Jesse Malin Promises Fewer Stories, More Music on Upcoming Tour

For as great a songwriter as Jesse Malin is, the best parts of his live shows are often his crazy tales about being a punk rocker coming of age in New York City. In that sense, his recent run of hometown shows was something of a disappointment, as he mostly cut the stage banter and focused on previewing tunes from his forthcoming fourth album, 'Love It to Life.'

"I find myself wanting to talk less," Malin tells Spinner. "I think people expect a certain thing from me. The small, great, wonderful fan base that's brought me this far expects some kind of connection. It's definitely a line that has to be watched -- of getting too emotional and too in a place where the mystery is gone. I don't blog and Tweet and say, 'Oh, I was out last night in the park.' I try to keep a distance."

Malin says his he started telling stories in 2002 when he opened for friend Ryan Adams on a European tour. Having spent the previous decade fronting the glam-punk group D Generation, Malin wasn't yet comfortable doing the solo-acoustic thing.

"I'm tuning between songs, so I figured I'd just tell some stories," he says. "Plus, I'm in these countries and no one knows who I am. It became kind of a thing, and then people were really responding and laughing at the stories, so I was like, 'OK, I'll give you a little more.'"

Over the years, Malin has spun yarns about such topics as his late mother, failed attempts to hire prostitutes, hanging out with rock stars and accidentally ruining Barbra Streisand's mattress, when he and his buddies were working as movers and it started raining. Sometimes, he worries about sharing too much.

"There is this balance of trying to keep the mystery," he says. "You can get a little excited. I definitely get amped up about what I do and want to bring that connection."

He plans to one day write a book called 'Almost Grown,' which he figures will be a more appropriate way of sharing his anecdotes. In the meantime, as he prepares to hit the road with his new backing band, the St. Marks Social, he's committed to shutting his trap and letting the music do the talking.

"And sometimes a couple of jokes," he says, adopting the accent of a cheesy standup comedian. "A couple bits."