Williamson has been involved in the music world for 30 years, and is now embarking on her first solo tour in more than ten years. A legendary figure in the world of women's music, and music in general, Williamson is as compelling when performing live as she in on album. This solo tour, which will include the performance of new and old songs, is sure to be the highlight of the spring concert season.
Williamson will be at 2nd Unitarian Church Saturday, May 13, 7 p.m., 656 W. Barry, ( 773 ) 248-3953 ( tix also at Women & Childen First Books ) .
Gregg Shapiro: You are currently on your first solo tour in many years. What can your fans expect from your new show?
Cris Williamson: First of all, it's a deep show. In that I'm certainly pulling from my recent experiences breaking up with my partner ( Tret Fure ) of 20 years. I've got nine new songs that have poured forth out of that. It's sad that art is so tied to tragedy, but it often is. So, they can also expect some older material. I've certainly got tons of it to pull from. A lot of it still fits, like clothing that you haven't worn in a few years, but when you go back in your closet, there it is and you try it on and it still fits. There will be old favorites as well as these new songs.
GS: You mentioned that there are new songs dealing with the breakup. There's a new record by Melissa Ferrick called Freedom on which she also deals with a breakup on a few songs. Would you agree that song writing can be a form of catharsis?
CW: I would. I'm so glad to have something to say and something to say it with ( laughs ) . Yeah, you bet. This is what you hone all of your skills for the hard times. It's easy, when it's easy. But, boy, when it's hard, it's amazing the release that it is just to articulate pain and grief, and to talk about whatever it is that you need to talk about, usually difficult things, still in poetic way.
GS: A few years ago an album by a performer who began her career around the same time that you did in the realm of women's music was reissued on CD, and while it definitely worked as a piece of musical history, I was disappointed at how dated it sounded. What is the secret to writing songs that have the timeless quality of your material?
CW: I wonder about that. Maybe it's just the fact that I write in a real universal fashion. It's not tied to any time. Everything I deal with is about the human condition. As a writer, I try to go from the personal to the universal, because you always want to do something that's identifiable, so that everybody can relate to it all over the world. Which is why I often use what I call elemental language, the language of the elementsearth, air, water, fire. Because, no matter where you go on this earth, no matter what sex or gender people are, how they vote, where they live, if you talk about any of those elements, they're going to know what those are. So if you can describe, by way of metaphor, the human condition and use some of those terms, it's so universal that people will get it. Let's face it, if you talk about pain or the loss of anything or anyone, people know what that means, somewhere in there. If they haven't experienced it yet, they will at least have a map for when they do.
GS: Also on the subject of reissues, Lavender Country's album was reissued on CD and has helped to draw attention to lesbians and gay men performing country music. You have also written and performed country-tinged material, and I was wondering how you see the two worldsthat of country and queermeshing?
CW: I just think music belongs to everybody. I don't think it's gender identified. If it is, I think that's way too limited. People can do any kind of music that they want to do. It really shouldn't really have to ... unless that's people's whole sphere, their entire atmosphere is about being queer ... which it isn't for me. Mine's about being human and it happens that I happen to be a lesbian. The fact that it happens to be is important because it's women who have taken so strongly to my music and knew it for the value that it was. Because I was a musician long before ... I started when I was 16 years old ... before anything "happened to me." It has to do with whatever kind of music that I like. I like all kinds of music. I'm very well-read and widely read and I listen to all kinds of music. I think people should do whatever kind of music they want. If they want to add those ( country ) tinges to it, that's great.
GS: The fourth annual Gay and Lesbian American Music Awards ( GLAMAs ) were just held in New York. I was wondering if you had any thoughts about the GLAMAs.
CW: I was in the very first one. It was very awkward for me, because mostly it was run by men and they had no idea who I was, and so, of course, I pointed that out, teacher that I am ( laughs ) . Here we are for one day, we all hold hands on Pride Day and say, "We're one family," and yet most of the men have no idea about any of the culture that women are doing, and they think it doesn't have anything to do with them. And yet, when they needed those women, they were there to help them through AIDS and all kinds of things. I think there's still a huge gap between gay men and gay women, and it needs to be bridged, and what better bridge should there be but music. I think the awards are getting better every year, from what I hear. It's still hard for me to get there, because you've got to pay your own way. I live on the other coast, it's a massive amount of money to put out and maybe win something. Award ceremonies often make me kind of queasy anyway. They often fall short of the feeling I think a person should have, which is to be honored. They want to honor everybody, I think it's the right thing, but sometimes I think more homework needs to be in regards to presenting the awards. In closing, I think it's a great idea that's got to keep getting better and better. I'm sure it will.
GS: You talked about being well-read, which is something one can grasp from listening to your music. Do you have plans to write your autobiography?
CW: I wonder if I've lived long enough to do that ( laughs ) . How old does one have to be to write their autobiography?
GS: You can do it at any age.
CW: I guess so. But that would sort of indicate that you think you've done enough. I don't think I've done near enough to write about it yet. People keep asking me about writing a book, and I think it's so interesting that they're even interested in it. I might write something, but I don't know quite what it would be. I always toy with the idea. Book writing is also something that is so astonishing to me. It's a lot harder than writing a song, which is a real compressed, three-to-four-or-five minute max kind of form. This would be much more elongated. There's always the fear that one's life wouldn't be nearly as interesting as one would think it would be ( laughs ) .
GS: But since you're such a good storyteller in your songs, what about putting together a book of short stories or a novel?
CW: Once I thought about it, and I thought, "How do you start?" So, I went around and looked in every book that I could lay my hands on in my own library and read the first sentence of every book. I wanted to see how people started. Once you do get going, it's probably a lot easier. But, man, I think it's a massive task. Every book I read, I think, "This is a miracle that people manage