Linda Perry went from 4 Non Blondes (known for the 1993 hit "What's Up") to a solo act writing and producing hit songs for everyone from Pink to Christina Aguilera. She talks how it feels to be a front woman (with Deep Dark Robot) again with Windy City Times.
Windy City Times: Hello, Linda. You are currently out on the road. Where in the world are you?
Linda Perry: I am pulling into Philly right now.
Windy City Times: You just did the SXSW [South by Southwest] festival, didn't you?
Linda Perry: Yes, we did. We have been on the road for a week and a half.
Windy City Times: How are things going on the road?
Linda Perry: Really good. Things have been great. It is kind of like a little vacation for me. I have been in the studio for so long. I have been running around, meeting people and getting on stage, performing. It is fun being with a band. I have my team.
You just never know what is going to happen. There could be people there or there could not. People will either like it or not. It is very random. For the past 13 years it has been a very controlled environment. I know every single thing that is going on. So it is a vacation and I have been getting the best sleep that I have gotten in years.
Windy City Times: I listened to the new single "Won't You Be My Girl," and it sounds pretty rocking!
Linda Perry: You have to listen to the whole album. The one song doesn't make the album. It has a flow and a concept to it. There is not one song that represents the album. So, yes that song is rockin' but the whole album is not necessarily that way.
Windy City Times: Do you have some ballads similar to the ones that you are known for writing?
Linda Perry: Yeah, there are a variety of the eight songs. It is hard to explain. I wouldn't consider them ballads but they are slow. They are slow-tempo songs. It is telling a story about heartbreak.
Windy City Times: Where is the name Deep Dark Robot from?
Linda Perry: From a lyric that I was writing and that just popped out of my mouth: "Deep Dark Robot is falling in love." I thought, "That is cool and put it aside." I said, "If I were to start a band then I would call my band that."
Windy City Times: Speaking about love, are you in a relationship?
Linda Perry: No. I am single. I have been out of a relationship for about a year almost now.
Windy City Times: I wasn't aware of that. Does it still say "dyke" on your guitar?
Linda Perry: No, that guitar I gave away to charity over 15 years ago. The event was for AIDS and they were able to raise a pretty good chunk of money.
Windy City Times: Excellent. You come from a musical family. Do you speak Portuguese?
Linda Perry: No, I understand my mother. My mother is Portuguese and my father is from Portugal. I can speak a teeny-tiny bit—not enough for a conversation, but I understand my mom really well.
Windy City Times: You have worked with so many people, from Gwen Stefani to Alicia Keys. Who else are you working with this year?
Linda Perry: For right now I want to be an artist this year. I have slimmed it down. I am working with people that I don't want to say because it is not out yet. In this business someone I say I am working with may not be signed or it might change in three months. Someone might change and become a country artist. Things change so crazy now. One thing I do know is that I am working on a musical.
Windy City Times: Oh, tell me about that.
Linda Perry: They are doing a musical of To Die For, the Gus Van Sant movie about the woman that had kids kill her husband. She was a news anchorwoman.
Windy City Times: Yes. Nicole Kidman played her.
Linda Perry: It is going to Broadway, so I was just hired to do the music for that. I am very excited about it. I have several other projects, but right now I am focusing on Deep Dark Robot and being an artist.
