and you thought you knew.. Susan Barth
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"I wrote my first bad song at 12 and by the time I was 14, I was hanging around music stores watching all the folk players.
At 16 they gave me a job; tuning and polishing guitars. They would show me chord structures and little tricks and I began writing fairly seriously. At this point I fell in love with the Beatles, a romance that continues to this day!"
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One of the most amazing albums I have heard in a long time is Susan Barth's 'Wonderland' which is, without a doubt, a superb portfolio of audio wonderment by a first class songwriter. Based in LA, Susan has naturally acquired lots of songwriting and composition accolades from Billboard, ASCAP, and a whole host of online communities and when you hear first hear Wonderland you end up wondering why she didn't also gain a Grammy. Her songwriting is sharp, perceptive, and universally tinted with that level of versatility, occasional wit, and compositional expertise that has become a very rare commodity these days. Sue's vocals and musicianship are exceptional to the 'nth degree and with all of this pent up respect and appreciation, there was only one sensible, logical thing I could do and that was to invite her over to answer the inevitable questions..
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The Interview - January 2005 |
| Welcome to IOM Susan... can we begin with you telling us a bit about your background? |
I loved melody as a little girl. I began singing with the radio and changing the existing melody to suit my mood at that moment. My brother once caught me singing into my hairbrush in front of the bathroom mirror. From that moment on I took to my room and began making up my own songs on a cheap guitar my brother acquired from selling 12 boxes of Christmas cards. His boredom was my salvation!
I wrote my first bad song at 12 and by the time I was 14, I was hanging around music stores watching all the folk players. At 16 they gave m e a job, tuning and polishing guitars. They would show me chord structures and little tricks and I began writing fairly seriously. At this point I fell in love with the Beatles, a romance that continues to this day. I played music in bars while I was in college, on campus, in bars during school breaks at home. I sang in a band both at school and at home. I would sing backup for anyone who would let me…then and now. Finally, in my twenties, I moved from New Jersey to Los Angeles and began trying to to find people who knew people who recorded music. It took a few years but one door led to another and 3 CD' s later I almost feel like I belong in this world, doing the work and loving every moment of it . Now if I could only get paid!
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| What would you say have been your pivotal musical influences? |
| The Beatles, The Beatles, The Beatles, Aimee Mann, Rickie Lee Jones, did I say The Beatles? |
| What could you tell us about “high points” in your musical career? |
Receiving my first songwriting award. I was sure they had made a mistake and it was going to go away…It was 2nd Place in the Billboard Songwriting contest (“Feel Like a Man”)
This song was also chosen to air in the WB show “Smallville”. I'm not sure what was more exciting…my name in Billboard and the prize (a Gibson SG) or the first royalty check from Smallville. |
| How about low points? |
The morning after a particularly successful show, realizing I am broke and need to show up at work to be able to pay the rent.
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| If you could turn the clocks back, is there anything you would have done differently? |
Less bullet holes, less alcohol, more music! |
| Who did you work with on your most recent projects and what would they be? |
The follow up to my last CD: “Wonderland”. Production: Dan Marfisi and Russel Pope, Guitars: Dan Marfisi, Randy Mitchell, and Jinsoo Lim, Keyboards: Dan Marfisi, and Beth Thornley, Drums, Percussion and loops: Dan Marfisi, Harmonies: Beth Thornley, Dan Marfisi, and Linda Marfisi.
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| If you could pick a favourite track from your recent work what would it be? |
Wonderland. |
| What musical instruments/equipment do you normally use? |
Acoustic guitar (Martin), electric guitar (Rickenbacker), and the occasional bad keyboard patch!
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| Do you have a favourite instrument either as a player or appreciator? |
Probably guitar. |
| Can you remember your first stage and/or studio experience? |
On stage, playing Kumbaya in church.
In the studio, following James Taylor in the Sesame Street Studios. (18 songs in 2 hours!). |
| What five albums would you want to find if you were stranded on a desert island with enough food, water, a copy of IOM, a complete collection of signed Beatles guitars, and a fantastic CD player? |
Revolver (Beatles), White Album (Beatles), Magical Mystery Tour (Beatles), Rickie Lee Jones (Chuck E's In Love), Whatever (Aimee Mann). |
| Do you have a favourite album cover of all time? |
| Beatles - White Album. |
| and what, may we ask, are the five albums you listened to most recently? |
| Revolver (Beatles), Whatever (Aimee Mann), Elvis Costello's Greatest Hits, Meaningless (Jon Brion), The Beach Boys Greatest Hits. |
| What five movies did you watch most recently? |
Vera Drake, Addams Family, American Beauty, Concert For George, Birth (Nicole Kidman). |
| Which artist would you most like to meet or borrow a bag of sugar from as a next door neighbour? |
| John Lennon RIP, and among the living - Aimee Mann. |
| If you could have been responsible for writing the best song or piece of music ever written, what would it be? |
| Walk Away Renee ( Left Bank ). |
| If you could have three wishes, what would they be? |
#1 – To write the perfect pop song #2 – To make enough money writing music to quit my day job #3 To have my own studio full of all kinds of instruments including a mellotron!
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| On to the more intimate side of Miss Mimi.. what did you dream about last night AND you can't say 'I do not remember'... |
Britney Spears bringing me tea! |
| And, if we were to “shadow” you on a typical day, what might we do? |
Feed cats, day job, daydream, day job, feed cats, daydream! |
| What did you do, the day before yesterday? |
| Fed cats, day job, daydreamed, day job, fed cats, daydreamed! |
| If someone were to tell you to pack your bags and 'never come back' what would you take? |
| 3 cats, 1 guitar! |
| What bugs you most? |
| Cruelty to animals, wrestling, divas. |
| What makes your day really shine? |
| 3 cats, 1 guitar! |
| I hate to end it all like this Sue but.. finally, what are your plans for 2005? |
Britney Spears bringing me tea!
Madonna teaching me the Kaballah!
No hairballs! |
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Susan Barth was interviewed by Colin Lynch - January 2005
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