My mom sends me these Hallmark cards and she writes in them, ‘Honey, don’t worry. Itís all going to work out okay. Your voice makes people’s hearts soar on eagles’ wings.’ She just wrote me one like two weeks ago. Iím not even kidding. I thought, oh my God, Mom is right. I, I am, I am special. People are standing up, no body ever gets a standing ovation during dinner. Iím going to be somebody!
We have this strength inside of us and…
We have this strength inside of us and yet we are taught to always sort of keep it down. I sort of found in my life that I’ve taken a step back and made myself smaller in order to try to fit in. And that hasn’t worked. And we have to learn to kind of embrace what makes us unique, and embrace our strength and then if people don’t like it, fuck it.
I try to be very autobiographical in my writing…
I try to be very autobiographical in my writing. I find that I get the best response to my music when I’ve been specific about my own life. If I try to skirt around issues and get too poetic, it gets too abstract and people can’t relate. I try to be truthful about my life. I don’t feel that I’m necessarily some incredibly profound songwriter, but I do have a voice that can be powerful and can make people feel something. I am not trying to impress people with esoteric language and ideas, I want to relate to them and their humanity and speak to someplace inside them. I struggle with my own spirituality in my life. I question my own beliefs and that comes across lyrically. I also sing about my personality flaws such as being an unopinionated person or a waiverer.
Be yourself. I know…
Be yourself. I know that sounds cliche, but we all have seriously quirky things about us that may make us feel like an outsider or different, but those are the things to really celebrate. They’re what make us unique
I haven’t been on stage singing…
I haven’t been on stage singing that song since back in the day, so when we shot it, it was like muscle memory. As soon as we were on that stage listening to that music, it brought back everything.
You’re singing your heart out…
You’re singing your heart out and people are eating a salad.
It has always been the strangest experience…
It has always been the strangest experience. Our lives were all transformed in so many wonderful ways, but Jonathan wasn’t around for any of it. That always grounded me and gave me a sense of perspective. Whenever I’m too caught up in myself or in something superficial, I remind myself that it’s because of Jonathan Larson that I am where I am today.