[...] ‘To tell you the truth, I still don’t really think I can sing,’ he says on the phone from LA . ‘I suppose I just have that part of me that refuses to not walk through it, regardless of what I think. I’m really compelled to make music, and to write songs and to sing, it’s beyond a reasonable doubt. It’s something that, if I were more rational, I’m not sure I would have continued to do all these years. Really, it’s been nothing short of compulsion. I remember when I was a kid walking home from school I would mimic the voices of some of the singers that I loved.’
What kinds of singers? ‘Oh, everyone from Robert Plant to Bono. But I’ve never had a singing lesson, it’s never been something that I’ve pursued except in my own songs. Like, I was never in a cover band, I never was in a jam band. I’ve only ever written songs.’
Despite their reputation as a teen-friendly emo band, Jared denies they fall into this bracket.
‘I always quote Andy Warhol when asked this,’ he says. ‘Labels are for cans, not for people!’
He also insists that 30 Seconds’ fan base covers a variety of demographics, with people of all ages turning out for his shows. So is it strange, as a 39-year-old man, to look out into a crowd and see middle-aged males next to adolescent girls?
‘It’s always surprising, and we all get a kick out of it. I love seeing the different types of people at the shows, and it’s not uncommon to see, like you said, a young 12-year-old boy or a 40-year-old guy. It’s a pretty disparate audience and I really enjoy that. You don’t choose your audience. Anyone has the right to listen to these
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