Joan Wasser from Joan as Policewoman has just released her fourth album of original songs and AU review reporter John Goodridge chats about behind the scenes of making the album.
Hey Joan, how’s it going?
It’s going great thank you. How are you?
Great! I’ve been listening to your new album “The Classic” and I have to say I really enjoyed it.
Good. This is a good start to the interview.
To me it’s a really fun uplifting record. I first saw the video for “Holy City” and that looked like a lot of fun too. What was your inspiration for making that?
That film clip has absolutely nothing to do with me. That whole idea came from an amazing woman called Alex de Campi and when she heard the song she wanted to do a number of takes on sixties and seventies television shows. Now how much that translates, I really don’t know. Maybe you can tell me because there’s a lot of shows in there – Soul Train and the Johnny Carson Show and I don’t know if you know them but that’s what that’s all about.
I was trying to work out what the influences were and you could tell that you would have had a lot of fun making it. Your album has a really classic Motown sound. What were your thoughts during the writing process?
Well I wasn’t trying to write a Motown influenced record, that’s just the music that I love. I really don’t listen to music when I’m writing, I don’t listen to any music at all, but that is the stuff that’s dearest to my heart so I’m not surprised that is what you hear in the songs.
I was reading about your past albums and there’s a lot of melancholy in the earlier records and this one here is more of an embracing of life?
I’m glad. So you hear that? Life’s pretty good. Life’s pretty worth living so I’m glad that’s coming through here. I think having a few records out and I think having a bit more calmness in my life and confidence from making those records prompted some sort of good feelings in there. I mean I also really love music that is not cynical. I love music that honours the joy in life, like Stevie Wonder and Sly and the Family Stone and a lot of that Motown stuff too. It’s really easy to write a really melancholy song – well it’s not really easy – but it can be really easy to write a sad melancholy song. It’s more of a challenge to me to write a song about the beauty of life because it can seep over into sounding corny or cheesy or any of those words, so it’s a great challenge to me to write a song that I can sing many times about loving life. Life is really difficult sometimes. But not always! (laughs)
Well I was listening to the album yesterday in the sunshine with a glass of white wine and it was just perfect for that type of uplifting day.
Perfect. That sounds great.
It was great. I was reading that David Sylvain was supposed to record this with you but there were some problems with that?
We wrote a record together and we recorded about half of it but this has nothing to do with this record. We recorded about half of it but then we put it on hold because of health stuff but that record is going to get finished. It’s just in a holding pattern right now.
I was also reading that you tried recording in different spaces like in a basement for example. How does the physical space of where you are influence the sound that you create?
Yeah, that’s a great question. We did do it in places where we felt really comfortable. I’ve recorded all the rest of my records in a studio, a great, great studio. There is nothing broken or wrong with it, I love that studio, and I’ll record there for the rest of my life. But there’s something about a clock ticking that immediately sets up a certain level of anxiety, for want of a better word. “Well we gotta get this done today” … There’s a much more regimental schedule that’s conducive to getting the songs out. So we decided that we were going to record in our own time, do three or four songs at a time. That basement you referred to we recorded some there. We would rent some of our favorite studios around town for a day to do some basics and finish up and Tyler played keys and I co-produced the record with him. He engineered it. He’s a brilliant engineer. We did a lot of stuff in his home studio. But the whole idea was to make it really relaxed. Like, if we didn’t get it that day, it didn’t matter, we’d get it the next day. That level of relaxation made certain that you’re gonna get it that day actually.
You had Reggie Watts working on the title track. What was it like working with a comedian like that?
Ahhh fantastic. He’s also on “Holy City.” He’s riffing on “Holy City”. I mean I knew him first because of his music. I found out second of his comedy. Which feels to me like a musician who likes to laugh rather than regular comedy. He’s brilliant at helping you think differently, helping you expand your mind without you knowing what’s happening. He’s so brilliant – twisting a phrase or changing something and you’re left like “wait, hold on, what just happened?” He’s just a generous performer, I love him to death and clearly he knows what he’s doing in the music department as well.
Your music comes from the heart and is based on personal experience. How do you find sharing that with the world? It must be a difficult thing to do?
When I’m writing the song I try to just get it out however it is. I feel like I can never be able to sing it in public I just get it down anyway. Usually, the more I sing it the more I’m like,” what’s up Joan? Stop being so precious. Guess what? Everyone has the same feelings.” Different details, but the same stuff. Just say it. Usually the first time it’s a little uncomfortable then it just becomes simple.
I mean your first album “Real Life” which was a tribute to Jeff Buckley must have been extremely painful.
Well I never knew it was a tribute to Jeff.
Is it not?
No. It was just my first record. I mean that person is forever in my being but that’s not a tribute to him necessarily. Where did you hear that? That’s a great one. That’s a brand new one.
I read it where you said you wanted to be really operatic because Rufus loves opera. Eternal Flame – a sign off to Buckley. I think I’m reading it all wrong.
Eternal Flame is not about Jeff. There are songs about Jeff on that record but that’s not one of them. But anyway, that record, I started doing that then. Getting things down that were really, really uncomfortable and then just seeing if I could actually sing them and the more that you practice anything the easier it gets.
You’ve worked with some amazing artists over the years, Lou Reed, John Cahill, Elton John, Rufus Wainwright … when working with artists like that you must take something away. It must be a real privilege to be working with artists like that.
Oh yeah, that’s for sure. I mean you mentioned those guys and then there’s so many more who don’t have famous names. It’s so great to collaborate with other musicians because, like you said, you get something out of it every time. You learn how people interact with music, interact with other musicians; how they arrange their songs, it’s a blast actually.
Last time you came to Australia was back in 2011 and you came to Sydney and Melbourne.
And a bunch of other places.
Are there any plans to get back to Australia at any time?
Yes, there are. I don’t have confirmed plans but they’re in the making. So get ready! We’re coming to town!
Do you get to travel much or do you spend more time recording?
I travel a lot. I got off a plane about an hour ago. It’s really tiring but I love it. So just keep going – hopefully you’ll come to the show.
Yeah I’d love to see it – last time you missed Adelaide.
Are you sure? No I’m sorry, I was everywhere in 2011. I went everywhere. I’ve played Adelaide many times. I’ve even played Perth! Come on.
It must have been me that missed it then.
I think so! I’m confident, yeah. We played Byron Bay, did the whole thing. So next time I will see you there!
I’ll be there for sure! Ok thanks for chatting today – it was a fun chat. I look forward to seeing you.
Yeah, me too. Have a great day. Bye bye.
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The Classic is out now.
