dianeinterview by alan pedder cluck photos by luca etter

 DIANE CLUCK DIANE diane cluck is telling stories but speed up my need to make music when i began losing interest in pi- giving nothing away. so far, so tho i don’t feel the city as an influ- ano guitar felt more mutable and journalistic cliché you may think, ence anymore subtle i like the way guitar works but there are precious few better with my body ways to describe the emotional rumour has it that you’re a nu- snapshots that constitute her tritionist by trade. any top tips how hard has it been for you uniquely and unflinchingly poetic for staying in good voice? to sell your music? are illegal songs. from her coolly narrative i often drink sage tea with honey downloads really harming inde- early work to the electric internal- before and during shows it helps pendent artists? ising of this year’s oh vanille/ova to open up my voice and ward off i haven’t been trying to sell music nil, cluck has a way of sequester- infection so it hasn’t been hard sometimes ing secrets and smuggling them i sell cds or get paid for shows and into your heart. stylistically, her is there a story behind the title sometimes i don’t origins lie closer to the circum- oh vanille/ova nil? i’ve never been harmed by an il- ference of the antifolk there is a story i actually just de- legal download people should do movement, a seemingly boundless leted it after typing it out and rev- what they like upload, download, reservoir of the offbeat and arty, eling in its cuteness i was walking freeload it doesn’t bother me as an than to the lilith generation – her over the williamsburg bridge last artist assorted satellites and contempo- night thinking about how when i raries include , regina was a kid i had this bossy habit what does the term “antifolk” rep- spektor, julie doiron, the moldy of telling my little sister what the resent to you? do you think it’s a peaches’ kimya dawson and new- ‘right’ lyrics were to the pop songs true reflection of your songs? comers , rachel lipson, she was singing she’d have her okay a n t i f o l k to me at this and . but ask diane own language and associations all point if it means anything means if she feels like a part of some- worked out happily singing away people who don’t give or get points thing cohesive, a unit of sorts, and then i’d come in telling her she was for having technical chops with- you’ll get short shrift. in fact, ask wrong i still remember the look out an open heart to back it up her anything and you’ll rarely get of hurt and bewilderment on her basically, you could be all heart a fully-formed, straight down the face then i was like ‘why should i and no technique and you would middle, neat as you like packaged tell people what things mean ?’ i be respected the antifolk crowd i response. i warned you in the first don’t enjoy it i feel like i’m rob- knew was very keen and discern- sentence, remember. bing someone of the experience of ing on this point in some ways it’s integrity, it seems, is her plot standing in the wonder of their own the only identifying characteristic device, the thing that keeps her go- interpretation i mean, i could tell behind a widely diverse group of in- ing, delivering truths and uncon- you exactly what the title meant, dividuals i don’t call myself anti- ventional homilies in a revelatory to me but i’d be more interested folk tho i don’t fight the label and queerly clipped vocal. though in hearing what the title means to she describes herself simply as you [when i later offer her a some- what’s next for you? are you play- “seamstress, songstress, cook and what convoluted explanation involv- ing in europe any time soon? wife”, she does still parade a minor ing juxtaposition of the vital and the next i am going to go to sleep artistic conceit – when i catch up mundane, ignition and extinguish- i thought too much about these with her over email she instructs ing, she sweetly thanks me for my questions and it made me tired me not to rearrange her sentences, opinion and says no more about it] thinking uses up lots of energy if or add punctuation or capital let- i’m going to be interviewed again i’d ters because she finds them “sort do you consider yourself a femi- like to be more thoughtless about it of depressing”. what the heck, con- nist? does it hold any meaning next i am moving house to live formity is the refuge of the imagi- for you? with my friend lauren luloff who natively challenged anyway. punc- i don’t consider myself a feminist the makes amazing paintings tuation be damned. word or concept has never interest- next i am finishing work on an ed me i know it’s loaded for some album and then another one and there seems to be a definite rural people so it’s better left to them then i would like for there to be a and worldly quality to your lyrics break from next which makes me wonder if you’ve what made you first pick up a i made a six-week tour of eu- always been a new yorker? does guitar/sit down at the piano? rope and the u.k. (sic) with herman the city influence your music? i have early memories of being dune this past spring that was by i grew up in lancaster county, fascinated and shy around pianos far the longest tour i’ve done i was pennsylvania it was quite rural like i was in love or had a crush glad to find myself falling apart and then, less so now tho it still has a i don’t know what made me holding up along the way now my noticeable amish population city pick up guitar for the first time i belly feels full of touring for awhile life seemed to bring on or at least picked it up for the second time what’s soon ? what’s awhile ? <