Courtney Loves To Talk Music!
Was "America's Sweetheart" an easy album to make? No album is "easy" to make - this one has a lot of firsts - I wrote my first love song, and my second, and my third maybe even my fourth. I moved past my sort of rockstar 101 Baudelaire phase and entered more of a Rilke phase
Describe your collaboration with Linda Perry. I didn't choose to – Patty (Schemel) is friends with her and she dragged me over there to her place- I thought it would be a good exercise. Linda has a different relationship with her "clients" than with me - we had so many late nights - 3 and 4 AM. Linda fought hard to write with me - we wrote in a standard John /Paul sort of way. When I walked into her studio and there was a photo of Robert Plant and then a photo of Grace Slick kissing Janice Joplin and I new this would be the best experience in my life, and it was!
There was no question about Lyrics - I did them - but I let Linda in my lyric box - things I would not have accepted from other people - I accepted from Linda - she had a big hand in the first line of “Sunset Strip”
Working with Linda felt great - like my old Babes in Toyland era
I think Linda felt like it was taking a bath - we are writing ROCK - her real artistry in rock came through with me
Sometimes I got to be the john - and she was the Paul - and then sometimes I was the Paul and she was the john - it was all good
Why did you take so much time between albums? I couldn't write a worthy song for two years - and then I didn't want to -then there was this Woodstock thing and got turned off - and then I wrote ”Hold On To Me” and that started me moving forward.
Has your way of writingmusic changed in this time? No not at all - I write in a band format usually - except my bedroom songs which I write alone in my bedroom - mostly I like to write with all women -
Why did you choose to collaborate with Bernie Taupin? Why, Because he is Bernie Taupin - it is funny, brilliant and he is a professional - I grew up on Bernie Taupin lyrics - I felt like a 4th grader - there are very obvious NOT ME lyrics - it feels REALLY WEIRD to sing them -
I was nominated for a Grammy for my song Malibu and Bernie Taupin and Van Dyke Parks had a discussion about the composition of Malibu - it was the only piece of press I would save - they seriously discussed the very complicated composition of that song - they got they way I write and it was really neat
Why did you choose to record in France? In America everyone records on an SSL machine. I went to see Linda in the studio she was with Christina and the studio had no cassette players. - SSL makes SSSS noise - I kept thinking about Exile on Main Street, I knew that there would be glitches but over all it made it amazing and beautiful - the people are amazing and incredible - France is one of my favorite places on the planet - it feels like home - my daughter loves it there - I Had a fantastic and natural time - the place had a natural and woodsy sound. I didn't want to over tune - I love Celebrity Skin very much - but I didn't want this record to be from recording row - I wanted to be isolated and what a great place to be isolated in!!! |
About Petrol Records
About Petrol Records
