Gossip [&] the Devil

Kindle is a program sites like Amazon.com use that allows you to download e-books and read them on devices like your iPhone or iPod touch.

(This is the continuation of the interview I’ve conducted with singer/songwriter Jessica Allyn. This is part 3 of 3. Part 1 can be found here. and part 2 can be found here. Once again, I’d like to thank Ms. Allyn for taking time out of her busy schedule to do this interview and wish her the best of luck in the pursuit of all of her dreams.)

Part 3 | Technology and what it means for artists (present and future):

JMT: It’s no secret spoken word and writing have been dying a slow death since the invention of internet slang, texting, Twitter etc. While the internet is a great tool, a lot of meaning can get lost in the mix of today’s give-it-to-me-now-in-140-characters-or-less-attention-span. You almost have to capture your entire message in one song in the hope to hook your audience to come back for more. Do you agree and, if so, does this put more pressure on you as an artist to deliver?

JA: Look, I’m addicted to Twitter and blogging just like everyone else. But I cannot convey my essence in 140 characters or one song. The same way you can’t meet a person one time and know their whole life story. The record is only 6 songs for a reason; I knew a person’s attention span wouldn’t last through an entire musical. So I ended up having to try and cram 15 years into 20 minutes. There was a lot of pressure in that respect.

(It’s sort of like walking into a room of people and not having the bandwidth or the time to figure out which ones you want to deal with. But if you find those one or two people wearing Cure t-shirts you can make an educated guess and walk over fairly confident you’re going to have a decent conversation. – J. T.)

JMT: The art of buying a record is on life support, complete with a doomsday clock ticking down to the day when we’ll all be pouring out 40oz of malt beverage in remembrance. It’s sad since tangibility is part of what makes records really great—actually holding them and seeing the effort in the packaging and artwork. I think this goes back, again, to the “gimmie” attitude of society. CD and record collections aren’t practical anymore when you can download 5000 songs to your iPod. This makes things much easier when trying to get your work into the hands of an audience—but at a price. That being said, do you feel giving up the tangible part of a record is a necessary sacrifice to reach an audience these days?

JA: I actually have a hard time swallowing the reality of that. But, unfortunately it seems necessary to make such sacrifices these days. There was so much more I could have done with I Am a Camera had I not been so restricted by the rules of digital music sales. The artwork, the notations, the lyric sheets all lost to a 600×600 (pixel) front cover and a “buy now” button. I remember reserving copies of records in stores, waiting for the release date to rush out and get it, holding my own copy, cracking it open and pressing play. I definitely miss that. It makes me sad that this generation is growing up and will never have that experience; they don’t cherish it. Everything is handed to them on a silver platter, everything is quick, easy and one click away. It (the generation) lacks appreciation for the art itself. As an artist you quickly realize the sacrifice might be necessary. The reality is painfully present. At the same time there are still ways to showcase “the art that got away” as I’ve started to call it. But it’ll never compare.

Jessica Allyn (Taken from her Facebook page)

The Artistic Temperament:

JMT: This final question is asked mostly for my sheer morbid enjoyment, as I’ve been immersed in literature about manic-depression and the artistic temperament for months now. George Gordon Byron (Lord Byron) once remarked: “We of the craft are all crazy.” And in fact many of history’s greatest poets, painters, architects and composers have been afflicted with some type of affective disorder. Presently I’d extend the definition of Byron’s “we” to include lyricists as well who’ve been “touched with a fine madness.” Based either on personal experience or from observation does that sound like an accurate assessment?

JA: Of all the artists I’ve known, myself included, that statement is so true. I once read a book that said: “People who are often depressed usually have a more realistic perspective on things, than that of a ‘happy’ person.” I don’t think that is true all of the time, or for everyone. But for me it’s a fact. They call it “Depressive realism:” “People without depression are more likely to have inflated self-images and look at the world through rose-colored glasses, because of cognitive dissonance and other defense mechanisms.” I also believe being “touched with a fine madness” allows you to go deeper when creating, you’ll go to the edge. You’re more willing to be brutally honest, because you’ve got nothing to lose.

(Jessica Allyn resides in New York, New York. While nothing is “official” yet, she is currently in talks with one of Long Island’s oldest lesbian bars for a possible residency and will be doing open mic nights all around the NYC area this Summer. Visit JessicaAllyn.com or her Myspace page for details and tour dates as they become available.)

This first post will be a bit lengthy, but my agenda is simple: I want to use my art to create a sort of positive symbiotic relationship with other artists. If I can use my continuing dream to support and learn about other artist’s dreams then the creative circle lives on. I’m more than convinced this needs to happen if our society and culture plan to have any sort of longevity throughout this growing technological future. Something tangible you can wrap your hands around, something you can feel from the audience. Something you can read and see in your mind, something that leaves a lingering taste behind. Reactions. Revelations. Appreciation.

While I am a born author I also have a scholastic background in journalism, ranging from radio and broadcasting interview work to print and freelance work with bands, poets and teachers. As poetry can be a rather isolated and lonely little island I find myself missing the brilliant back-and-forth interaction between people who share a similar dream. Given that most of my creative inspirations exist within the magical world of sleazy guitars and heart-cracking lyrics, similarly many musicians cite life-changing books and works of poetry as Mecca’s for inspiration.

One of these people is Jessica Allyn, a 25-year-old singer/songwriter from New York whose voice could have come straight from the 1920’s. (Listen to her song “Professor Harold Hill” and you’ll see what I mean.) As of this interview she’s flipped the bird to her civilian job in order to focus on her craft full-time.

Jessica Allyn (taken from her Facebook page)

I first discovered Ms. Allyn via Twitter when our mutual love for Amanda Palmer/The Dresden Dolls crossed paths. I approached her with the idea for an interview in order to explore other artist’s inspirations, creative processes and methods of writing. As I’ve come to realize, just because you practice a particular craft doesn’t mean you have to operate exclusively within those lines.

Case in point, Allyn’s latest effort, a concept album titled I Am a Camera, was brought to life using a line from a Christopher Isherwood book called Goodbye to Berlin: “I am a camera, with it’s shutter open, quite passively, recording, not thinking.”

In this sense she has managed to capture the marrow of any artist’s body of work; their unique mental snapshots brought to life. From the downright rock and roll crunch of “Standing O” to the ukulele-decorations on “Kayla’s Song” (titled after a ukulele designer for the artist collective Post War Trade) I Am a Camera is the musical equivalent of flipping through a strangers scrapbook.

In the following paragraphs I’ll discuss with Ms. Allyn creative inspirations. Parts two and three, to be posted Tuesday and Wednesday, we’ll discuss the creative process behind I Am a Camera, and technology and madness, respectively.

Part 1 | Inspiration:

Julie M. Tate: For inspiration, do you seek it, or does it usually find you? I’ve found that inspiration usually finds me, solicited or not.

Jessica Allyn: It definitely finds me. And, it’s usually when I’m not looking for it. It’s a gift and curse. I usually go through the motions. Months later I’ll write about it and think, “Well thank you (and sometimes fuck you) for the inspiration!”

JMT: Does what inspires you stay the same or mutate every few years/weeks/days?

JA: It mutates every few hours, to be honest. Life is ever changing and it’s hard to keep up at times. But I have always been overly sensitive and affected by things, so I’m constantly inspired.

JMT: I find it very difficult to “make time” to write, though I’ve been told countless times in as many creative writing classes that writing every day is essential. It’ easier said than done in my experience. Are you able to make time to write or must the muse “hit?”

JA: I used to be able to pump out one song after another. Now I am seeing a change. I rid myself of 15 years of baggage on this record. It was cathartic and beautiful but left me somewhat empty. I’m finding that I have less time to write these days. But I keep my eyes wide open for inspiration anyway.

JMT: Many great artists of our past would be considered obsolete now but not because they weren’t great. I’m convinced the majority of the population isn’t equipped anymore to recognize a truly great artist, be it musician, painter, poet etc. Do you think artists should study those that came before or try not to be influenced and do it on their own?

JA: I think an artist should allow themselves to be influenced by other artists. The history of Art, Music, and the like speaks for itself. Everyone is influenced by something, or someone, else. That goes for any profession. I went through an arrogant phase where I thought I was being innovative and ended up coming across several artists who did what I was doing, did it better, and long before I was even born! It was a slap in the face but a wake up call. I think the key is to learn how to balance both your own quirks and that of your influences. Then find a way to fuse them without being a carbon copy of someone else. Find yourself first.

JMT: I agree. I’m of the mind that it’s impossible to completely “do it on your own.” In most cases you’re sorely disappointed and embarrassed when you inevitably do stumble across that someone who’s done it better before. You could have learned something if you’d only studied a little research. That being said, are any current musicians/lyricists impressing you?

JA: I’m rather under-whelmed with most of the music out today. I find myself rediscovering old favorites these days. Still the reigning queen being Amanda Fucking Palmer. She’s got it down to a science, lyrically. She’s just absolutely brilliant and uses sarcasm and wit in the right places. Musically, her compositions are heart-breakingly beautiful. Other artists/bands that never fail to impress me lyrically: Thom Yorke of Radiohead, Muse, Placebo, Morrissey, Robyn Hitchcock, Neutral Milk Hotel, ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of The Dead, and PJ Harvey.

JMT: What about favorite authors and/or life-changing books? (Other than Goodbye to Berlin, which we’ll get to in a moment.)

JA: My favorite author would have to be Hubert Selby Jr. – He wrote Requiem for a Dream and Last Exit to Brooklyn. His books definitely changed my life. They were so descriptive, so poetic, so brilliant. He found a way to make the grotesque evils of the world almost beautiful. That being said, Requiem for a Dream is still my number one favorite book. I could read it over and over.

(Part 2 which includes discussion of I Am a Camera and it’s writing process will be posted tomorrow, so check back!)