From: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org (jewel-digest) To: jewel-digest@smoe.org Subject: jewel-digest V3 #308 Reply-To: jewel@smoe.org Sender: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-jewel-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk jewel-digest Thursday, June 4 1998 Volume 03 : Number 308 * If you wish to unsubscribe, send an email to jewel-digest-request@smoe.org * with ONLY the word unsubscribe in the body of the email * . * For the latest information on Jewel tour dates, go to: * http://jewel.zoonation.com and click on "TOUR" * OR * go to the OFFICIAL Jewel home page at http://www.jeweljk.com * and go to the "What, When, Where" section * . * PLEASE :) when you reply to this digest to send a post TO the list, * change the subject to reflect what your post is about. A subject * of Re: jewel-digest V3 #xxx or the like gives readers no clue * as to what your message is about. Today's Subjects: ----------------- The full transcript of Jewel's AOL chat - 6/3/98 [MAXMOUZE@aol.com] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Jun 1998 22:14:12 EDT From: MAXMOUZE@aol.com Subject: The full transcript of Jewel's AOL chat - 6/3/98 MadisonVH1: Welcome, Jewel. VH1Jewel: Thank you. MadisonVH1: Maybe you can tell us how you got started writing poetry VH1Jewel: oh, gosh, I remember having my mom sit down and encourage us to write. I guess workshops is a little - MadisonVH1: You said in your book she had workshops, can you tell us about that? VH1Jewel: The first Monday of every month, we would sit down and have little art project drawing - and sometimes it was poetry MadisonVH1: Why did you choose to release a book of poetry now? VH1Jewel: A couple reasons - one out of my need to feel constantly challenged. I felt with music a certain level of monotony and desire to change. I felt with pop music that I was beginning to become so popular that people would devour me without having a chance to taste me. The poetry book I put out so people would have a complete idea of who I was - not only as a musician. MadisonVH1: I read that it was a lot of journal excerpts... what would be the year span of this book? VH1Jewel: 15 to present MadisonVH1: Is writing poetry different from writing songs? VH1Jewel: Yeah, Its a different release. I guess I'm more loyal to my poetry. I find its more personal MadisonVH1: When you're writing poetry... does the poetry just come to you or do you have a specific creative process that you use? VH1Jewel: For me poetry is synonymous to the way I think; the way I breathe. Its a daily thing for me. I don't feel good unless I've written during the day. I don't know how it works. I just felt the need to release. I don't know if its good. MadisonVH1: Have you ever thought that the poetry that you wrote was bad? VH1Jewel: Of course. I've never been an overly confident writer. I never thought I was a poet or anything. I just wrote for myself - wherever it took me. MadisonVH1: We were talking about the difference between poetry and music VH1Jewel: My poetry and my songs tend to be separate but I'll take sometime MadisonVH1: would you ever make a poem into a song? VH1Jewel: just single lines from a poem and put it into a song. Foolish Games - - there's a line from a poem in that song. There's a line The Bony Ribs of Adam - I ended up putting a line from that into a country song. MadisonVH1: Do you have a favorite poem from the book ? VH1Jewel: It doesn't really work that way. I have different moods. I like the ones about home a lot. MadisonVH1: Which is the title of one that you like? VH1Jewel: The Tangled Roots of Willows - I've always been a fan of love poetry. MadisonVH1: I loved a lot of your poems in there... I won't go into tittles Comment: First I want to say that I love your book... and I was just wondering about the poem "Father Of A Deaf Girl". Did you write that about someone you know..or was it something you just imagined? Did you grow up knowing or do you know anyone who's deaf? VH1Jewel: I did grow up knowing several paraticulary these two deaf women who lived at my family's house and I was friends with one of their daughters. She was abused, but her mother couldn't hear the abuse because she was deaf. The stories of abuse always stuck with me. Comment: I have a question on your poem "Sara Said", about a young girl's pregnancy scare. Is this partially autobiographical or based on someone youknew or is it pure fiction? VH1Jewel: That one was fiction. But I'm aware that it happens in the world. Teen pregnancy is very rampant in the whole world and I was thinking why does teen pregancy happen but its not written about anyone specific. Sex education was very important but its never talked about in any real way. Comment: When does your movie come out? VH1Jewel: The movie will be coming out in March. Comment: Hi Jewel! The"Everyday Angels" your internet fan club, is one of the biggest out there. How do you feel about your fans, and are they important to you? VH1Jewel: Of Course. The birthday card was beautiful. I was really worried when I got into the business that my ability to help people would be impaired by the isolating nature and I would become useless and immobilized by fame so I've asked from the beginning that people not idolize but be inpsired so I would not be cast in a certain role that I couldn't live up to and I couldn't ask for better fans. They're doing good for their community and not just mindlessly worshipping. Comment: It has been almost four years since your first album was recorded. How have you changed, both as a musician and as a person, in those four years? VH1Jewel: I've grown up a lot just because between the ages of 18 and 24 are developmental years. I think I'm becoming more myself with time. Selfishness begins to fall away. It's hard to sum it up. I'm getting better with words; with music. MadisonVH1: It seems like a lot of the poems, I could relate to... that's wonderful. Do you find that now that you've become so famous, it's harder to find real experiences? VH1Jewel: I think that people assume that once fame hits you, it's a portal into another world and you leave behind everything you were - you get a makeover, a lobotomy, you don't remember your parents, and it's not that way. It's been very gradual. I know there's a heightened awareness of other people about me. People aren't weird with me yet. It's really just the same. I see more life more beauty more diversity and I'm exposed to a world I'd never thought I'd see. It's more to write about - the rich world is not always impressive. MadisonVH1: Can you tell us a little bit about the book tittle? VH1Jewel: To me, poetry is really revealing. It's the most immediate way I can express my self. The most honest and raw poetry is that way during the day. It's easy to be cynical and facetious and when I write, I'm just honest. So what's the title - you're not going to see me protecting myself. I also think that - what we think being safe is makes us more brutal where you have a callous is really where you're most sensitve. When you wear armor - you know what's sensitve. You know where to hit. MadisonVH1: That's very insightful VH1Jewel: When you're honest - you're more strong Comment: If you had to choose between singing, writing, and acting, what would you choose ? VH1Jewel: The reason i'm doing all of them is so I don't have to (choose). For me thought, writing isn't a choice. Whether this book was published or not, it's what I do. It's just innate. MadisonVH1: What do you hope your fans will learn from reading your poetry? VH1Jewel: A little bit more about what it is to be human and that its OK i hope people learn to be more intimate with their intellect, their spirit. in school i was tauight how to memorize but not how to relate. I learned that by poetry. When you see brave poetry by anais nin, Maya Angelou, good bad lovely lusty - it's OK to express yourself. MadisonVH1: This is a quetion from luvcatboa... Comment: Jewel, I was wondering if writing poetry for you was a very exhausting activity as it is for me. Your poetry just seems to contain so much emotion and for me when I write to that depth it is extremely exasberating. VH1Jewel: i think being very emotional is my most natural state and if i'm writing, it is not exhausting if getting in a fight with a boyfried - that's exhausting but writing about the arguments with the siblings or boyfriedn isn't exahusting. the more honets and deep i go the more energy i get. Comment: Is the song "Foolish Games" about something that has really happened to you? VH1Jewel: i guess yes and no. I think we've all felt the sort of regret of selling ourselves short whether it's in love or with your boss. I think we've all felt that whether it's in a relationship or not. Comment: Jewel, I am a mother of 4 teenagers but I love your voice and words as much as all of them. How does it feel to be able to relate to all ages of listeners? Do you feel your hardwork from the bottom up has given u strength? Thanks for all of your beautiful VH1Jewel: i think that's one of my favorite compliments. i think a really intelligent writer should be able to appeal to different age groups. So if I can layer my music so that groups 8-80 can relate to it i feel good. I think if art is too hip or too young, I feel we're selling youth short. Comment: What do you enjoy doing when you are not singing, writing, or acting? VH1Jewel: is there any time left? I read a lot. I'm a book-aholic. Try and spend as much time in silence as I can. Comment: Do you like the poetry of E.E. Cummings or Margaret Atwood? VH1Jewel: its hard for me to say. i guess ee cummings because i'm not familiar with margaret atwood's poetry. MadisonVH1: do you want to talk about some of your favorite poets? VH1Jewel: neruda - octavio paz - Comment: Hi Jewel, this is Tina. I would like to say that I love your voice and your music. My question is: Are you planning on doing any other work with other singers? Thanks! VH1Jewel: I'd like to - finding time for me to have friendships is hard and being so busy is hard and I'm really shy about asking people. There's a lot of people I'd like to work with -- Ella Fitzgerald, I never got to work with her, as she's passed away. Comment: What kind of music do you enjoy listening to when you are just hanging around at home, if you ever have the time to just hang? VH1Jewel: you know i'm not a big music listener. I don't know why. I love Jennifer Warnes and a lot of the old blues stuff like Etta James, Koko Taylor, Sonny Terry, Old Ray Charles. I've been really really into country music. My favorite thing in the world is country music. Even bad Top 40 country music. I've always love Hank Williams and roots music. Comment: The EDAF held its east coast kick-off event last weekend. What do you think of the need for volunteerism in the community? VH1Jewel: I know and often myself I have stared at the heavens and said "God why don't you stop hunger? and Why do you let people kill each other and i finally realized that if we are sons and daughters of god we have to ask ourselves. We live here; we have arms, and mouths and minds and we're the ones who have to take care of each other. I don't consider my selfd successful by any means because i have the ability to support myself. I don't feel successful unless we've all succeeded. Everyone deserves success, we all have a soul. Comment: what kind of things in life "prickles" your soul? VH1Jewel: my chihauhau lately - is what makes people feel beautiful. Whatever it is like peoples' long blue fake nails or the lady in the bar who dresses in a cheesy black lace dress or the combovers to make guys feel younger its so dear. i think humans are just so dear sometimes Comment: Do you participate in any charities or anything??? VH1Jewel: i've been working hard - Nedra 's been working to get my own nonprofit charity going. It's called Higher Ground for Humanity. We'll probably do a press conference soon. Other than that, I do shows often for people that go to charities. Comment: Is it true when you were a kid you used to sing your way out of trouble? VH1Jewel: When I was in hawaii kids would always hassle me cuz I was white, and they would quit hassling me if I yodeled. But sometimes I wished they just would hit me because i grew sick of yodeling. Comment: what advice would you give to kids that are interested in the music buisiness? VH1Jewel: know why you're interested in it. dont' do it for fame. it will kill you. you need to have a very strong foundation to stand the storms and it has to be done for the most sincere reasons. It's a hard business. If you have sincere reasons, then the world responds to that. I think the world works more on magic than logic and we look at statistics and past success and try to repeat them. You should be good at what you do and enjoy it and i think the world responds to it. Comment: Jewel, your album touched me deeply when I listened to it the first time; but I adored, most of all, the eleventh track: "Don't." Everybody needs a theme song, and "Don't" has become mine, in some ways. I was wondering: what inspired this song? VH1Jewel: I was 16 and didn't have a boyfirend. Thought i would pretend i had one...I don't know - it just came to me. The words and the melody were in my head. I just learned to play guitar and for some reason when i was singing, it didn't match the guitar. I was singing in waltz time and playing in 4/4. It took me awhile to figure that out! Comment: Jewel: What's the most embarassing moment you've ever had on stage? VH1Jewel: there's so many! I think often being a performer is very humiliating and setting yourself up for humilation. Especially being alone on stage. I was just talking to my friend Steve Poltz on the phone about being in front of the audience when you'er speaking about something dear to you and the audience is talking about shopping. One embarrassing thing was when my high school thought i was a rap act. MadisonVH1: So Jewewl what do you want people to learn about you by reading your poetry VH1Jewel: oh - i don't know. theres' only a few basic human emotions and we all feel them. i don't feel like i'm covering any new ground in this book and i'm just talking about it. People will learn whatever they get. MadisonVH1: Do you feel more exposed in your poetry than you do in your music? VH1Jewel: i should but that goes back to the title. The more open i am the less vulnerable i feel because theres' less room to misunderstand. Comment: Jewel- Do you feel that editing poetry robs it of its initial beauty or do you see it as a beneficial refinement of the work? :) VH1Jewel: i would say beneficial. You never have to take anything away. It's whatever makes it good art. There's no time limit, no length limit. Just make it good art. MadisonVH1: Was it hard for you to see your words in print for the first time? VH1Jewel: i liked it OK - it was fun and nice to see it not in my sloppy handwriting. MadisonVH1: How did you choose the poems in this book? VH1Jewel: i did this book in a week and a half - a real crunch process. its from whatever journals i made it through. MadisonVH1: Good than there can be a follow up... VH1Jewel: i tried to get a good diversity in my childhood, growing up in barrooms nature love, to show the balance and run the gamut of the poems. Comment: Will you and Steve Poltz record more together? VH1Jewel: yeah - i hope to. i think we'll always write and work together and I'd like to officially recommend his album One Left Shoe. Comment: What will your next album be like? Will it have a greatly different feel than Pieces of You? VH1Jewel: I'm going to put out a Christmass record in Novemebr. I don't think it will have any christmass songs on it but uplifting. It won't be the official 2nd album. I'd like it to be an antidote for things that worry me and kids in the world - sor tof like a children's bedtime story or something. Comment: If you weren't a singer or writer, what would you be? VH1Jewel: I think just human - i don't know. It doesn't matter. I love what I do but it's a vehicle to help . MadisonVH1: Is being on stage reading poetry different from singing? VH1Jewel: it is different. Definitely more vulnerable. MadisonVH1: When was the last time you did that? VH1Jewel: I had to do it in front of 200 journalists just a few weeks ago. MadisonVH1: Wow that's tough... Which one did you read? VH1Jewel: i read a couple. I think i read love poem and father of a deaf girl MadisonVH1: I really like Wild Horse. It's very sensual VH1Jewel: I think i wrote that at 17 MadisonVH1: and too Many Nights VH1Jewel: oh you do? MadisonVH1: and i really like Second Thoughts In Columbus Comment: hi Jewel! My name is Tony and I am from Toronto! My question is where do you tend to do most of your writting? eg: outdoors, in bed, on the tour bus? VH1Jewel: Airplanes lately it wasn't like that before but its what my life has turned into. I'm a captive there - no phone calls, i can write for hours but anytime i can write. MadisonVH1: Do you still keep a journal on a regular basis? VH1Jewel: its only because i'm not computer literate. It's archaic as hell but i still have to write by hand. MadisonVH1: Niether am I, so we can bond on that VH1Jewel: for this book i had to take all my shorthand, rewrite it and give it to someone to write. I remember Bukowski having a poem called my first computer poem. Comment: What has been the toughest obstical you have had to face and over come in your life?~Erica VH1Jewel: I think fear. And fear of a lot of things. Fear of not having a way to provide for myself. Fear of getting sick. I think fear just looks for avenues. Comment: Hi Jewel, will you be making an personal appearances promoting your new book, and if so where? VH1Jewel: not sure. if i do, they will be limitd because i have to start recording a record. MadisonVH1: With everything you've accomplished already, is it hard for you to find professional goals? VH1Jewel: No. there's so many realms of things MadisonVH1: creative goals? VH1Jewel: i'd like to do out there. i can always be better at what I'm giong be a better writer. I'd like to get into visual arts. I have a long way to go - there are so many things I want to get to: cooking, photography... MadisonVH1: Jewel before we start to wrap up is there anything else you want to discuss VH1Jewel: I'm excited about doing the book i'm glad to have it out there and be more than just a pop sensation and i'm glad that fans can get to know me without needing the media because fans don't have to go through writers interpretations. MadisonVH1: That's true that happens all the time Comment: Are you going to continue your carrer as an actress after your first movie? VH1Jewel: Yes Comment: Jewel, why aren't you playing the Lilith Fair this year? this year? VH1Jewel: Because I'm making a movie and as soon as I get done with that i'm in the studio so I can get an album out on time, so I decided to get an albulm out instead of tour MadisonVH1: You were at Lilith Fair last year VH1Jewel: It was great MadisonVH1: how did you find that experience? VH1Jewel: touring is usually isolating like being an astronaut where the telephone line is your life line and this was like having a traveling social group. It takes awhile to establish friendships and you can't just be friends with someone just be best friends because you're both famous. After the first 2 weeks, everyone got along. Emmy Lou Harris never wanted to leave. MadisonVH1: How do you feel about Sarah McLuaghlin starting it... do you like the idea of it being women only? VH1Jewel: i don't know what i think of that to tell you the truth. then there were 1000 hits on the web saying women should keep their place biut iv'e never been into separation. I'm more a humanist than a feminist. It took Lilith to get equal treatment but I don't consider myself a woman in rock, I'm a musician. I don't like the fact that it's such a token statement to say women in rock just because there have always been women in rock. I still have to prove myself. We don't have life long careers like all these blues women - I think we should pay homage to them. MadisonVH1: Well don't forget everyone that A Night Without Armor is available in bookstores now.. and is also available in spoken word cd or cassette VH1Jewel: Thanks everyone! Thank you all OnlineHost: THanks Folks. ------------------------------ End of jewel-digest V3 #308 ***************************