time. And it’s uncanny how we’ve we found we agreed about the same song from the different artists. Very funny. That was very very funny. It’s like so um I know that we’re going to be sharing music and positive ideas. Yes. And you’re going to be part of our I trust we hope to have a series of shows and annual promoting art and music. King Lion, we hope Do you have a name for your new Oh, that’s a perfect face.

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What a kingly face. Do you have a name for the album yet? Uh tender the title was Jawan style but I’ve change it now it’s to island style. Okay. So that it’s not as restricted because some of the tune may be country. Oh no no no. Well it could be Sony. You know we’re me and the producer doing it without that. Okay. He’s the one who had the hits with Tom Jones. You know he’s got the money. But at the time you come to break down the door. Yeah. Oh, not Tom Jones. No, Tom is

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cool. Tom is cool. Tom Jones is great. You know why? See, he decided that managers couldn’t be trusted. So, he got together with his wife, you know, and they had their son and his son is his manager. Oh, yes. That’s why he’s current. and his his son said, “Wow, this is great Turkish German multiculty again. Guy named Moose T. You should have him do the song.” Next thing, Tom Jones is back with Sex Bomb and all this kind of stuff. And isn’t that current and I luck out and

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now this guy is doing me. So, okay, that’s funny. And I hope it works so I can expose these artists here and then be the the liar song uh between the moose tees of the world and I can be here and they can call me up and I can say okay yeah Marty Dreadmont you know check this out let’s distribute this in Germany let’s uh distribute it here there you know that’s that’s what’s needed we want this international multicultural artist merge you know I think it’s really a fantastic Let’s

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license a Christian Reese Lassen painting for the cover of that CD or George Allen or John Petri or Dawn Petri, you know, uh or Wand, you know, and have some of those things on the covers of stuff exposing the nature and so forth for this movement. Remember, at one time, uh the Beatles were unknown. They were called the silver Beatles and they hung out in German. There the German connection is very interesting and all this stuff. And uh Liverpool was a little sleepy port like Lahina, so to speak. And uh you know a lot of people

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said there was nothing there and uh the Beatles and they had was all these groups man hanging out and they didn’t really realize who they were and then some people came along and said wait a minute and uh some Germans got involved and had them all playing hamburg and and a whole thing happened that changed the world. All you need is love. That’s right. Now, and then after a while, it swung the other way and we got into the negative thing. You know, the music of darkness and things like this is fine because you got to have

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both. Now, it’s time for light again and this time of war and rumors of war, etc. and so forth. So, wow. The most light place that we have found in our little pilgrimage is these islands here. and the music and the art. It’s like Rome with Carvajia and Bernini and Leonardo da Vinci except the name is John Petri and Christian Ree Lawson. And what are the paintings are about? The Pope sponted the last Renaissance. Maybe there’s a new renaissance happening in the new millennium. Why not? If everyone

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believes in it enough, maybe it is. We are. We’re in the perfect place to synthesize and work all this together and share with the world. It’s unique. It’s a great thing. It’s absolutely unique. Well, thank you for spotting it. Yes. You’re really I feel like I’m hearing my words coming out of someone else. A pleasure. We hope that you will join us again. King Lion, Maui, Maui, King Lion, we hope to all get your album and be part of a future and have you part. And you’re all a part of the album anyway

48:58

because I couldn’t have done it. Thanks for letting me be the puppet to, you know, take the feelings from here and be able to channel them. Thank you. And I’ll be responsible with it. You know, we’re going to have a good time. A real good time. Aloha. Thank you very much. And mahalo. Ah, mahalo. Aloha. Okay. Thank you for joining us to see you again. Great. And I mean what I say about New Liverpool, you know, it’s like uh Seattle. There’s like these new movements that the record business kind

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of supports for a while. They don’t care if it’s good or bad as long as it’s making money, you know, and they can figure out a way to package it. So Seattle, what was that? Heroin, you know, you know, and uh so a lot of kids die and they sell a lot of heroin and blah blah blah blah blah. Okay, that’s over. Oh, hip-hop. Yeah. Blah blah blah. Yo, shoot the in the head. Oh. Oh, that’s real positive, isn’t it? Okay, that’s kids want to grow up and be gangsters. What? Oh, yeah. I want to go

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out and be Al Capone and sell crack. I mean, you know, hello. Hello. And I want to abuse women and call them I mean, you know, come on. This is not it. Everybody knows this isn’t it. Come on. Respect. Come on for one another, old people. You know, it’s like, hey, Abraham, Abraham was a Jew. He was a Muslim. And he and he was a Christian, too. He was a father of all. You know what I’m saying? I mean, you know, it’s in the bosom of Abraham. Come on. Let’s get back. There is no difference. It’s the

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same Yahweh. It’s the same. It’s the same. It’s the same. It’s the same. And wow, what’s left? New York has been done to death, you know. And what’s that’s bad drugs, too. London, more bad drugs, blah blah blah, because it’s influencing the scene. So, what do you have now? You have what’s left? Uh, a crackstan music. I don’t think so. They don’t allow music. So, okay, now they So, they’re not ready. You know, Scandinavia’s been done with ABBA to uh Barbie Girl and all

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that kind of stuff. So, that’s done. Germany, it don’t work, you know, because they sing with too much of a German accent and there’s too much visions of World War II. So, it just doesn’t work. Especially in America, it’s not going to happen. So, what’s left now? Okay. Okay. We did Girl from Epana. We did that scene. That’s done. you know, uh, they did the Africa Humasakila blah blah blah. Okay, that’s done. You know, uh, Enrique and Julio and, uh, you know, all of that, the

51:28

Latin thing, Shak Shakira and all. Okay, that’s done. Oh, the mainland’s the mainland is done. Britney Spears, boy bands, done. Saturated enough. What’s left? Okay, Bob Marley dead. So, we can’t do that. And that scared people. Okay, so what did the Hawaiians do? they adopted this and have made a new thing and vibe with music. And I’ve seen that all these people in Europe love it. You know, when I get into like the Hawaiian thing and this Jawan stuff, everybody goes mad. The woman down in Austria,

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right, in St. Anton, which is a fabulous exclusive ski resort, she says, “Okay, from you, I just want reggae, just this Hawaiian stuff, man, and wear those Hawaiian shirts.” I said, “The whole night?” She says, “Please.” I’m like, “Okay, you’re the boss. I don’t mind.” And what happened? Boom. I started doing just straight Jawan stuff in these songs I wrote about Hawaii. And the dinner thing began to be like people was just dancing and packed in lines six nights a

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week. And when I wasn’t there doing it on my night off, the business dropped. Wow. And people call up and make the reservations. The in Denmark at this place, Topland, high season, we’re doing 600 uh dinners a night. We turn the tables over three times a night and all I’m doing is the same thing again. Starting off with Aloha. I’m playing uh Makana Sons and and these Maha Sons and the greatest hits of Hawaii, you know, it’s from Blue Hawaii to the the drum song to a waterfall, you know, and that’s what’s

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played in between in Denmark to all these families and everybody’s like, “Oh.” And they all leave like, “Okay.” And they say, “Hey, can you order us Hawaiian shirts for the whole staff?” “Okay. Uh where can we get some lays, you know?” “Okay. Can you do some paintings of dolphins and volcanoes and stuff to put on the walls?” Okay. Hello. And then as I leave, the guy says, “Can you go by mama’s fish house for me? And there’s an apartment

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building. I can’t remember the name of it. The condos. Could you get the number? Because I think uh next year when my son’s old, I’m going to take my wife and son so they can see what I went through when I was surf champion and so forth and they can share in the spirit of Maui. It’s the writing’s on the wall. I think so. I think so too. The writing’s on the wall and uh I feel like uh I’m an ambassador and I guess I am. And you are it’s great. And you you’re really funny.

54:07

It’s great. And you got a really good big voice with a lot of feeling in it, you know. It’s like, yeah, you should definitely uh sing more because that also will help maintain the even better balance, you know. And damn the torpedoes because of course some people are going to say, “Oh, no, no, no, Jason, don’t you sing. Don’t you sing.” That’s because you just make them feel maybe a little insecure. This This happens, you know, so you don’t listen to it. I know it’s time to sing.

54:36

Sing even louder. We’ll get a chance to do some of that stuff here very soon. Yes. You know, why don’t we stop and say hello to the ladies? Yes. Yes, we’ll do. Well, I don’t know if we’re on or not, but why? So, when you play uh what’s the name of the place again? Cafe Tropeland in uh Denmark. Cafe Tropeland in in and Blovin Denmark which is blue water translation is the furthest western point of Scandinavia. Next stop England and United States. Oh well. It’s a very serious place too. I bet it’s serious.

55:19

So you’re going to play us a song in honor of the serious place? Yes. Yes. Yes. Okay. Please do. This is uh dedicated to the song by the Beatles. The Beatles. The Beatles. goes a little bit like [Music] this. I was into Close your eyes and I kiss you. Tomorrow I miss you. I’ll be true. I’ll be true. And then while I’m away, I’ll write my way every day. And I’ll send all my alohas to you. All to you. All my loving I will sing to you. Oh my loving. Darling, I’ll be true.

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I’ll be true. All my loving. Oh my. Oh my loving. Oh my. Oh my. I will send to you. [Music] jump. [Music] [Applause] Well, you have too much fun. We love that. Great. I love that. Well, I can see you’re um made for Maui. Wowi. Maui. Wow. For sure. Maui, it’s best place I know. You know, it’s like I wish everyone could come here for at least a week and get their inside straightened out. You know, you probably need more than a week. As you said, like in a week they’re just getting relaxed. That’s right. So, I

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mean, we’ve been in Hawaii this time for a whole month and maybe one or two days. And uh you know it’s not quite enough but at least we feel like we’re here and the old energy has been replaced with a lot of glorious new energy you know where my girlfriend’s like upset because I’m the last one to go to sleep and I’m the first one up and I’m waking up every day before the alarm clock you know just the sun’s rising and it’s completely nuts but hey who needs Red Bull who

57:55

needs dancing all I need is some good Pacific Rib food man and it’s righteous way we are still thrilled to have had you with us. We hope you will join us again very soon. Okay, you got it. Aloha. Aloha. And we make it spotlight from the cars passing on their way. The roar of the engines was our crowd as we got up on the stage. The trees are full of people calling for us to begin. And we played all night cuz that highway crowd kept calling us back again. Yes, we do our show on Stardust Road because

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it keeps us free. And if anyone can see, we give them a memory to last forever. [Applause] [Music] to last [Music] [Applause] forever. to last forever. [Music] [Applause] [Music]