The Last Word: Jeff Goldblum

This is The Last Word. It’s our chance to take a bonafide music legend and ask them about life, navigating the tricky waters of the music/entertainment biz and what they’ve got on the horizon. Up next, it’s Hollywood legend and esteemed ivory-tinkler Jeff Goldblum.

So you’re playing the Royal Albert Hall with the Mildred Snitzer Orchestra in June…

That’s right! Are you gonna be there? Because I’m personally inviting you. We’re doing a show with the 57 piece orchestra. We were there before on Remembrance Day and The Queen was there. That was very moving. What a place and what a history. We can’t wait to get back.

You’re seemingly the busiest man in Hollywood between the music and the sheer amount of roles. How do you balance it?

Well thank you. I try and pick the things I do with discrimination and so I don’t shortchange any part of it unnecessarily and so my family and my wife and my two kids get everything that I want to and need to give to them. I always start my day with a couple of hours of music every day and sit at the piano or if I’m on the road, I get a keyboard at a hotel. I juggle it and we do what’s necessary.

You’ve got Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo on the record. Did you hit them up for a collaboration on the set of Wicked?

Well that just happened spontaneously because I loved doing that movie. We thought we might be part of something special so I was bushy-tailed and singing everything I knew in between takes, because the cast know everything too. Broadway and the American Songbook and everything in between. One day I started to sing ‘I Don’t Know Why [I Just Do]’ and Ariana said her grandfather sang that to her all the time. We recorded it, but then I said to Cynthia it would be remiss if I didn’t ask her to record something. ‘We’ll Meet Again’ is a song that meant a lot to England and I love the way that Stanley Kubrick used it at the end of Dr Strangelove. And then there’s Charlie Puth and Dodie too, who are all great.

You mentioned ‘We’ll Meet Again’. Is there someone in your life that perhaps isn’t with us anymore that you’d like to spend more time with?

Oh that’s sweet. Well both my parents are not around anymore, and it would be deeply fun to see them and have them meet our children. Can you imagine? They never did and never saw what I’m doing with music when they’re the ones who gave me music lessons early on. That would be fun. I also had two brothers who are no longer with us, one who died when he was 23. He was a fantastic guy, four years older than I was and he got something quick and passed away, unfortunately. I have dreams where he appears and to have a chance to be with him would be really something. And my older brother Lee, too.

Your most famous line as Dr Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park is “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.” Is there something in life that you wish had never come to fruition in the first place?

Well that’s interesting. Weaponry comes to mind. I’ve been reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind because I’m so interested in our species and how we’ve gotten to this place and what risks there might be in the future. It doesn’t seem as though we’ve solved the problem of negotiating and compromising and living peacefully and figuring out our differences with conversation, so I wish we had more wisdom in handling the weaponry that we’ve powerfully invented, you know. We have some terrific scientific and technological advancements, I just hope we can co-operate and use it all wisely, you know, to do the best for our planet. Everyone’s talking about AI a lot too, I hope we have the wisdom to use what might be beneficial wisely and and avoid some of the risks that may be around the corner.

I warned you these questions might be a bit offbeat, so onto my next one. If a dinosaur showed up in your home tomorrow, would you try and fight it or would you run?

Well you know, I love animals and creatures of all kinds, unlike my character in Wicked, who does some bad things and is cruel to some animals.I think they have every right to safety and liberty as we do. So, I would be interested, fascinated by any creature that showed up but wary of the dangers of cohabiting and so would call the scientific authorities as soon as I could and share my finding with them and see if it’s of any use. And to see how we can all stay safe too!

A very good plan. Who’s a person who has had a profound effect on you when you weren’t necessarily expecting it?

That’s an interesting question. I meet people all the time, not even famous people, where if you’re open to your own curiosity and learning, they can have a big effect on you.

I don’t even remember the lady that I had a conversation with when we were first starting to have children, but she said to me remember one thing. They’re going to be hilarious. I often think of that. I think that made a big impact on me. Even when things are wild and chaotic and troubling and challenging, they’re hilarious.

I’ve had great teachers too, like [acting coach] Sanford Meisner and in my band I play with some of the best jazz musicians in the world. They impact my life all the time. How I collaborate with them and learn from them is fantastic. And my wife is deeply wise and impactful.

What was the first thing you remember playing on the piano?

Well, I was not a disciplined student and I didn’t advance as quickly as I might have, but during that time I learned the first jazz arrangement of ‘Alley Cats’, which was a thrill!

Have you got your kids into playing the piano?

Yes, they’ve taking piano lessons with a very wonderful British teacher named Pippa. She’s terrific. They’ve gotten OK and they played with us at the Hollywood Palladium. They both sat down and played a song one after another, and it stole the show, really. They were great and they rose to the occasion. They weren’t overly scared and they loved it. They’re coming along OK.

Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra release new album ‘Night Blooms’ on June 5 via FONTANA. The Night Blooms UK Tour runs through May and June. Tickets are on-sale now here.