“I love anger”says Alanis Morissette in an interview published on the occasion of the release of her latest studio opus, Such Pretty Forks in the Road
As with many, the major projects ofAlanis Morissette in 2020 had not been able to succeed. After the success of the musical Jagged Little Pillwhich was a hit on Broadway earlier this year, she was also set to release her first album in eight years, the highly anticipated Such Pretty Forks in the Roadin May 2020 (it was finally released at the end of the year), then touring for the 25th anniversary of his now cult third album.
Introspection reigns on this new album. It seems well adapted to our times. How did you feel when it was pushed back?
Alanis Morissette: I just thought it was unnecessary to reveal my personal life to you as we are in the midst of a pandemic. I got different feedback on this. I was told to get out now. Others asked me to push him away, to give him every chance… I made a decision.
At 20, you sang: “I haven’t solved everything yet”. It seems the message of this album is that it’s always ok to feel that way, even later in life.
Yes, and there is this running gag quite “spiritual” that comes to mind. I figured it was way too selfish to want everything to understand. If I try to take everything in hand, to know what I’m going to consume, who I’m going to meet, who I’m going to marry… There will always be this pain, this hunger; and for me, that’s where you have to give the spiritual a chance. I wrote a song called “Would Not Come” [de l’album Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie, sorti en 1998, ndlr] on a similar topic. If you continue to stay at the same level, you cannot grow, change your behavior. Have a revelation.
“There is so much information [dans ma tête] all the time, that I feel like I’m being selfish. »
“Reasons I Drink” is a very honest song about addiction. What were you thinking when you wrote it?
There is a big tendency to blame people who have billions of addictions. But the center of it all is the people – myself included – who are simply looking for relief from being underdogs. And then there are those of us who get really addicted… This addiction starts and you feel like it wants to help you, eventually it kills you. For those who have any kind of addiction – to work, to sex, to alcohol, to any kind of drug – I have a lot of empathy.
In “Losing The Plot”, you sing about insomnia. Is this a big problem for you?
I have a very sensitive temperament. Especially with an almost eight month old child. I breastfeed all night. And then I’m in full postpartum activity. The first two times I experienced this, I remember having symptoms of depression. This time it’s minimal. But yes, whatever happens, sleep is rare for me. I sleep whenever I can, which isn’t much I grant you, but enough to go on.
If I haven’t had time for some solo time, there’s no way I’m sleeping. My thoughts wake me up and tell me: “Come on, write about it! » Whenever there’s something really important to me that isn’t done, I don’t sleep. This is the most creative time! Because everyone is sleeping, I can kind of take off the mask. I can really follow my intuition and enter this new creative state. Whether it’s a word or an idea, something to edit or design for the future.
While working on the musical Jagged Little Pill, you have found the 19/20 year old Alanis. What would you say to him?
I just want to express the desire that she has more people around her. It was a pretty lonely time. I remember, at every festival I attended, there were like 72 boy bands… and Alanis Morissette. [rires] It got to a point where a lot of them didn’t know what to do with me. “Okay, we’re not going to sleep with her. We’re not going to go out with her. What are we going to do ? » And my response was: ” Nothing ! Just chat with me! Have a falafel with me, you know? » So I tried to make a lot of friends and it didn’t really work out because it was very unusual for me. Fame is very confusing to some people. There are so many different scenarios [pour pouvoir] flourish as a person who is on the front of the stage. Someone who is kind of isolated because of it.
“I could start breathing again. »
On a new song, “Nemesis,” you sing about psychedelic drugs.
Yes, I have experienced many “portals” to find God. Some of them are “temporary” but still open a window. I am a rather curious girl, in search of experimentation. I have many friends who have used these things to bury their egos. But in my case, it’s more complicated. I’m a bit of an anxious bird. There is so much information [dans ma tête] all the time, that I feel like I’m being selfish, even when I’m not on medication. I absolutely don’t need anything to help me venture out there.
You were supposed to spend this summer on tour with Liz Phair, whose career is getting closer and closer to yours. If we turn the situation around, have you ever dreamed of having a career like Liz Phair?
I never really thought about it, because it would require me not to be me. Maybe in a parallel universe, I have a lot of things to discover. But it was too late at 22 – I thought to myself: “You can’t put this off until tomorrow. » Then, after a while, it calmed down. I was so unaware of the trajectory that notoriety was taking that I said to myself: “Oh my God, does it stay like this forever? I want out! » But of course that changes. That’s the cool thing about being a musician. We are not always at the center of the universe. I could start breathing again.
Your new album is an ultimate reminder of the power of your voice. That thing that only Alanis Morissette has. How did she appear?
She has always been there! And I hear it in my son. He sings with me, the timbre is exactly the same – and he has the full range of Mariah. I think it’s always been there. What I never wanted to do was do all the vocals for free to impress people. Priority number 1 was to tell a story. Knock on wood when I say this, but I always imagined that as I got older, my vocal range would shrink. But it’s the opposite, in a way! In fact, my register widens. For me, the bottom is as much fun as the top. For example, how low can I go? It’s almost like those vocal cords are a paintbrush. Sometimes they’re velvety, sometimes they’re really crunchy and vulnerable.
“I was not at all ready to sing about my life when I was 15. »
All your dance-pop music recorded before Jagged Little Pill is now readily available online. It wasn’t the case years ago… If you listen now to your single “Too Hot”, released in 1991, what do you think of it?
I’ve always been drawn to different genres. I just finished the music video [nouveau single] “Smiling”, which contains many passages with dance. Since I was six years old, I have considered myself a writer and a dancer. At the time, I wanted at all costs to link dance and rock. However, I collaborated with people who had a very, very clear sense of “No, you are either this or that”. There was no in between. It’s something I’ve heard so many times throughout my life. But when I was 16 or 17, I met people who had a different mentality. So I relaxed all the more with art. To be honest, I wasn’t ready to sing about my life at all when I was 15. Too scary!
You are currently writing a book. It looks like you have a lot to tell, people to mention. How’s it going ?
Well, I wrote 1300 pages, quoting a lot of names. But I won’t quote them [dans le produit final]. I mean, maybe I will if I get a few clearances here and there, but again, not like “You Oughta Know,” I’m not writing for revenge. The irony for me is that I don’t care about this story anymore. I hired people to help me worry about it. My intention is not to content myself with making a story that ruins the lives of 25 people in one page.
Interview by Brian Hiatt