Good Evening. Ask your children; you’ve probably
started listening to her yourself but anyway your children
will tell you she’s awesome. She’s a mere 22 years old.
She’s Alanis Morissette and her album Jagged Little Pill it
sold an excess of 30 million copies around the world. Its
the biggest selling album by a female artist, ever. The
songs are painful, they’re raw, they’re sexy, they’re
vengeful, they’re tender. Very big night for her tonight.
Alanis Morissette ends 18 months of touring around the
world. She plays in Auckland and thats it. Its time off.
New directions, new songs to work on. The end of the world
tour. Earlier on this afternoon Alanis came into the Holmes
studio and she did the only interview she’s going to be doing
in New Zealand. So much fame and success so quickly? I said
to her. Hard to handle? I said to her. Alanis Morissette.
Cuts to Alanis sitting at a desk across from Paul Holmes.
She's wearing a black baby T and jeans and boots (I think).
Oh and how could I forget! She's wearing black nail polish!
Paul Holmes is in his usual suit.
Alanis - Um...The external success uh...has not been all
that hard to handle on a personal level, probably because
I’m not motivated by it now, but I...that....when it
first happened it was a really big adjustment definitely.
Yeah...
Paul - Well do you ever sit back and think... well I mean I
know you’re not motivated by record sales and prizes and
things like that but do you ever sit back and think 30
million copies? The biggest album by a female ever. I mean
do you ever think, well, not bad?
Alanis - I think its heartening in that in 1996 a record
that has sold this many copies is not solely about love.
You know I think it says a lot to me about this era really,
that people are interested in hearing other peoples
revelations, other peoples confusions and frustration’s and
emotions and um.. it doesn’t scare them away. I think thats
a great thing.
Paul - Its a tribute to your contact with people isn’t it?
Alanis - Sure, its a tribute with my being honest with
myself first and foremost and then having it be something
that other people related to and perhaps inspired them
to do the same with themselves.
Paul - Are you as vulnerable now as when you made this LP?...
Alanis - Um...
Paul - ...Before the world tour? Before the success? Before
the 30 million?
Alanis - Yeah, I think that I’m uh, I’m just less apologetic
about my vulnerability. When I first started out, there
was a small bit of fear about being that open but not any more.
Paul - 30 million sales if I may repeat that figure!
(laughs) means that you don’t have to apologise to
anyone surely!
Alanis - No. I mean well I wouldn’t have had to anyway.
Once the record was done I just felt like I had done
what I needed to do.
Paul - You’ve been touring about 18 months...
Alanis - Mmm hmm...
Paul - And this is your 2nd to last night away. Does
that feel good?
Alanis - Yeah, uh, my smile says it all right now. We’ve
had an amazing time and we’ve all been...we’ve all been
very uh...we’ve all been troopers but I think its time
to stop and regroup and reflect and take a break.
Paul - Are you dee mop happy (I think thats how you spell it)
Alanis - (looks confused)
Paul - I mean do you...dee mop; army term, your parents
taught at military academies so...
Alanis - Oh, right...(laughs)
Paul - Dee mop happy means you can see the end.
Alanis - Yes I’m...I’m beyond that!
Paul - I would imagine one of the scary things about
being as successful with that first album and then winning
the 4 Grammy’s and then so forth, first album out. Is
worrying about that next album, how do you follow that? Is
that a worry to you?
Alanis - Um no! I uh... I think that if I uh...
Paul - Its such a long question and not a worry!
Alanis - (laughs) I’ll explain why there’s no worry.
Paul - I’m sorry (laughs)
Alanis - Um...I think um...I think if I was motivated
again by recreating what this record did externally, which
essentially I had no control over um...I think that it
would drive me crazy...I think the pressure would be too
much but as I said I think that as long as I finish the
record and love it, if it sells 10 copies or 10 million
copies, I can’t control that. No one can control that you know.
Paul - Tell me about the making of Jagged Little Pill.
I mean it seems to be, you sang the tracks in a weekend.
Alanis - Yeah, what we’d do is that we would write and record
at the same time which is the way that I’d like to do it for
the rest of my life just because it captures the spirit and
um...we didn’t go through everything with a fine tooth comb.
I didn’t want to um...get away from the original emotion that
was, you know, was the inspiration of writing the song.
Paul - Yes because one of the wonderful and appealing things
and unforgettable things about Jagged Little Pill was that,
there’s a kind of newness about the songs as if you’re not
quite familiar with them yourself in...in some ways. I mean
its...
Alanis - Right
Paul - Its real fresh and...
Alanis - Yeah, all of the vocals were one or two takes right there.
Paul - So many of your songs are also about um...I’m sure
you’re sick of...I bet you’re sick of people telling you
this. You may be. So many of your songs seem to be about
being hurt and yet at the same time allowing that to
enrich your life.
Alanis - Mmm hmm.
Paul - That you seem to love the fullness of it all.
Alanis - Right.
Paul - I recommend getting your heart trampled on...and...
Alanis - That’s right, just accepting, accepting all
emotions and not seeing society has a way of making people
believing that, that frustration and confusion and sadness
is dark and wrong and that happiness is right and I believe
that every emotion can be celebrated.
Paul - A lot of hurt there though; You Oughta Know,
Right Through You, um...Would You Forgive Me Love(means
Your House)? I mean they’re about some real hurt in
relationships. Do you still allow yourself to get that hurt?
Alanis - Um... I don’t think just judging from the place
I’m coming from now, I don’t know if I’ll ever be that
hurt, but I will be hurt. I think thats inevidival but
um...its much more easily transcended now as opposed to
before when you weren’t equipped with the knowledge that
comes from getting older.
Paul - Do you have a relationship at the moment?
Alanis - Yes I do.
Paul - Oh yes.
Alanis - Mmm hmm.
Paul - Is this person based back in LA?
Alanis - Yes.
Paul - Not on the road?
Alanis - No.
Paul - Who is it?
Alanis - (laughs)I don’t have to go there right now!
Paul - No, no you don’t and you don’t have to tell me
either. Who are your heroes?
Alanis - Um... I don’t know if I have heroes pursay,
but I do have people that I respect.
Paul - Joni Mitchell was one of those?
Alanis - Yeah, I was only introduced to her music after
my record was done my manager gave it to me and said that
he thought that I’d be able to relate to a lot of it.
Paul - And what do you who do you listen to at the moment,
when you go back to the hotel or when you’re on the bus or
on the plane?
Alanis - Um... I don’t really listen to anything uh...much
to the shagreen of people around me who really enjoy
listening to music.
Paul - You don’t need to listen to it Alanis, there’s
nobody near you! Nobody near you!
Alanis - Oh! (has a "I can't believe you just said that!"
look on her face) I don’t know about that but I love
silence right now for obvious reasons. Lifes very noisy and
crazy and I just, uh... I just like to be silent.
Paul - Hmm. Are you writing songs all the time?
Alanis - I’m writing a lot of poems lately, just thoughts
that will probably at some point become songs but I want
to become a student again, and become a guitar student
and a piano student. Yeah.
Paul - Well of course, after the success of the last 18
months you’ll have a bit of free time.
Alanis - Yeah.
Paul - If you want...
Alanis - I need...free time! (Big smile)
Paul - You are very kindly, I know Alanis going to do a
couple of songs.
Alanis: We are.
Paul - And you’re going to do, You Learn...?
Alanis - Yep, You Learn and Head Over Feet, we’re going to do.
Paul - We’ve jacked up a sound stage especially for you.
Alanis - Thank you for that.
Paul: - It’s a great pleasure and if you could make your
way over there now if you would...
Alanis - Alright.
Paul - And you got the band there sitting waiting I know...
Alanis - Yes I do. Thank you.
Paul - And we’ve got flowers there and a carpet too. Whatever
you want!
Alanis - (laughs)
Goes to Alanis sitting crosslegged with the rest of her band
on a stage covered with a Persian rug and lots of flowers
in the background. It all looks very hippyish. I can see her
band members Taylor Hawkins, Jessie Tobias, Nick Lashly and
Chris Channey. Oh yeah and Jessie's wearing black nail polish
too! Alanis must have got him! There are also 2 other guys
there sitting with them (I recognise them as the two guys
walking alongside Alanis when entering Auckland airport). One
is playing a small hand drum and the others playing a guitar.
There is also a woman beside Alanis playing a maraca. Instead
of drums, Taylor is playing the other maraca. She starts off
singing the acoustic version of Head Over Feet and plays the
guitar and harmonica. She’s really great!
Then there is another story on the show about something else.
Then we come back to Alanis. This time she sings an acoustic
version of You Learn Live! Its quite interesting because you
know how she goes totally crazy and jumps around in concert
during this song? Well she can’t really do that here because
they’re all sitting crosslegged on quite a small stage. So she
just goes, oooh weee ohh, and yi yi yi and la da da etc. Its
really cool! Anyway this time the woman sitting next to Alanis
is playing Alanis’ guitar and Taylor now has 2 maracas and is
playing them like drums! Then at the end of the song she says
Thank you (something???) - I couldn’t make out her exact words
but she seemed to be directing it towards her band. Then Paul
Holmes comes and sits on the stage.
Paul - That’s fabulous! Thank you very much for coming in!
Alanis - Thanks for having us. Its good talking to you again
(referring back to when he interviewed her in May / then she
shakes his hand / then she has a drink of water)
Paul - Its a great honour to be on your last television
appearance before the end of the world tour. Thanks for
coming in!
Alanis - Thanks for having us!
Paul - And go and do that concert!
Alanis - (laughs)
Paul - And get it finished with!
Alanis - (laughs louder)
Then it cuts back to Paul at his desk.
Paul - Last concert of the world tour and tomorrow they’re home.
