Autumn DeWilde
Jenny Lewis
Issue #26
The Rilo Kiley frontwoman talks about booze, boobs, and going solo
By Jenny Sabella
Published: December 1st, 2005 | 12:00am
Rilo Kiley frontwoman Jenny Lewis recently left the boys in her band to their own devices while she recorded her solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat, a country, soul, and folk album packed with stories about love and spiritual struggle. The album sticks to business as usual, Lewis has managed to write songs that are beautiful and relatable to listeners while maintaining the musical integrity that makes even the toughest music critic raise their head.
How is doing press by yourself as opposed to doing it with the band?
This is my first day of it. We did a photo shoot today. [It] was nice being the only girl there because I really enjoy that process, and it’s difficult sometimes with a group of boys that are grumpy. They don’t like clothes, they don’t care.
You’re pretty well known for your sense of style, and I recently saw you in Maxim. How was that?
I wasn’t surprised in seeing that my boobs looked huge in there. I was like, “Oh great.” They’re big every day of the week, but for some reason they really highlighted it in Maxim. At least they didn’t grease me up and put me in a bikini.
Would you have done that?
I would say no. They could grease me up but only with a track suit.
Tell me about Rabbit Fur Coat. What got you thinking about doing a solo album?
We were recording More Adventurous, the last Rilo Kiley record, and I just continued writing after that. I wrote the song “Rabbit Fur Coat” — that was the first of all of these songs. I knew that the process of recording a [new album] with your band would be a long time coming. So, having had Conor [Oberst of Bright Eyes] ask me a couple years prior to record a record for his new label, Team Love, I thought, “Well, all right. I have these songs and I’ll do it.”
The album has a lot of country, soul, and folk influence. Rilo Kiley does too, but this is a bit more. Where did that sound come from?
I was really fond of this record growing up called Laura Nyro with LaBelle. It was this great record with this folk singer, Laura Nyro, who’s since passed away. My mom and I were big fans of her work. She paired up with the LaBelle sisters — Patti LaBelle and her two sisters — and it was this great mix of different perspectives but kind of the same vision. If you think folk music and country music and soul music, it’s all sort of related. I wanted to make something that was mostly about the songs themselves and the stories within the songs. I [also] was listening to Bob Dylan’s New Morning which is one of my favorite Dylan records and has a pre-religious feel to it. It’s a secular record — it’s not a Christian record, but I think it questions things.
You’re well known for the storytelling within your songs. Do you just have a vivid imagination or are they personal experiences?
I think it depends on the song. With the last Rilo Kiley record, we explored different perspectives within the songs and creating stories that had a beginning, middle, and end. I think this record is a continuation of that. [It’s] also a continuation of the song called “I Never” that was on the last Rilo Kiley record — a soulful ballad that sort of tipped off “Rabbit Fur Coat,” which then tipped off the rest of the record.
You’ve acted, are in a band, and play several instruments. Have you always wanted to be an entertainer?
Well, the acting thing was not necessarily my decision as much as it was a parental one. I feel grateful for the experience, but music is something that is entirely my intention. I want to play music, I’ve always written songs, and I will always look to music for comfort in a lot of ways.
From touring with Rilo Kiley to recording and promoting your new record, have you been feeling overwhelmed?
I’m happy to keep trudging along. I think I’m happiest when I’m busy, and before my record and between Rilo Kiley tours, I do stuff with the Postal Service. I think it’s best for my mind to be focused on something.
What do you do in your rare free time?
It’s weird because music was my hobby and then it became my job, which is a really cool thing. I am obsessed with the news and newspapers, and I also enjoy shopping. Shopping is an amazing, soothing thing. It’s really therapeutic, on the road, to venture off from the guys and say, “See ya later, assholes. I’m going shopping. … I hate you.” Then I come back oh-so-Zen-ed out.
What are your favorite things to shop for?
It doesn’t really matter: rings or shoes or bras, who cares? I’ll find it.
A lot of guys and girls swoon over you. How do you feel about your sex-symbol status?
I find it flattering, first and foremost, and completely out of bounds. I know I like to wear hot pants and things, but typically when I’m on tour, [I] feel completely unattractive and weather-beaten. … It feels awkward but totally flattering. With that comes criticism as well. I try to chill out and not pay attention to it too much.
What are your plans for Rilo Kiley?
[Rilo Kiley guitarist Blake Sennett and me] are doing the solo stuff. Blake has the new Elected album coming out in January, and I think we’re gonna do that for a while and then make another Rilo Kiley record in the spring sometime. We have a bunch of new songs and I’m excited to get back to recording with those guys.
Speaking of Blake, you two dated for a while. What’s the deal with his mustache?
I hated his mustache when we were going out. He grew it and it was probably one of the five reasons that we broke up. But now that we’re just friends, we’ve transcended into brother and sister, and I think it’s really cool. He shaved it off before the end of the tour and I miss it. I feel that it’s left behind a shadow. Even if he doesn’t have the mustache, he has the mustache at heart. It’s so funny, the facial-hair discussions that go on between boys. It’s like, “I’m gonna grow a beard” or “I’m not gonna grow it, I’m gonna shave it.” It’s ongoing. They love it.
A lot of your songs mention drinking with friends or just drinking in general. Do you have a favorite drink?
I’m just getting into wine a little bit. I don’t know a lot about it, but I’m really enjoying learning. I feel wine is a really educated beverage. The more you know, the more enjoyable it becomes. I want to drive up to Napa, because I live in California, and check out the wineries. But I’m a lightweight — I drink two glasses of wine and I’m wasted. I can’t drink wine before I play. If I drink a glass, I sleep through the entire set.
Any favorite bars or clubs on the road?
There’s this great bar-slash-strip club in Atlanta called the Claremont Lounge that is truly remarkable. Seeing the mother-daughter stripping team really put it over the edge for me, which is so dark and depressing but so enjoyable.
A lot of your songs are about relationships. How has dating been for you since you and Blake parted ways?
Some not so good, some better than others. Some fleeting and others longer lasting, but I think I’m at a point in my life where it’s nice to come home and have someone there. I’m away so much of the time, and it’s such an unstable environment, just being on the road. It’s really nice to have some consistency. Right now, I have a dude and I like him a lot.
Do you have a hard time having a relationship while on the road?
I do. I become fearful and sabotage things for no reason, because I’m away. I tend to forget — my memory is like Swiss cheese; there are giant holes in it. I just get obsessed with the moment, not that I want to go and hang out with a bunch of other people, but it’s hard to remember what keeps you happy. I struggle with that, but I think once you give yourself over to it, it can be really rewarding.
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