Laura Dawn
interview by Renee Clark May 2002

How did you get started in music?

I've been singing in bands since I was 15--but I mainly got started when
I moved to NYC and started writing songs and then singing in my first
band Fluffer

Where do you think you would be right now if you have never of went to
NYC?

oh gosh--I don't know. probably in LA! or if I had never left Iowa?
probably married or something. my life's been so, uh, colorful --I just
can't imagine it any other way!

Why did you choose Extasy Records?

because I truly admired the president and ceo, Yoshiki. He's an
amazingly talented artist himself, and a very real person who is
entirely passionate about and obsessed with music. I just figured that
I would much rather put my life and my music in his hands than some
faceless corporation or tone-deaf business man.

What is the hardest thing about setting up a band?

just finding the right chemistry. I've always said that having a band
is like having 4 boyfriends at once--and it's hard enough to have one!

Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?

Oh, I hope and pray that I'm traveling the world playing shows for
people. That's all I want to do--make music that touches and inspires
people, and make new friends all over the world.

What sets you apart from other up-and-new-comers?

I think that the main difference is maybe I'm not afraid to examine the
dark underbelly of any situation in a way that most pop performers would
maybe shy away from. It makes my music a little harder to get on the
radio, you know, I doubt Michelle Branch would ever use the words
"cocaine" and "asshole" in one of her songs! no offense to
michelle--she's a great songwriter, but I've had a different life than
her, I reckon. Another difference is that, well, not many butcher's
daughters from Iowa get the chance to make an album. It's a very very
long road from Pleasantville, Iowa to the place I am now, and I hope
it's just the beginning.

Do you have any favorite songs from your album?


yeah, I do, but they change all the time. I think Useless in LA is one
of my favorites, also The Last Song, and always Party Girl and The Old
You. I also like So Small and --oh jeez, I like them all, even the
secret track, Jump Into The Fire. I really do.

Do you think writing songs for this album was maybe some kind of therapy
for yourself?

sure, definitely. I get obsessed with the song until its done and
recorded, and then I can't wait to perform it. I'm always reliving the
situation that brought the song on in my head while I perform it.
Sometimes that's really nice, sometimes not so nice. But it's always
real--and that's what I'm after--having a real moment of communication
with the audience, be it two people or two thousand.

Whats the weirdest thing a fan has done for you?

a fan overheard me say that I wanted a dictionary for Christmas, and
then at the next show, he showed up and while I was onstage singing, put
a huge Webster's unabridged dictionary right at my feet! Inside it
said, Merry Christmas! It's actually a very cool dictionary, but it's
very very heavy!!! I can't believe he hauled that thing all the way to
the show! Weird, but very nice and funny as well.