Natalie Merchant, the former lead singer of 10,000 Maniacs, is releasing
her second solo album, Ophelia, this week.
Q: You were part of the Allen Ginsberg tribute they had in New York on
Thursday. That was the last night of Seinfeld.
A: I've never seen an episode of Seinfeld. I'm one of that tiny percentile
of Americans who grew up not allowed to watch television, so I never
developed the habit. I'm sure there are lots of fascinating things on
television, but I've lived my life living in my environment.
Q: And I read that your favorite magazine is the Nation. Come on, nobody
reads the Nation.
A: Come on, 100,000 people read the Nation. It's been around for 130
years.
Q: You're doing the Lilith Fair this year.
A: Yeah, Sarah [McLachlan] and I will get together and make literary
allusions and laugh in a self-satisfied fashion. And I'll share my issues
of the Nation with her.
Q: You're also involved in the Humanitarian Reform Movement.
A: I see that you scanned my website. You worked really hard. Did you
listen to the record too?
Q: Yeah. And I watched the short film you made to accompany Ophelia, in
which you speak, like, four languages.
A: Five. Six, if you include English.
Q: Six languages? Are you showing off?
A: *Oy vay!*
Q: That's, like, a seventh language.
A: You're annoying me. It's like being interviewed by the biggest snotty
bullyboy in the world.
Q: It's just that you seem kind of serious. What do you do for fun?
A: I don't really have wacky moments. It's just more of finding humor in
people and situations. I don't wake up in the morning and say, I'll be
wacky today. What do you do to be wacky, Joel?
A: As annoying questions of female vocalists.
By Joel Stein
