(Excerpt)

Liz Phair loves having her picture taken. She also loves playing with clothes and jewelry. And she certainly loves playing with her image. In fact, her latest CD, Liz Phair, has caused a fuss because this alterna-rock heroine, who released the feminist Exile in Guyville 14 years ago, supposedly "sold out". Not only did she work with the professional songwriting and production team the Matrix (who wrote hits for Avril Lavigne), but at 36 the divorced mother of a 6-year-old boy started dressing in provocative clothing for publicity photos. It was an unabashed bid to compete in a commercial world, and if the indie snobs didn't like the results, Liz Phair didn't seem to care; she liked them. At our shoot she was clever, fun, straightforward, and had a good time. She seems to be enjoying the controversy.