By Peter Quincy Ng

Photo credit: Ray Lego for Death + Taxes Magazine

Divine Providence – My little encounter with St. Vincent

Meet Annie Clark. Frontwoman of St. Vincent. Her latest release Actor is a wonderful blend of light and heavenly sounds hit with a torrential mix of the dark and macabre. So I powered up my mp3 player/recorder and spoke to the singer/songwriter (even former hair model) Annie Clark to find out a little bit more of what inspired her album “Actor” among other things.

Interview by Peter Quincy Ng – August 8, 2009

So for those of you who don’t already know who are you?

My name is Annie Clark and my music alias is St. Vincent.

So the name St. Vincent there’s quite a few of them out there. There’s even an island of the same name. Of which St. Vincent are we referring to?

We’re referring to the St. Vincent that is the middle name of my great grandmother that St. Vincent. It’s a family name.

Peter: That’s quite interesting never thought I would have guessed that.

It’s been one heck of a year for you so far and you’ve been on the road for quite some time. Then again I don’t remember when you haven’t been on tour. Well you’ve toured with Sufjan Stevens and played with the Polyphonic Spree in the past… so basically you’ve been on the road for a good portion of your life. What’s life inside and outside touring?

I love being on tour I also love not being on tour. What do I do when I’m not on tour? Right now I’m on tour so much that I do laundry (laughs) and get coffee and hangout with friends.

So this is definitely not your 9-5 type of job but if you could pursue something else outside of the arts what would it be?

I think that I would be a permanent student, I think I would be in school forever and ever and ever. Umm probably study history.

Well speaking of other career options. You’ve got quite a sense of fashion and I see you’re definitely rocking that hairdo of yours. Was it true you were a hair model at one point?

Oh… (laughs) I did hair model for just in college a little bit to earn money and umm… but this is just an unfortunate curse of genes that I have the hair.

No don’t get me wrong it’s an excellent hairdo. Have you ever considered further continuing your hair modeling?

Uh… no. No, no (laughs) I don’t I got a little frizzy.

So judging from your latest release there’s something really dramatic about Actor I mean looking at your videos there’s something quite to it. For example, going back a bit to even your last album “Marry Me” with the “mind sandwich” or the blank stares and the making the people cry in “Actor Out of Work” in this record. Is there an actor component in the stage name St. Vincent that we should know about?

I think the thread through all of it is a certain amount of black humor. In the “Actor” video I wasn’t exactly making people they were sort of auditioning for me and their role was to cry, it required them to fake or act like they were crying but acting like you’re crying is actually crying. It’s made up.

Despite some of the Disney-inspired whimsical musical arrangements that were featured on “Actor”, some of themes and titles of those songs are actually quite grim. It’s been awhile since “Marry Me” was released so what inspired this “new and improved” St. Vincent?

When we started it I think I think a lot of the “Marry Me” record I wrote when I was 18, 19, 20, 21… 22 even I guess and I think your life and perspective changes a little bit from a romancist, the kid who romanctizes to an adult 25, 26, 27 who has lived a little bit more and I think it was just coming a bit more from that angle.

Peter: Well for better or for worse it’s a great album. Anyway thank you Annie for you time.

Alright. Thanks. (A very puzzled Annie staring down at my recorder).

Peter: (Panicking) Umm… how do I turn this damn thing off [while trying to shut of my mp3 player]? Ah there we go. Thanks so much.