It’s easy to be charmed by James Struthers. The shaggy-haired singer-songwriter blends alternative-pop sounds with a folk edge to create some seriously catchy tunes with some distinctive lyrics that range from talking about Transformers to Easy Bake Ovens.

Recently to shoot a video for a song called “You, Me and Optimus Prime” off his album ‘Nadia’, James brought up some old friends –the crew from Funk Factory Films, currently situated in Santa Monica, CA- to help him. Recently he answered some questions for us about songwriting, friendship, and what it was like to hang out with a guy in an Optimus Prime costume.

Writing a love song featuring a Transformer is a pretty interesting idea, what inspired you to write it?

To be honest, my initial inspiration has escaped me… All I know is, once I stumbled upon the chorus line “You, Me and Optimus Prime”, I was ushered into a world of reminiscence. The song is inspired by the simplicity (in both your life and your outlook) of childhood. There are a number of images in the song that are ripped straight from the pages of [my memory], like playing with Lego, make believe, Big League Chew, and my life-long love of Transformers (which I was deprived of as a child). Maybe I was just making up for lost time… Or, maybe I was wishing life could be that simple now.

There’s version of you singing this song in a bathtub on YouTube from ’09. Why did you decide to do an official video for this song now?

Nice recon work! Ahaha. The video is actually two years in the making. The boys from Funk Factory Films and I shot a lot of the video in the summer of 2010, but due to technical difficulties and weather problems we got pushed back to August 2011.

You’ve been friends with the guys who shot the video since you were young. Who are they, and how did you all meet?

Well, since I was younger… We’ve been partying at Lake of the Woods together for four or five years. Nathan is the oldest (recently introduced to fatherhood), Trevor in the middle and Morgan the youngest. I met Trevor first. One of my favorite pass times at the cabin is a water sport called wake surfing… It’s like wakeboarding, except you are on a strapless surfboard and there is no rope… just like surfing except you are behind a boat. Their cabin is right across the bay from mine, and he saw us surfing one day, came abroad on his seadoo to investigate, and now the four of us are thick as thieves.

Besides your history as friends, have they done any other work that made you want to work with them?

Absolutely! Everything the three of them do, they give their heart and soul to. Passionate, talented, goal oriented… these boys are bred for success. Take a look at any of their projects and you’ll see the caliber of work they do, and the caliber of people they work with: http://www.funkfactoryfilms.com

These projects (we shot 3 music videos together this summer) are special because all three projects are Funk Factory Films initiatives through and through. They played the roll of producer, cinematographer, grip, production assistant, camera operator and focus puller. It’s a monumental step forward for their company to move from team members to THE team, and it was very exciting for me to be a part of the process.

Why did you decide to have them fly up here to shoot your video instead of going to LA?

All of us grew up on the lake, and in the context of the song, why wouldn’t we? So many childhood memories… When I was a kid, my parents would pick my sister and I up at school on Friday, car packed, and head straight to the lake. EVERY weekend. Most of the fondest memories of my life took place in or around the pristine waters of Lake of the Woods. I used to get Big League Chew from the Rockeries (our local pump station), used to play with Lego on rainy days on the dining room table, played knights in the backyard… It was important to all of us to shoot here. Added bonus, it’s not a setting you’d typically see Optimus Prime in… we were hoping for a bit of shock value. Who wouldn’t be surprised to see O.P. in a canoe?

How did you come up with a concept for the video? Was it just your ideas, or did you work together?

It was most definitely collaborative. All of us expressed our ideas, and the project is a culmination of our creative efforts.

Do you have plans to all collaborate on another video in the future?

Absolutely. These projects are the beginning of a long lasting professional relationship.

The costume is pretty intense! How did you get your hands on it?

The short version of the story is, through Elmo. The boys could not be satisfied by any costume they found, but eventually stumbled upon this youtube video: www.youtube.com/watchv=5EBny2sYUic

They couldn’t contact him through youtube, so Nathan went down to Hollywood Boulevard and started asking around! A guy suited up as Elmo directed us to the incredibly talented Jay Netka, who went to hell and back, TWICE, for us on these shoots. The suit ways 40 pounds and he worked 16 hour days from sun up to sun down in blazing heat. We had him doing choreographed fight scenes, rowing for hours, hiking through rough terrain; we even made him play basketball.

Did you get any interesting reactions from passers-by about the Optimus Prime costume?

Mostly a lot of wide-eyed children. A lot of people wanted to know what was going on, and it provided a great opportunity to meet people, like Mike! He’s pretty eye catching when he’s suited up.

When are we going to get to see the final product?

No promises! We have poured everything we have into these videos, and we want to make sure the timing is right and we have a solid promotional strategy in place before moving forward. Definitely in 2011 though!

 

Is there anything about James Struthers that is ‘more than meets the eye’?
I’m as much a businessman as I am an artist. That, and my mottos are “DIY or die”, and “momentary sufferance, eternal glory”… The latter is more of a mantra. Bahaha.

- Alyson Shaner

Check out James on Pocket gigs!

James Struthers performs What are we waiting for on Pocketgigs.com