...It was the Interview (made by fans (Tricia and Katia)) after the Pro-Voice performance. A very cool interview. I makred the position where she talked about the song red.
Katia:So how's the new recording going?
Vanessa: It's going awesomely, swimmingly. We're basically recording at a ranch outside of San Francisco in Marin. And you're just in the middle of nowhere, and you ride bikes to and from the studio, it's like dorky music camp. It's like awesome. "Wee, this is dorky!" It's very Zen-like. It's really peaceful. The songs are all there, so we're having fun. It's like painting--I couldn't choose a better thing for me to be doing. It's like my favorite thing of all time is recording.
Tricia: What differences will there be on your new album? A different style, different types of songs?
V: I think the biggest difference besides obviously evolution in songwriting is the sound, sonically, the sound of the album. I thought the last album was too perfect-sounding. Very slick-sounding. To the point where the strings would sound like pads, or the piano would sound like a keyboard. So, I think that he beauty to an album is to hear the imperfections and the flaws. You know, you hear a violin squeak when you're recording it, which is what makes it feel real. It kinda makes you think, "Oh, this could be going on right now. This is really going on." So there's a sense of spontaneity and rawness.
T: Who do you have producing?
V: Steven Jenkins.
T: When are you thinking about going back on tour?
V: I'll probably start in January. I'll go overseas to Europe and Japan and then start touring the states soon after that. I usually start out, when the song starts at radio, or the video starts in the states, I pick up and leave before it gets too big, because it's growing, hopefully it grows, and then I come back and tour for a while.
T: When are you expecting your first single off of your album to hit the radio?
V: In January. I think it's gonna be a song called "Private Radio".
T: Do you have a title for the album yet or are you still kinda thinking about it?
V: I don't. I don't have a title. That kinda comes at the end.
T: Yeah. Do you have any songs that you're really, really excited about to record?
V: Well, aside the performance that I did of it tonight (which was like totally fucked up) "San Francisco" is a thing that I love. I've recorded 6 songs already, "San Francisco," "Afterglow," "C'est la Vie," there's a song called "Morning Stain." A lot of the album; I'm all giggly about it!
K: Are they all new songs that are gonna be on there, or do you have any that you are pulling from history?
V: "Afterglow?" Well, let's see. Nothing really old. Nothing that old. "Afterglow's" kinda old, I guess, no even that was written like.... I mean, there are some songs--definitely some songs--that I have performed live for people I know, but not more than half the album. I mean, I've performed some of the songs maybe once. So then people record them and then everyone gets it.
T: How did you get approached to do the Spy Hunter game?
V: They just called. I thought it was cool, too, because I was like, "Shouldn't you be going to ask a band called 'Cold' or 'Dark Basin?'" I thought it was really interesting that they picked me because if people go by the style of songs that the people tend pick to put on the radio, it's not really alternative sounding, in the term/sense of alternative rock. I think it's alternative sounds. So, obviously it was someone who knew the darker side of the album, so they're like, "Oh, she could probably do something kinda edgy and dark." And it's really cool. It's kind of like electronica, but on the piano. It's a really nice track, I like it.
T: Have you had a favorite gig that you've done so far?
V: I did a gig in Dallas, where no one was there, it was awesome. I did a gig in Rochester, New York, my last show of my first headlining tour in the states which was great, it was really fun. And then did a gig in London...I love the Bridge Benefit. The Bridge Benefit was pretty amazing, just to be hanging around backstage with all the artists. And Neil Young. It's just really...I've been lucky. There've been a lot of great shows.
T: Are you gonna work with other artists on your album, or is it just gonna be a 'you' thing?
V: I don't know. I'm working on getting Neil to sing with me on a song. But not really, just guest musicians, obviously.
T: What kind of hand exercises do you use before performing?
V: I don't do anything, well being on tour, it's just, my hands are always in shape, so it doesn't matter, but if I haven't played in a while, and I go and play "Wanted" or something, I can't get through the song. I'm like, "Heh..." It kills, so it's a matter of a stamina thing that you build once you're playing a lot. I don't do anything. Am I supposed to? I don't know...
T: Was it your idea to have a cello at the All-Star game? Because that was really cool. The national anthem?
V: Yeah. It was my idea. I always wanted to do that. I regret wearing that shirt...but I really liked having the cello there.
T: Is there/do you have a lot of pressure at all, from your record label to be a certain way or was it kinda like that the first time, and now they're letting you do your own thing?
V: I actually don't feel pressure. I'm sure there is pressure, but I'm just not. Ya know, everyone wants the album out, or they are curious to hear the songs. Nowadays it's so hard to develop a catalogue artist. "Is it gonna work a second time?" and, "Is she really the real thing?" and all that stuff. But nope; not really aware of it. Let me rephrase that, I'm aware of it, but I don't really think I really didn't feel it. Everyone just seems to be totally excited and stoked about hearing the new stuff, and they gave me all the space in the world. They just let me do my thing. They know I'm kind of an actually-write-the-song-by-myself, no co-writing, producers, "Svengali people"
T: No Matrix?
V: No Matrix. None of that. So it's just me in a room. So there's not really much control that they can impose on me, like, "We gotta hook you up to these wires." Ya know? Songwriters nowadays aren't really songwriters.
T: How does it feel when you're doing a gig, and you look out and you see all the people and they're singing your songs?
V: And they're wet?
T: Yeah...
V: I feel guilty.
T: Oh, well don't feel guilty
V: Oh, it's great, it's real rewarding. I love it. Ya know, I feel like I've come really far when I see a lot of people out there. I used to be in gigs in clubs, and there's 5 people yelling, one of them is usually drunk and yelling obscenities and you're like, "Wow, dude I'm like arrived!"
T: Are you gonna have any new sorta instrumentation on the album? Like specifically brass?
V: Yeah, I'd like to have a brass section on probably a song called "Morning Stain." There's gonna be strings, but not as many, more quartets as opposed to symphonies. Flute. I'm playing Rhodes this time. A lot of Rhodes. It's just all the instruments, everything I'm playing, I could have made the album 30 years ago, there's no, technology involved, no loops there's no...none of that.
T: Did you say something about Steinbeck in your San Francisco song?
V: Yeah
T: Someone wanted to know, "What's your favorite book by John Steinbeck?"
V: Oh maybe I had that in an interview, I'm sure I've said that. Grapes of Wrath is my favorite Steinbeck book. Usually everyone's like, "How did you get through that book?!" I don't know I just got like really obsessed with it.
T: What is the most complicated classical composition on the piano that you've ever played?
V: Of mine?
T: Yeah.
V: Oh! There's actually two new songs on the album that no one's ever heard before. One's called--well it was at first called "Interlude" which I stole from an old song (A Thousand Miles) and then Steven renamed it "Quaylude," and right now it's being called "Quail Dude Squaw," but that's not gonna be the name of the title of the song (things get a little crazy in the studio)! That song is really hard to play, Papa's hard to play, I don't know. But I pretty much alter all my songs so I can play them. Cheat. Accommodate myself. Probably a little more than I should.
T: Did you ever think that you would be famous? Did you ever think that this would happen?
V: No and I don't. No. Never wanted... I wanted to be able to support myself; make enough money that I could just do this for the rest of my life and support a family and do that. When I think about having to get dressed up and go off somewhere it gives me major anxiety. It drives me nuts, actually. But it's part of it, and now especially it's all about videos, and videos are fun to make I enjoy that. But the coolest part about that aspect, aside from them buying your music (which they don't do anymore, they download) but is you get free things. I got a big box of gum the other day from Juicy Fruit. I was like, "Great, I'm gonna have amazing breath for the next year and a half!" They give you lotion. There's some funny perks like that. I like my privacy.
T: What is your opinion on downloading? People who download music and stuff like that?
V: It's really frustrating now. The mentality is, let's say if everyone abandoned New York City because no one cared, but all the stores are open, you could just go in and take everything, because no one's watching the stores. So the mentality of a downloader is, "Well no ones watching, it's just there." So why wouldn't you take it? And why would someone say "If I can get this for free, no; I'm gonna pay for it. I just feel bad." That's not the way it works, especially in a capitalist country. So now it's frustrating because I have friends of friends who are like, "I refuse to buy your album, I'll download it." Or it first came out, and they're like, "I downloaded your whole album, it's rockin'!!"
T: "Thanks man"
V: And it really hurts artists. It's the record industry, it's hemorrhaging. Obviously it needs to be worked out, because there's no sense of stealing, even though it's completely stealing. It really is. I don't know, we'll work on it. Sure. I mean I don't blame the people. The people that steal, I get why you wouldn't [pay]. I don't even know how to work that stuff, that's why I don't.
T: Would you ever think of like directing one of your next videos?
V: I would, I would totally do it. I don't know if they would let me, it would be a big fight, or I would do it, and they wouldn't release it.
T: Kind of like a "Pretty Baby" ending type thing?
V: Oh yeah, that was frustrating. I don't know, of course before I start venturing into that, I'd like to work with a handful more [of] great directors and really kinda just be a part of everything, because I love doing videos, and being part of someone else's interpretation of the song, it's kinda cool.
T: Do you have any directors in mind that you'd like to work with some day?
V: I'd like to work with Michele Gondry, Sophie Muller. Spike Jonze is cool, anybody else? I don't know, depends on the idea.
K: Do you have any thoughts for the new video, for the end of January?
V: I do actually, I have this really cool idea, I can't. I know I shouldn't tell.
T/K: It's okay, it's okay.
V: It's too predictable, it'll be all predictable when it comes out and everyone will be like, "Oh I knew this would happen."
K: Do you have any artists that you're listening to currently? Other than yourself?
V: I'm listening to--I love this album, I always come back to it--the Doves, Lost Souls it's really a great record, and I'm listening to a lot of PJ Harvey. Stories from the City Stories from the Sea. A lot of people.
T: How did you get involved with this whole Pro-VOICE thing?
V: They asked me about 8 months ago, and I thought it was really cool. It's great because it's not American Idol. It's not like this cheesy karaoke thing. Whoever can sing "I'll Always Love You" the best.
T: Did you have a favorite contestant?
V: I don't. I'm not familiar enough with all the songs. I'm just supportive of the idea.
T: Okay, well your birthday is coming up do you have any plans or anything?
V: I made it another year. I'm gonna come to the city and hang out with friends back in New York. Yeah, I'm really bad with the parties, I don't know how to do that so hopefully one of my friends will do it.
T: Thank you so much
V: Thank you guys.
