I’m a obsessed fashion magazine collector and couldn’t help notice the array of lovely interviews Marianne Faithfull has been giving. So I thought I would share one from Another magazine and then Harpers for anyone who couldn’t get hold of a copy. Enjoy :)....
Marianne Faithfull
— February 24, 2011—
Art Talks is an insight into the works of some of our favourite artists, as seen by them
There are few people to have lived life with as much verve as the singer, actress, sometime sex symbol and outspoken social commentator Marianne Faithfull. Her somewhat chequered journey, from the sylph-like 60s teenage chanteuse that dated Mick Jagger to the gravel-voiced junkie pariah of the 80s, is well documented, and certainly grist-to-the-mill for her formidable creative drive, but it means that she has often struggled to shed the tag of tragic heroine. On her latest album Horses And High Heels, she finally puts paid to the projections society has cast upon her and “lets her hair down” with an emotive offering that finds joy in melancholy and presents her as the grounded, wise and emphatic human being her experiences have made her. In the latest issue of AnOther Magazine she speaks to John-Paul Pryor about the decade that nearly destroyed her. Here, she tells him why she is happier now than she has ever been.
This is a far happier record than much of your back catalogue, how do you think your fans will feel about that?
[Laughs] Some of them will be devastated. Not all of them of course, but one or two – a journalist in Germany recently wrote, "Where are all the sick songs?” Island Records always used to portray me as a tragic figure and that really coloured my work for a long time, but I’ve been fine for years. I’m in a different place now and I’ve made a decision to put my foot down and say, "No. I'm happy." Of course, there are tragic moments but the voice is happy… perky. I think that’s the thing, though – you sing a sad song and people think you’re sad all the time. It’s silly.
Would you say you were happier than you have ever been before?
I think it’s one of the happiest times of my life. Having been through everything I’ve been through, just by contrast alone it is bound to be a happier time, and also, I’m healthy – I'm working well, I'm creative… it’s a good thing.
Is that one of the reasons you decided to cover some soul songs on the album?
Well, soul has always been missing from my music and I wanted to do something about it. I’ve never done any soul before but I listen to soul all the time – soul and Jazz. It’s really wonderful. It’s almost divine, or divine and profane at the same time. If you think about it, that’s where we all really exist – on ground that is both divine and profane – and that’s fine. We have to find a balance, and music can really help. I really do believe that.
You’ve given The Shangri-Las’ ‘Past, Present & Future’ a very dark twist on the album, why is that?
It’s the age difference. That’s what darkens it. Its not me personally, it’s just looking at that song from my point of view now. It just gets deeper and more serious. Whether it’s songs I wrote or songs that I chose, it’s always about looking back – it’s always going to have to be, it’s all part of my life.
There is almost a sense on the record of reaching back to the innocence of childhood...
Definitely. I know exactly what has happened. [Laughs] I'm reaching back to pre-sexual because now I’ve got to post-sexual and I almost feel the same. There’s no chance of me having a relationship at the moment. I’ve made a decision about that and I'm relieved about it, because without that you are free.
Horses And High Heels is out on 7 March on Dramatico Records
Text by John-Paul Pryor
