Earlier this week, The Music Slut had the distinct honor of meeting with the lovely Joan Wasser, otherwise known as Joan As Policewoman. For about an hour we discussed the state of music, her new record (Real Life), her past collaborators, influences and of course, Thom Yorke (this is The Music Slut after all!).
Part 1 of this interview is below. Parts 2 and 3 will arrive on Monday and Tuesday.
On critical acclaim:
TMS: First off, congratulations on the album.
Joan: Thank you!
TMS: You’ve gotten fantastic buzz on the album. Were you expecting that at all? I mean, I’m sure when you made the album you were like ‘this is what I want to put out, this is quality’ but did you expect, sort of these rave reviews?
Joan: No, I didn’t. I didn’t know what to expect, really. I did make sure I was proud of it so that when they tore me apart and said it was the worst record ever made I would know that I made a record I was proud of [laughter]. It was really nice that they liked it, I was really glad.
TMS: Is there one review, or one publication/magazine that sort of means more to you than something else? Or is it more so friends and fellow musicians that, you know, hearing their praise is more exciting?
Joan: It’s all great, I mean, you know, praise is good! Wherever you get it from! Certainly people that you really respect telling you that they like it, that fills a certain something in you. But then hearing from people that you don’t know at all having all these revelatory things to say about it, that’s another whole thing where… ‘Oh, I don’t even know them, I don’t even know them and they like it!’. And then there’s all sorts of interviews that are not in my language that have been translated that seem also really amazing! [laughter]. So, it’s great! It’s sort of a wonderment for me.
On artists she’s compared to:
TMS: As far as the reviews go, a lot of them mention people you’ve worked with in the past but a few of them I’ve read compare you to other female artists that I guess are in the same ‘realm’ as you, whether it be Beth Orton or Feist or Cat Power. How do you feel about those musicians and do you think that’s a fair comparison? I think it’s a pretty good comparison. I think the first time I listened to the album, the title track (‘Real Life’) made me think a little bit of Billie Holiday for some reason.
Joan: Thank you! I know that people hear how they hear individually. Everyone hears something different in people’s music. I think all of those people are amazing, so, it’s great. I am very familiar with Chan’s (Cat Power) music, the little I’ve heard of Beth’s and Feist’s music is really great.
On Elliott Smith:
TMS: I wanted to talk to you about the last track on the album, the one for Elliott Smith (‘We Don’t Own It’). I’m not sure if you’ve worked with him or toured with him in the past, have you?
Joan: I did a couple of tours with him when I was playing in a band called Those Bastard Souls. We were touring with Sebadoh and Elliott was opening the shows before the whole ‘Good Will Hunting’ thing so he was opening solo, and you know, he’s incredible. And also, he’s just such a very kind, gentle person. You know, troubled, at times, as we all are, at times. It was really disheartening to hear about what was going on after he died. Because you always hope that people come together when someone dies. When you die as a young person it seems like it’s so shocking and so difficult to digest. [It’s sad when] people are angry at each other and calling names and stuff. So, that’s what that song is about.
On long albums:
TMS: It’s difficult sometimes to sit through a 72-minute album (discussing post-rock albums and some of the longer Decemberists tracks). I was glad your album was 10 songs - I think that’s a good length, I mean especially, it’s your debut, I think it works well.
Joan: I think it’s rude to make records too long. You can’t, I can’t concentrate for much longer than that.
On what she’s listening to now:
Joan: You know what I’m into right now? Really into, is M. Ward’s new record, ‘Post-War’.
TMS: It’s so good.
Joan: It’s so great. We’re doing a couple shows with him, I’m so psyched. Over the summer I couldn’t get enough of that Midlake record. It’s my thing. It’s like Fleetwood Mac. It’s just so good and I never got tired of it. It’s just incredible. I really love the new Bonnie Prince Billy record with that woman from Fans Fables singing on it.
TMS: I heard certain tracks but not the whole record.
Joan: You need to get it, so good! It really is. And I got the Dead Moon retrospective, double CD.
On MySpace:
Joan: I love it! I get to communicate with my fans. It’s amazing! The other thing I did is, I had to make a video really fast for one of my songs.
TMS: For ‘Christobel’? I was going to ask you about that! I saw your MySpace bulletin and I wanted to know if you found someone…
Joan: Oh yes, I did. And it is an amazing video! It’s animated, it’s incredible, it’s on my video, under video, you can watch it.
TMS: Oh, it’s already done?
Joan: Yeah, it’s done! It’s incredible.
TMS: What exactly did he or she do to the song?
Joan: It’s just really unique and awesome. [He, the video director, is from] the Netherlands. (Watch it here!)
(In Part 2 Joan discusses what it was like working with Antony and Rufus + her next album; Part 3 will feature Joan's thoughts on touring with Morrissey and the demise of CBGB)
Read a review of her show at Tonic on Tuesday night a few posts down!
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