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| By Vance Brawley Tell me a little about the video you just shot for Anywhere But here. It's just a transitional feeling of the element of the song. Is there any sort of interaction with you and the characters as there was with Even Cowgirls Get the Blues? No, I kind of pushed extra hard. I'm not determined to ride on the back of my motorcycle on that one. So that was actually your motorcycle that you rode in the video? No, that wasn't mine -- I'm not quite that brave! It looks like I'm in the apartment next door, but no, Natalie or Susan weren't there. How did you get tapped to do the song for the film? [Director] Wayne Wang actually called me early on in the project and flew me up to San Francisco, where he showed me a lot of the footage and asked if I'd be interested. I came home and was writing with Rick Knowles at the time; we just started writing for this, and it fell into place. It's a great driving or travelling song. I love driving songs, and he asked for something sort of Americana and progressive at the same time. We really tried to hone in on that feeling you get when you're driving across the states, this constant rhythm of the poles and the hypnotic feel of driving. It was a lot of fun, and when we actually put it to the picture the first time, it was very satisfying because it just seemed so right. David Arnold said that working with you was terrific on Tomorrow Never Dies (the song Surrender during the end titles). What were your thoughts working on a Bond picture? Since fifteen years ago, I always used to do "Goldfinger" in my show, and Shirley Bassey in her Bond affiliation has always been one of my favorites. I love the stretch of the vocals and the drama of it. I've always wanted to do a Bond theme, and when I got the chance and knew that it was David Arnold and more of a traditional sort of Bond melody, I got really interested in it. I really, really liked working on it. It was really fun; I felt like Tom Jones or something, letting 'er rip. It really does hark back to the lusty Bond songs, the mix of the great orchestral music and the chanteuse. Is there any interest in working with David again in the future on anything? I would love to do another Bond song. I love the challenge of doing that, and I like the theatrics of it -- to go into that automatic atmosphere that a Bond song presents. Your career has enjoyed a great romance with film. The videos that you do are very theatrical. Was there a point in your career before Salmonberries where you said it would be interesting to try this medium and get involved with it, as an actor and a singer? I really see the correlation between acting and singing. It really generates the same emotional response, and we sort of use the same tools. I think I'm a very theatrical performer when I'm on stage, so it's kind of a normal thing for me to fantasize about moving into that. I can't see myself being a full on actress because it's not what I am naturally, but I love being involved in the music end of it. Once in a while, yeah, I like dabbling in acting. Your first film, Salmonberries contains a song called Barefoot, perhaps one of the most haunting songs in a long time. yet it remains unavailable to the public to buy. I'm like a squirrel; I like to hide my gems. You can't really get "Crying" anywhere. I like to have people a little bit wanting. You've also done a complete score, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which was wildly successful not only for your fans but to show your great range as a song writer. What was it like doing the complete soundtrack? In hindsight, it was an absolutely great experience. Cowgirls is actually my favorite record I've ever done. I think it really expresses who I am musically, which is all over the place, and heavy on the country. That was nice because it was a way for me to do country in kind of an artsy way that didn't have political implications, which I loved. I loved the film. It didn't do so well, but I thought it was a little bit ahead of its time. I rented it the other day with my girlfriend, and we loved it. I really like Gus [Van Sant] as a director and as a person, and I liked the eclectic oddity of that film and being able to reflect that in the music. And of course the great video. That's just one of those beautiful opportunities. What can you tell me about Eye of the Beholder, another acting gig you have coming up, in January? Wasn't your part beefed up a bit when you were cast? Yeah. It was a lot of fun. I really like Stefan; he's very quirky, but he's very generous as a director, very enthusiastic. I worked really hard on it. I got a coach and spent a lot of time. I liked my relationship with Ewan McGregor, the lead, and it was a little bit hard because most of the dialogue was directed to a blank computer. That's never easy. I'm sure a lot of actors have experienced worse, but it was a lot of fun. Very fast shooting. He goes more on instinct. I purposely haven't gone to see it yet; I want to go and see the audience response to it. Any chance for more k.d. lang film music for that? I actually made the conscious decision to not get involved in the music because I don't want to make a habit of doing the music every time I'm involved in a film. It feels a little overbearing, so I kind of wanted to go solo on that. What do you have coming up? I'm in the studio right now, and I should have my album out in April or May. It's sounding so good. I'm working with a new producer who's kind of from the school of William Orbit. He's a young guy named Damien LeGassick, and he's taking me in a new direction. Many thanks to Kim Estlund and to k.d. |
| k.d. lang, film chanteuese |
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