60 second interview with Jenny Lewis

Oct 12 2008 Avril Cadden

JENNY LEWIS

The American indie-country singer's Scots boyfriend wrote a duet to sing with her - only for her hero Elvis Costello to take his place on the record. Former child actor Jenny plays Glasgow QMU on Saturday and album Acid Tongue is out now.

Is it difficult to separate the band Rilo

Kiley from your solo work?

Not particularly, I tend to just write songs and they dictate where they go.

Are you always working and writing?

I am! I moved from the apartment I had been living in for 10 years and I pretty much wrote 90 per cent of my songs there. Now I'm living in a new place, I've only written one or two songs, so I hope the dry spell isn't upon me.

Where does your work ethic come from?

I was an actress as a child, from the time I was three till I was about 16 or 17 I supported my family. I think I've always been focused on work and always felt I had to be productive so everyone around me could enjoy a life of boredom and leisure. Lazy b*******!

There's a song called Carpetbagger on your new album - what's that about?

That song was written by my boyfriend Johnathan Rice and is about the treachery of women. Carpetbagger I believe was a phrase coined after the civil war. It represented a group of people that came down to the south to profit and to scam people out of their money.

How did Elvis Costello become involved in that song?

He called me randomly a couple of years ago. I thought it was prank. Johnathan sang this song with me on the road but we wanted someone who would make it less country and a little more pop. So I emailed Elvis. He mentioned he had two new songs and would we be open to recording them.

So they became a part of his record Momofuku. He was such a down-to-earth guy - he's one of my heroes and you can chat with him about anything. It was great getting to know him.

What's your favourite on the new album Acid tongue?

I love The Next Messiah. Sung live, it gets people moving. With the last Rilo Kiley record we thought it would get the audiences to dance but they just stood still and it was so frustrating. With The Next Messiah, you don't have to ask people to get up off their asses, they just dance around and it's really satisfying.

You did a lot of collaborations on this record, is it like getting a bunch of your mates together?

I have been a long time admirer of Zooey Deschanel and M.Ward produced half of my last record. I've recently became friends with Chris Robinson, (Black Crowes) - I'm a huge fan of his. It just so happened that everyone was in town at the right time and for some reason or another they wanted to come out and sing songs and play.

Your boyfriend Johnathan has Scottish roots - will that make playing Glasgow special?

He grew up in Virginia outside of Washington DC but his parents are from Glasgow and he has this weird accent that is part southern and part Glaswegian.

When we play in Glasgow, so many people come out and I receive so many kisses and hugs and everyone has a couple of drinks and it makes it a really fun experience. I love playing in Glasgow, it's one of my favourite places to play.

What's next for you?

I'm going to take a little time for myself at the end of the year and work on my tan! Maybe I'll get a dog. Maybe I'd get a big poodle or a rescue dog or any mutt off the street - I'd take anything.

Are you going to do more with Rilo Kiley?

I'll probably tour this album for a year or two and see what happens. I'll see what I'm going to do. Ask me this question in a year and I may have an answer.

60 SECOND INTERVIEW