If you are like most San Diegans, Aug. 19 started off like most days in the city; a thick marine layered haze slowly burned off by mid-morning sun. But for San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, singer Jason Mraz and a lucky handful of onlookers the day that started out like most finished as Jason Mraz Day.
Mayor Faulconer, in a private ceremony Tuesday, handed Mraz a plaque and declared Aug. 19 “Jason Mraz Day” for his contribution to the city and for his work as a humanitarian. When asked how he felt about the honor, Mraz seemed a bit taken aback.
“I’m a little surprised, and honored,” Mraz said. “As many of you know I wasn’t born and raised in San Diego, I chose this as my home in 1999, so for the past 15 years I’ve been proud to call it my home.”
Most recently, Mraz has been working in and around San Diego with our local organic farmers, with the San Diego Unified School District and is also working to help keep the water at our beaches clean.
“Those things right there, to know that you’ve got beaches and mountains and amazing school districts is phenomenal for any county in the United States,” Mraz said. “San Diego has more registered organic farms than any other county in the United States. That excites me. There is so much diversity here. I am honored that you would consider me a San Diegan and take time out to say that.”
Music is what brought Mraz to San Diego 15 years ago. He was practically living out of his car, touring around California and was told to check out the music scene in San Diego.
“Almost immediately I found the coffee shop scene which was thriving,” Mraz recalled. “It had a built-in audience and had amazing songwriters and I thought ‘I can make a home here, I can collaborate with these songwriters and I can work with these audiences and it will keep me from having a real day job!’ That was my goal; I just wanted to work in the music scene in San Diego.”
Mraz wasn’t always looked at as the cool edgy guy who wrote great songs when he was growing up. In high school he was bullied, often. It wasn’t until his best friend came out to him, and the school, in his senior year that prompted him to make a change and stand up for equal rights.
“Well, bullying is inconvenient,” Mraz confessed. “It’s unfortunate for those who get bullied. I think bullying is a direct result of how the bullies are being treated elsewhere and they are then passing it along and showing it to other students unfortunately. It toughened my skin when I was bullied. I was like ‘wait, you just wait, I’m not gonna hit you back, I’m gonna hit you back with all of the success I’m gonna have. I’m gonna hit you back with being an awesome person to everybody I meet’ and that’s how I feel we can tackle the issue.”
Mraz, an equal rights and gay marriage supporter, went on to say that things have changed quite a bit since he was in school for the community and those who live in it including his family.
“The equal rights issue is something I’ve seen dramatically change since I was in high school,” Mraz said. “When my best friend came out, even my parents were stunned and didn’t know how to act. I wish I could tell you the depth to which my parents have accepted it, but they have accepted it very, very much. That just shows that the conversation has finally hit every home in the United States. It needs to continue to happen.”
Mraz also credits The San Diego LGBT Community Center for helping with those conversations and for being there for those children who come out and need a place to go.
“I know that when a young person comes out, sometimes it results in their homelessness because parents don’t accept them,” Mraz said. “I know that The Center has been a big help in supporting those youths. It’s no accident that I landed in San Diego. I came here for music but having had the experiences I had in high school and my best friend coming out, the fact that I would land here in a city that embraces the LGBT community, is no accident, it’s only strengthened my message outside San Diego.”
Some of that outside work involves those back in his hometown of Mechanicsville, Va., where the young Mraz could be found taking part in theatrical productions like Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat playing the title role. It may be where he got his start, but for now there are no plans for him to return to the stage theatrically, at least not any time soon.
“I’ve thought about that,” Mraz joked, “But only for a few seconds at a time. It’s not on my list of things to do yet. But I still work closely in theater arts programs back in Virginia; I work with young people on those stages.”
For his recent album Yes, which debuted in July and his new tour he has been working very closely with the band Raining Jane. Their collaboration has resulted in music with a lot of heart and emotion, creating a special connection between them and the listening audience and he credits the members of Raining Jane for this.
Mraz must be doing something right, he has just released his fifth studio album, his concert is selling out and recently Sir Paul McCartney mentioned that when he listens to music it’s Mraz that he listens to. When asked how he felt about that he quickly said, “It makes me feel like it’s Jason Mraz Day!”
Not too shabby for a guy who used to live out of his car and play in coffee houses.
Mraz’ new tour will start at The San Diego Civic Theatre with special guests Raining Jane from Aug. 21-23. Tickets are still available but are going fast. Call 619-570-1100 for tickets or visit the box office from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Could you please cite your source for this statement: “Sir Paul McCartney mentioned that when he listens to music it’s Mraz that he listens to.”
I am a huge Beatles fan as well as Jason Mraz fan and I have NEVER heard this.