INTERVIEW WITH MICHELLE PENN FROM TheCelebrityCafe.com ARCHIVES

DM) What music did you listen to growing up?

MP) Pretenders, Journey, Replacements, Culture Club. (Wow I can't believe I'm admitting to this)

DM) What did you like about Culture Club songs?

MP) The thing I liked most about Culture Club was that they had some great pop tunes. Very well crafted yet overlooked because of their wacky image.

DM) Do you ever worry about your image when you play?

MP) I use to worry all the time. Obviously image is everything. Problem is if you lie about your image People can see through it. I've come to the realization that truth is best. The image you project has to be your own or in the long run you'll fade away. That's why I don't worry anymore. Just go do my thing and if people like it great and if they don't then so what. I can't stand people who try and make me something I'm not.

DM) Do you ever cover any other band's when you perform live?

MP) I rarely do cover tunes but I have covered Lyle Lovett, Partridge Family and old Pretenders.

DM) What was the toughest song you had to cover?

MP) Partridge Family "I think I love You" was the hardest. The band and I incorporated an acapella 3-part harmony in the breakdown bridge section. It was a hard song to do with a 3-piece band compared to the original recording done by L.A.'s finest musicians back in the 70's. It was a bitch to do live but when it went right it sounded incredible.

DM) What music do you play at home to relax?

MP) Relax? That's an art form in itself. I'm usually listening at home to Collective Soul, Del Amitri, and Mathew Sweet. I figure if I keep drilling great pop songs in my ears eventually I'll master the craft. I have little time to listen to "relaxing" music. If I'm totally alone for a few days I will throw on Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Rain Coat." Its all his songs sung by Jennifer Warnes. I think that might be the most relaxing CD I own. It takes you to another place for 45 minutes.

DM) What's your songwriting process?

MP) Worry, stress and then write about it. I try to write about something real to me so that I don't get bored with the tune.

DM) What's the fastest and shortest you've ever written a song?

MP) I've been lucky a few times to actually write the main parts of the song in one afternoon. Unfortunately that's rare. Most songs I might work on a year or more developing each part on a 4-track recorder till its time to record a new CD and bring other instruments and accompanying parts. Some songs don't ever fall in place till years later. It's an odd progression that varies for every songwriter.

DM) Do you remember the first song you ever wrote?

MP) The first complete song I ever wrote was not very pretty. I believe it was called "The System" and it was a rebellious little number. I wrote it about the public school system being a scam. It had a lot of angst to say the least. I must have shoved a novel of lyrics in 4 minutes of music. It's quite funny now but at the time I thought it was the anthem for taking over my high school. Too bad no one was listening!