Oh Yeah, Life Goes On . . . and Thrill of Living Is Back

Even John Mellencamp has to smile during an interview when he mentions the title of his new album, “Mr. Happy Go Lucky.” Few musicians over the last two decades have pursued success and then respect with as much driving obsession as the 44-year-old singer-songwriter.

With the stage name John Cougar in the early ‘80s, the Indiana native struck gold with such relatively lightweight singles as “Hurts So Good” and “Jack & Diane.”

But a few years later, Mellencamp began using his own name and exploring elements of the American character from a heartland perspective in such acclaimed, best-selling mid-’80s albums as “Scarecrow” and “The Lonesome Jubilee.”

Through both periods, he hurled himself into his work with a compulsion that cost him two marriages and left him in the early ‘90s somewhat disillusioned with music and his life. It took a third marriage and a 1994 heart attack, however, for him to begin regaining his personal and professional purpose.

The new album, which will be released today by Mercury Records, exudes the energy, humor and reflection of a man who has overcome some sobering demons.

On the eve of the album’s release, Mellencamp sat in his room at a Bel-Air hotel and spoke about the changes in his life and his music.

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Question: The natural tendency is to think of the heart attack as the real turning point in your life, but wasn’t the disillusionment following your second divorce in 1990 also a crucially important time? In an interview around the time, you said, “I followed the rock ‘n’ roll dream for a long time and it has given me a lot of rewards, but it also distracted me from the things I need to work on . . . in my own life. I think it’s time now to start paying attention to them.” What about that period?

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Answer: Well, that may have been my hope at that time, but the truth is that things in my life got worse after I said those words. I think what happened was I had been married for so long and suddenly I was single and I just started acting like some kind of fraternity guy. I was living with a friend of mine and we turned the house into a male locker room. I’d stay up all night, doing whatever, and then sometimes I’d sleep for days.

Q: But you also seemed to have lost interest in your music. Why was that?

A: For some reason, it all just became very hollow. It just didn’t mean all that much to me--and this sounds strange, but I think it was always the struggle that I enjoyed. When it wasn’t a struggle any more, it just kind of became uninteresting. Until then, that had been pretty much my whole life--making the records and touring. I wouldn’t let anything else stand in the way.

Q: But you must have been pretty focused when you made albums like “Scarecrow,” weren’t you?

A: That’s the funny thing. I probably wasn’t any more focused. I was pretty much just out of control. For one thing, I was on tour something like eight years in the ‘80s and I spent most of the two years at home making records. That’s no exaggeration. That took a horrible toll on everyone around me, including my family, and I think all that contributed to the disillusionment. I started asking myself if it was worth it and it took a while to start getting answers.

Q: So, when did you start finding answers?

A: The most important thing was getting married to Elaine--and marriage was the last thing in the world that I wanted to do again. I felt a loser when it comes to this type of thing and I figured I must as well just accept that. When I fell in love, I was angry about it. I was angry at her and myself. I didn’t want to get into a relationship again where I had the responsibility of children (he has three children from his earlier marriages). But we tried to go into it with our eyes open. We sat down and made some rules--just simple things like doing things together. I don’t see myself touring . . . at least for a while. Being with Hud and Speck [his infant children] is much more of a priority than being on tour.

Q: What about the heart attack?

A: I woke up after a show in New York and I was sick as a dog. I thought I was getting the flu or something. My hands were trembling and I couldn’t walk, but I never imagined I was having a heart attack. I did like 15 more shows before I went to the doctor in Bloomington [Ind.] for my annual physical and learned that it was a mild heart attack. So, I went straight to the hospital, where they found the end of an artery had closed out. . . . It was definitely due to my lifestyle. You can’t lay your face in cholesterol day after day, smoke 80 cigarettes a day, stay out all night, stay up all day and not expect repercussions.

Q: What was your reaction?

A: It’s amazing what something like that can do to your head. You are kind of panicked for the first six months. You can’t really relax. You keep thinking that you’ve had a heart attack and you may have another one. But once you get out of the depression, things kind of get into focus for me. I never thought I’d ever say this, but the heart attack was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.

Q: Is it too corny to say that it made you feel like you had a second chance in life?

A: Well, it’s probably more complex than that. But I do think I spent a long time, especially after the divorce, feeling sorry for myself. . . . And the changes in my life made me realize how fortunate I’ve been and made me want to enjoy that good fortune. It also made me want to write songs and make music again.

Q: On the new album, you worked in the studio with Junior Vasquez, who is known for dance and techno music. Why did you bring him in?

A: It felt sometimes like we were starting to make the same damn record over and over again, so I thought I’d bring in Junior to see if he could shake things up. All of a sudden, we had a whole new palette of things to work with. The idea was to take some of the Delta blues from the ‘30s and ‘40s and mix it with the beats from the ‘90s. It turned out to be the most fun I’ve had in the studio in years. When you listen to the album, I think a lot of that fun comes through . . . but you also get a hint of the darker time. There’s a balance, which is what I’ve learned life is really all about.