Sophie Mazingarbe
Gilmore girl highjacks all the pretty little lies
By Tara Murtha
Published: October 31st, 2008 | 10:40am
“Writing songs is about telling your truths,” writes Thea Gilmore. “But you know, the way marketing has gone, there is an assumption that people who take the trouble to buy music can have the wool pulled over their eyes, that they can be sold any shit, and as long as the story behind the act is sensational enough they'll keep coming back for more. I don't buy into that.”
Liejacker, Gilmore’s 8th album, finds her new — under new management and on a new label, she’s still a newlywed and now a new mother. Featuring contributions from Joan Baez, cult hero Erin McKeown, and Zuton Dave McCabe, there are also practically pristine versions of songs (“And You Shall Know No Other God But Me” and “Slow Journey”) as recorded alone in Gilmore’s home studio in Cheshire, England untouched by studio polish.
For the record and on the record, motherhood has not chilled out Thea Gilmore. Why should it? Gilmore’s as known for refusing to sugarcoat her songs and vamp up her look to kowtow to commercialism as she is for her strong, stark songwriting. As she sees it, viewing the world through a mother’s eyes should totally piss you off if you’re paying attention. This darkling idea courses through Liejacker, a testament to ripping into the truths hiding behind the pretty little lies that can make love, life, and artistic success easier.
Tell me about the recording of Liejacker. What was your main artistic goal with this album?
Honesty. I wanted to make a record that was simply and honestly about what I was dealing with at the time of writing the songs. No trickery. It’s so easy to hide behind clever lyrics or lush production, but Liejacker was always about telling the truth.
Some of the songs have a dark, bohemian-industrial Tom Waits-ian feel to them. How did you wind up moving toward this sound?
Out of necessity! The album’s beginnings were very homegrown. It was never even supposed to be a record, I was just writing songs I liked and decided to experiment. I started the recordings in my tiny bedroom at the top of my house. I'm no engineer, I can just about record sounds in Pro Tools, but ask me about MIDI or programming and I'm blank.
Basically, I just found things to play and hit that I thought sounded good and shoved a mic in front of them. It was all somewhat old school. Then when I realized that there was something good about what I was doing, I broadened my spectrum and included Nigel Stonier, my long-time producer, and Mike Cave. The recordings I presented them with posed something of a sonic challenge, but also the clear direction for the album.
I was feeling the influence of Raindogs then saw an interview in 2004 where you had just purchased it. Were you listening to a lot of Tom Waits in the last few years?
Since I first heard Tom Waits, he's become one of my musical staples. They're always telling you to eat five fruit or veggie servings a day to be physically healthy. Well, I think the same is true for music. Dylan, Waits, Cohen, Mitchell, Westerberg — they’re my musical roughage. I'd be hospitalized without them.
Were there any new techniques in the studio that you relied on this time out?
It was really interesting to witness how my vocals changed when I was recording by myself and there was no one watching me sing. I think it has changed my voice overall for the better. Well, that and pregnancy.
I love how you’ve said that motherhood has made you an angrier and more assertive person, in that you refuse even more vehemently to accept that status quo rather than giving off the expected chilled-out, earth-mama vibe. Can you tell me more about that?
I'm not the most chilled-out of people. I walk a bit of an emotional high wire at the best of times, and it’s inconceivable how much responsibility and love you're going to feel for your child until they're born. No matter how prepared you think you are it still takes you by surprise. I think that combination of joy and terror will be present in every song I write now. I'm furious at the world I brought my son into. I have an opportunity to voice my fury and I'll do it.
You’ve said misery tends to be a good route for songwriting. How does this hold up as you get older?
I think it holds up just fine. Misery loves company, but it loves having songs written about it more, no matter how old it gets.
You’ve also said that you’d love to write a song for a cheesy artist. OK. Let’s say you’re going to write a song for Jessica Simpson. A bubble-gummy, trashtastic pop single. What springs to mind?
Jessica Simpson. I think there's a dark side there, I'd look into that. I'd write her a love song with some dark subtext. I love pop songs like that. I was listening to “Do You Know the Way to San Jose” the other day, and what sounds like a bubbly pop song has such dark and sad sentiments. I love music like that.
What do you see as the differences between popular music in the UK and popular music in USA?
Well, music from the US is always more polished. But more than anything I think it’s the audiences that differ. There is a willingness to listen in the US that you don't find in the UK — a drive to discover and support. The UK is very quick to cut down the heroes it’s created, and it lends a sour edge to music over here.
I read an interview with you from 2003 where you talk about liking to control everything, and about refusing to fit into the few chick molds offered in the music industry, opting instead for “the hard way.” How has that changed at all in the last 5 years?
It’s gotten harder. It was difficult enough to find an alternative place in an industry that was on stable footing, now the whole structure of the business is capsizing, no one knows where they are. It leaves artists like me in a very tricky position, but also with interesting opportunities.
I first heard of you through talking with Joan Baez. She says that you’re just great.
I remember meeting Joan for the first time. It was her pre-election tour, the first night. We'd been on a plane for 15 hours and Nigel’s bass had broken in flight; everything was going pretty wrong for us. Joan came into the room, put her hands on my shoulders, and said hi, and everything seemed just great! She's one of the most powerful people I've ever come across. Her poise and stillness is extraordinary, even before you get to the “she's a legend” part.
Your Wikipedia bio says “finally made a breakthrough at 23” referring to Avalanche, which sounds funny since 23 is so young. Did it feel like success eluded you for a long time?
Breakthrough! The thing about breaking through is you've got to like what's on the other side. I've never been too sure about it. I've always maintained that all I want is to get my music to the largest amount of people who want to hear it. Success is always elusive and addictive, no matter how much you get you're always told it’s never enough.
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Thea Gilmore MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theagilmore
Issue #37
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