Joan As Police Woman - Nothing If Not Arresting

Having spent the early years of her career in such esteemed company as Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright and Antony Hegarty, Joan Wasser tells Paul Mitchell why it was necessary to step into the light on her own.

Feature by Paul Mitchell | 26 Aug 2008

Joan Wasser struggles to come to terms with the increasing public and critical adulation her sophomore album To Survive is currently receiving. “I can never know what people are gonna think or feel about the record. It’s always a personal experience for each reviewer. I just try to make the most honest music I can and hope for the best. I felt like this record needed a little bit more time than Real Life to listen to and get the hang of, so I just didn’t know if people would get it or expect another Real Life; but people seem to be in tune with it and I’m just really thankful for that.”

What she hasn’t been thankful for of late are continued enquiries about her relationship with the late Jeff Buckley. Having discussed the issue openly in the aftermath of Joan as Police Woman’s debut release, Wasser feels it is perhaps time for everyone to move on. She does however acknowledge that dealing with the press is a necessary aspect of her job. “You definitely learn a lot about yourself by doing all the press that accompanies the record. Making the music is very natural for me, but talking about it feels unnatural, which is ok, because doing unnatural things is definitely part of life. I know I have learned a lot about myself throughout the process, by talking about the songs and the inspiration behind them.”

Video: Eternal Flame

It has been frequently suggested that the dominant theme of To Survive is Joan’s mother’s ultimately unsuccessful battle with breast cancer. Wasser certainly doesn’t shy away from addressing this emotional time in her release, but she insists her work is about so much more. I think [the album] reflects my personality, I am a very positive person. When I wake up in the morning I’m happy. I am compelled to write music when there’s something on my mind that’s troubling it. I do address myself and my emotions through music. The process helps me figure out a lot of confusing places, events and people in my life.”

Wasser has been involved in the music business since the early 1990s, when she sang with indie-rockers the Dambuilders. She also spent time as the frontwoman of Black Beetle, a band comprising of all the former members of Jeff Buckley’s band. However, it was when acting in a supporting capacity on Antony and the Johnsons' Mercury award-winning I Am a Bird Now that she recognised she owed herself the opportunity to fulfil her creative destiny. I got to work with Antony (Hegarty) and Rufus (Wainwright). They are both really dedicated to following their own artistic path. They have their own style and they live in it. Personality-wise and musically, they really care about making art. I wanted to do the same.”

Video: To Be Loved

The subtle nuances and technical accomplishment of her new record suggest her confidence is ever-blossoming, but Wasser hasn’t set herself any career goals, or identified any particular styles she would like to try her hand at. “I just try to write more honestly and directly. There are times I have written things I was really uncomfortable with, in that they were too revealing or rendered me vulnerable. Then I would really come around to believing that if I felt that way it was probably the most important thing to leave in the song. I think that if something makes you uncomfortable it’s the thing you have to deal with. I know my feelings are not unique. If I’ve felt them, I know everyone else has in some way. If I can express the comfort in them I feel like it helps other people too."

Joan as Police Woman plays the Oyster Stage at Hydro Connect, Inveraray on Sat, 30 Aug and will return later in the year to play The Liquid Room, Edinburgh on 13 Dec

To Survive is out now via Reveal

http://www.joanaspolicewoman.com/