Janitor Joe – Early Access (Video)


Official Release Date: 3 September 2023

“Janitor Joe” now has his own movie. This video for a song off our most recent album “WHY?” was created by Natalie Palumbo, a motion graphic designer from New York. We first “met” (through the internet) a few years ago when Natalie sent us some really cool fan art. We kept seeing her great work from time to time and even ended up being involved in a project together when we were both included in the Beatles Fan Documentary “Here, There & Everywhere“.
This video will be officially released two weeks from Sunday on September 3rd. Until then, please keep it exclusive for the MLT Club 🙂

We will soon post a little behind-the-scenes interview with Natalie. If there are any questions you’d like us to ask her in an upcoming Skype conversation, please leave them in the comments!


As has become a tradition, we made “Studio Scribbles” for this new release and they are ready to order! We put together handwritten lyrics/notes of the song in a hopefully visually pleasing way, got 100 of them printed and have numbered (1-100) and signed them all. So, as always, the quicker you order, the lower the “serial number”. 🙂

We’ll talk in the comments!

Stay groovy,
Mona & Lisa

Responses

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  1. After viewing the Janitor Joe video, I poked around on the links to the “Here, There and Everywhere” project. I was looking at the video for the project and – go figure – my work colleague (the Beatles expert that I posted about a couple of weeks ago), Ken Womack, was in the video. I dropped him a quick note to tell him I had seen it. I also told him that I followed a band called Mona Lisa Twins that worked on the project too. His response… I know MLT and love what they do!! It was a cool little connection. Maybe you all connected while working on the project???? Falls under the heading of “small world”.

    1. Claire, That’s very cool to get unexpected positive feedback about Mona & Lisa from someone you know! My family took a Beatles Cab Tour in Liverpool in 2008. The driver was very knowledgeable & personable, & gave us a great tour!

      A month later there was a clip on the TV news about the Beatles, & our cab driver was on TV being interviewed about the Beatles! Small World indeed! Thanks for your post!
      — Bud

  2. This song has been going though my head off & on the past several days. I did enjoy the new video, but I have to admit that I missed seeing Mona & Lisa! However, I realize that the song is about Joe, not the MLT’s. And I’m sure they wanted it that way! Artists should take chances, & you can’t please everyone every time. It’s nice to have such a variety of videos from you ladies!

    MY QUESTION FOR NATALIE IS: Would it be difficult to create a cartoon version of Mona & Lisa having an adventure in an upcoming video? Maybe they could appear in real life towards the end, like the Beatles did in Yellow Submarine! “Destination Sunrise” or “Summer Rain” might be good choices. Or maybe make it part cartoon & part real life?

    My idea for the “Janitor Joe” video would be Joe’s rocket waking up the school neighborhood. The cartoon Lisa & Mona (in their high school days,) would look out their bedroom windows, run downstairs & outside in their jammies (as in their “Dreams” video.) They could be pointing at the sky & jumping up & down while seeing Joe’s rocket soar!

    I heard Lisa say in an Advent Calendar video that “maybe our fans get tired of seeing us.” Lisa — NO, NO, NO, NO! We never get tired of seeing you! That’s why we’re here! You’re around each other all the time, but WE don’t get tired of you! (I just have to stop watching sometimes to get back to work….) Anyway, very nice video! Keep ’em coming!

    P.S. I LOVED “MAKE SHOW!” — Outstanding job on that! I got the “Cabaret” connection right away, plus the “Mak Show” that the Beatles heard from the Hamburg club owners! And I’ve done some Pit Orchestra work, so I Love Musicals!

    THANK YOU SO MUCH! — Bud Jackson

    1. Hi Bud! Some groovy cool ideas for possible videos with graphics/animations. I agree, there is so much artistry in the whole concept of the song Janitor Joe, and the video captures it perfectly. Well spoken, couldn’t have said it better myself, I never tire of seeing Mona and Lisa, it’s just that damn work I have to get back to! 😊

      1. Jung, Yeah, “life gets in the way!” It’s nice that the Twins ask for their fan’s opinions on things! Although ultimately, they’re going to do things the way they feel is best. But it’s possible that they do listen to us for ideas, which is pretty cool!

        — Don’t work TOO hard! — Bud

      2. Hi Bud,
        I like your ideas for an animated video. I had envisioned something animated when I first heard the song, and even more as I got to know it. Initially it was more like I can’t see them doing something live for this story. (then again, it is team MLT)
        So I leaned towards something animated. I think this song can also get along without a video. The story flows so smoothly that it not only invites the listener to envision it, but commands each listener to imagine a particular janitor in their memory at a particular school in a particular town.
        The science labs were at one end of the building in my school, so that is where I see Joe’s rocket blasting through the roof.
        Either way, we love Natalie’s interpretation.

        Stay Groovy,

        JP

        I see you have a tuxedo cat. Do find it to be smarter than other cats? We had a male one years ago and he was smart as a whip. We used to joke that one of these days he would jump up on the bed and speak to us like it was just another day.

      3. Hi Johnnypee!

        This reminds me of something I read that said “You could take a roomful of people listening to a speaker,” (or at a concert for that matter,) “& every person would have a slightly different take on what was said, or what happened.” I know I have very different feelings about “Janitor Joe,” because I taught Music in the classroom for over 30 years. You get to know your Janitors!

        Some songwriters, like the Beatles make some of their lyrics obscure enough as to get different personal interpretations from their listeners.

        Even though this song is pretty straightforward, & even with the video, we can all still have our own visualizations. It makes Music interesting, & even without lyrics, we still have certain feelings when hearing well-crafted Music!

        As for our cat “Boots,” or “Boo-Boo,” he’ll be 19 & 1/2 years old next month! We had 4 cats & a dog that were together here for 9 years, most living pretty long! He’s our last survivor, & it’s been 7 years since we lost my wonderful dog — Hermione!

        Boots is smart! He talks to me all the time! And he tries to avoid me when I give him his medications twice a day! But he always forgives me, & he’s a very people-loving kitty!
        His job is to keep my wife, daughter & I happy! He follows us around the house like a dog! He’s an indoor cat, because one of ours was hit by a car. And there’s been racoons & sometimes coyotes around. So we take him out on the deck, but supervised!

        Sorry, that was a long answer. Take care! — Bud

  3. Great work from Natalie ! The song is one my favorites from “Why?” and this video catches the feeling of the song beautifully. Cool modern psychedelia ! One tiny minus goes to the fact that Mona and Lisa are nowhere insight !

  4. Here is an interesting fun fact. Did you know every NASA Astronaut is issued a Swiss Army Knife when they go into space, not unlike the ones Mona and Lisa use to cut open parcels. They are packed with tools like scissors, saw, screwdrivers etc. In fact Canadian Astronaut Chris Hadfield famously saved a mission when he was able to open a stuck hatch with his Swiss Army Knife to gain entrance to the Space Station: “We give each astronaut a Swiss Army Officer’s Knife and they carry it with them on board. It’s been with every mission right from the outset.” So you can bet Janitor Joe has a Swiss Army Knife in his space travel tool kit.

    1. Jung, Who would have thought that being aboard such an ultra– high tech thing like a Rocket would still require having a common Swiss Army Knife for getting out of a jam!

      1. Hi Bud! I think the NASA astronauts and engineers alike are very ingenious people, and to do the amazing accomplishments they do, have a very strong DIY MacGyver spirit, and using Swiss Army Knives to MacGyver a solution with very limited resources on hand is right up their alley. Do It Yourself is in fact what they do, as there is no handbook written to “boldly go where no one” has gone before. You can bet Janitor Joe is a big Swiss Army Knife fan in my imagination. 🙂

      2. Good point Jung! If there’s a problem, they’ll come up with a solution. Kinda like improvisation in Music. Stay cool, and I hope the smoke in your area is gone! Luckily, it seems to be gone from here. We had a windy day yesterday, & a bit of rain last night. It’s back to sunny again now and in the 70’s. It’ll be back up in the low 80’s then for 5 days.

  5. Great video, but I do miss seeing the groovy girls. I’d only just read Natalie’s profile and saw she is huge fan of both the fab 4 and the fab 2 😀

    Do you make most of your video’s in house? Some are remarkably involved, e.g. Walking in the Air and Once Upon a Time. I love that Any Other Day was recorded within one parking ticket 😁 You have so much creativity within the family.

    1. Thank you!! We usually make ALL our videos in-house. Occasionally we hire help when we need additional camera operators but all planning, framing, cutting and editing is always done by the four of us (Mona, Lisa, Papa Rudi and stepmom Michaela). This was the first time we ever had someone else involved in a video 🙂 We’ll talk more about it in next Friday’s Behind-The-Scenes video with Natalie!

      1. Thank you Mona 😊 I look forward to the Behind-The-Scenes video 🙂
        The opening zoom shot down to you both lying on the ground in Once Upon a Time is inspired. I marvel at what you create on what must be a small budget. Every year we are told how many millions the John Lewis and M&S adverts cost. They could hire you four and save a fortune 😁

  6. Beautiful video, very well done Natalie, I love it. I like to see the red balloon at the end. I am sure it is hard work to have made it. Super video.

  7. Since we were invited to ask questions, I’m curious as to the genesis of the video. Did Natalie take the initiative on this project and present the results to MLT? Did Mona and Lisa storyboard the idea and ask Natalie to render the graphics? Was there a great deal of consultation and collaboration during the process?

  8. I feel terrible and the odd one out, I love the videos like Any other day, I bought myself a politician etc the list goes on where I actually see two wonderfully talented musicians plying their craft.
    In my opinion only, Make Show missed the mark as a video but Janitor Joe is about as exciting as watching my speakers changing colours with music.
    I admire both Mona and Lisa as musicians and people and any criticism is purely my opinion and is offered as constructive.

    1. Understood, Rex. All opinions are valid. No shame bravely expressing yours. Sometimes it’s difficult for us to express less than rave reviews for anything that comes out of Team MLT out of respect and awe of their collective amazing artistry. I’ve no doubt they appreciate your honesty and prefer it to just having us telling them what we think they want to hear.

      1. Hi Jeff. I would add, we are all here because we naturally align with MLTs music and vision, and so our views favour what they do. If not, we wouldn’t be here nor commenting. I’ve never raved about MLT unless I felt it to be 100% real, and I am sure others here are the same way. If I ever disagree with something, I would be very gracious about it, without being so blunt, because MLT put their heart and soul into everything they do.

      2. Hi, Jung. I didn’t mean to imply anyone has expressed less than their true feelings about anything posted here. I apologize if my choice of words made it seem that way. My response to Rex’s initial post was aimed more at easing his stated feelings of ‘terrible’ and ‘odd one out’ for being honest. I think it’s important we all feel free to express honest opinions while staying polite. True, the speakers changing color line was a bit blunt, but I chose to overlook it. Stay groovy, my friend. You’re a wonderful spokesman for the club!

      3. Hi Jeff! I never thought you implied that at all. I was just taking your point to express further my point MLT fans express their enthusiasm out of genuine love and passion for MLT, and our adoration and praise is because we believe in them, and would be the first to express our thoughts graciously if we thought something they did was not in their best interest. Besides, I believe MLT, just like the Beatles, do not take much stock in negative criticism. but follow their artistic intuition to do their music/art the way the see fit. That is the spirit of artists and not entertainers.

    2. Hi Rex. I don’t know, Janitor Joe is a very imaginative song, and I’m not sure an in studio performance with Mona and Lisa on the instruments, as awesome as that would be, would have necessarily done the story line of the song as much justice as this graphic art version. Mona and Lisa always explore new things, and I thought this was a very creative and imaginative video that went really well with the premise of the song, kind of like the Beatles Yellow Submarine animation video. No right or wrong here, that’s just my opinion, appreciate hearing yours. 🙂

    3. The way I’m thinking, animation may be the best way to go with a video for Janitor Joe. A normal MLT type video may require blasting Mona and Lisa into space which would be quite risky and besides, they may not want to return to this planet anytime soon.
      I believe the original Beatles “Lucy In The Sky” video was an animation video made with the 60’s Peter Max style psychedelic graphics. There is a version on YouTube. Also Rex,
      I wasn’t a big fan of the Make Show video (or the song itself) at first but after listening to just the music on cd it is now one of my favorites. Just my two cents worth. Looking forward to the video with Natalie.

  9. That is something completly different; no smiling faces, no sparkling eyes. To be honest I have watched the video now a few days/times and I still can not decide if I like it or not; the images, not the music. Give it time and I am sure in the end I will love it.
    Advice make clear in the youtube description that it is a music video; your fans will watch always, but maybe new people will not watch when they do not know it is a music video.

  10. I like it! It’s a great video. Art work is fabulous, song is first rate, of course. Love it a lot.

  11. What an awesome video! Reminds me what a great song it its as well. Joe reminds me of a certain Albert! Loved the final scene flying over the planet of the album cover.
    I had to laugh at the “WHY?” on the school bell! Not a fan of alarms 🙂
    So well done!
    Thank you!

  12. Wow. This is awesome. I love it. I see why the original title “Janitor Elon” didn’t cut the mustard but these things happen. Sometimes we all long to just fly away from everything.

  13. Nice job Natalie! I like the end where Lisa’s balloon flies over the land of Why. If I had to change something it would be to use a flying saucer.

    Now for the next video: it’s now summer so is it time for the Twins to Jump Ship?

  14. I think Janitor Joe the song and this video are both brilliant and great timing too in light of the James Webb Telescope charting the edge of the universe and time and blowing away so many previously held theories. Interestingly Janitor Joe and James Webb were launched the same year! What a coincidence.

  15. That was great, but….my mind’s eye’s image of Joe is, or was, balding with a modestly trimmed graying brown ring of hair and neatly trimmed mustache. Now I gotta wrap my mind around the Einstein-haired, slightly frazzled mustachioed version Natalie envisioned. Oh, well…my version will be back when I listen to the LP or CD or just sing it in my head or out loud. No offense to Natalie and her awesome talents but I’ve no doubt Lisa could’ve done just as well if time constraints weren’t so limiting to your schedule. I love the “Why” album references throughout. The cover art city/landscape at the end was inspired!

      1. I think my “Joe” was mostly influenced by a kindly janitor from my elementary school days who once brought me ice cream bars when I was home from school sick with some forgotten malady.

  16. AWESOME VIDEO!!! Thank You Natalie!! The combination of Mona,Lisa & Natalie is simply AMAZING!! This definetly gets the weekend off to a(pardon the pun) Flying Start!!

    Love & Hugs
    Tom

  17. This is another of my favorites from the album. It has a smooth bubbly sound, the backing vocals really compliment the lead. I find myself hitting the repeat button quite frequently.
    But the video is out of this world (sorry). I love the red balloon. Will that be in future videos. I think I know why Janitor Joe was able to build his own space ship – He is the spittin image of Einstein. Ms. Palumbo is superbly talented, and combined with the creative mind of MLT, you get a masterpiece. Suggestion from an old Okie: How about collaborating with Ms. Palumbo to make a cartoon Mona and Lisa singing one of next videos. That would be a mild stone for you guys. Remember the Beatles were also cartoons. LOL. Peace Be.

  18. I grabbed my copy of the “Signed Studio Scribbles” straight away this morning as this is one of my very favorite cuts off the new album.
    As the saying goes, “If wishes were horses beggars would ride”, but I think the music and creative theme of this song is worthy of a more elaborate video production. Even so, the video is extremely cool and now we can get “Joe” onto YouTube and into the cosmos where he belongs!

  19. I knew 2 weeks ago when you sent the “do we believe in aliens “ newsletter that this Janitor Joe was coming and I was ready because “Captain” Janitor Joe has been my favorite song off your WHY ? album’….I say captain because he’s the one driving the ship….you may or may not even remember probably a year ago whenever we all heard this song for the time I sent (probably in comments) and in a picture of a rocket and reference to captain Janitor Joe looking out of the window while you girls were riding on the back of the ship during blast off and waving to your adoring fans…and I thought that would be a great album cover….at the time we didn’t know anything about the rest of the songs on the album …..it is so good to see Natalie Palumbo’s work of art and that she had the wherewithal to actually contact you about doing this video and you gave the 👍up,…I love this and NATALIE…THANK YOU SO MUCH❤️🧡🚀🎈

  20. Neat! It’s sort of a dreamlike, minimalist version of the visuals that play in my head when I listen to the song.

    Is it just me, or does the stretch from 2:35 to 2:42 remind anyone of the ending of the old HBO movie intro segment from the 80’s?

  21. Pretty cool stuff. I like how she blended the shapes into a visual collage of spatial imagery and imaginary travel into another dimension. At least, that’s my interpretation. Really look forward to the interview!

  22. I don’t like the beginning with all the engineering drawings. About the time time school is dismissed, I like it better. Once Janitor Joe has gone through the roof, I think it’s great! The balloon is a fabulous touch.

  23. I like it. I mean it’s a great song to start with and the animation is really cool. Natalie is very talented. Janitor Joe kind of looks like my old science teacher but he didn’t blast into space. He started a hardware store. He and his wife also got hired to dance in the movie Grumpier Old Men.

  24. I mean this as a compliment but David Bowie’s Space Oddity was coming to mind as Janitor Joe being like Major Tom. Very well done ladies!

  25. I think Jacki said it perfectly. I don’t know how to expand on her comments!
    I was blown away by Natalie’s work. Fit the song perfectly and, for me, really brought the song to life. To reiterate what Jacki so eloquently said, “Thank you both to Natalie and Team MLT for
    coming together creatively to produce a fine concept of visual creativity, indeed …made my Friday and look forward to seeing/hearing your interview w/Natalie whenever you will share it.”
    It was AWESOME 👏👏👏❤️💛❤️

  26. Wow, that was outta this world cosmically groovy !!!! Loved all the creative effects that Natalie did to capture perfectly the essences of “Janitor Joe ” … It all intertwines complimentary , Kudos on this , definitely a beyond thumbs up, so visually pleasing, Thankyou to both Natalie and Team MLT for coming together creatively to produce a fine concept of visual creativity, indeed …made my Friday and look forward to seeing/hearing your interview w/Natalie whenever you will share it . Again, a well done effort to bring “Janitor Joe ” to reality and to infinity and beyond …🤘💜🌌🪐🧹

  27. Absolutely excellent the way the video includes images of the “WHY?” album! And at the end of the video, brilliant inclusion and depiction of the album cover’s landscape. Your beautiful voices are matched perfectly with the video as well. I’m going to purchase the “Janitor Joe” scribbles to add to my almost completed collection!
    Mona⭐ and Lisa⭐ are the best!🎸🎤🎶💖

  28. Brilliant! Thank you Natalie for replicating the pictures that I have in my mind when listening to this. And thank you Mona and Lisa for another wonderful and groovy song. The music and melody are sublime.

  29. Yes! I’ve been ready for this. I love this song, it’s so much fun and this video is great.

    The song rocks and the video rocks! Awesome!

  30. Awesome video!!! I loved the way the visuals were carefully coordinated with the music, and the use of text on certain lines for emphasis. I also loved the incorporation of so many elements from the album’s cover artwork. The colour palette was perfect for this song. Well done, Natalie!

  31. This is AWESOME and so cool, love it! Janitor Joe in the last few years as I approach my elusive retirement period, has been like a theme song for me, I can relate to the lyrics very much. “HE DREAMS OF LEAVING MOTHER EARTH FLYING THROUGH THE UNIVERS”. I love the idea of space travel, and looking out into the universe from our vantage point, the stars always leave me in awe and wonder. The video captures so many cool space effects that resonate with me. Love the scene of the mop and pale, and the “Starship” blue print hanging on the wall!!! And I can never get enough of that red balloon.

    This is a brilliant and amazing song I can’t get enough of when I hear it, and this video does wonderful justice to the song, kudos to you all for this brilliant idea, and to Natalie’s brilliant graphic art talents. My question to Natalie would be, is she a STAR TREK or STAR WARS fan? Seeing that starship blue print and the circular drawing graphics lead me to believe it.

    The Studio Scribbles look great, and love the use of the turquoise ink, it really pops, love the handwriting. Looking forward to getting it to hang on my wall!

    Thank you my music heroes, love you all! 💛❤🎈✨🎶

  32. Read you had new scribbles so ordered that before watching the video. That was very entertaining. Looking forward to the behind the scenes video to get an idea of the collaboration it took to complete this. Thanks for the Friday smiles! 🙂

  33. That was amazing. Graphics were superb and beautifully coordinated with the words. That has made a great song brilliant. Thanks for this.

  34. Yes! My favourite track on WHY? Of course the space theme hits home with me and love the UFO news flash references at the end of the song. Great stuff all round M&L -the best.

  35. Hello Ladies,
    Such an interesting short from Natalie!. She is massively talented. A first and hopefully not last adventure for the MonaLisa Twins. This takes your music to a new and whole different level. I wouldn’t mind seeing more adventures like this.
    Loved seeing the reference to Songbird at the end. Great idea to include it. Of course seeing the reference to Why? Was a wonderful touch.
    Thanks Ladies and Natalie for sharing this wonderful story.
    Best Always
    Rick Ross

  36. Absolutely brilliant! The graphic style is just spot-on for the song. Kudos to Natalie for doing such great work. I love the little references to Why? Sprinkled throughout the video, especially the final one. And, I think it goes without saying (but of course I say it anyway!) that the song is just fantastic!

    I think we’re closing in on a new video album! ❤️

  37. Wow what a great video! Kuto’s to Natalie she did a faboulus job! Your music is spreading for sure, me and my wife just came back from a trip to the beach in Virgina and while we was sun bathing in the ocean there was a party boat full of people and guess what song and music they was playing?? Lola and Mona and Lisa music!! OMG I was so excited and waved to them and they rasied their drinks and yelled STAY GROOVY!! That made my day!! Love the Janitor Joe video!!
    Hugs and love from Bill and Maddie Isenberg Huge fans from Pittsburgh PA USA

    1. Hi Bill…WOW a passing party boat was playing our girls version of LOLA…that is fantastic. Ever since April when I was on a Caribbean cruise I’d been thinking that MLT could provide entertainment on those cruise ships…the entertainment on the ship we were on was pitiful…even my wife said “this cruise needs the MonaLisa Twins” ….and what a better way to grow their base…on cruise ships you find older people like us that love 60s rock n roll…and you have the young kids on board…a captive audience…what better way to get exposure…..and if MLT ever did a cruise and we Clubbers new about it in advance I’m pretty sure there’d be a full boat of MLT Club members on board……..well I dream can’t I 😜🙏

      1. Rick, that reminds me of how the Seekers financed their trip from Melbourne to London (and ultimately fame and fortune) by serving as the house band on a cruise ship between those two cities. If MLT similarly played their way across the Atlantic, maybe that would help defray the costs of a North American tour.

      2. Hey David…yeah their passage would be entirely free and all their equipment would travel free….they could actually go from cruise line to cruise line…all these cruise ships have entertainment directors that use a booking agency….they could port along the U.S. southern coast and start their North American tour…in Texas I know the locations …venues…that would support their brand of music….if I knew they wanted to do this I’ve plenty of Live at Cavern Club cds to send out to various booking agents….the CD itself would create a lot of bookings….but as each passing year and No tour anywhere hope is slipping on by…let’s face it…it’s been 7 years since Cavern Club..then a Steve Harley gig and a guest appearance in 2019 with Mike Masse….I’d be thrilled if they got another residency at Cavern Club…I’ve never been to England but I’d be on the next boat to Liverpool.

  38. Definitely a different feel for an MLT song.
    Video very cute, loved the red balloon in space at the end.
    Drums are fantastic Mona! Harmonies great as always.
    I can’t look at Janitor Joe without thinking he’s Einstein …

  39. Nice video with great animations and love the words popping up for the backing vocals. Enjoyed the rocket (super straight trajectory!) and the use of Why? album graphics (so suitable and why use any others!). My thoughts went back to my version at Christmas so I felt I was missing the segue into Destination Sunrise to end it in happy way. But of course doing that here would be out of scope!!

  40. I am happy to see your expanding production video in addition to you dad’s awesome work with video. Natalie did a wonderful job especially including the parts of the entire album of WHY?. The space, planets, space ship, balloon etc…very thoughtful and entertaining.👏👏👏👏👏

  41. I Love the Video, Very well done and the red balloon from the video Song Bird ties it all together… Thanks Muchly again for Your Amazing Music and Awesome Video…❤️💚💜🇨🇦❤️💚💜

  42. Hopefully, my tools will not be missing when I return to my classroom in a couple weeks. If so, I better look for Janitor Joe!

  43. Always loved this song! Natalie did a great job on the video! I especially liked the red balloon and landscape from the album cover at the end! Genius!

  44. Well done Natalie the graphics on this video is superb and well.done Mona and Lisa for writing such an awesome Song it’s one of my favourite tracks on Why I love it