The songstress talks about fame and music
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May 01, 2003
Before Vanessa Carlton’s concert Sunday, Ithacan staff writer Paul Gimelberg had a chance to interview her. Here’s how it went.
Paul Gimelberg: So what was it like growing up in Pennsylvania?
Vanessa Carlton: It’s similar to here, except there’s more grocery chains. Yeah, there’s not much going on, but it’s pretty.
Where do you live now?
I live in New York and San Francisco.
Now you’ve got a younger sister that goes here. Is that you? [A young woman sitting across from us, who looks just like Vanessa, nods.] Because I keep hearing about this younger sister. [No response.] So, do you like Ithaca?
Well, it kind of seems familiar to me because it’s so much like home. But, I don’t know — I just got here.
As an artist, how do you feel about MP3s, downloading and the prosecuting of college students for sharing of copyrighted music online?
Oh, I think it needs to be embraced. I think that it’s an amazing way to trade and hear music. Yeah, it’s unfortunate because we are not set up yet in a way where artists won’t get ripped off. But I don’t think it should be fought. You have to work with the way that people now prefer to get music, and that’s the way they want to do it. Because I am all for it, but I am not for people getting ripped off — obviously. So there has to be a happy medium.
I had heard a quote from you where you said that you can be sexy without dressing like Britney and Christina — in the sense of you not having to wear a half-shirt to feel sexy.
[Nodding in agreement.] Right.
How do you really feel about that? Can you elaborate on it?
Essentially, a pop star is a musician. I don’t really like to consider myself a star because I don’t know what defines that. I don’t know if that’s defined by being particularly creative or anything like that. But being a pop artist means that you’re popular, essentially. And I think that at one point, most “pop stars” were kind of defined by how good their abs looked, you know, and being blonde and kind of putting on a song and dance act.
Music kind of goes in circles, and I think that we’ll end up at that point again. But being a singer/songwriter, you are always part of the musical landscape. It’s so weird to me when people say “Oh it’s trendy again to be a singer/songwriter.” I’m like, “Well, that’s actually kind of the root of all music — to be a songwriter — so I don’t really know what you’re talking about.” But, I do understand that recently it’s kind of become popular. You can be a singer/songwriter and be a pop star at the same time. And it doesn’t mean that I’m going to turn into a blonde half-naked chick.
Well, how do you feel about the repackaged images of Britney and Christina?
Well, I think Britney’s hot! You know? I think Christina is a little much for me, but I mean they do their thing, and they’re both talented in their ways. I don’t know why I’m compared to them. I mean, I understand why I get asked the questions, but it’s just [that] they’re different worlds. I don’t look down on what they do, and I hope they don’t look down on what I do. It’s all love.
It’s been about a year since your debut album. What would you say have been some of the best experiences you’ve had since then?
I would say performing with Neil Young and James Taylor at the Bridge benefit in San Francisco, performing with Elton John, being able to not have to waitress to make money. Realizing that this is my job now, and I’m set up, and there’s certain anxieties about living day-to-day that I don’t have to worry about.
Do you think you’ve changed as a person?
Definitely. I think I have grown a lot. I think that I’ve kind of re-established a perspective that’s fresh and learned. I don’t know — but it’s all good. This year has been amazing, and I think it’s been really stressful and really tiring, but at the same time, it’s kind of started a career for me, and I’m looking forward to just continuing on with making good art — and keeping clothed.
Well, I hope the best for you. What’s one thing that nobody knows about you?
Uhh, I don’t know … I smoke a lot of pot.
Do you really?
No, I don’t. [The two respond in unison with laughter.]
I interviewed Dave Chappelle, and he really does.
No, I don’t know. Your public perception is always in contrast to what goes on personally. I mean, there are a million things that people don’t know about me, but the most important thing to know though is that what they hear, what comes out of my mouth in interviews and in my music is it’s all authentic. It’s not me pretending to be somebody else. But unless you’re friends and personally know the person, you won’t fully know who she is. You know? But perhaps over the course of albums and years, people will become more familiar with really what’s really going on inside my head.
When can we look to forward to getting a copy of your next album?
I am still writing. I go into the studio in two months. It will probably be done a couple of months after that. If I don’t make it for wintertime, it will be next spring. So we’ll see.
