Q & A with Lisa Marie Presley

By YURI WUENSCH -- Edmonton Sun




Lisa Marie Presley

Don't mention Scientology. Don't mention divorce. Don't mention Nicolas Cage. Don't mention Michael Jackson. And by God, if at all possible, don't mention Elvis. This was the mantra repeating in my head as I prepared to interview Lisa Marie Presley, who is performing tomorrow night at Cowboys.

Presley's publicist politely requested that I not mention either the King or the King of Pop and to keep my questions focused on her music career, now two albums deep (To Whom It May Concern and Now What). I'll do my best, I told her, not really figuring I could pull it off. Presley, now 38, was only nine years old when Elvis passed away in 1977 - he was 42. Come on; she is Elvis's kid - that's really the story.

I hadn't actually planned on asking anything pertaining to her string of divorces from the likes of Cage or musician Danny Keough (father to her two children, Dior model Danielle Riley, 17, and Benjamin Storm, 14) or religion, either. It's already been done ad nauseum and you'd surmise Presley would be sick of such questions.

I'm guessing the reporter who interviewed her before I did wasn't as conscientious - that's giving her potentially ruffled feathers the benefit of the doubt. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, and though her responses may not entirely reflect it, Lisa Marie Presley made for one obstinate interview.

Sun: You've been writing songs since your 20s. Why has it taken until your 30s before you began recording albums? It strikes me that being Elvis's daughter you would have been subject to a lot of pressure to follow in his footsteps early on.

Presley: No reason other than the fact that I had two small children and didn't have time to commit. I've been getting asked that lately and don't really understand why. It happened when it happened. I was approached with album deals when I was younger, but I wasn't interested. I wouldn't say I was pressured, but I knew eventually it would happen.


Sun: Your first album went gold. How has the second one done?

Presley: I have no idea. The second one wasn't really marketed or cared about as much as the first one. I wouldn't say it did as well, but I don't think it's a worse or **** record. I think I'm in the same boat as many other artists on that front. It's not easy for anybody, who's doing honest, not-poppy music, especially for female singer-songwriters.

Sun: With the sophomore effort, were you conscious about what you wanted to do differently than your debut?

Presley: No. I just wanted to grow as a singer, songwriter and performer. I think I became better, more articulate. I influenced and spoke for a lot of people, so I was very aware of that for the second record. The whole point is the writing. It is quite a thing to be able to write music. It's a knack - it comes really easily. I feel everything I'm singing and I don't know if I could have done that with other people's songs.

Sun: You do sing a couple of cover tunes on the new album, the Ramones' Here Today, Gone Tomorrow and Don Henley's Dirty Laundry.

Presley: I did the Ramones one for my friend - Johnny Ramone was dying when I was recording the album. Dirty Laundry was for the status of what's going on in the world right now: the demise, the Armageddon, the BS, the ****, the shallowness, the soullessness.

Sun: With respect to your albums, was it a real process for you to find the right collaborators to work with? What did producer Eric Ross bring to the table for you?

Presley: I was a big fan of Tori Amos's Little Earthquakes and he helped with that record. I reached out to him and he was interested. You know, it kind of morphs and he's great in that process because it's kind of collaborative morphing.

Sun: What about Pink then?

Presley: What about her?

Sun: Well, can you describe what it was like working with her?

Presley: She just happened to be sitting there one night when I was trying to come up with the melody and lyrics for Shine. She was singing the song next to me and what she was doing kind of stuck in my head. I told her I didn't think I could do it without hearing her voice.

Sun: I gather you two bonded over a drinking session, as well.

Presley: It was a Christmas party. Yeah, we hit it off.

Sun: The liner notes to your CD mention you two were barking like dogs. Can you explain that?

Presley: Uh, no.

Sun: Why not?

Presley: Why not? You should be a psychiatrist. It was just one of those funny moments.

Lmfaooooooooooo...I love the last two questions and answers hehe...Gotta love that chick!

Thanks for posting

Thanx for postin'!

Vedy interesting! Yea, thanx for postin hon!

JEFF d
LMP fan

Thanks for posting...Nice interview....Really appreciated...

Great! THanks for posting.

Ya'll are very welcome!

Laura,

Thank you for posting!!

Thanks for posting, TX Pixies! Love Lisa's attitude. The interviewer sounded a bit scared.

Thanks for the interview! I've noticed the past few interviews I've read on here, even though they are asked not to mention anything about the divorces, etc., they have to write about it in the intro. I find it really annoying...

at least someone has the right idea about how an interview should go!