Alanis Morissette and Liz Phair talk songwriting during an apocalypse

July 29, 2020 9:27 PM

"... and rock-star self-care" Alanis and Liz were supposed to tour this summer. That's not happening. The LA Times (paywalled, limited articles) brought them together for a conversation about all kinds of things, but mostly about mental health through the pandemic, and songwriting, and the patriarchy within the music business. Article written by Liz Phair.
posted by hippybear (11 comments total)

Without reading the article, I just really want to say, this would make for one hell of a breakup album.
posted by bartleby at 11:33 PM on July 29, 2020 [8 favorites]

I love both of these women and their music. The tour was going to be playing just down the road from me (I think, in fact, this week!), and I really, really, really, really, wanted to go (I haven't been to a concert in decades). But, then I saw the ticket prices. :O

I hope they manage to tour next year.
posted by Thorzdad at 4:41 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]

This is a terrific interview, because clearly Morissette and Phair just took charge and talked about what they wanted to talk about. The discussions of education and patriarchy and intimacy are great. But this bit, from Phair near the beginning... well, I so wish for this to happen, because Liz Phair saving the world would be the perfect antidote to 2020, hell, the whole last four years:

At the beginning of the pandemic, I was voracious and I was literally reading medical abstracts about the original SARS. My father was an infectious disease specialist, so I grew up with this kind of crazy ... this is right in the wheelhouse of both my paranoia and my expertise. In my crazy brain, I was like, “I will solve this.”

posted by martin q blank at 5:20 AM on July 30, 2020 [6 favorites]

It’s an excellent article. I was just discussing it over morning coffee with turtlegirl before seeing it linked here.

I saw Liz Phair once (with Jewel opening) at The Wiltern theater in LA. We missed her when we attended Bonnaroo in 2003 because there were so many other acts we wanted to see.

Which reminds me: we saw The Roots that weekend too. RIP Malik B.
posted by terrapin at 6:11 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]

I had tickets for this show - Alanis, Garbage, and Liz Phair. It's a little, ahem, ironic that I was mostly going for Liz, then Garbage, and then Alanis, but I was thrilled to see all three in one evening regardless of who opens and who headlines.

I had the good fortune to see Liz Phair once in Denver at a small venue in the mid-2000s, and she was fantastic. I read later somewhere that she doesn't enjoy playing live or something like that and I was surprised as hell. I've seen bands where it was pretty obvious they were phoning it in or just trying to get through the set - but she seemed totally in her element and the crowd was so into it. She has a great stage presence.

Would love to see what would happen if they recorded together. I hope the world comes to its senses and we get to see them next year. I mean, I hope the world comes to its senses anyway, but... that was going to be a highlight of our year.
posted by jzb at 6:36 AM on July 30, 2020 [4 favorites]

Back when I was cooking, I had the privilege to cook for a hotel where Ms. Morissette was staying. At like 2 or 3 in the afternoon she was just looking for some place to hide - not that anyone was aware that she was there, but she just wanted to not be around people she was supposed to be around.

So, for a good chunk of that afternoon, she played acoustic for fun in the corner of the dining room (open line) for basically all the staff to enjoy with basically zero distraction or responsibility. We left her alone other than sending her some comps and got to listen to a pretty unbelievable acoustic set. I have to say - easily the second third coolest person I ever cooked for.
posted by Nanukthedog at 11:32 AM on July 30, 2020 [13 favorites]

Ms Phair casually dropping that she was supposed to be on this year's JoCo Cruise because she's friends with Coulton was my "dammit" moment of the article. When it's possible to have the next JoCo Cruise, Imma have to check the guest list.
posted by hanov3r at 12:04 PM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]

That article was amazing, thanks so much. I saw Alanis perform her acoustic set in Sydney a few years ago to a really small crowd and she was fantastic. Such a loss for everyone who didn’t get to see her and Liz this time around.
posted by Jubey at 6:39 PM on July 30, 2020

stopped reading at "always homeschooled the kids" bit like, yep, i'm not the audience for this
posted by zenon at 10:55 AM on July 31, 2020

!
posted by Mutant Lobsters from Riverhead at 2:11 PM on July 31, 2020

total derail, but the TV debut of Alanis Morissette: Ablaze was last night on Jimmy Fallon.
posted by fragmede at 7:56 PM on July 31, 2020