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Lisa Marie’s
groom-to-be is
homegrown
Third time's a charm
By Tim Ryan
Star-BulletinA prominent artist couple in peaceful Windward Oahu is getting the kind of fame they never imagined, "or wanted."
And it's not about their art.
"Yes it's us; John (Oszajca-- pronounced Oh-zsa-kah) is our son and, yes, he's engaged to Lisa Marie Presley," said Linda Oszajca with a bit of laugh. "I'm surprised it's taken so long for (Hawaii reporters) to catch on."
John Oszajca --Waimanalo born, raised and educated --and Presley announced their engagement last week on her 32nd birthday, more than a month after they had become engaged.
Parents John and Linda Oszajca, who own the Oszajca Design Group, have lived in Hawaii more than 30 years. Linda, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, has exhibited her art throughout Hawaii and internationally. In 1989 Linda's "In the Hot Warming Sand" -- a typical Hawaiian beach scene with bikini-clad sun worshippers and wet towels -- was on display in a Paris gallery. Among other works is the banyan tree she painted in 1996 on the interior walls of Kailua Public Library.
But it's their fledgling rock 'n' roll musician son -- one of the couple's three children, including a daughter and another boy -- who's been attracting international attention since his engagement to Lisa was announced.
FROM HIS WEB SITE BIOGRAPHYOszajca, 25, graduated from Kailua Intermediate in 1988 and Kailua High School in 1992. He met Presley, 32, through mutual friends about nine months ago, Linda said.
This will be the third marriage for Presley, who is divorced from Michael Jackson and drummer Danny Keogh, and the first for Oszajca. Lisa has two children, Danielle, 10; and Benjamin, 6. No wedding date has been set, Linda Oszajca said.
Oszajca's parents have been told by their son and his management not to talk to news media, referring calls to his publicist and manager. A promised interview with the singer-musician never occurred and several follow-up telephone calls to Oszajca's management company were not returned.
The elder Oszajca, an environmental graphic designer, said his son is "very sensitive" about what's said and by whom about his relationship with Lisa.
"He's asked us not to talk to anybody; we're getting all kinds of calls coming in, including some pretty weird ones, like from the National Enquirer," John Oszajca said. "In reality, we really don't know all that much. But we would love to be able to talk because we're so proud."
Linda Oszajca did talk briefly with the Star-Bulletin."John and Lisa met around May then got engaged just before Christmas after he asked (Presley's mom) Priscilla for permission," she said. "Then he asked (Lisa) and he told us he gave her an engagement ring."
According to sources, Oszajca talked to Priscilla the morning of Dec. 23, then that afternoon popped the question to Lisa. That evening during a small, private holiday gathering for family and friends at Lisa's L.A. home, her mother made the announcement.
Oszajca's first album, "From There to Here," is scheduled to be released in April on Interscope Records. But Interscope has already released an abbreviated CD with two songs: "Back in 1999" -- with its touch of T-Rex and The Velvet Underground -- and "Funny Shade of Blue."
"'From There to Here' is a story about moving forward," Oszajca explains in his biography.
"I'm saying that success is the accumulation of all our experiences, even the failures. That's the way life has been for me anyway."
(Fiance Presley is in the studio recording her first album, due out this year as well.)According to Oszajca's manager, David Christianson, the album recounts the musician's transformation from a small-town kid from Hawaii to a street-savvy musician. Other tracks on the album will include "Bisexual Chick," "Where's Bob Dylan When You Need Him" and "I Might Look White."
"Bisexual Chick" is theme of the film "Clubland," in which Aerosmith's Steven Tyler plays the part of record producer. The movie is scheduled for limited release April 16. The soundtrack also includes the work of Jimmy Tuckett, Brad Hunt, Buddy Quaid, Terence Trent D'Arby, Alexis Arquette and Lori Petty, Zebrahead and Flood. Oszajca's music also was in the film "Mystery Men."
On his Web site, Oszajca says his album takes an urban dance music approach to traditional song structure. He describes himself as a traditional songwriter with contemporary narration and urban production.
His songs -- which range from social and political issues to not being able to find a place to park -- are "vehicles for storytelling," he says.
Oszajca moved to Seattle just weeks after graduating from Kailua High in '92.
"I was this dumb kid from an island confronted by this fast-paced, ultra-hip scene," he says in his biography. "There was a lot of confusion and angst and just figuring myself out. It was a struggle. I'd gone to Seattle to 'make it' and had no idea what I was doing."
But Oszajca says he especially appreciated not being "the only white guy in town" for the first time.
"We were definitely in the minority in Waimanalo, and that was no fun at all," he says. "I know what it feels like to be picked out of a crowd."
Oszajca started taking guitar lessons at 15 using a guitar his parents bought him for his birthday. Another beginning musician whom he met during lessons would be part of his first band.
"We put together a band and went on to suck," Oszajca says. "We didn't really do anything with it."
Then Oszajca writes he floated from band to band, playing in at least seven before he left Hawaii. In Seattle, the 18-year-old musician found the songs he'd been mocked for doing in Hawaii were now being appreciated.
"I'd always written these completely different sounding songs that I was certain no one would ever understand," he said. "But I was doing it for me, playing for friends. (In Seattle) suddenly people were getting it, but in Hawaii it was this weird thing."Oszajca joined a band. Soon after a friend asked him to play a solo acoustic set for a film group benefit. The club where he performed asked Oszajca to do a return performance. Soon after he launched a solo career.
Oszajca did coffee shop gigs where he got paid in sandwiches and moved on to opening for national acts, he says, which included Jewel, Brian Setzer, Joan Osborne, Moe Tucker and Pete Drodge.
The genesis of Oszajca's songs is his subconscious when "it has something to say," he writes.
"It finally figures out an experience I went through in the past, solidifying the lesson learned."
He moved to L.A. to "either make it or break it ... because nothing was going to happen unless I made it happen," Oszajca said.
Oszajca decided rather than remaining a solo act playing for a few people, he would create his own scene and put himself in the middle. So Oszajca became a club promoter, hosting weekly events. He played drums for a band he named "Popism."
The group was "ridiculous, a horrible glam band, but that was the whole point," Oszajca said.
"It was sort of an experiment to see if we could create the kind of hype that would turn this really awful band into the next big thing," he said.
In six months Popism was packing the club with several hundred people a show.
While Oszajca was "embracing the more urban sound" he also was searching for a record producer. That's when Nic Jodoin, who would produce "From There to Here" with co-producer Chris Johnson, entered the picture.
When Oszajca performs live his band consists of two guitarists (himself included), a bass player, a drummer and disc jockey. Backup singers, dancers and a Mariachi band are also part of the gig "to make the show as huge as possible," he says.
Oszajca spent time at Park City, Utah last month during the Sundance Film Festival where he performed along with several other bands at The Cozy for a private party hosted by Famous Music for about 300 television and motion picture executives. Capricorn recording groups Bicycle and Metro Talent also performed.
During his performance there, Lisa sat in the audience wearing a flop hat or danced to her fiance's music, said owner Greg Weiner.
"I didn't even know she was with him," Weiner said in a telephone interview. "We had a lot of groups playing that night and Oszajca was the best. My sound guy said he was definitely going to move up in the music world. I thoroughly enjoyed it."
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