Yeah, and then after that you’re supposed to get serious, man.
You should be serious whenever you want and be fun whenever you want. Its just strange especially in a generation where, you know — like, people my age growing up with rock music. I see all these people at the Nine Inch Nails concerts: there’s more people like moms and sons and dads and daughters that go together. Like they’re Nine Inch Nails fans and they’re taking their 14 year old kid.
I just went to Joe Jackson and I was like the only solo person there. There were lots of people and there was eve families. It was kind of strange but kind of beautiful.
I saw Joe Jackson open up for the Who for one of their final concert series and he got a hot dog thrown at his head — at his face. They threw hot dogs at his head! Right when I’m the Man came out.
Oh my God. Wait how old are you?
Thirty-nine.
OK, I’m 37. I remember hearing about the Who’s final tour but I don’t remember hearing about Joe Jackson at that point. His music got me through high school in a big way even though I was still listening to a lot of hardcore and ska and all sorts of other stuff.
Oh really? Were you listening to like I’m the Man and all that?
Yeah, and Night and Day. The crazy thing is listening to Joe Jackson and not even hearing the queer content until after college. And at the show the other night all these women were in the bathroom going, “I cant understand why the line for the men’s bathroom is so much longer! There's no wait for the women’s bathroom!” and I’m like, “Uh, guys, first of all, he’s queer.”
The other night we were watching Judas Priest on TV and how could people not know that a song called “Point of Entry” is not a gay song?
That’s a good lead-in to, like, it’s a little bit baffling to me that people are constantly saying, “All her music is all about sex.” Is this an issue?
Yeah, it’s an issue. And it must be an issue to those people who say it. Because what music isn’t about your sex or your power roles or your questioning of authority? Isn’t that what popular music should be about? Isn’t that what rock and roll was based on? Isn’t the word “rock and roll” — rock and roll, its about having sex in a car. That’s what rock and roll means.
Do you think you get more questions about that because you’re female and this isn’t what you're supposed to be doing?
Yeah! Do you think someone would ask Ludacris why he sings so many songs about sex? No! Would you ever ask a rapper that? No! “Hey man, it’s ’cause I’m a motherfuckin’ gangsta!” That’s what I’m gonna tell people from now on. “I write about sex cause I’m a motherfuckin’ gangsta!” Like, leave me alone. What is your repression? What's your problem?
Do you work on your material in advance of going and recording it?
This album I did a lot of demoing but then I also had ideas . . . because a lot of the songs are based on responding to pop culture and building on it and trying to bring a balance into it.
