The following piece with Mike Maimone was graciously provided by interviewer Keith Hubner and Project Publicity.
Mike Maimone channels grief, love, and humor into his latest song, “Paranoid in Paradise,” the second release from his forthcoming album Guess What? I Love You. The track, inspired by a hilariously disastrous attempt to enjoy marijuana while on vacation with his late husband, Howard, serves as both a tribute to their bond and a testament to the healing power of music.
Releasing April 18, Mike hopes the song offers solace to those navigating grief, reminding them to cherish life’s small, silly moments. He explains more.
Can you share the story behind “Paranoid in Paradise?”
Mike Maimone: I must be allergic to marijuana. Even in my early 20s, someone would offer me weed, I would smoke it, get super paranoid, nobody would have fun, and then those friends would make sure I never smoked around them again. Seemingly every couple of years, I was gigging with a new band who was unfazed by how unfun I insisted I would be while high. They’d counter that their way would be good for me. I tried gummies and vapes and tinctures and strains and hybrids to no avail before swearing off the stuff for good.
What inspired you to try again while on vacation?
MM: My late husband, Howard, was a very functional stoner. His presence was so calming, and I felt so comfortable when we were together that I decided to try again. He asked me if I was sure before handing me his joint. I took one puff and started hacking. I knew that was a bad sign. Howard spent the next few hours trying to convince me that he wasn’t plotting to kill me. When I eventually smacked half of a Xanax out of his hand, insisting that it was poison, he gave up and went to sleep. As he snored, I eventually snapped out of it and dozed off myself.
How did the experience become a song?
MM: The next day, the first verse and chorus of “Paranoid in Paradise” poured out in about five minutes! Howard and I both thought it was fun, catchy, and probably relatable to a lot of people. I assumed I’d finish it eventually and put it on the pile with dozens of other half-complete songs.
After his passing about a year later, as my album for Howard was taking shape, I realized that Side A was about our long-distance courtship through our engagement. I included “Paranoid in Paradise” because the silly little song played an integral part in the narrative of our love story. We would travel to the ends of the earth for each other – and we practically did.
And even when we fell short, it was still OK. We loved each other unconditionally.
Writing songs about your late husband had to be a cathartic experience. What emotions surfaced during the process?
MM: Many tears were shed during those compositions. Side B of this album is the most difficult group of songs I’ve ever written and produced. But the joy of Side A was not without pain, too, and in a way, it was even harder on me.
Every time I felt a breakthrough with one of these happy songs, I instinctively wanted to share it with Howard. The realization that he was not alive to hear it would shatter that joy. It was this brutal slingshot between pure elation and complete devastation—back and forth.
How did you approach the production of Paranoid in Paradise to capture the mood of the experience?
MM: I wanted this song to sound very organic, setting the listener up for a big twist at the bridge. My chord progression turned out to be the same as Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”, so I leaned in. That track sounds kind of like everyone is playing their own song—the sax, strings, piano, and guitar all meander, yet they all fit together and support the vocal. That’s the direction I gave to my band, and they executed it flawlessly.
Did you take any risks—vocally, lyrically, or production-wise—with this track that you hadn’t explored before?
MM: I’m becoming aware that every vocal I record is a risk. On my first album in 2008, I was compared to a drunken Cookie Monster in one review. I had just started taking vocal lessons while recording that album because my previous bands kept breaking up, and I decided to become a vocalist at 27, having never sung before.
The past 17 years have been a journey to improve my voice and become able to express the emotion in my songs adequately. I finally feel like I’m in a good place.
It’s all a journey, and I’m grateful for the encouraging feedback I receive today—especially from my Patreon patrons. I wear their positivity like armor as I walk the most vulnerable work of my life out into the world.
How do you feel performing songs like “Paranoid in Paradise” live in front of an audience?
MM: Seeing people smiling and laughing as I sing about Howard and me getting into shenanigans is healing. When loved ones pass, we have a tendency to canonize them. It’s understandable, but we have to be careful not to reduce their complexity in the process.
Howard was a riot and loved getting into trouble, saying shocking things, and stirring the proverbial pot. He was so fun to be around, and he was so much larger than life. I love that this song introduces some of that to listeners. People come up to me after shows and say they wish they knew Howard, but they feel like they know him a little bit through my songs, and that means everything to me.
What do you think Howard would say about the song?
MM: He would laugh! And he would say, “Yeah, babe, weed is just not for you.”