Thoughts on Liz Phair

I never listened to her, but I appreciate her. I particularly like that this article describes her certain je ne sais quo as "do-me feminism" - fantastic. Here are some tidbits in case you cant get to the article... I completely copied this, so dont give me any credit. I also stole the picture from the article - its by Pascal Perich for The New York Times. (Does that cover any copyright worries? Please let me know law school people and graduates.)


The Independence of Liz Phair By DAVID CARR Published: August 2, 2005

Liz Phair, former crown princess of indie music, has news for all those who wish she would go back to opening up a vein so listeners can feel her pain. She does not feel theirs.

"I don't remember that time as fun or happy," she said, recalling the days in 1993 after she released "Exile in Guyville," a gender-bent song-for-song retort to the 1972 Rolling Stones album, "Exile on Main Street." The CD was hailed as a revelation, but since then, she has steadfastly refused to live down or up to her early reputation as the coolest girl at the party. Ms. Phair has made four CD's since "Exile," and the latest, "Somebody's Miracle" - due out in October - will do nothing to quiet critics and fans who suggest she traded mesmerizing musical idiosyncrasy for a more common, commercial sound

"If you are an old fan and it doesn't fit what you need, don't buy the disc," she said with firmness, but no rancor. "People hang their hopes on you fitting into their CD collection in way that they have made a space for, but I'm playing a longer game than that."

"Hating, I can understand," she said. "I hate stuff too. I can get with that. But some of it is personal and weird. I don't like being approached by people who look at me too intensely, who needed something from me that I didn't have. I don't represent anything. I am just like you and everyone else. I am trying to live my life as best I can."

"Am I coasting on some early success? Yeah," she said. "It was a good lucky break for me. But I would rather earn my way back again than simply conform to what people are expecting."

"After all, I'm not sitting in an office telling someone that their insurance policy doesn't cover their chemotherapy," she said. "Theoretically, I am trying to make a piece of music come to life, to try and bring joy and meaning to people's lives. That's a pretty good deal."