lifeblood: listlogs: 2000v03n076-news

ig-news-digest           sunday, may 7 2000           volume 03 : number 076

today's subjects:
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  [ig-news] emily chat transcription for those who weren't there  [jackie de]

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date: fri, 5 may 2000 17:12:43 edt
from: jackie deutsch <freak92080@aol.com>
subject: [ig-news] emily chat transcription for those who weren't there

[sherlyn's note: this message was originally sent to the indigo
girls mailing list at netspace.org.]

artistdirect: welcome everyone to
artistdirect: an indigo girl chat with
artistdirect: emily saliers, presented by
artistdirect: artistdirect.com!
artistdirect: .
artistdirect: emily is here and ready for your
artistdirect: questions on life, love, activism,
artistdirect: and everything in between.
artistdirect: .
artistdirect: so let's start chatting...
artistdirect: .
artistdirect: welcome, emily!
emily_saliers: hello to our friends out in cyberworld!
emily_saliers: *
askemily: car98-guest says: emily, other than music, i know you co-own a
restaurant and a nature preserve. could you tell us more about these
projects?
emily_saliers: i don't own a nature preserve.
emily_saliers: that's a wonderful rumor though.
emily_saliers: i co-own a restaurant called watershed
emily_saliers: in decatur, georgia.
emily_saliers: i have three other partners
emily_saliers: and they run it when i'm out of town.
emily_saliers: it's a joint venture,
emily_saliers: and we just run it out of fun,
emily_saliers: because we all like good food and good wine.
emily_saliers: come see us there!
emily_saliers: come eat there, it's really good!
emily_saliers: *
askemily: knatster says: i was wondering what is your favorite thing to do
when you have free time?
emily_saliers: it would have to be read.
emily_saliers: reading is my favorite thing to do.
emily_saliers: and, i love to be outside.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: jyard says: what's going on with you and amy making solo albums?
when do you expect your solo album to come out?
emily_saliers: amy's working on hers right now.
emily_saliers: and, i don't have any plans to begin my yet
emily_saliers: it's sort of like a distant
emily_saliers: pleasurable pursuit.
emily_saliers: and, it's something that amy and i
emily_saliers: i just want to do,
emily_saliers: and we feel like anything that we do
emily_saliers: individually that's creatively fulfilling
emily_saliers: only strengthens our partnership.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: jillybean says: please settle a bet between my friend and i! is the
little girl on the cover of "come on now social" you when you were younger?
if not... who is it?
emily_saliers: and amy's new songs are really great, and i'm
emily_saliers: looking forward to hearing it myself.
emily_saliers: to jillybean: no, it's not me,
emily_saliers: it's not amy,
emily_saliers: it's no one we know.
emily_saliers: we were originally going to use
emily_saliers: a photo of another child
emily_saliers: but couldn't get the rights to use it
emily_saliers: so, by that time we were really stuck on the idea
emily_saliers: of using a child on the cover.
emily_saliers: so, we started looking through some books
emily_saliers: and we found this photo.
emily_saliers: i think she's a little german girl,
emily_saliers: the photographer was german,
emily_saliers: but no, we've never met her.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: glowbug says: i have heard the chorus of the song "go" performed as
an addendum to other songs in the previous years... were there always plans
to make it into it's own song?
emily_saliers: amy worked on that song
emily_saliers: a long, long time,
emily_saliers: probably longer than any other song of hers,
emily_saliers: and i think the recent events that happened to us
emily_saliers: in south carolina,
emily_saliers: where a lot of our concerts were cancelled because
emily_saliers: we're gay
emily_saliers: and the protests by people who thought that was wrong
emily_saliers: provided her the needed inspiration to finish that song.
emily_saliers: i know that song means a lot to her personally.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: *jax* says: i've decided not to play softball in college so that i
could become conjoined twins with my guitar. did you ever play any sports and
do you feel that you had to ever give up anything for your love of music or
your career?
emily_saliers: good question!
emily_saliers: well, i am a huge sports fan,
emily_saliers: huge!
emily_saliers: and my favorite spectator sport is football,
emily_saliers: and i love to play golf,
emily_saliers: and i'll watch just about anything on television.
emily_saliers: and, i especially love women's sports,
emily_saliers: basketball,
emily_saliers: but, i never played sports.
emily_saliers: the competitiveness, i found a little intimidating.
emily_saliers: so, when i played sports it was like
emily_saliers: pick-up games with my friends.
emily_saliers: i guess i never had the "killer" instinct! [laughs]
emily_saliers: when i was applying for grad school,
emily_saliers: i was thinking about becoming an english teacher,
emily_saliers: but amy and i already had a career going.
emily_saliers: so, i made that choice and i have
emily_saliers: absolutely no regrets,
emily_saliers: except when i have to be away from home for so long.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: gigglegirl says: many people were suprised that the song "chiapas
bound" did not make it onto "shaming". why was this song not included?
emily_saliers: i'm not sure exactly.
emily_saliers: what happens when we make a record
emily_saliers: is we get a group of songs together
emily_saliers: usually half amy's and half mine,
emily_saliers: and we decide which songs work together better,
emily_saliers: and what it probably came down to in the end,
emily_saliers: though i don't remember exactly,
emily_saliers: is which songs amy and i decided were best for that album.
emily_saliers: but, you never know
emily_saliers: when songs crop up again,
emily_saliers: our next album is all acoustic
emily_saliers: and we may resurrect some of those
emily_saliers: new/old songs for that album.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: eckybay-guest says: hi emily... do you ever get tired of singing
closer to fine?
emily_saliers: no....[laughs]
emily_saliers: do you ever get tired of listening to it?
emily_saliers: it's just sort of become a fun, ra-ra song for us.
emily_saliers: we used to close every show with that,
emily_saliers: but once we moved it up in the set list, it took on a
different life
emily_saliers: and now it's just a fun hootenany song!
emily_saliers: *
askemily: angelfish says: i saw you in concert in berkeley, ca, and was blown
away (as usual!). during the concert, you asked the audience to help you with
the new york times crossword puzzle. do you do puzzles often, and what else
do you do to pass the time when you are on the road?
emily_saliers: i started doing crossword puzzles
emily_saliers: with our publicist who's also a friend
emily_saliers: and we especially like the nytimes sunday puzzle.
emily_saliers: and, that's how we got into it,
emily_saliers: they're addicting. and, i think you learn a lot from them.
emily_saliers: we also play scrabble,
emily_saliers: some people watch movies, though i don't enjoy
emily_saliers: them so much, the show is enough stimulation.
emily_saliers: we also listen to records,
emily_saliers: crank them up and zone out.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: bubberand says: i have worn out my vhs copy of "watershed" and i
have practically worn out my dvd! any plans to release a new home video soon?
emily_saliers: we've got the dvd coming out soon
emily_saliers: that hasn't been released yet.
emily_saliers: if you don't have it
emily_saliers: they're taking pre-orders
emily_saliers: at www.indigogirlsdirect.com
emily_saliers: and it's going to be available late summer
emily_saliers: if you already have a copy of that one,
emily_saliers: congratulations!
emily_saliers: *
bratccc: to ask emily your question(s) use the questions bar above your chat
window. no bar? type: /msg askemily <your question here>
askemily: kazzidy24 says: what was the inspiration for the extra track
"philosophy of loss" on "social"? why was this song hidden and not listed on
the album liner?
emily_saliers: the inspiration was
emily_saliers: particularly about the church rejecting
emily_saliers: gay people and how hurtful that is to me
emily_saliers: as an individual, a gay person
emily_saliers: and it was just about the way we as a society
emily_saliers: or a culture, rationalize our loss
emily_saliers: or the destruction that we create
emily_saliers: how we rationalize it.
emily_saliers: and, it was a hidden track because
emily_saliers: originally, amy wanted to make a pretty short record
emily_saliers: and as it was, we had twelve complete songs, but
emily_saliers: i was so attached to that song personally
emily_saliers: that we decided to make it a hidden track.
emily_saliers: so, we got the song on the album without making it part of the
emily_saliers: concise whole of 12 songs.
emily_saliers: i also like the idea of
emily_saliers: you've got the cd on, and you're
emily_saliers: listening it's just there, it's a nice surprise.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: guest-blacey says: as a 40 yr old straight girl trying to make my
peace with organized religion, i'm interested to know how you have (or if you
have) found a way to have a meaningful faith life as a lesbian. i'm wondering
what your feelings on this subject are. thanks for being an inspiration every
day of my life for the past 11 years!
emily_saliers: well, first of all,
emily_saliers: thanks for listening to the music.
emily_saliers: i have a really good
emily_saliers: relationship with my faith community
emily_saliers: at home.
emily_saliers: my father is a minister, and a
emily_saliers: theology professor.
emily_saliers: and, he's really open, and i
emily_saliers: consider him a leader, because he believes,
emily_saliers: and other leaders, believe, that those
emily_saliers: members of the church who are constantly
emily_saliers: voting to ostracize gay people are wrong.
emily_saliers: and, i believe that eventually things will change.
emily_saliers: i think a lot of things have to be taken in historical context,
emily_saliers: i'm not a fundamentalist,
emily_saliers: i think things have to be taken in context.
emily_saliers: and the main thing i get from the life of jesus is
emily_saliers: he was all about loving,
emily_saliers: people loving other people,
emily_saliers: even when they're different.
emily_saliers: and, i've searched my heart for many, many years
emily_saliers: and i'm grateful for my faith, and my faith community
emily_saliers: and i believe there are a lot of really good people
emily_saliers: in the church and i believe things will change.
emily_saliers: so, i'm not going to throw the baby out with the bathwater,
emily_saliers: for lack of a better phrase,
emily_saliers: i think all faiths have something to offer,
emily_saliers: and i think it's just about not getting caught up
emily_saliers: in the perversions of the teachings.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: peachy-guest says: emily, which do you write first-your lyrics, or
the music?
emily_saliers: i kind of do it at the same time.
emily_saliers: i'll usually start a chord progression
emily_saliers: and however it goes will direct me to
emily_saliers: choose lyrics, things i've been thinking about
emily_saliers: over a period of time.
emily_saliers: other times, there's something i really want to talk about
emily_saliers: and then i'll find a chord progression that goes with it.
emily_saliers: then, i'll just kind of hack around
emily_saliers: and find something that goes together, but
emily_saliers: it never quite captures what's in my mind.
emily_saliers: it's very difficult to write a song.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: mpwolfe says: hi emily! first i'd like to say that i love you and
amy and your music! i've seen you play both acoustic shows and with full band
and was wondering what you like best. see you again on june 9th at mann music
center! thanks so much! margaret wolfe mpwolfe@prodigy.net
emily_saliers: we're looking forward to being at
emily_saliers: the mann center, we've had
emily_saliers: some great nights there.
emily_saliers: i like playing both ways,
emily_saliers: honestly.
emily_saliers: right now, we're on an acoustic tour
emily_saliers: and it feels really good to play it like that
emily_saliers: to have the songs in their stripped-down versions.
emily_saliers: and, i think there's an intimacy that's created,
emily_saliers: not just with me and amy, but with the audience.
emily_saliers: you're able to hear the nuance of the harmonies more.
emily_saliers: but, playing with a band, and
emily_saliers: our band kicks ass!
emily_saliers: and, i'm thrilled to play with our band, when the
emily_saliers: bass kicks in.
emily_saliers: so, i'd say, with the band it's more of a rhythmic
emily_saliers: energy rush,
emily_saliers: and with amy it's more of intimate and gratifying in simple,
emily_saliers: basic way.
emily_saliers: i like it both ways, i hope our fans do, too.
emily_saliers: although, i'm sure some people have favorites.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: sharoane-guest says: many of your songs are musically very
complex...which of them (off the top of your head) do you consider the most
challenging...either to write or to play?
emily_saliers: good question.
emily_saliers: wow! i have to think a minute.
emily_saliers: well, none of them
emily_saliers: is difficult, really, anymore because
emily_saliers: i'm so used to playing them now.
emily_saliers: shed your skin was hard for awhile,
emily_saliers: with the band,
emily_saliers: because i had to play some guitar
emily_saliers: while i was singing
emily_saliers: and that was a kind of left brain
emily_saliers: right brain kind of challenge.
emily_saliers: but, none of them are really difficult.
emily_saliers: i think my early songs,
emily_saliers: way early, before amy and i were even together,
emily_saliers: were more complex because they were
emily_saliers: based on jazz chords, and were very intricate,
emily_saliers: but i haven't played those songs in a long, long time.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: ccostant says: hey emily. who's your favorite cartoon character and
why?
emily_saliers: [laughs]
emily_saliers: i've never watched a lot of cartoons,
emily_saliers: hmm, let me think.
emily_saliers: probably the tazmanian devil
emily_saliers: because his energy is so unfettered.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: sigmagirl says: "ghost" is the most touching song... pure poetry! i
have been listening to your music for a long time, and i have found that your
songs have spoken to me with different messages at different points in my
life. have you found this with your songs as well? how have your songs
effected you differently over time?
emily_saliers: and, i like the sounds he makes.
emily_saliers: to sigmagirl: sometimes you write a song
emily_saliers: and years down the line
emily_saliers: something else is going on in your life
emily_saliers: that makes that song particularly poignant.
emily_saliers: for instance, love will come to you,
emily_saliers: which was written a long time ago,
emily_saliers: and i'll go through a period where i don't
emily_saliers: think about love lost, or unrequited love,
emily_saliers: but then i'll know someone who's going through that
emily_saliers: and it'll just make that more intense.
emily_saliers: songs take on a life of their own and that's
emily_saliers: a good thing.
emily_saliers: on the new albums
emily_saliers: album
emily_saliers: soon be a nothing
emily_saliers: was a song i wrote when i
emily_saliers: was in a very uncomfortable state of being
emily_saliers: and now, when i sing it,
emily_saliers: it reminds me that i can go through
emily_saliers: a dark time and come through on the other end,
emily_saliers: so it's competely cathartic to sing.
emily_saliers: and, sometimes, songs are like an old shirts
emily_saliers: shirt
emily_saliers: that you have in your closet,
emily_saliers: and you haven't worn it in a while
emily_saliers: and you bring it out, put it on, and
emily_saliers: it's like wearing a new shirt.
emily_saliers: songs are like that too,
emily_saliers: sometimes you can sing an old song, and it's like new again.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: spaceygirl says: i loved your appearance in "boys on the side"! do
you have any plans to do movie appearances in the future?
emily_saliers: no.
emily_saliers: no movie appearances,
emily_saliers: that was kind of a fluke.
emily_saliers: but, i'd like us to continue to do music
emily_saliers: for film.
emily_saliers: and, ultimately, i'd like to compose music
emily_saliers: for films, not just soundtracks,
emily_saliers: but the actual music that's played during the film.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: rosepetal says: i read that you had written the song "leeds" while
in england, but had lost the words, only to find them later. what is the
story behind that?
emily_saliers: i wrote those words on
emily_saliers: a page in my franklin planner
emily_saliers: and i lost that franklin planner
emily_saliers: in australia, or some other country
emily_saliers: and somebody found it and returned it to me,
emily_saliers: and there were all these lyrics in the book,
emily_saliers: including the words to leeds.
emily_saliers: so, if i never would have gotten that
emily_saliers: back, i never would have written that song.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: hamm says: a huge thanks for your constant updates and notes to us
fans on the website... its so cool that you keep in touch with us like that!
emily, you recently mentioned that you had seen the movie "boys don't cry".
how has this movie effected you?
emily_saliers: i think about it a lot, actually.
emily_saliers: it was just so powerful,
emily_saliers: well acted,
emily_saliers: it just, for the sheer art of it,
emily_saliers: that was astounding.
emily_saliers: and then, the subject matter re-inspired me
emily_saliers: to become as active as possible in the gay rights movement.
emily_saliers: there are just so many people either
emily_saliers: transgender, bisexual, lesbian, or gay
emily_saliers: who could die for their sexuality, so
emily_saliers: it was a very powerful reminder of that.
emily_saliers: and, just a fan, i think
emily_saliers: chloe sevigny is amazing!
emily_saliers: *
askemily: cowsrule52 says: i love you, i love the indigo girls. your music
has gripped my soul, strengthened my spirit, and gotten me through trying
times more times than i could count. is there/ are there a song(s) that you
or amy have written that, in retrospect, has helped you in your own personal
turmoil?
emily_saliers: definitely,
emily_saliers: soon be to nothing
emily_saliers: and
emily_saliers: it's alright
emily_saliers: that song just still fires me up.
emily_saliers: but, as i was saying earlier,
emily_saliers: songs take on lives of their own
emily_saliers: and they change over time.
emily_saliers: we recently played earth day,
emily_saliers: but before that we were up in d.c.
emily_saliers: for the protests
emily_saliers: and we played hammer and nail
emily_saliers: and it was really inspiring for me to hear
emily_saliers: the words of that song
emily_saliers: even though it was written so long ago,
emily_saliers: it just struck a chord in my heart,
emily_saliers: and that was a good feeling.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: ball0153 says: do you have any onstage bloopers that you would be
willing to share with us?
emily_saliers: [laugh]s
emily_saliers: the other night my earring fell out of my ear,
emily_saliers: that was fun!
emily_saliers: we forget lyrics and chords,
emily_saliers: a lot,
emily_saliers: and that's always fun!
emily_saliers: but, our fans are so cool
emily_saliers: that it's never a high pressure thing,
emily_saliers: so that's great.
emily_saliers: oh, i know one...
emily_saliers: we had a big concert in atlanta
emily_saliers: and i had just repaired my pants with
emily_saliers: black thread and needle
emily_saliers: and i forgot to take the needle off,
emily_saliers: and my friends, who were sitting in the front row,
emily_saliers: had to point out to me that i had a needle
emily_saliers: hanging down on my pants.
emily_saliers: that was pretty funny!
emily_saliers: other than that, just your basic
emily_saliers: banging your head into the microphone kinda thing.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: cjmasch says: has amy ever played one of her new songs for you and
your response was "huh? what the hell does that mean?" :)
bratccc: to ask emily your question(s) use the questions bar above your chat
window. no bar? type: /msg askemily <your question here>
emily_saliers: [laughs]
emily_saliers: i've had to ask her what
emily_saliers: things mean before,
emily_saliers: not just once.
emily_saliers: but i always like her songs,
emily_saliers: i just like the way she writes.
emily_saliers: the only thing i have to do sometimes
emily_saliers: is clarify what she means by a line,
emily_saliers: and she has to do that with my songs, too.
emily_saliers: sometimes, we'll be doing an interview and
emily_saliers: explain what we mean,
emily_saliers: and the other one will be, oh, i didn't know that.
emily_saliers: but for the most part, we're pretty in touch
emily_saliers: with what the other is saying.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: rayanne says: you have long been known for your ballads, but on
"social" your songs have taken on a more rock edge. i love both the old and
new.... but i wonder why the change?
emily_saliers: i've been wanting to rock out for a long time
emily_saliers: and it wasn't until i started playing
emily_saliers: electric guitar more
emily_saliers: that i felt more free to do it,
emily_saliers: for whatever reason, because
emily_saliers: i don't think you have to have an
emily_saliers: electric guitar to rock out.
emily_saliers: i actually get tired of being just
emily_saliers: a ballad writer, because
emily_saliers: a lot of the music i love most is rock-n-roll.
emily_saliers: but, ballads come easiest
emily_saliers: and the other stuff i just keep working on.
emily_saliers: *
askemily: belvedere-guest says: what do you think of the lawsuit against
napster as a musician?
emily_saliers: i have really mixed feelings
emily_saliers: i have mixed feelings because
emily_saliers: there are internet opportunities
emily_saliers: that allow people access to so
emily_saliers: much more music than they might
emily_saliers: ordinarily have
emily_saliers: , but i can see it getting out of hand.
emily_saliers: i think artists should be paid fairly for their
emily_saliers: music if that's what they want to do for a living.
emily_saliers: so, my thoughts are still in their infancy, i have to admit.
emily_saliers: hopefully, the internet will provide some
emily_saliers: diversity where radio has fallen behind.
emily_saliers: *
emily_saliers: i think it's especially important for
emily_saliers: bands that are not as well known
emily_saliers: to get paid for their efforts.
emily_saliers: *
emily_saliers: i want to tell all the fans
emily_saliers: that i think we have the best fans in the world!
emily_saliers: we honestly appreciate your support
emily_saliers: and i'd like to continue doing these online chats.
emily_saliers: both amy and i will continue to update fans as
emily_saliers: much as possible on what's going on with us.
emily_saliers: *
artistdirect: well, it's time to say goodbye to emily.
artistdirect: .
artistdirect: she has to get ready for tonight's show.
artistdirect: .
artistdirect: thanks for coming to chat today!
artistdirect: check out for the latest news from amy & emily
artistdirect: at http://indigogirls.com
artistdirect: .
artistdirect: we'll see ya soon!
artistdirect: .
artistdirect: this chat was brought to you by
artistdirect: artistdirect.com and talk city.
artistdirect: copyright 2000. all rights reserved.

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