Ani DiFranco, Righteous Sister

by Dan Brown

Ani DiFranco is definitely one of those "approachable" people. In conversation she seemingly embraces the opportunity to share herself and her thoughts, and the same unguarded honesty that can be found in her lyrics was strikingly apparent in our discussion. Though she is very committed to her convictions, Ani could never be accused of taking herself too seriously and she rarely balks at the chance to laugh at herself as well as the world around her.

 The artist, whose most noted accomplishment is having mapped out the blueprint for achieving success on an international level without the powerful distribution and promotional machinery of a major label, is currently touring in support of her latest release Knuckle Down. For info on tour dates log onto  www.righteousbabe.com.

WOMANROCK: As your label and politics are so much a part of your story, do you ever feel like too much focus is placed on those elements and that the music itself gets overshadowed?

ANI: Yes, I do, especially in years past. I think it’s only more recently that people started asking me about "musical things," or started having conversations with me about playing guitar or arranging and those things. For years (laughs) all I found myself talking about was being a "Righteous babe" or an "angry girl."

WOMANROCK: When you were first picking up the guitar, who were your heroes?

ANI: I really wasn’t listening to recorded music and I didn’t acquire heroes from afar. My heroes were local singer/songwriters. Then I found myself traveling around and showing up at folk festivals, which are really ‘roots music’ festivals. Its music from all over the world, so I found myself being influenced by all kinds of people in my immediate environment; singer/songwriters and a lot of West African guitar players and that sort of rhythmic finger picking.

WOMANROCK: And as for being called "angry," is the label unfair?
 
ANI: I don’t know about what’s fair and unfair but it’s not true (laughing) that’s the major problem. But, you know, there’s so much to be pissed off about in this world. And, for many of us, it’s overwhelming. There are times when my social consciousness has to take a breather. It’s hard not to tune out and be in denial about the ills of the world, just to get by and live day to day. The problems can sometimes seem insurmountable. But the people that I know who do political work, or who are activists that are militant in their political convictions, are never angry people. In fact they’re often happy people because, unlike other people who don’t have an outlet to express disillusionment or their rage and sadness, we do and it feels good. I think there ought to be room in this world for people to be angry at what is unjust without being stereotyped as an "angry person.”

WOMANROCK: The theme of "tuning out," being in denial and making oneself numb is explored in the Knuckle Down track "Studying Stones." I can't imagine that there are too many people who can't relate to that concept.
 
ANI: Yes, that's a preeminently human trait, and myself included. You can hardly blame people for wanting to be happy and live a peaceful life, and I have all of those instincts too. But along the way I have been able to channel and develop my work around my passions and my convictions. So I have this mechanism for dedicating my energy in that direction. But, for most of us, our work is not of our own design. It’s hard to spend the day working, then jump on some political horse and dedicate the rest of your time to your community. It’s a really tall order.

WOMANROCK: I read where you were talking about people "not recognizing their unused power." Can you explain that a bit?  When I talk to people I usually get the impression that they feel powerless and detached from the political process.

ANI: I think that’s very much by design that we’ve become divorced of our power or even an awareness of it. On this tour coming up I’m going to have a day off in Washington, D.C., and my road manager, who’s a wonderful activist among the many hats that she wears, has been organizing a lobbying day. So we’re going to show up in D.C. and meet with senators and talk about this energy bill that’s being proposed by this administration, which involves a lot of new nuclear power. It involves taking all of the nuclear waste in the country and dumping it on Indian land in Nevada and Utah, just terrible ideas that are dangerous and racist and shortsighted. But the idea that you can go to the office of your representative, though it’s somewhat difficult to get these meetings or get their ear to bend your way, but it’s not impossible. It is their job. And it’s a startling feeling to be working on this direct petition of the government on this day. I’m really looking forward to that experience just for the reinforcement that this is possible. These people are representing us, and we have the power to write them or call them up or go there. There are also political activities that we can get involved in that don’t involve the apparatus of government that we can use to empower ourselves. We’re just sort of fed this idea of ourselves now, through every media outlet, that we are consumers and not citizens. I think our idea of ourselves and our past happiness has been mutated deliberately, but to re-conceive of yourself as a citizen and act on it, the potential is limitless.

WOMANROCK: When you were starting out in the music business, did you decide right away to go the indie route, or was the choice based on prior experiences you had with the music business?

ANI: Neither really. I didn’t have a grand vision of things. I just started getting gigs. Then I made a cassette tape, and later a CD to sell at my gigs. I was just a musician finding work. So there was no grand plan to be ‘Indie-girl U.S.A.,' and it wasn't harrowing experiences with the big-ego music industry that turned me away from it. It was just that my independence sort of developed along the way. You know, feeling empowered enough to act on my convictions. Some record companies did come along early on and express interest; some cool people, and some actual viable possibilities. But when it got to the point of an actual contract I thought; "five years, seventy percent? No. That doesn’t seem right to me. No thank you." And other things like; "Wow, this TV show wants you to come on. Great! Exposure! But they don’t want you to play that political song. They want you to play something upbeat and happy." You know, that’s cool. But no thank you. I want to do what I feel compelled to do. There have been so many examples. Like a venue insisting that we use the Clear Channel promoter. Well, then we just won't play there. There are just so many examples of that, and if you allow yourself to use the tool of that tiny word, ‘no’, there’s an incredible amount of power at your fingertips. ”

WOMANROCK: When you talk about being censored on TV shows, I can't help but think of your experience with the Letterman show. The song you wanted to sing contained the lyrics "white people are so scared of black people." What do you think was their problem with that? What's so bad about someone singing their truth?

ANI: Because it’s empowering just to speak it. This is what I love about my job, that I can just stand up and say things that many of us believe. It’s quite thrilling to people, or empowering and invigorating. But these major networks, they don’t want anything too serious or too real. So they disallow that on the TV, so our experience of watching TV and relaxing after work is about excluding the realities of the world and being in denial. And that’s not the choice of the person who turns on the TV; it’s the choice of the people who run the networks that we should be kept from our own truths.

WOMANROCK: Do network execs really think that if people hear something that makes them uncomfortable, that there will be rioting in the streets?
 
ANI: I think it’s more benign than that. Basically they just don’t want you to imagine anything except buying the products that they’re selling. And rioting in the streets would be bad for business. If people found their empowerment in community rather than buying stuff people would be happier, but that doesn’t serve them at all.
 
WOMANROCK: One your last record, you recorded and produced the project entirely on your own. This time out you worked in more of an ensemble atmosphere. What goes into your decision-making process when it comes to how you approach working on each record?

ANI: Well most of my recording history had been an investigation into collaboration, to some extent, with other people. My last record, Educated Guess, was the first one made in utter solitude. And that was a bit of a subliminal challenging of myself to do it all by myself. It was also a personal need to kind of be by myself for a change. All of the songs on that record reflected the circumstances of my life where I was in solitude. So I figured I should work in solitude as well. But after going through that and learning a bunch about myself and making records, it was time for me to crawl out of my hole. But all of those decisions are kind of intuitive.
 
WOMANROCK: What is the lineup in your live show this time around?
  
ANI: I’ve been doing the duo thing for over a year now with Todd Sicafoose, who was the bass player on Knuckle Down, and he’s just magical to play with. So it’s just upright bass and guitar, and that sort of brings me back to my deepest roots. I toured for many years as a duo with a drummer, so it was acoustic guitar and drums. I find that the duo thing really works for me, because you have the synergy of playing with somebody. But you can still be very spontaneous and intimate. When I had the whole band around me there was less talking to the audience. It’s hard to stand there and spin a yarn when there’s like five people waiting for you to shut up. I love to be solo. I love to be intimate and direct with an audience. So I have that, and at the same time I have this wonderful inspiration standing next to me.
 
WOMANROCK: Did you consider using a full band to see how the interesting arrangements on Knuckle Down would work live?

ANI: Sure. That would be super-fun too. But I think for myself, unlike a lot of artists, I sort of come from the stage, rather than coming from an album onto the stage. And all of the songs are built to stand on their own. I also think it’s cool to watch just one person, or a couple of people, make a show or make a song happen. But that’s just where I am now (laughs). Talk to me a year from now and I’ll have an orchestra.”
 
WOMANROCK: As your writing is very autobiographical, could someone listen to all of your recordings and feel as thought they know you?

ANI: I guess they would be able to say they know me at least as well as I know myself (laughs). I look back over my body of work, and I tend to write about certain things, and not about other things. I tend to write from my own deluded perspective, which changes ever too slowly. But yes, the girl that appears in those songs is very closely related to the one you’re talking to now. And I think, kind of openly speaking to people that I don’t necessarily know. But I’m allowing them to know me.

Dan Brown is the managing editor of WomanRock.com and the entertainment editor of Good Times Magazine.