Meet the most mellow man in music

By Fiona Pryor
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

Johnson's album Brushfire Fairytales in 2001 earned him a dedicated fanbase

In an era when celebrities are constantly being sent to rehab or prison - or both - it is refreshing to speak to the laid-back, family-friendly Jack Johnson, a man whose only addiction is surfing.

Phoning in from the US, the singer-songwriter is softly spoken and good natured, greeting me like an old friend.

And, while many pop stars moan about life on the road, Johnson says he is "really lucky" to see the world from his tour bus - which he runs on environmentally-friendly bio-diesel fuel.

His life seems like a dream - he has sold more than 15 million albums and he is unnaturally good-looking, talented, energetic and health conscious.

Surely there must be a chink in his armour. A vice? A bad habit? Something that irritates him?

"What stresses me out?" he asks. "When they don't take all the red M&Ms out of the bowls backstage."

Healthy addiction

The singer's happy-go-lucky charms come through in his music, where strummed acoustic guitars accompany lyrics about love and family.

Listening to his recently-released fifth studio album, Sleep Through the Static, feels like shooting the breeze with an old friend over a cool glass of elderflower wine.

"The songs I like writing the most are when you feel so good about life that you want to write something that makes other people feel that way too," he explains.

Johnson has played the guitar since the age of 14

The formula obviously works, as the record reached number one in both the UK and the US after its release in February.

But there is a more melancholy side to the album, too, as part of it was written for the star's 19-year-old nephew, who recently died of a brain tumour.

"He got to hear a lot of the album when it was finished and a lot of the songs were written for him and for his family to hear," says Johnson.

"He actually sang on the album too. He sang the vocals on If I Had Eyes, which is a song he liked a lot so he came into the studio and sang with me."

'Perfect balance'

When asked whether fame has changed him, Johnson insists he is the same person he has always been.

"A lot of it has to do with what you become famous for I think. Luckily the songs that people want to hear me write are family-orientated and love songs about my wife," he says.

I can go under the radar pretty good. I don't get recognised too much. I don't even have paparazzi unless I come to London Jack Johnson on his fame

And, despite his success, the singer revels in the fact he largely remains anonymous to fans on the street.

"I can go under the radar pretty good. I don't get recognised too much. I don't even have paparazzi unless I come to London," he says.

"It's the perfect balance I try to maintain. You wouldn't want to not be able to walk around but it's pretty nice to fill up a venue and share your music."

The Hawaiian-born star's future plans include camping trips with his children and spending more time with his wife Kim, whom he met at school.

And it is Kim who finally reveals the one blemish on his apparently perfect character.

She says Johnson suffers from a "male form of PMS" if he finds himself unable to surf for more than three weeks.

"I think it's something that I'll hopefully do until I'm an old man. My father still surfs and he's in his sixties," he says.

"It's something that's good for your soul and good for your body. I'm not one of those guys who can go to the gym or take a jog.

"If I don't surf I start getting out of shape, for me it's my one addiction that's healthy that I'll keep doing until I'm old," he adds.

Green passion

The singer, who was recently described by Rolling Stone magazine as "perhaps the most laid-back rock star in history" has one more passion in life - the environment.

But rather than parade himself in front of the world's media for a spot of self-promotion, he quietly set about doing his bit with Kim's help.

Together they created the Kokua Hawaii Foundation, which supports environmental education in schools.

Johnson is so dedicated to the cause that he recorded his album using 100% solar energy, and even wrote a song about a tear that finds its way back into the Earth's water cycle.

And, while Radiohead say they are reluctant to tour because of their impact on the environment, Johnson tries to make his concerts environmentally-friendly, while using the stage to promote green causes.

And, he says, he wouldn't give up life on the road for anything.

"My wife and I feel really lucky we get to use the opportunities that playing music has given us.

"Just to go on these road trips with our family and travel round the world and get to see things."