| VK Lynne Exclusive Interview |
1) VK, if you could open for anyone who would it be and why?
I'd love to open for Train...they're witty and poignant,
and I have a soft spot for lyrical integrity…also, I'd love
to sing with Pat Monahan!
- Go to Denmark. When I was getting ready to make my
new CD, Whiskey or Water, I was contacted by a Danish
producer, James Thomas (Cher/Beth Hart). He found
me on MySpace, and expressed interest in working with
me. It was a really exciting prospect, but scary at the
same time; because I'd never been to Scandinavia, or
met this man in person; and the plan was for me to go
stay at his house and make the record- without my
husband, without my band, just me and my songs. But
when the producer I'd had lined up to do the CD in the
States told me to go to Denmark instead, I got serious
about it. I polled my most trusted friends, and
overwhelmingly, they said, "Go!" And so I did.
- I'm so grateful that I took that advice- it was such a great experience, both musically and spiritually, that I can't fully
explain the reverberations it's had and continues to have through my life. I can't wait to go back!
I scooped some amazing made-in-Dutch-country ice cream, and slung the best bagels in Philly!:) Also, I assistant
managed a box office at a theater in Philadelphia, and I've directed some experimental plays. I also did freelance
grant editing.
- Balance- it's been the most important thing I've ever learned in life- (and I'm continuing to learn)- It's what I wrote
Whiskey or Water about. Listen to advice, but don't always take it. Guard your spirit and don't trust blindly. Look in
the mirror and look in your bank account- figure out which reflection means the most, and try to find the balance.
5) What is VK's motto?
- I have a motto and a mission!:) My personal motto, believe it or not, is from a book I read when I was 12, Julie of the
Wolves- "When fear seizes, change what you are doing. Something is wrong". I have lived by that, and I've always
been more afraid to stay static than to make changes that move me forward. My mission as a songwriter is summed
up in a quote from Jesus: "In this world you will have trouble, but take heart! I have overcome the world".
6) Were there ever any moments that you just wanted to give up on your singing dream? If so, why?
7) Who has been your biggest inspiration, VK, and why?
8) What are a few of the most unique songs/artists that I would find on your MP3 player?
10) VK, what are a few things you could not live without?
- I have never wanted to walk away- I have sometimes felt that I should. And those are the times when I felt that living this life was selfish; that I should
get a "real job" and help support my husband's dream (he's an actor) and help my mother more who just began a battle with breast cancer. But at the end
of the day, it's not for me to leave- the music is in me, how would I leave it without cutting myself apart? Everyone has a gift- I would make a lousy
scientist or mathematician...But even if I can't make you feel better by curing your illness or helping you plan your retirement, I can soothe your soul
with a song- and there's value in that as well:). I think it's sometimes hard for artists to accept that, when we live in such a concrete society where things
are often respected more than ideas or feelings. But once I came to terms with what I'm meant to do, I could start to come to terms with who I am. And I
could never change that, by giving up the music, any more than I could change my DNA.
7) Who has been your biggest inspiration, VK, and why?
- I can't narrow that down to one:) But the main four artistic inspirations I've had have been Melissa Etheridge, my husband Sean, Beth Hart, and Tuomas
Holopainen.
1. I was at a crossroads when I was a teenager; trying to decide what direction my music wanted to take, when I saw Melissa's VH-1 Storytellers
episode...and I remember turning to my mom and saying, "That's it- that's what I want to do." Melissa was there for me at every stage of my teen years
and early adulthood; it seemed like whatever I was going through, Melissa had a song addressing it and empathizing with me.
2. Still, I was hesitant about writing my own songs; I came from an environment where I was always told, "How can you write songs, play guitar,
etc? You can't read music, don't have any training, etc." There were always a million reasons why I COULDN'T do something in my house, and when I
got to college and met Sean, all that changed. He believes I can do anything, and believes that instead of living in why you can't do something, you find a
way you can. And with him, I began to believe it, too. I wrote my first worthwhile song about a month after we started dating. He has been my
supporter, encourager, my fan, and my teacher.
3. 7 years ago, I hit a slump- I was struggling with issues from my childhood, and instead of them feeding my creativity, they were crippling me to the
point where I could barely function. Then one night I was at Club Lingerie in Hollywood, and the woman on stage was Beth Hart. She sang 'Leave the
Light On', it felt like, directly to me. And I bought the CD that night and started sorting my head out. 3 years later, I was driving through the Target
parking lot with Sean, when I saw Beth and her husband Scott walking in- I said, "Sean, it's Beth!!" He said, "Oh, shit, it is!" I told him "Pull up, pull up!!!"
So he pulled up next to her, and I leaned out the window and said, "Beth Hart?", and she turned around and said "Yeah, man!", I said, "I hate to do this to
you, but- I fuckin' LOVE you!" She said. "I love you!" I jumped out of the car and hugged her, and she laughed and was so kind and gracious. I told her I
was covering her song 'Am I the One' with my band, and she said "Can I come see you play it?" I was stunned, and asked her what she was doing that
Wednesday; I was playing the Mint. She came out, and sat right near the front. I sang as if it was the last song I'd ever sing, and after the show she hung
outside and gave me advice and encouragement- I will never forget her complete selflessness and openness. It was about 2 years after that when the
opportunity arose to work with James, who had produced one of my favorite Beth songs, 'Learning to Live'. I ran into Scott at the Knitting Factory, and
HE said "Go to Denmark (there's that good advice again!), James is great". While I was there, Scott gave us tickets to Beth's Copenhagen show, and again
I was humbled by this artist who is so giving in an industry that is notoriously self-serving.
4. About 2-3 years ago, I began working on a side project with a metal guitarist/composer. He sent me a CD with his work on it to give me an idea of
the direction he had in mind, and another CD that said "Nightwish- Dark Passion Play". I thought "What is this?" and tossed it into a side pocket in my car
door. I was busy with my solo work, and didn't listen for at least 3 weeks. Then, I finally got a week off, and I decided to catch up on things. I re-read the
note that said the Nightwish CD was to give me an idea of what kind of vocals he was thinking of, and popped in the CD. The first track was 13 minutes
long, and I don't think I breathed for 12:30 of them. I remember everything about the day, the scenery, the road I was driving on at that moment. This
was like nothing I'd ever heard before, and I was mesmerized. By the time I got to the final track, 'Meadows of Heaven', I was a mess. I sat in the
driveway, sobbing for 20 minutes, because I was sure I'd never write anything that beautiful, ever.
I still didn't know anything about this CD, though: Was this a band, an orchestra, a theatrical piece for Heavens' sake, what? I set to YouTubing and
Googling everything I could find about Nightwish, which inevitably led me to their maestro, Tuomas Holopainen. I was staggered that he not only wrote
this incredibly complex and beautiful music that felt larger than life, he also was the man behind the intensely personal and heartfelt lyrics that made
these songs not just any orchestral pieces. I read about him and felt a kinship with his pensive soul. This also opened up new worlds for me songwriting-
wise. I was writing 'Sunday', the last track on Whiskey or Water and I thought, "It would be so nice to have another melody going on behind the main
vocal- but you can't do that...wait a minute, why not?" I had just been listening to 'Ghost Love Score', a mammoth epic with so many turns and clever
things going on it was mind-boggling...I remember saying, "Tuomas does whatever he wants, why can't I?" His refusal to submit to forms and
constraints, and therefore make the most original and touching music I have ever heard inspires me enormously. When I was in Scandinavia, I took my
iPod, by then bursting with everything Nightwish had ever done, and listening as I rode Anne's, (James; wife) bicycle over the countryside gave me an
insight into the Finnish band, and into my own perceptions about people and music, that I hadn't had before.
8) What are a few of the most unique songs/artists that I would find on your MP3 player?
Perhaps what is unique is the juxtapositions: Nightwish, of course, sitting right next to Joni Nichols, a beautiful singer/songwriter (and a wonderful
friend who EVERYONE should check out), Steve Earle, Blue Rodeo, Dream Theater, Storm Large, Toad the Wet Sprocket, 30 Seconds to Mars.
- Probably Keanu Reeves- he is still the prettiest man God ever created. I did love moody boys as a teenager. He always seemed to be so quietly dignified
and secretly suffering, I was captivated. :)
10) VK, what are a few things you could not live without?
- Sean- he's my best friend and also the best man I know on the planet. God in my heart, music in my ears. Things are just things.
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