Classic rocker John Mellencamp might be 71, but he hasn’t lost his edge. The “Jack & Diane” singer, known for his big, brash personality, recently shared what he will and won’t do for his fans.
"I could do a whole show of hits if I wanted to, but I don't," said the rocker, putting things bluntly. "That's one reason I quit playing arenas and playing outdoors. It wasn't about music — it was about being a human jukebox." Mellencamp infamously told a drunken crowd at a recent concert in Cleveland to calm down or he’d stop the show.
But he also admits he’s learned some lessons and calmed down a bit. "I punched the blond-haired singer of the Cars,” he admitted, which we assume means the late Benjamin Orr. "I fought all the time and lost all the time." Mellencamp revealed he’s been kicked off tours with REO Speedwagon, Rainbow and KISS. And though the rocker says he’s mellowing, he couldn’t help but add in “My band and I were terrible, but we were better than KISS.”
Mellencamp will release his new album, Orpheus Descending, on June 16th.
His Live & In Person tour is in New York this week with four shows at the Beacon Theater through Friday.
Tomorrow, Mellencamp will talk to fellow Hoosier David Letterman at 5 p.m. at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center in New York as part of the Tribeca Festival's Storytellers Series.
Source: Ultimate Classic Rock