Heart, Beating Stronger
Ann Wilson reflects on the band's revitalized music, a year of career
tributes and her sobriety By Litsa Dremousis The first thing one notices after 60 seconds on the phone with Heart's Ann Wilson is that her voice
is more richly expressive and melodic telling stories than that of many
vocalists fronting entire shows. Which is perhaps why "Fanatic," the newest
record from the legendary Seattle-based rock band Ann and her sister Nancy have
helmed since the mid-70s, shreds in a way one does not anticipate from an act
now in its fourth decade. Heart are undergoing an almost volcanic resurgence of late: Their 2010 album,
"Red Velvet Car," charted in the Top
Ten; their recent box set "Strange Euphoria" received acclaim from both critics
and fans; the sisters co-wrote an upcoming autobiography with noted music writer
Charles R. Cross; and they've just received a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame.
Yet, as Ann notes during the conversation, she and Nancy do not rely on
outside validation, nor do they intend to slow down. She was warm, funny and
candid as she discussed how great it feels to be lauded by musicians of all
genders, why she'll never retire, her friendship with Bono, how she quit booze cold turkey
and why she still misses her dear friend, the late Layne Staley of Alice in Chains. MSN Music: "Fanatic" has tremendous energy. It's introspective and there's
a real ferocity to it. What did it feel like in the studio for you? Ann Wilson: Oh, well, that's what it felt like. I mean, we were working at a
very high pitch. It took us a long time to do. Listening Booth:Hear the new album You have "Fanatic" out, you have the boxed set, you have the book you and
Nancy co-wrote with Charles Cross coming out, and the upcoming star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. You and Nancy have had sales and fame for decades, but
do you feel like your place in the rock pantheon is finally getting
acknowledged? Well, I think acknowledgment comes from the outside. Everything this year we
generated ourselves. If we get acknowledgment, that would be wonderful. I'm kind
of scared to ever say, "Well, we've arrived." [Laughs.] That's a sign of
contentment, and rock is contingent upon struggling and striving to go
forward. Heart fans are clamoring for you to be inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame. What are your feelings about it? Well, OK, talking about acknowledgment, that's the kind of acknowledgment
where I know I'd feel honored. And I know Nancy would, too. But I don't really
understand the politics of that, what it takes to have that happen. I feel
uncomfortable reaching out for something like that because it's something other
people give when they feel like it. You don't ask for it. We are doing our true
thing. To start thinking about awards and achievements, it's very
distracting. What was the biggest surprise going into the studio this time? Well, for me, the biggest surprise making "Fanatic" was how hard it hit me
personally. Just as a lyricist, believing in these different songs and coming up
with them. And during it, I just felt like it totally inhabited me. When we were
done, I couldn't believe we were finished. I didn't know what to do with myself.
I was so completely involved. Anytime you do something that you really, really
mean, you're not holding anything in reserve. That's a drain, but a good drain,
you know what I mean? Like, "Oh, my God! The album's done! Now I feel
existential! Now I'm in my dark night!" [Laughs.] Everything was huge, you know?
But I love that feeling as an artist. That you're not coasting. I browsed photos on your website last night. Kim Thayil from Soundgarden and Eddie Vedder were there with you. For
a long time, women in rock have looked up to you and Nancy. But is it
vindicating that in 2012 you're not viewed as "women musicians" but just as
really talented musicians? Yeah, that's almost the best thing. Because that means actual respect. That
really means something. To be on the top of the "girls singers" list was great,
but it's still a qualification. To be able to stand around with a bunch of
musicians, regardless of their gender, and just be perceived equally, it's like
having straps released, like walking out of some kind of chains. And that sounds
histrionic, but I mean it. [Laughs.] When you got sober in 2009, you said it felt as if a tarp had been
removed. Does that dovetail with what you're saying here? Just this sense of
increased awareness? Definitely. You know, being clearer is very, very big. It's huge. I know it
helps in writing and in living. "Red Velvet Car," our previous album, was kind
of simultaneous with getting sober. Now it's been a couple years. It takes a
while for your brain to re-form, for everything that you were trying to cover up
on your nerves to come back. You quit cold turkey. What are the pluses and minuses of doing it that
way? Well, you know, you've got to remember that the word "quit" [pauses], it's a
thing where the jury is always out. You only quit once. And every day I say, I'm
just happy I didn't get high today. So, so far, for three years, I've been able
to be mine. And it's very, very hard all the time. You know, I quit cold turkey
because I didn't see the reason to drag it out. I just thought, "Let's face
this." And I've got people around me who rely on me, who my life really affects.
That's really helped. All the people around really help. When were you drinking? There aren't any stories of you falling down or
not showing up for a gig. I drank from the time I was probably 18 years old up until three years ago.
But I was never the kind of drinker that was falling down or breaking stuff. But
I drank every day. And, over time, that really gets to you on a cellular level.
It affects everything you do and the attitude you have and it's like wearing a
cloak of velvet over every sense. It's like being a child, like being pre-18. I
have a whole different feeling of time because when you're addicted to
something, all your time is spent thinking, "Yeah, I can do that. But how does
my drug fit into that?" You have to work your life around making sure that you
have time for your drug first. When that's taken away, you're wide open. More:Ann and Nancy Wilson talk about their box
set And you're still very much in the process of creating now. Yeah, I feel that we are. You know, sometimes people around me are like, "So
you're going to wind down now after the book?" I don't understand that concept.
I started wanting to do this when I was 10 years old. So I can relate to someone
like Elton John because he just works all the time. That's who he is. I don't
know what he would do in his off time. I hope that they carry me off before I
die onstage [laughs], but I just get the most satisfaction and fulfillment out
of working. There's a wonderful photo on your site of you and Mick Jagger. Who else have you met
that gave you a moment like, "Oh, my God. I'm sitting here with Mick Jagger"?
Bono. Because he is a really amazing person. He's able to sit down with you
before a show and not be "BONO" in all caps. And back in the '70s, we were
opening for Queen. Both bands went to this amazing
restaurant and I was sitting across from Freddie Mercury and I remember
thinking, "I'm sitting across from Freddie Mercury." Oh, and Robert Plant would be another one,
too. When I saw those photos of you with Eddie Vedder or Kim Thayil, they seem
to look up to you and Nancy in the same way. There's that same sense of
admiration and continuation, I would imagine. Well, maybe, but I think that with those guys, you know, Jerry Cantrell and those guys, in the
'90s, we all partied under the clouds here in Seattle. And there was a chance of
people dying, so we know each other on a much more personal level. Jerry, in
particular, teases me about Heart in the '80s. So, there's an admiration, but
it's personal, too. [Laughs.] We're at the 10-year anniversary of Layne Staley's death. Do you ever
really get used to losing someone that close? No, no, no. It's like losing a part of your heart. There's a chunk of it
missing and it feels hollow. And especially when I walk around my property here,
where he and I have this history and he and I spent time by the pool and we
talked, it's right there. It's almost like he's still here sometimes. It's very
hard. Litsa Dremousis' work also appears in The Believer, Esquire, Jezebel, The
Huffington Post, McSweeney's, New York Magazine, The Onion's A.V. Club, Slate on
KUOW, NPR, and in sundry other venues. She is completing her first novel. On
Twitter: @LitsaDremousis. Keep up with MSN Music. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
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