Mary Chapin Carpenter - Getting Personal


By Bob Paxman
Country Song Roundup
October, 1997

The unsuspecting public tends to think that stars have it all. That's especailly true in the case of Mary Chapin Carpenter, because she does seem to live in the best of all possible worlds. She's a Grammy-winning artist, two time CMA Female Vocalist of the Year, an Ivy League graduate, and an overall creative soul. Her lastest album, A Place In The World, which she co-produced, went gold (sales of half-a-million units) about two days after it was shipped to stores.

But there are misunderstandings. People assume, given her highly-educated background, that she's an all-too-serious person who can never lighten up completely. Yet, how do you explain such Carpenter-penned songs as Down At The Twist And Shout, I Feel Lucky, Shut Up and Kiss Me and others? Check out her videos- is there anyone who seems to have a better time making those promotional clips? No signs of "Miss Alienation" there.

As far as her personal life, Mary Chapin's helter-skelter schedule often makes relationships difficult at best. Again, that's far removed from the popular perception. The free-wheeling life she's supposed to lead is only illusion. To borrow from and earlier Mary Chapin album, more than a few stones exist in the road of life. Mary Chapin shared some of those thoughts, along with some other musings.

CRS: Is it hard to maintain relationships in your profession? Does it keep you from forming more permanent bonds?

MCC: Sometimes, your personal life does take a back seat to your work. Of course, there are other times when it's the other way around. I wish I could spend more time in one place, and not lead such a peripatetic lifestyle. I could have a better chance, if I'm in a relationship, at making sure that it gets the attention it needs. I will admit that, sometimes, my work has sabotaged a relationship.

CRS: How do you deal with that realization?

MCC: You just have to make time for the things that are important to you. You also hope that your partner is going to be secure enough in his own life to understand when you have to be gone. It's a challenge all the time, but I'm feeling pretty optimistic about it.

CRS: You have been so successful. Is there a constant pressure to outdo yourself?

MCC: I feel pressure is something we try to measure within ourselves. It's not healthy, it's not constructive to what we do. I mean, music is not a horse race, it's not a competitive sport, so to feel pressure internally or from other outside sources is something you really have to guard against. If it's going to beat you up when you don't get something, you need to take a look at what yu're doing and why you're doing it.

CRS: Has success come as a surprise?

MCC: Absolutely! I never imagined I'd ever make a record. So, I certainly never thought about the kinds of numbers that my albums have done. Those were reserved for rock acts, I always thought. They never applied to myself. It has come as a great surprise to me, gratifyingly of course (laughs). The most important thing is not to succumb to the fears that go along with those numbers.

CRS: How do you feel when people say you have aim your songs at a certain market?

MCC: That's really detrimental to what you do, because, first of all, this business is very unpredictable. You can't guarantee that something will be a hit, no matter where you're aiming to record. That's why I've always shied away from musical categories. I don't want to dictate to someone that, 'This is a country song, and you have to think of it in those terms.' You listen to what it is, and if you enjoy it, then that's great. It has nothing to do with categories.

CRS: There is a real humor to some of your work. Is that for balance?

MCC: I have people say, 'Oh, I guess you have to put funny songs on your albums to offset the serious ones.' But I kind of reject that. To me, these aren't so much songs that I think are funny, they simply reflect every mood. I'm a serious person sometimes, and a not serious person sometimes. So, if I'm going to represent myself as completely as possible in my writing, then there are going to be songs that will not change the world or are not very profound and do not sink much below silliness. They're fun and they reflect me.

CRS: How do you write? Is there a ritual involved?

MCC: It's always interesting to me to read books about novelists, because a lot of them talk about having a ritual when they begin a new work. I used to think I didn't have rituals, but I realize now that I do. I kind of need to be able to be at my desk at home. I've never been able to write on the road. I was talking to Melissa Etheridge one time, and she was telling me how she writes on cocktail napkins on the airplane. Part of me wishes I could do that. But I need to know that there's unlimited time ahead of me to work on something. That's how things gel for me.

CSR: Does everything you start on always work?

MCC: It's real rare that I write a song and it doesn't go through a lot of rewrites. I edit myself over and over again. When I'm in the thick of working on something, my office looks like tornado alley (laughs). There's paper strewn all over the place.

CSR: You wear many different hats. What's it like to co-produce an album?

MCC: It's always been important to me to have an equal say in what I do. Co-producing allows me to stretch as much as possible. Artistically, the important thing is to not make the same record again and again, that I grow as a song-writer and a singer. I don't want to have any regrets.