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Seattlest Pix 09Nov08
Seattlest Pix 09Nov09
A few weeks ago, singer/raconteur Jenny Owen Youngs was in town, playing at the High Dive the same time as the Fremont Bridge was being closed evenings, which led to our arriving mid-set in a state of high dudgeon. We decided to skip a half-assed review, and afterwards fired off some impertinent questions via email. We just heard back, and as you'll see, Jenny schools us a bit. Now we adore her even more. If you buy her new album, Batten the Hatches, tell her we sent you.
Your cover of Nelly's "Hot in Herre" -- let's focus on two key concepts the song explores: "ass is bodacious" [Ed: for the record, we're in full accord with this statement] and the right time to shoot one's steez. Compare and contrast. Also, free free to define "steez" for us.
Jenny Owen Youngs:
From Urbandictionary.com:"Hot In Herre" is essentially the story of a young man coming of age in a hard, urban environment. The New York Times compared the song to the Charles Dickens classic Great Expectations, and with good reason: The tales are memorable because both Pip and Nelly undergo adventures and inner turmoil in their growth and development as human beings. They also alternately come to grips with the reality of cruelty in the world -- war, violence, death, racism, and hatred -- and likewise learn to deal with family, friends, or community issues.
1. steez
Plain old style with eeeaaaze.
You Know My Steez - Gang Starr
The title "Fuck Was I" (as we understand it) is derived from the whole phrase "What the fuck was I thinking?" and belongs to the genre of "relationships in hindsight" songs. Isn't it likely that everyone's relationships are going to be distorted and unhealthy while the Bush Administration is in power? Don't beat yourself up, is what we're saying.
JOY: This realization is actually what pulled me out of my post-breakup drinking binge/anonymous sex fest. Damn, Seattlest, you are one intuitive motherfucker. [Ed: we totally are!]
Did we hear some country twang in your folk? Actually, let's back up: what's up with the folk? Lifelong interest? Raised by folk wolves? If you had to pick a geographical spot (autobiographically or not), where would you say your music comes from?
JOY: Wikipedia has this to say about folk music (in our country):
In American culture, folk music refers to the American folk music revival, music exemplified by such musicians as Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, who popularized and encouraged the lyrical style in the 1950s and 1960s.Outside of the concept of America as a melting pot (and thus American music as a melting pot... of music... and also possibly fondue but I am still doing research) I feel no real connection to "folk" music which really developed in America as being somewhat synonymous with protest. Yes, I sometimes play an acoustic guitar and, yes, sometimes I do sing somewhat twangily (certainly not by, say, country standards, but by pop standards), but I feel a much stronger connection to early Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis than Dylan or Guthrie.
I mean to say that I was raised by Million Dollar Quartet and Beatles wolves. If pressed to pick a geographical place of musical origin I positively have to say the place I spent my delicate childhood, formative adolescent years, and still live pretty close to today: northern New Jersey, where the state motto has something to do with seeing a million faces and rocking them all.
After the jump, more Jenny on her guitars, her potty mouth, and Seattle public art.
How much does it suck to have to tune each guitar every time you play a song? Alternatively, do you ever think at those moments, "Some children don't have multiple guitars to tune, so I should be grateful"?
JOY: How much does it suck to floss every day? [Ed: don't get us started.] Tuning takes time but it's vital in order to make the songs sound the best that they can. I never forget for a second that owning my stable of champion guitar-steeds is a blessing... and if there were room in the van I would bring them all (and a guitar tech to tune them for me) in the van.
At your High Dive concert, we noticed that in your between-song banter, every other word was "fuck" or "shit." (Not literally, obviously, that would just lead to a long string of "fuck shit.") What's with that potty mouth? Is this your parents' influence?
JOY: Actually the parent-child chain of influence is reversed in my family; since my mom's become more involved with my musical life her swear-to-not ratio has shifted dramatically. Every bit of foul language I learned from sailing the seven seas, living a pirate's life, etc.
Follow-on question: You mentioned that coming upon Seattle's Hammering Man and the Lusty Lady by surprise on a late-night stroll really fucked your shit up. What have you got against the American working man and his lusty lady?
JOY: In the sobering light of day, I've got nothing against the blue collar or sexy collar working people of America. However after a long night of drinking and doing blow off of the stomachs of Peruvian hookers, well... Anything will freak you out.
What didn't we ask you about that we should have? Something about Bess, probably.
JOY: Sorry boys, she's taken.
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i have to mention that folk music did not arise in america as synonymous with protest. whoever wrote that entry in wikipedia was misinformed.
in fact, the early folklorists responsible for compiling the music and recordings of early american folk music that helped to inspire the folk music revival of the 1960s (which, incidentally, was preceded by decades of excellent folk music--woody guthrie, leadbelly, ramblin' jack, pete seeger, to name a few)....many of the folklorists would not include protest music in their studies, because they didn't consider it folk music. that's why we don't have a whole ton of information about protest music before the 20th century.
just had to throw that out there. obviously, i'm in a mood today.
anyway, i should say i dig JOY and this interview.
I don't care much for her attitude. That's not actually a comment about her attitude as much as mine.
I think I'm having trouble coming to grips with the fact that I actually enjoyed reading an interview. Usually it's the same boring shit. This was different boring shit. But because it was different, I enjoyed it.
Go Kim! By god, setting the record straight is what the comments section is all about. Setting the Wikipedia straight is even better.
Troy...different boring shit is my middle name. Thanks!
Wonderful interview, Michael. But ffs, get there on time next time. Whatever about the Fremont Bridge.
Oh, and it's just BATTEN THE HATCHES (no DOWN). And it's a wonderful album. Everyone should buy it.
Ian, Ian, Ian -- obviously as a layperson you don't have insight into the harried, hectic, in-demand-everywhere life of the Seattlest blogger, teams of editors breathing down your neck about multiple assignments, late-night meetings with shady politicos in dark parking garages, even dodging the occasional assassin's bullet.
Sorry about the title mix-up -- I was looking right at the album page when I inserted that extraneous "Down" from habit.