On the release of her latest album 'We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong,' sharonvanetten called up MollyRingwald to discuss the aches and pains of adolescence and what’s hiding in the lyrics.
Sharon Van Etten has staked a decade-long career on her vast emotional reservoir. Over six confessional folk rock records, Van Etten has charted a path from her DIY origins as a young songwriter working through an abusive relationship at Brooklyn open mics, to her status as a rock beacon writing and recording albums from the sanctuary of her in-house Los Angeles studio.
RINGWALD: Thanks, I’m literally figuring it out day by day. You said something in an interview that stuck with me. You said that when you think about the future, you get anxious, and when you think about the past, you get depressed, and that forces you to be in the moment. There’s nothing better than kids for that. You have to be in the moment, or you’re fucked.
VAN ETTEN: When I first started playing in front of people at open mics, I would drink whiskey to shake the nerves. Lots of it. I used to have this haircut, which I have again now, where my bangs were long enough to cover my eyes and prevent me from making eye contact with people. At the beginning of a set, I would say in my thick Jersey accent, “All I want to do is make someone in this room cry tonight.” At the time, it was my way of making light of what I was actually doing.
RINGWALD: You made this decision not to release any singles. You wanted people to listen to the album in one sitting, and I don’t remember the last album that I did that with. My husband and I just sat on the bed together and listened to the whole thing, and it brought me back to my teen years. I would go to Tower Records on Sunset with my allowance—even after I started making money, I still had an allowance.
VAN ETTEN: I struggle with it still, but I think each album represents a chapter in my life. When I have 20 songs, I listen to them and try to find the common thread. What am I saying? Is this relatable? Why do I want to share this? From there, I make music mood boards of what the instrumentation is going to sound like. For this particular record, I made a playlist, so that when I brought musicians on board, I share it with them and not give too much direction.
RINGWALD: Lyrics are so important to me. As a writer and actor, I am always looking at words. Which reminds me, I have to ask you about acting. My husband and I loveand I read somewhere that you were a little bit relieved when it was canceled, because you felt like an imposter. What are your feelings around acting?
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