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Home , Fearless Love, Like the Way I Do, Melissa Etheridge

MAY 2010 ISSUE MMUSICMAG.COM MUSICIAN James Minchin IIIJames Minchin A progressive survivor fi nds inspiration returning to her rock roots By Melinda Newman

MELISSA ETHERIDGE ATTRACTS MORE THAN HER FAIR , and the Who. “The whole share of what she calls “jumpers”: those overzealous fans whose is an unabashed tribute to my infl uences,” she says. “I exuberance leads them to leap uninvited onto her concert stage. understand rock ’n’ roll enough to know that you look at what “My people know how to watch the front row and go, ‘Oh, there’s inspires you, then you turn around and make that music.” She notes a jumper,’” she says with a chuckle. “They can tell.” that Love songs like “Drag Me Away” were written expressly to be Etheridge has inspired just that kind of passion since her showcased live. self-titled debut album came out 22 years ago, and it’s not only her That doesn’t mean that Etheridge isn’t still singing about issues music that does it. She has inspired fans as a breast cancer survivor she’s passionate about. “The album is completely layered, and (a struggle that informed her 2007 album The Awakening), a purposefully so,” Etheridge says. “You could listen to a song and dedicated philanthropist, a gay rights advocate and an go, ‘Oh, that’s a sweet song’ or go, ‘Wait, what’s she talking about environmentalist—she won an Oscar for her theme song from the there? Is that a statement?’” She says the album’s themes can be global-warming documentary . most clearly summed up in its original working title: Songs of Love But if her other activities have occasionally overshadowed and Fear. her art, should place her music front and center An effusive Etheridge spoke with us about her new album, her once again. In preparing the album, Etheridge harkened back admitted history of guitar abuse and exactly how she handles those to the artists who fi rst shaped her style—classic rockers like overexcited “jumpers.”

‘It’s not about how much noise there is, it’s about where that energy is coming from.’

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Did Fearless Love reveal itself as a rock How did that infl uence the record? A HUMMINGBIRD’S SONG album as you were writing, or did you It was huge, because I didn’t have to bring know it from the start? any insecurity in. I didn’t have to drag any I had an intention from the very beginning. baggage in and go, “I don’t know, did the Like many musicians, Melissa Etheridge has Before I’d even written the songs, I got record company like it? Will this person like the ability to hear things the rest of us do together with [producer] and it?” I didn’t have that. I knew that I wanted to not. ForFor eexample,xample, every now and then said, “I want to make that kind of record that make an album that I loved, and I felt pretty sheshe can hear seemingly inanimate guitars we loved, that we always talked about—that sure that there were fans who loved my talkingtalking to her. “I am very, very particulaparticularr classic, iconic Led Zeppelin record, that music and who would love whatever I loved. ababoutout which guitars I’ll write on,” she Pink Floyd record that just lasts and lasts. I There was a confi dence, a purpose to it. eexplains.xplains. “Oftentimes I’ll actually go to know we’re all playing this radio game and gguitaruitar stores to look for that guitar and this hit game. I want to get out of that game Where did you record the album? have it call out to me.” One instrument and create a new game. I want to make a I wanted to fi nd a place where the musicians, in particular called out to her over the full-on rock record.” And John went full tilt myself and John could all come together decades. “There was this with it. and live there for about two weeks, so we guitar that I’d always went out to this studio in Malibu called the wanted as a kid, an old Do you usually have a concept in mind Document Room. I had my chef cook just day Gibson Hummingbird,” before writing note one? and night. There was constant food, so we sshehe says. “I remember For the last record, The Awakening, I did. never went hungry. We had everything we seeing one in the guitar But before that I was, “Oh, where am I? needed—and all we needed to do was play store window. It was always What’s the music? Oh, this is what it is.” I music. The bottom fl oor was the studio, and just too expensive and I didn’t have it before. the kitchen and the top fl oor were bedrooms. wwouldould just drool over it. I We just lived there. would go look at it and touch Do you think that’s because of the it. I kind of forgot about cancer? How many guitars do you have? it as my life went on.” But Oh yeah. It’s understanding what intention is. Oh lord, I don’t know. I have so many acoustic that memory came back to Everything is intention. We can either believe guitars, because every time I go out on tour her a couple of years ago, that we’re fumbling along and life happens with an Ovation I kill it in a year. So we have and she decided once and to us—or we can believe that our intention to retire them every year. for all to do something is what creates life in front of us. about it. At last she So your road and studio guitars are would go out and Was Fearless Love easier or harder different? buybuy herself a having that intention? Yeah. I want to record with the fi nest guitars Hummingbird. Yes. (laughs) It was harder because it didn’t that I have: my [Gibson] J-45 and Fender S h e w e n t fi t any formula, and we really had to stay Telecaster with the F-hole. They’re museum to Norman’s true to it and stay fearless about it. And pieces, so if I ever took them on the road Rare Guitars in it was easier because I was doing what I I would have a heart attack. On the road, TTarzana,arza Calif., love and all I had to do was make sure you want a guitar that will hold out. You and asked that I loved every single note, every single want to be able to rock it as hard as you if one was thing, every single song, every single can without worrying about your guitar. I available. take, every single word. I couldn’t usually get three or four and we rotate them “They pulled second-guess myself. so that one doesn’t get more worn out than out this the others. So between them, they can very rare This is your 10th studio album. You said pretty much hold out. I’ve destroyed tobacco- that you fi nally feel you have enough a few. s t a i n e d songs for the perfect live show. Hummingbird,Hummingbird,” It’s actually knowing that if I have the most Do you practice guitar every day? she says. “And it just amazing audience—let’s say it’s Madison I should, to keep my fi ngers in shape, but I sang for me. It said, ‘I have so Square Garden, and they’re all crazed—that don’t because I have four children. As I get many songs in here for you.’ I just grabbed I could just keep rocking all night long if I closer to rehearsal, I’ll start playing at least that thing and went, ‘Yes!’” She recalls ffeelingeeling wanted to and not slow down one bit. I know four or fi ve days a week. two very different emotions as she held that I could just slam—here’s another one and the Hummingbird for the fi rst time. The fi rst another one and another one. There’s just What are some of the crazier things was the satisfaction of at last owning the something powerful about that. that have happened on stage? guitar of her dreams. The second, she adds Undergarments that are thrown on with a throaty laugh, was fear that the You didn’t feel that way before? stage always trip me out. What does instrument wouldn’t actually bring forth It’s funny, insecurity is a weird thing. You can that mean? Those are weird. And I always tthehe bounty ooff songs she expected be in front of 100,000 people and still ask, find it strange when someone jumps from it. She needn’t have worried—all “Do they like me?” It’s just the way we’re on the stage and runs to me. I don’t but two of the 12 songs on her new built. Finally I like myself enough to know know what they think they’re going FearlessFearless Loveove album were written on her I’ll be OK. to accomplish. long-awaitedlong-awaited HummingbirHummingbird.d.

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‘I know we’re all playing this radio game, this hit game. I wanted to create a new game. I wanted to make a full-on rock record.’

Lester Cohen SHANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

New York City native John Shanks has become well known over the last decade as producer and songwriting collaborator to artists including , Bon Jovi, Stevie Nicks, Kelly Clarkson, Chris Isaak, Liz Phair and many others. But the Grammy winner got his start in the late 1980s playing lead guitar for Melissa Etheridge—a role he returns to for Fearless Love, which he also co-produced. “The beauty of his guitar playing is that he’s so crazy talented,” she says, “yet he’ll slide right in to support me and create that beautiful, shimmery sound all around me.” After more than two decades as her friend and on-and-off collaborator, Shanks has become Lester Cohen very adept at crafting his lead parts around Etheridge’s rhythm playing. For Fearless Love, he played his parts from the control room to keep How do you deal with that? more. I’m doing yoga and kickboxing and a producer’s eye on the proceedings while she I used to have this cat when I was a kid. getting my body in shape. I could do it 15 and the band played live in the studio’s main room. The cat would bite me, and if I jerked back years ago and not have to worry about “I counted on him to bring the musicians together, it would really hurt because its claws would all that stuff, but now I have to keep myself to make it sound the best that it could sound and just dig in more. But if I just stayed there and in shape. to put the gas pedal down all the way,” Etheridge let the cat let go, then I could pull away—and says. “He brought that.” that’s what I do. If anyone gets to me, I just Last year you did an acoustic tour,

wait. I don’t try to get away or pull back. I just you and a guitar. What was think, “Somebody’s going to come and take that like? you off of me soon.” The scariest thing is It’s a real growing experience because that the people that jump up are pumped all the insecurities of thinking, “They’re up on adrenaline and they don’t know their only going to like me because I’m rocking own strength. They get their arm around my them.” When I can get to that point on neck and I’m like, “OK, that’s going to hurt “I’m the Only One” or “” or for a minute.” “” and they’re all standing up, screaming and hollering and it’s only What do you get now from playing live me and my guitar, that gives me a wonderful that you didn’t 15 years ago? feeling of confi dence. It’s not about how Sore! (laughs) In all honesty, I’m in better much noise there is, it’s about where that shape now than I was back then and I train energy is coming from.

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