"Who Killed the Cat? Why Did it Die?": an Interview with Jim E. Brown

Interview with Jim E. Brown by Vijay Davis

@ the 13th Floor Club, Austin TX

10/27/25

It’s recording?

It’s recording, but we don’t have to start yet. I’m just getting my questions up.

Alright. [Takes a sip. We’re at the bar.]

Thanks for doing this by the way, I appreciate it.

Totally forgot about it again.

No worries. I… We’re scrappy, I guess.

I’m scrappy too.

That’s good, haha. Alright, should we start?

Yeah.

Welcome back to Austin Underground, we’re here tonight at the 13th Floor Club with Jim E. Brown. Now, Jim, I assume you’re a huge star back home, but I wonder if you could just introduce yourself for an American audience?

Right my name is Jim E. Brown, I’m from Didsbury, Manchester in the United Kingdom. I’m 19 years old. I’m an alcoholic and I’m obese. 

Thanks. Now, for anyone not already familiar with your excellent songwriting, I’d just like to list off a few songs from your new album, titled “I Urinated On A Butterfly”— of course there’s that one, there’s “I Dreamed That You Liked My Instagram Post,” “Didsbury Is A Dump,” and of course, “Toxic.” So how did it feel to see that Britney Spears, who’s obviously a fan, cover that one recently? 

Uh… I don’t understand. Britney Spears covered one of my songs?

That’s right. “Toxic.” Have you seen that?

Oh, you’ve got that mistaken mate. That were one of her songs that I covered ‘cause I was able to relate to some of the lyrical content, you know, in regards to the, uh, toxicity of some relationships, you know. I’ve been with some very weird people, like Nancy, Mildred, a bevvy of others. Missus Higgins, Judge Miranda…

Oh well that’s my mistake then. I guess I confused you with Britney.

No harm no foul.

Could you tell us: what’s the Jim E. Brown process? Do you write what comes to mind in the moment or are you keeping a list of unfortunate events that happen to you in your day-to-day life?

I don’t really remember, I just kind of like… Say things off the top of me head. A lot of it’s a bit shit, but I don’t really have the energy to, like, go edit anything, or decide if it’s good or bad, so I  just say whatever really.

Fair enough. Now it’s quite an achievement, you’ve got like 5-6 albums already at the ripe age of 19, but I wonder, do you feel the pressure of the spotlight on you at such a young age?

Pressure in what way?

Oh, the pressure to perform, pressure to keep at your current pace of being an artist.

No I don’t feel any pressure, I just feel a bit shit really. Like exhausted and ill from the alcohol abuse and eating excessively.

Right, well maybe – [guitar starts in the background] – we’re doing a soundcheck here, I guess. What are some of your simple pleasures, Jim?

Yeah, simple pleasures are like a pint, maybe a Red Bull vodka –vodka Red Bull– y’know, some battered sausage, chicken burger, fish ‘n chips, just like simple things from the takeaway, a bit of alcohol y'know, glass of red wine in the morning, that’s it.

Pretty relatable. Now, people might have seen your food reviews while you’ve been on the road touring. Have you tried anywhere particularly good here in Austin?

I’ve not eaten any food in Austin yet, the last food I ate were at Buccees, which is like a petrol station, and I had a brisket sandwich and a chicken burger and stuff like that. It was quite nice.

Buccees is kind of a staple classic here in Texas. They’ve got the biggest gas station in the world… [The mic is tested next: “Hey hey hey…”] somewhere… somewhere here.

I wonder if you’re aware of the Buddhist concept dukkha, which is that suffering is an inherent part of life. It feels quite relevant to your work. Do also you believe desire to be the root of suffering?

I don’t know if desire is the root of suffering because I don’t desire much. I desire nothing, in fact. And yet I still suffer. So I think that’s really not right. I think they should re-edit that, talk to the editor or something. 

How would you put it then?

I would say, suffering… Yeah, everything is suffering whether you desire something or not. Cause I don’t desire much and I still feel shit, so like… They’ve got to edit that out that book. What book were that from?

Just the general sort of Buddhist texts, I’m sure. The man himself.

Well he were a fat fuck, weren’t he, the Buddha?

No, I think he lost all the weight with his meditation.

Oh right. Maybe he was right, I don’t really know.

What about the case of Schrodinger’s cat? Do you think it’s alive or is it dead? 

I don’t… I don’t know what that is. 

 Schrodinger’s cat. There’s a cat in a box and there’s equal chance of it being alive or being dead until you open the box and then its fate is decided. 

Right… Well who killed the cat? Why did it die?

It’s just one of those problems.

I mean if you have a dead cat in a box it’s a bit weird, it’s like why would you keep… Or a live cat… Why would you keep a cat in a box? You should just let it roam free. Or if it’s dead just throw its corpse into the river. 

I see. Pretty simple solution then. 

Yeah. 

Well, then. Does writing about the terrible things that you experience help work through some of those complex emotions you feel, or does it sort of just make you feel worse?

Yeah I feel perpetually shit but it does provide a bit of catharsis to write these absolutely shit songs, it does make me feel like a bit of release in that for a brief period, yeah. 

What’s next for you, Jim? Do you think you’ll live to see your 20th year, or are you kicking it in this one?

I don’t know, really. I don’t have any plans, goals or aspirations. 

Fair enough. Can we expect new music from you sometime soon?

Well I’ve not written anything recently, but yeah hopefully I’ll put another album or two out next year. 

And how about your books, are you still writing?

Yeah I’m working on a new book right now but it’s been rather slow. It’s just a a memoir about being locked in a cage in a man’s basement who coerced me with sausage rolls.

I’m sorry that happened to you Jim, that sounds like a shitty experience. 

Yeah it’s alright. 

Well hopefully, yeah, we’ll see you work through it and come out a better man.

Right. Yeah sorry I’ve got to run, I’ve got to get pissed before this set.