A beer.

That's what I want to have with Jack Johnson this holiday season. I'm not even sure if he drinks, but that's what I want.

Maybe if you surf, you'd want to catch a few waves with him before he takes his kids to school.

Or maybe if you're a parent, you'd want to hang with him at a PTA meeting, or talk about biodegradable diapers or furloughs. If you're not a drinker, maybe you just want to hang out on the länai and have a Coke, talk about the environment, or just jam on the guitar.

For me, a beer will do. Maybe over a game, just sitting around talking story.

I was reminded of this when he showed up last month to support the Stop Furlough Fridays rally at the state Capitol. He was wearing board shorts and a T-shirt, played his set in bare feet with a scruffy face, and his hair was a little longer than normal.

He looked and sounded comfortable, which is all part of Johnson's laid-back, just-one-of-the-guys allure.

Don't expect much more of a wardrobe change for tonight or tomorrow's shows at Hawaii Theatre, when he screens his new DVD, "En Concert."

Johnson is a what-you-see-is-what-you-get guy. He still surfs in the morning, still lives within a mile of his mom's house on the North Shore (as do his two brothers), and still gives all his concert and tour profits to nonprofit environmental organizations.

"En Concert" shows both color and black-and-white footage from Johnson's "Sleep Through The Static" world tour last year. He'll follow the screening at the 1,600-seat Hawaii Theatre by playing an acoustic set with his buddy and band partner Zach Gill.

How much they play, he said, depends on how much the audience wants him to after sitting through a compilation of his concerts through Europe.

"We won't do the same music," he said. "But I don't know how long Zach and I will play."

Johnson loves having Gill around. He calls him "truly one of my best friends," a phrase he uses a lot when he describes the people he works with, simply because he likes to hire his friends to handle jobs on tour and with his businesses.

Gill is special, though. He keeps Johnson grounded, provides comic relief with his onstage antics, and often reminds Johnson how awesome it is to share an experience like a world tour with friends. They also share the same birthday (May 18, 1975), have known each other since they were teenagers, and their families hang out together on the road.

On off days, Johnson said his family and the Gill clan can be found checking out museums and other touristy sites, or just going to dinner like ordinary couples and families.

The point is, the more you know about Jack Johnson, the more you want to know the guy.

He's the trusty, next-door neighbor you hand your keys off to before heading off island. He's the buddy who has his priorities straight, a normal guy with golden vocals and the ability to write something as weirdly named as "Bubble Toes," and soon have you singing along "la-da-da-da-dah"-style.

Have you ever noticed he closes his eyes when he's performing on stage?

Part of the reason, Johnson said, is so he can concentrate on lyrics and not get distracted. But as much as he loves doing live shows, he said he's never gotten used to looking out at a sea of 20,000 fans, swaying and singing along to love songs he wrote for his wife.

Fame, he said, is confusing.

Money, he said, is a tool nonprofits can use to build a better world.

And that's Jack.

He's successful enough, with sales from his first four CDs (more than 15 million sold worldwide) that he donates all money earned from his live shows to the Kokua Foundation, the Johnson Ohana Charitable Foundation and other nonprofit environmental groups.

Even the profits from his "En Concert" CD, which includes performances from past Kokua Festivals and other concerts, is being donated to charity because it was based on his live performances.

Emmett Malloy, Johnson's manager and, yes, close friend, said Johnson's generosity can be mind-boggling.

"He hates to talk about how much he's given, but if you do concerts with 20,000 people at about $50 a ticket, you do the math," Malloy said. "Jack is a guy who walks the walk when it comes to backing up what he believes in.

"You hear a lot of entertainers and athletes talking about supporting causes, but they don't back it financially. Jack and his wife are incredibly generous. It didn't surprise me when I heard he was going to sing at the Stop Furlough Fridays rally. He gets behind causes. That's Jack."

LIFE ON THE UPSWING

One thing Johnson said he noticed when he first saw "En Concert," is that he projects more on stage.

The result may be his best CD yet. "En Concert" is very good in part because it highlights Johnson's best work.

"I tend to be a little more soft when I'm in the studio," he said. "My last CD ('Sleep Through The Static') was a little more mellow because of what was going on in my life at the time I was writing it. My next one is going to be more upbeat."

Johnson wrote "Sleep Through The Static" at a time when his cousin and friend died at the age of 20, after a bout with cancer. Not long after, he lost his father to cancer.

He's already started working on songs for his new CD, which he hopes to release next summer. The recent birth of his third child is serving as inspiration.

He also plans to tour in 2010, and hopes to host another Kokua Festival.

"I wouldn't say it's 100 percent, but we're going to try," he said.

RARE PERFORMANCES

Johnson's performances this weekend are the only ones he's doing to promote "En Concert." He wanted to make them hometown shows, so before tickets were offered online, they went on sale at Hawaii Theatre by walk-up purchase only.

He calls the DVD "a good blend of music and a behind-the-scenes look."

Both the DVD and the CD were released on Oct. 27, and in its debut week, the CD hit No. 11 on Billboard 200.

The CD features live performances from past concerts across the world, including in Honolulu. He also performs with Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder, Lebo, local singer Paula Fuga and Good People.

Of all the collaborations, he's especially proud of introducing Fuga to a world audience.

"I met her through her boyfriend at a kickball tournament on the North Shore," Johnson said. "Her voice is so warm and filled with aloha, audiences go crazy for her. My kids, they absolutely love her. I can ask them who their favorite singer is and they scream 'Paula!'

"When Eddie Vedder or Ben Harper march out on stage, fans go crazy because they know what to expect. But it's so cool to see Paula blow audiences away."

WHAT TO EXPECT

In regards to the DVD, Johnson said it reveals just enough of his personal life.

"Hopefully, people will find it entertaining, but it doesn't let people too far in," he said. "There were a lot of times I just said to turn the camera off. It wasn't like shooting a reality show. They did a good job of putting together as much as I was comfortable with showing."

There's an early scene in "En Concert" where Johnson explains to his oldest son why people want to take photos with him and get his autograph.

"I try to tell him it's because the songs we play are about love, and that's what make people feel good,"he said.

Malloy said the answer sums up who Johnson is.

"It was just so simple and yet so profound," Malloy said. "That's something I think people can take from this film. Songs mean something different to everybody, but his universally resonate . What's crazy is you see people at some of the concerts in Europe who don't even speak English, but they're singing along to his songs. It's amazing."

Another thing about Malloy: He's responsible for getting "En Concert" to DVD. Johnson said he was the one who suggested bringing cameras along for the "Sleep Through The Static" tour, so they'd have footage to show their children 20 years from now.

"I trusted one of my best friends," Johnson quipped. "In the back of my mind, I knew something like this could happen, but Emmett is too smart to say, 'Let's do a documentary' to me. If he did, I wouldn't have done it. But I'm comfortable with how it came out."