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Pink Interview
Q: In most pictures I've seen of you, you look like you're about to deck someone in the head. Should we be afraid? A: I don't know how to smile in pictures. I feel goofy, like I'm faking it. But sometimes it's good if people are afraid of you, especially men. I don't get the cheesy pick-up lines. Q: Does your menacing attitude get you into trouble? A: I don't think a day has gone by where I don't piss somebody off. People hate to hear the truth. I love it. If I ask somebody if I look fat, damn it, I want a "yes" if I do. I almost get off on telling the truth because it is too much for people sometimes. Q: Tell me how your singing career started. A: First I sang with a local all-boy punk band in Philly when 1 was 14. Then this DJ heard me singing at a rave and gave me a weekly gig at a hip-hop club when 1 was 15. One night an A&R executive came up to me and asked me if I wanted to be in an R&B girl group called Basic Instinct. Then they kicked me out. Then I joined another R&B act called Choice and we got signed to LaFace. Q: With a voice as good as yours, why did Basic Instinct kick you out? A: It was because they were black and I was white, but the politically correct reason that they gave me was because I didn't fit in well in the photos. Q: Have you had trouble being a white singer in the traditionally black genre of R&B? A: Yeah, I've been on both sides. But it's like I say on my album, "We are all pink on the inside." Q: What do you think about this whole "Pretty Fly for a White Guy" phenomenon where white artists like Eminem, Kid Rock, and you have been accused of copping the style and sound of your black counterparts? A: I think the whole thing is ridiculous. Our generation doesn't care what-the-hell color the skin is. We only care where the club is tonight or whose album is coming out next Tuesday. My group of club kids and skateboarders has always been so mixed. As long as you don't stink too bad, you can hang out with us. Q: Musically, you've dabbled in everything from hip-hop and gospel to punk rock. A: When I was growing up my dad introduced me to music by Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, and Peter, Paul and Mary. I'd watch him play the guitar and we'd sing together. And my brother was up in his room listening to 2 Live Crew, Guns n' Roses, and Skid Row, and I was lovin' that. Then I was over listening to Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, Madonna, and Green Day. Q: For your next record, do you think you might take on another genre? A: I don't want to hold myself back from anything. There's a lot of stuff I want to do that I hope will confuse people. I'd like to work with some of my idols, like Steven Tyler, Stevie Nicks, or Linda Perry from 4 Non Blondes. Q: What was it like living in the center of the R&B scene in Atlanta and hanging out at the offices of LaFace? A: I met TLC, Toni Braxton, Outkast, Goodie Mob, and Usher. I was like, "Wow, I'm in the stable with these people? I gotta step up!" I decided to get in everybody's face 'cause whether they like you or hate you, as long as they're thinking about you, it's all good. I'd push by the secretary, interrupt meetings, jump up on the desk, and just throw songs down L.A. Reid's throat. That's how I got to write so much on the album. I wouldn't have gotten any writing respect if I hadn't taken it. Q: Have you always been so rebellious? A: Always. The first time my brother said to me, "Girls can't skateboard," that's when I became a really good skater. Q: I heard you're a gymnast, too. Is there anything you won't try? A: I also kickbox. My dad was trained in guerilla warfare. He was in Vietnam. Our life mission when we were children was to be able to sneak up on him. It never worked. We'd be up in our room putting war faces on, dressing all in black, like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, crawling down the stairways, being as quiet as we thought we could be, and he'd be right in the room waiting for us. Q: Has it been hard to keep your edge in such a polite, squeaky industry? A: I've fought for it tooth and nail. I think the people around me respect me even more for it. Otherwise I might've ended up singing ballads that I didn't mean, living a fraudulent lifestyle, and talking about nothing. Q: What kind of ballads? A: Ballads about, "If you leave me I'll die, dah, dah, dah." Please, are you serious? Q: Are you planning any wild adventures? A: My whole life is an adventure, I'm on a roller coaster ride. I want to take over the world. |
