You probably don't know me, because i rarely post, but that's just because you guys are so intense that i'm intimidated. (that's not a bad thing, don't worry).
But just recently by chance, i came across this newspaper called "The Rainbow Times" (yes, it's a gay paper) and i found an interview with Vanessa. I have not seen it on this forum yet, so i'll go ahead and post it for you =)
Link to the first page:
http://img229.imageshack.us/img229/7602/vcinterviewrainbowtimesqa6.jpgLink to the second page:
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/5154/vcinterviewrainbowtimeskb2.jpgAnd if the images don't work:
“A Thousand Miles,” the ubiquitous hit single from her 2002 debut Be Not
Nobody, earned singer-songwriterpianist Vanessa Carlton Grammy nominations for Record and Song of the Year. Now on a new label and releasing her third album, Heroes and Thieves—which includes lead single “Nolita Fairytale,” an ode to the New York ’hood she moved into three years ago—the 26-year-old spun us a few yarns about her heroine Stevie Nicks and the gays who’ve stolen her heart.
Q: The low sales of your sophomore album Harmonium, which featured the controversial single “White Houses,” led you to get dropped by A&M Records. Do you have any regrets?
Vanessa Carlton: As I’m promoting this record, I thank God for Harmonium, because there was a fork in the road after my first record, and I opted for the harder path. I think in the end it’s going to pay off so much more for me in terms of longevity. I would’ve had regrets if I’d taken a slicker path that wasn’t a reflection of my own aesthetic, but had maybe sold more records.
Q: In the “Nolita Fairytale” video, a taxi smashes the infamous piano from the “A Thousand Miles” video. Does that mean you’re officially over that single?
A: I looked at it more like you have to close a book to open a new one. It was [director] Marc Klasfeld’s idea to run the piano over. At first I just saw the humor in it, but as I thought about it, I was like, Wow, this is a big, bold statement, but an important one. So it was like, let’s remind people of the girl on the rolling piano— because that image was bigger than the song and me—and then destroy it so we can start anew.
Q: What’s so great about Nolita?
A: Aside from the fact that I walk to the corner and hear four different languages, there’s so much interesting stuff going on. Just walking down the street, I’m inspired by the people that I see expressing themselves artistically. They also have great dive bars, which I really appreciate! My favorite hole-in-the-wall is Ruby’s, which I mention at the end of “Nolita”: “Ruby’s in the afternoon.” But I’m nervous because I don’t want people to go to Nolita! I feel protective of it. I don’t want it to be completely infiltrated by tourists, which it already is.
Q: Now that you’re on The Inc. Records, were you nervous about working with executive producer Irv “Gotti” Lorenzo, who’s best known for collaborations with artists like Ja Rule, DMX and Jay Z?
A: I was until I met him. When I played, he was running around the office screaming obscenities—all in a good way. I was just like, This guy is so refreshing! All preconceived notions popped, because in the end, we really respect each other and make each other better. That’s the ultimate for any partnership, romantically or professionally—making the other person better at what they do and who they are.
Q: Tell me about your gay fans and friends.
A: I love the gays! All my gay boys and girls are great, and I have a lot of very cute gay boyfriends. I have so many friends in healthy relationships who aren’t able to get married. There’s so much oppression in this society that it feels oppressive to me as well. Actually, I really wanted [the Harmonium track] “Who’s to Say” to be a gay anthem.
Q: Have you performed at gay clubs?
A: I just recently performed at a lesbian club in Albany, and the radio station that put the show on didn’t even know—and these were big, scary girls. [Laughs] A lot of times these stations are narrow-minded, so I was so glad they stumbled upon it by accident. It was a funny, special little secret I knew but they didn’t.
Q: Speaking of lesbians, how was working with producer Linda Perry?
A: I did my first batch of songs with her, so it dictated the direction of the record and made me realize what I wanted it to sound like—like it came out on vinyl in 1972. That was inspired by her vibe and all her cool vintage gear.
Q: How did your split earlier this year from Third Eye Blind’s Stephan Jenkins, who also co-produced your album, influence the record?
A: We all learn so much from our relationships. Not just regarding that relationship, I’ve had so many life lessons and evolved a lot these past few years. I work out questions and find the answers through writing—but sometimes I don’t find the answers. The last song on the album, “More Than This,” is about my favorite idea in life: At any given time,
you can choose to be peaceful, you can choose to be happy and not crave anything more than what you have. That’s obviously directed at someone else, wishing for them to understand that as well.
Q: You’re young, pretty, famous, and you even dated another celebrity. How have you avoided tabloid attention?
A: Well, I don’t live in L.A., and I don’t seek it out. You create your own reality. I just hate getting my picture taken and I hate clubs. I like old bars where it seems like Hobbits or ghosts would be.
Q: So no rehab for you anytime soon?
A: Hopefully not. [Laughs] You never know, though. We’re all fragile, aren’t we? We all have our vices.
FMI:
www.vanessacarlton.com. Heroes
and Thieves (The Inc. Records/Universal
This article can be found on Page 7 and 9 of the Nov. 1st issue at
http://www.therainbowtimesnews.comAnyway, i found this interview to be really exciting and interesting and i hope you do too! =)
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